All Creatures Great and Small Season 5, Episode 4, “Uninvited Guests” Spoilers Ahead
“Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?” All Creatures Great and Small usually treats viewers to images of furry animals. So, for many, a scaly serpent probably counts among the “Uninvited Guests” for a cozy Sunday evening. Like a snake in the grass, this episode is a bit sneaky with its emotional hits. On its surface, the episode is a bouncy buddy caper with a few tender bumps. During a closer watch, however, laughter gives way to righteous anger, then to uncertainty and empathy.
“Uninvited Guests” is a satisfying mid-season episode that offers viewers an appealing balance of whimsy and weightiness.
Telling Tales
Family strolls with baby Jimmy are a recurring image in Season 5. The opening vignette of All Creatures Great and Small Season 5, Episode 4, “Unvited Guests,” incorporates Tristan Farnon into this new tradition as Helen and James accompany him from the bus stop. Fresh off leading his first training in Doncaster, Tristan regales the Herriots with a chronicle of his adventures in Cairo. Helen’s reaction makes clear that Uncle Tristan may be spinning bedtime stories. It’s less clear what he is trying to hide. In “Uninvited Guests,” our favorite Darrowby residents struggle to tell the difference between tales and the truth.
Richard Carmody returns to Skeldale House on the same day as Tristan. Although surprised to learn he’ll be sharing “his” room with Richard, Tristan initially seems willing to be a good sport. That is, until he meets Carmody. Tristan’s attempts to build rapport with the “mini killjoy” fall flat. His tendency to be loose with language clashes with Carmody’s very literal approach. Unfortunately, the boys have little in common other than sharing a profession, Siegfried’s admiration, and now a bedroom. Each has his own story about why he should sleep in the bed. Wise Mrs. Hall firmly nudges Tristan to join Carmody on a call to capture a possible make-believe snake. She believes there’s nothing better than working together to “smooth the waters.” A runaway Tricki Woo and a faulty door knob prove, however, that being locked together in a room — with a very real python — is a more effective way to “encourage a friendship.”
The lads’ quarrel is largely the result of Siegfried’s refusal to face facts and feelings in the episode. He clings to the fiction that for Lieutenant Farnon, sharing the room with Carmody should be no different than when young Tris shared with James many moons ago. Siegfried also convinces himself that fastidious Carmody is “amenable.” Rather than encouraging Richard to seek common ground with Tristan, Siegfried revels in Carmody’s shared love of bacteria, scientific texts, and cribbage. With his head planted in “a large pile of sand,” Siegfried refuses to entertain Mrs. Hall’s theory that Tristan may feel left out. Once he realizes how wrong he is, Siegfried shares with Tristan a snippet of his suffering on the home front.
In All Creatures Great and Small Season 5, Episode 4, “Uninvited Guests,” James also confronts (some of) his wartime pain but only after it has sneaked in uninvited. James responds to Sid Crabtree’s call to treat a sick cow, a scenario eerily reminiscent of “By the Book.” The cow appears to have a common and treatable blockage. Still, James is unusually anxious to impress on Crabtree that he’s providing the best possible care. A meddlesome postman and trickster dog rattle the vet’s confidence. Although he assures Sid he doesn’t hold the farmer to blame for his illness, James’ anger violently erupts after Sid becomes the second person to label him “lucky” for catching brucellosis (from the Crabtree herd). Helen observes the outburst. She coaxes James into finally revealing that German planes shot down “his” crew during the training run he was not fit to fly in “To All Our Boys.”
All Creatures Great and Small Season 5, Episode 4 Sneaks in a Morality Tale
“Uninvited Guests” is a deceptively pleasant (or pleasantly deceptive) episode. The jaunty music and whimsical escapades hide deeper internal and interpersonal conflicts. The title works on multiple levels, the deepest being how “Uninvited Guests” stealthily challenges viewers to reflect on home, hospitality, and hazards.
Writing for the second time in Season 5, Maxine Alderton crafts entertaining stories that are both playful and poignant. Alderton seamlessly incorporates the devices that fans expect. Animal metaphors emphasize human conditions. Like the python, the soldiers and Carmody are seeking warmth and comfort far from home. Like the cow’s stomach, Siegfried and James need a jog to get their emotions flowing. And like Tricki Woo, Mrs. Pumphrey and Tristan need to find ways to bond with the less fortunate strangers now living in their homes.
While the series typically has complex characters, I found some of the character development confronting in “Uninvited Guests.” Siegfried’s emotional growth is as non-linear as ever. We’ve previously seen flashes of James’ impatience or anger, for example, in “Broodiness.” Thankfully, Helen and Audrey remain blessed peacemakers. What stood out in this episode was the clash of noble values portrayed in the parallel stories of Tristan’s room and Pumphrey Manor. It feels natural to stand on the side of Mrs. Pumphrey and Tristan as they crave the comforts of home in the midst of wartime disruption. Their realizations that true hospitality involves personal sacrifice stretch our compassion muscles.
In the same vein, Richard Carmody and his inability to understand why Tristan would crave his own bed initially upset me. Then again, that’s perhaps the point. Despite all his apparent “progress,” Richard still experiences the world differently than many of us. Richard cannot imagine, but he can learn from reflecting on others’ experiences. He learns so well, in fact, that he tricks Tristan into giving up the bed by “pulling his leg in jest.” Seeing Richard play on Tristan’s phobia was also a bit unsettling. Thankfully, in the final scene, Alderton tells us that Tristan is not a hapless victim, and Richard is neither smug nor serene in his victory. Game on!
Stewart Svaasand’s direction in “Uninvited Guests” again provides viewers with intimate looks at undisclosed emotions. As with “The Home Front” and “Homecoming,” Svaasand uses a tight focus or well-chosen angles to show onscreen what the characters do not see. When Carmody warmly hugs Mrs. Hall, she seems surprised. This small interaction tells us how unusual it is for Richard to show such enthusiasm, clueing us that he’s happy to be “home.” A tight shot on the toast tug-of-war reveals the territorial aggression each lad feels about Skeldale House.
It is precisely at the Skeldale House dinner table that this direction has its greatest effect. Close frames of those around the table create intimacy allowing viewers to feel part of the family. During the first dinner as six, we see each character individually as they wait for Richard to finish his sentence about how he imagines war and for Tristan to provide details from his real experience. Shots of James and Tristan show uncharacteristic seriousness on both faces. In the final dinner, a close-up of Helen’s hand squeezing her husband’s when the conversation turns to war injuries suggests she understands that James has not yet made peace with his loss.
The costume department adds to the visual storytelling. Tristan arrives in uniform but spends much of the episode in civvies, reminding us he is technically off duty. The contrast between his tweed jacket and Mrs. Hall’s warden uniform tells viewers the war continues. We see Siegfried without his jacket, doing manual labor to atone for his negligence. Helen’s beautiful pink dinner sweater and Carmody’s jazzy patterned v-neck suggest this homecoming dinner is a special occasion.
In “Uninvited Guests,” the stories have multiple sides. With this episode, All Creatures Great and Small reminds viewers that sharing our narratives just might help us heal if we’re brave enough to tell the truth.
Now streaming on PBS: What are your thoughts on All Creatures Great and Small Season 5, Episode 4, “Uninvited Guests?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Helen Williams; Playground Entertainment and MASTERPIECE.