All Creatures Great And Small (PBS)
I love PBS shows and Masterpiece Theater ones the most. And I love when Britain brings their masterpieces to America. My wife and I always look for new small epic-style shows to watch and fall in love with. We crave the kind of shows where you can root for nearly everyone a little bit, and these kinds of shows never fail to deliver entertainment while encouraging moral inspection.
In my experience, when the time is right in our lives, the proper art for that moment appears to us like a magical opportunity to dig deeper into this electric thing called life. All Creatures Great and Small has been on my radar for about a year, and a month ago, it jumped out onto my television like it was scheduled by the aliens.
World War II is one of the three most important periods for all good-souled people to understand and be fluent in general conversations involving social duty and responsibility.1 In this period, just before World War II broke out, we meet the characters of All Creatures Great and Small.
The series is a remake of a 1970s series that was an adaptation from a series of novels written by James Herriot, a pen name for James Alfred Wight, a British veterinary surgeon and writer (1916-1995). The story we fall in love with is the life and work of a veterinarian in the UK Yorkshire Dales during the 1930s and 1940s, coincidentally also named James Herriot.
World War I was “The War to End all Wars,” and it, along with the inevitable war after it, destroyed hundreds of millions of lives over a few decades. In the heart of England's farmland, these young veterinary surgeons are caught in the undertow of a world slipping into war, and they are torn between technological shifts that pull farmers into cities to become workers and eventually soldiers.
There is a lot going on in the subtext of this simple country story of an ambitious, kind, and talented young man who falls ass over heels in love with a woman he meets on a bus traveling to his new home and first job as a Qualified Veterinarian.
Before I go further, here is a series of character dossiers so you are acquainted with what’s happening, allowing me to highlight why it’s important and rewarding, and well worth your time.
Characters
In the English countryside in 1939, children grew up amidst the beauty of nature, forging a unique bond with the land and the animals that inhabit it. The optimism of that youth in the period between the World Wars made it difficult for children to find joy and wonder in their trying circumstances. For some, there was hope everywhere they looked, and then the war started; everywhere they looked, there was fear and loss.
In the face of adversity during World War II, the British people learned the importance of compassion, hard work, and resourcefulness. These qualities also defined a generation of Americans who joined with Britain to overthrow authoritarianism in their day. The outbreak of World War II brought a new set of challenges for country farmers and veterinarians alike.
Increasing food production and maintaining livestock health were crucial for the nation's survival. The dedicated veterinarians in All Creatures Great and Small exemplify the determination and tenacity required to overcome these obstacles, working tirelessly to ensure the well-being of their four-legged patients and even helping out a few two-legged ones along the way. As viewers, we are inspired by their unwavering commitment to their calling and their vital role in supporting the rural community in the Dales that depends on them.
The series also delves into the emotional complexities faced by veterans of World War I, who carried new scars with them and had no way to convey how badly they hurt inside. Post-traumatic stress wasn’t a facet of knowledge based on observation and evolving hypotheses applied over time. There was no science for trauma in the 1930s. A man was either weak or strong. A man was supposed to be either alive or dead. Too many veterans who survived the gas attacks in the Somme's trenches came home and landed somewhere between life and death. They stalked this world for decades, greying inside and finally turning black.
Many of those men were fathers, unable to prepare their sons and younger family members for the inevitable damage that comes with war, regardless of whether we all head out to the front lines to fight. Siegfried Farnon is a good man, but he’s a difficult man. He was forced to oversee a terrible slaughter of animals during the First World War. He had to pull the triggers because he was ordered to. Captain Farnon promised himself that he would never harm another animal and that he would never take another order in his life.
His younger brother, Tristan, has been Siegfried’s ward since their parents died when he was young. Tristan is difficult to manage, though easy to care for, because he’s a kind, good-hearted soul wrapped in the package of a sometimes buffoon who doesn’t take life very seriously very often. Siegfried prays that a day will not come for Tristan when someone gives him the order to harm sacred and vulnerable lives.
Despite the challenges and heartache that permeate the narrative, this show consistently maintains an undercurrent of hope, optimism, and love. The characters in this show exemplify the power of community, friendship, and love to overcome adversity. In their interactions with the animals they care for, they display a deep and abiding respect for all living creatures, reminding us of our capacity for empathy and kindness.
In conclusion, the PBS Masterpiece series All Creatures Great and Small offers viewers a heartening and uplifting portrayal of life in rural England during a time of great upheaval. As we follow the lives of its endearing characters and witness their resilience in the face of adversity, we are reminded of the strength of the human spirit and the importance of compassion, love, and community in overcoming the hardships that life may bring. By immersing ourselves in this beautifully crafted world, we find solace and inspiration to reconnect with the values that bind us together as human beings.
