All Creatures Great and Small’s “By the Book” Is Why We Watch TV

All Creatures Great and Small 4×04 “By the Book” Spoilers Ahead

Some episodes stand out for their engaging plot, and others grab viewers with powerful acting. All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book,” is the kind of episode where every element comes together to make television magic.

In All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book,” knowledge and ignorance clash in familiar and unexpected ways. As characters attempt to make good choices for their loved ones and livelihoods, they struggle to balance harsh realities and hopefulness. “By the Book” highlights that openness to different sources of information and forms of knowledge can help us make better decisions. It also reminds viewers that the best-laid schemes of all creatures, great or small, often go awry.

No One Knows Best in All Creatures Great and Small 4×04

The opening shot is unusual — the Skeldale House door, before a quick cut to a bed frame and feet suggestively poking out of the covers. This look-in on the Herriot’s bed chamber to start All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book,” is a prelude to the intimacy (not that kind) this episode introduces. Viewers will enjoy watching relationships deepen as returning and new characters open themselves to others.

We quickly learn that, despite Siegfried Farnon’s advice at the end of “Right Hand Man,” James Herriot and Richard Carmody are at odds. More accurately, James is annoyed with Carmody, who is “still full of opinions,” and Carmody is so “in a world of his own” that he doesn’t notice James’s frustration. With his nose always buried in a book, Carmody misses social cues, walks into doors, and commits the cardinal sin of failing to appreciate the enduringly breathtaking view of the Dales that James pauses to share with him. James believes Carmody is “verging slightly into know-it-all territory,” and Siegfried believes the cure is for Carmody to see more of how James does it. Siegfried’s mischievous chuckle leaves both James and viewers wondering whether erudite Siegfried is complimenting or insulting James.

The lads’ clashing styles are most obvious when they make their fateful first visit to the Crabtree farm. Still, more newcomers discover the delights and challenges of the Dales in All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book.” The brief reference to millwork and bad lungs (North and South, anyone?) informs us that the Crabtrees are new, not only to the area but also to farming. Like Carmody, they are learning on the job. And like Carmody, they commit a blunder. While James is all easy chit-chat, joking about the loss of “sparkle” as an official diagnosis, Carmody chomps at the bit to announce his own learned conclusions. He contains himself only briefly before blurting out, “May I begin, Mr. Harriot.” Carmody’s brutal observation about Crabtree’s ignorance and inexperience reflects his own unreadiness to be a field vet. After the disastrous visit, Carmody reveals his characteristic social ignorance in declaring without a hint of sarcasm: “I thought that went rather well.” The long drive back to Skeldale House is unpleasant for James because of the stink of Carmody’s manure-caked clothes and his smarty-pants attitude.

Education and Experience

In All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, Siegfried steps in as a schoolmaster to separate the two quarreling lads. He initially directs the bulk of his corrections at Carmody. The importance of relationship-building that we saw in “Carpe Diem” continues with Siegfried telling Carmody vets must “befriend not scold” animal owners and farmers. As he did with the ferret lumpectomy, Siegfried relishes the instructor role. In one of the lighter scenes in “By the Book,” he embarks on Mrs. Hall in a teaching simulation to prepare Carmody to “look to the owner.” All three actors (should I say “four” with Ernie as Jess, the golden retriever?) are brilliant in the double parts of their characters as role players. Siegfried’s approach to instruction appears briefly to help Carmody “gin up on people.” He looks to Mr. Clough’s constant scratching to solve the mystery of the lethargic tortoise. Unfortunately, Carmody does not yet have the social awareness to read James’s and Helen’s distress at the mention of zoonosis and the risk of miscarriage.

In addition to Carmody’s lack of social graces and James’s lack of up-to-date knowledge, Helen’s own relationship to information and intelligence puts her at risk. In the opening scene of All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book,” Helen shrugs off James’s suggestion that they’ll need to start telling people about the pregnancy soon. She is, however, forced to reveal the news to Mrs. Hall when she’s caught red-handed in the pantry. Later, Mrs. Hall gives a look of worry (or disapproval?) when Helen says they haven’t told her dad or Jenny. Helen is adamant that “farmers don’t stop for babies.” She is an experienced farmer, and her insistence on replacing Carmody’s book knowledge with “practical advice from someone who knows what they’re talking about” exposes her to the contagious bacteria that could put a premature end to her and James’s hopes.

“By the Book” Is a Showcase for the All Creatures Great and Small Team

All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book,” is aptly named as the episode follows all the rules of good television craft.

The writing quality is, as always, top-notch. In this second episode written by Maxine Alderton, the continuity and coherence are excellent. Viewers feel rewarded for investing in a season. Clever references back to “Right Hand Man” show us how some characters are evolving while others are not. Carmody has not been able to adapt to real-world practice and has instead retreated to “his books since Teasal.” Yet, Teasal’s owners, the Chapmans, seem to have embraced the lesson of the near disaster. They hire Sid Crabtree as a farmhand despite the ache of missing Tom.

All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book,” also continues the device of placing Skeldale House challenges alongside those of Yorkshire farmers (in “Right Hand Man,” Siegfried and the Chapmans were both missing their soldiers). The juxtaposition of Carmody’s learning curve with that of the Crabtrees underscores the theme of “learning people.” The Crabtrees isolate themselves because they misread the farmers’ overtures as judgment rather than concern. Carmody’s social isolation is less deliberate and may, therefore, be harder to overcome.

Similarly, the sequencing is brilliantly ordered to evoke or manage emotions. We know as soon as James asks about protective clothing that, Carmody will end up in the muck. But even with the foreshadowing, the “slip and splat” comes at the most delicious moment for audiences to relish it. The fall appears to be instant karma for Carmody’s harsh words, making it almost impossible to feel sorry for him. Instead, viewers identify with Farmer Crabtree — “that’ll teach him to keep his gob shut” — it’s a harsh but needed lesson. In a later scene, Carmody’s presence is a welcome relief. As Audrey tells Helen, “You don’t always have to be the tough one,” the mounting emotion verges on becoming unbearably heavy. His interruption to admire the scones is timed perfectly to give both viewers and Helen the chance to breathe.

The talented cast is equal to the task of bringing the writing to life. Each actor supplements their delivery of the scripted lines with meaningful looks, sighs, smirks, and other body language that wordlessly pulls us deeper into the characters’ thoughts when the camera lingers. James Anthony-Rose, as Carmody, adds comic physicality and plays the aloof, know-it-all so well that viewers might wonder how those labels ever got attached to Siegfried (… and that’s perhaps the point).

Rachel Shenton Shines

Amongst all the remarkable performances, Rachel Shenton is on fire in All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book.” Shenton flawlessly covers the range from Helen’s jokey annoyance when calling James a “daft ape” to befuddled babbling when caught with her hand in the pickled egg jar to real frustration when she insists on strapping on her overalls to go to the Crabtree farm. But it is in Helen’s vulnerable moments that her sparkle is brightest. The potentially harsh verdict that infected cows “go down like dominos” is delivered with such empathy that the Crabtrees cannot take offense. When Helen is forced to reveal her pregnancy to the vets sooner than she wanted, with only three words, Shenton fills the atmosphere with the quiet terror and desperation Helen must feel. When Helen and James discuss being brave, the emotion is wrenchingly raw. And the scenes of developing closeness between Helen and Audrey are sheer pleasure because of Shenton and Anna Madeley’s easy rapport even as the characters discuss difficult emotions.

Other pairs also provide onscreen magic. During Siegfried and James’s discussion of Siegfried’s late wife, Evelyn, Samuel West, and Nicolas Ralph ably embody the pudeur of long-time colleagues (dare I say friends?), deepening the intimacy of their relationship. The delight and discomfort of treading into previously unthinkable territory is apparent. Continuing the hopes and perhaps angst of shippers, Audrey and Siegfried also share numerous intimate moments. Most of these scenes offer quiet glimpses of their shared life – at the dinner table, two for tea. Close watchers will have noticed Audrey’s gesture of relief at the test results, a gentle hand on Siegfried’s shoulder reciprocated by a gentle squeeze.

Two final notes about the production quality: The music in the episode is the perfect complement to the action. The song on the radio during Helen’s egg caper gives the feel of an old-timey silent film, beautifully accompanying her exaggerated actions. Similarly, Alexandra Harwood’s playful and tauntingly lyrical composition brilliantly matches the quizzical looks on James’s face as Carmody prefers reading up on nasal discharge to scanning the Dales vista. Finally, at points, the staging is simply perfection. The zoom-in to the cozy study group invites us to observe the collective effort to save Helen’s baby. The scene of the Dales in the far background and the Crabtrees playing blissfully in the near background while James tries to teach Carmody the import of his diagnosis is breathtaking. In one frame, we see that ignorance is bliss and knowledge is power that must be wielded carefully. Hopefulness and looming danger in one powerful visual.

At the end of All Creatures Great and Small 4×04, “By the Book,” the residents of Skeldale House appear to be on the right track to balancing hope and realism. When Siegfried offers a toast “to our growing family,” his voice catches, and most viewers probably shed a tear. But we also know that life-altering papers are in the works — divorce, military call-up — and the war is reaching a critical moment. The future of our favorite found family is anything but certain.

Stay tuned…

Now streaming on PBS: What are your thoughts on the All Creatures Great and Small 4×04 “By the Book?” Let us know in the comments below.
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