This week on All Creatures Great and Small, the residents of Skeldale House have to reckon with changes in their lives in various ways. James receives his enlistment date from the RAF, and it’s well before Helen’s due date. Mrs. Hall questions the future of her relationship with Gerald. Siegfried has to adjust to only having Carmody for pet and farm calls. Let’s discuss how the characters handle these changes.

Anyone else still not ok after the bait and switch of “I love you and also I’m going to America for a year!”? Well, while we’re feeling stressed out, our pal Victoria Mars is fine. Totally fine! Unbothered, actually!

This week on All Creatures Great And Small, Carmody is still adjusting to life as a country vet. He hasn’t fully developed an instinct for diagnosing or learned how to speak to the clients in a way that they can understand. Meanwhile, Helen is struggling with how her pregnancy affects her daily routines. Brucellosis threatening the livelihood of a farming family and an itchy tortoise put Carmody’s social skills to the test. Let’s find out what happens.

So. Last week, we took a journey back in time to see how our pals first met, and got confirmation that Duke Silver is alive and somewhat well. THIS week finds our Scottish friend trapped at Victoria Mars’ place and getting smothered by Ivy.

This week on All Creatures Great And Small, James and Siegfried realize that it’s very important to have an extra vet. James finds a vet student who needs to gain hands-on experience to come to Skeldale as his assistant. Mrs. Pumphrey’s foster dog and Tom Chapman’s horse will force the student to remember what he learned from the textbooks. Will he pass the test? Let’s find out.

Remember how last week our pals were just about to go on a DATE and then there was a shootout during a raid and Duke Silver got possibly fatally injured? Unfortunately, reader, that wasn’t a fever dream: it really happened. This week, we cut to Victoria Mars blasting into Duke Silver’s sickroom with the manic energy that one gets when someone important is very sick.

This week on All Creatures Great & Small, the remaining members of Skeldale House are still coping with Tristan’s absence. Helen’s efforts last season to assist Siegfried with the paperwork have not improved either the organization or the finances of the practice. There’s also the issue of more farm and clinic calls than available vets. Siegfried decides to try something to solve the problem, but will it work? Let’s dig a bit deeper and find out.

Reader, I hope you’re enjoying being back in Victorian London with our detective pals as much as I am. I regret to inform you, however, that at least one person is having a terrible time, and that person is Barney the Morgue Bureaucrat. Not only is his walk to work getting interrupted by a bunch of children, but he’s also being chased down the street by Victoria Mars, who’s asking for background information on one of his corpses. A protocol breach? And an annoyance? Sounds like any other episode, except this time, Victoria Mars tries to play the Ivy card.

The All Creatures Great And Small Season 4 premiere reminds viewers that the shadow of World War II is now fully woven into the lives of the residents of Yorkshire. At Skeldale House, Tristan is sorely missed as there are plenty of farmers and pet owners looking for veterinary care. While the season premiere establishes that the series has not forgotten its roots in comforting television, the stakes for the health of the animals have never been higher. Let’s discuss how the characters are adjusting to their new reality.

Reader, I hope you’re as excited as I am to have our Victorian era detective pals back in action! Remember how last season Detective Mustache (Nash) offered our pal Victoria Mars (Eliza) the opportunity to run his office while he went off to set up a new branch in Paris? And how Duke Silver (William) had just gotten dumped by Arabella? It’s been a while, so if you, like me, needed a refresher, you can find all my previous recaps here.