The second season of All Creatures Great And Small draws to a close with a Christmas special that nonetheless includes a year round message about finding love and support from a chosen family or the greater community. Fun fact: the MASTERPIECE tradition of airing Christmas specials after the holiday is because of the staggered airing schedule between the UK and the US. Let’s find out what happens.

Final episode? Say it ain’t so! Alas, it is so, and we return to good old NYC where our friends have finally landed after their eventful visit to the American west. A scrum of reporters surround the trio and start asking them personal questions.

Around The World In 80 Days Episode 7 reintroduces historical racism as a pivotal plot point. Earlier in the season, I examined how the series handled racism and imperialism in the first 5 episodes - you can read that here. As our protagonists reach America, the territory west of San Francisco is filled with natural hazards and people with ill intentions. The episode highlighting the dangers of Confederates and Ku Klux Klan members on the run from the law had the unintentional benefit of airing during Black History Month. Although the amount of input from Black historical experts is still unlcear, Episode 7 forces the characters to confront white supremacy in a way previous episodes did not. Unfortunately, it also leaves out how British imperialism influences their views on Reconstruction Era America.

The All Creatures Great And Small Season 2 finale resolves almost all of the biggest plotlines this season. Everyone is looking forward to what the future will bring. Some find love, others find a purpose, and others are concerned that life as they know it will be interrupted by events abroad. Let’s discuss what happened in this action-packed episode.

Last week our heroes were marooned on an island, so surely nothing more dangerous than that can happen this week, right? Wrong: our trio is galloping across the American plains in a stagecoach in an attempt to outrun the train (which had to stop for repairs). Now sure, that doesn’t sound too bad, but once you factor in the uneven potholed track, the lack of snacks, and the extreme levels of unresolved sexual tension between M. Master Key and Ginge Nellie Bly, I might take the island.

Forget those other guys: James is the hero Masterpiece needs!

You asked for it: more dramas like Death in Paradise and Midsomer Murders

The objects of our affection? Binge-worthy TV!

The big cricket game Mrs. Pumphrey teased earlier this season is finally here! The farmers and vets of Darrowby are fighting for the honor of the village against the men of property. On another level, the game is a proxy match for Hugh Houlton to win back his pride after the breakup with Helen. Who wins the match? Let’s find out!

Last week we left our man Purple Haze in the distinctly dangerous position of being led away at gunpoint by Disreputable Bowler Hat Guy, and I’m sorry to tell you that his circumstances have only gotten worse since. To wit: this episode kicks off with Purple Haze, M. Master Key, and Ginge Nellie Bly stuck in a lifeboat in the middle of a stormy ocean as their ship steadily chugs away from them.