All Creatures Great and Small 4×03 “Right Hand Man” Spoilers Ahead
Tricki Woo is back!
Do All Creatures Great and Small fans need any further motivation to watch “Right Hand Man?” Probably not, but this episode is a delight for many reasons beyond this season’s first appearance of our favorite pampered Pekingese. Fresh arrivals and persistent challenges make for an entertaining and touching tapestry of interwoven stories.
After two mostly light-hearted episodes to open Season 4, All Creatures Great and Small 4×03 ramps up the emotional tension for viewers. “Right Hand Man” has its share of fun and funny moments, but the serious elements are more poignant. Familiar and new characters blend readily into this season’s story arc as the show marches viewers closer to the reality of a long war. In “Right Hand Man,” Darrowby residents — whether permanent or temporary — try to cherish the present even as they remain emotionally bound to those who are absent.
Disruption Draws Closer in All Creatures Great and Small 4×03
While “Carpe Diem” had a tight focus, “Right Hand Man” extends beyond the confines of Skeldale House to explore the effects of war-time preparations at the Pumphrey Manor and on the Dales farms and roads.
The episode opens with a deceptively peaceful scene: an aerial view of the magnificent landscape and a lingering shot of sheep and lambs. The authoritative voice of Mr. Alderson interrupts the animal’s gentle bleating to wake James and Helen Herriot from a nap. In All Creatures Great and Small 4×03 “Right Hand Man,” the Herriots long for time together in Skeldale House. As they recall their desire to start a family, infantrymen appear in the distance. Their long, anxious look at the troop and a close-up of the soldiers’ rhythmic footsteps suggest a rude awakening as war’s drums grow louder. Is there enough time to consummate their grand ideas?
James hopes the opportunity to mentor his “own little James” will free him to father a baby. These ambitions rely on Richard Carmody, whose first steps in Darrowby are hardly reassuring. Despite passing several people who might offer directions, the new apprentice wanders lost for a full hour, looking for written instructions in the form of street signs. Viewers quickly understand that Carmody is a textbook example of awkwardness. Unfortunately, his first patient encounter is with Cedric, Mrs. Pumphrey’s wartime foster pup. Carmody’s manner with the community matron makes a terrible first impression. He boorishly proclaims the name of Cedric’s “emergency” ailment and blandly suggests putting the dog outside to avoid bombarding the party with noxious gas. Tricki Woo speaks for all of us when he growls at Carmody’s question: “Do you always treat your animals like people?” My immediate worry is whether we have another animal loather, like Miss Harbottle, but this time in vet’s clothes. Carmody’s particular “anti-social malady” and his overly clinical approach are obstacles to James’s attempt to relieve his workload.
Whose Right-Hand Man Is He?
Siegfried’s fluctuating attitude toward Carmody in All Creatures Great and Small 4×03 “Right Hand Man” also thwarts James’s plan. Initially, he flatly mocks James’s hopes for the student, predicting “Richard Carmody from London … won’t last.” In his unwillingness to fill Tristan’s place, Siegfried denies Carmody a room at Skeldale House. The immediate consequence is that James cannot take (or send) Carmody on nighttime call-outs for fear of disturbing his landlady. After a night of dispensing real-world veterinary services, poor, tired James is left to dream of sleep while the two nerds theorize about the causes of acid anemia. When Uncle Harriot is called out to Pumphrey Manor, he must leave Siegfried and Carmody to their more interesting equine case and their Latin jokes. Siegfried begins to view the bookish, equally fastidious, and haughty Carmody as his right-hand man. Instead of freeing James, Carmody’s presence adds to his burden as James competes with Siegfried for the lad’s assistance, neglecting Helen.
It’s during their visit to the Chapman farm that Siegfried truly warms up to Carmody. As in “Broodiness” and “Carpe Diem,” Siegfried persists in initially learning the wrong lesson from his time in the Dales. Anne and Grace Chapman offer a case study in balancing utility with sentimentality. They need Teasal treated because they need his labor, but they also want the horse healed because she belongs to the absent Tom. Siegfried empathizes with their emotional connection and understands their reluctance to hire a new farmhand: it’s “too much like replacing Tom.” (You could also insert Tristan here.) When, however, Carmody confirms his intention to rely on the reserved exception to military service, Siegfried allows himself to become more attached to the replacement. He’s perhaps thinking, “At least this one won’t go get himself killed.”
This clinging to Carmody (much as Cedric has become clingy) may be a new form of coping for Seigfried. His old ways of soothing himself seem to break down as the war advances. Despite his optimistic imagining of his brother’s resilience — “Where there’s a will Tristan find a way” — his silent pain is evident. Mrs. Hall offers comfort with sympathetic smiles and boundaries. She turns off the news when it gets to be too much. She sends Siegfried out before he can dress Carmody down. The tenderness of this scene is reassuring, at least for me. Siegfried’s denial of his feelings is transparent; Mrs. Hall acknowledges his suffering without directly naming it. This gentle exchange feels like a return to old, familiar roles, but it’s short-lived. In All Creatures Great and Small 4×03 “Right Hand Man,” we come to understand that Mrs. Hall is drawing closer to Gerald. The ground is shifting beneath Siegfried’s feet, and he’s not an isolated casualty of the upheaval.
“Right Hand Man” Redefines the Idea of Community in the Dales
The episode’s central event is Mrs. Pumphrey’s community tea party. As party guests prepare for, attend, or try to escape the party, we discover that the war is reshaping the daily lives of everyone in the Dales.
The writing (story by Lee Coan, written by Maxine Alderton) skillfully threads themes of absence, homesickness, and the urgency of today throughout. Each storyline also shows the importance of valuing a person’s unique qualities rather than comparing them to someone else.
Mrs. Hall worries that, like her soon-to-be ex-husband, Gerald will sulk upon learning that everyone at Skeldale House knew about the divorce application before him. Gerald wants Mrs. Hall to know he’s nothing like Mr. Hall. In their conversations this week, we have the clearest explanation of Mrs. Hall’s desire for divorce — “to hold my head up high, for myself and to God.” Even though both characters claim they have no grand ideas, Will Thorp convincingly portrays Gerald’s restrained, respectful longing to become Mrs. Hall’s right-hand man. If she shares his desires, Siegfried may need to rely on community for help and comfort.
The side plots in All Creatures Great and Small 4×03 “Right Hand Man” reinforce the theme of community support. They also provide endearing performances by fan favorites Patricia Hodge and Cleo Sylvestre. (An honorable mention to Joseph May as François, Mrs. Pumphrey’s chauffeur. His perfume-spritzing, lip pursing, and sarcastic longing for war-torn France are perfectly, hilariously understated.) Mrs. Pumphrey is shocked by Cedric’s boisterousness and energy until James reminds her that he’s not a lapdog like Tricki. When James slights Helen for the dog, Helen’s dejection is palpable in Rachel Shenton’s crumbling expression and heavy steps as she drags herself up the stairs. Once Helen finds a way to calm Cedric down, the exchange between her and Mrs. Pumphrey is pure emotion. The tears welling in both actors’ eyes movingly convey the enduring pain of stolen prospects. “Right Hand Man” thrusts Mrs. Pumphrey into her role as community godmother to teach both Herriots that time is precious.
As James races to find Helen, his fate intersects with Teasal’s. The suspenseful build-up to discovering the wounded horse is brilliantly executed. Seigfried’s characteristic shouting at young people — “Close the damn gate.” His warning that “Large animals and roads do not mix.” Teasal trotting in the middle of the same road James takes to go home. The image is a shock, but it is brief. And it is necessary to justify the frantic scramble to save the horse as well as Siegfried’s dramatic shift from admiring Carmody’s intellect to valuing James’s “skill and experience.” The romance of teaching and academic debate fades in an emergency. James recovers from being the jealous odd man out — “How did I become Tristan.” Siegfried reassures Teasal that “James and I will set you right” while relegating Carmody to messenger.
This incident also provides the touching exchange between Siegfried and Grace Chapman, which liberates him to admit he’s at a loss for how to carry on without Tristan. Samuel West perfectly conveys Seigfried’s sharp pain when Cat Simmons, as Grace achingly says: “I don’t want help; I want my son back home and safe.” Just as the Chapmans shift their views on the uneasy co-existence with the infantry training camp, James and Siegfried begin to shift their views of Carmody. Once the recruits understand the importance of fences and the reasons for their disrepair, they offer their help. The Chapmans accept their need to face up to things in Tom’s absence. Once James understands that Siegfried does respect him, he relaxes about Siegfried’s poaching Carmody.
The scene of Siegfried standing alone in the Drovers after joking about soldiering on alone is distressing. Is this his future? Could he really go back to solitary practice and bottled-up emotions? Carmody’s appearance and Siegfried’s willingness to offer him advice are hopeful. The lingering question is whether awkward Carmody will be able to adapt to his new home and its ways as easily as the recruits. At least there’s whisky.
… and a little Harriot. The infectiously giddy laughter of Nicolas Ralph and Shenton as James and Helen discover their good news is the perfect end to an episode with so many exquisitely weepy scenes.
The storylines All Creatures Great and Small 4×03 sets up suggest you’ll want to fasten your safety harnesses for the emotional ride that’s sure to come. “Right Hand Man” continues the show’s tradition of uplifting heartache.
Now streaming on PBS: What are your thoughts on the All Creatures Great and Small 4×03 “Right Hand Man?” Let us know in the comments below.