By all rights this ought to be (and was for a long stretch) the last episode of this wonderful TV show.
In the first episode James Herriot arrived by bus like a western gunslinger, coming to clean up the town. By this episode, having cleaned up the town and won the heart of the local beauty (actually not nearly as lovely as many of the other actresses who appear, but it's all play-like) he ride out (by car) to take on Hitler.
Indeed, James joins the fight against National Socialism (as opposed to the other kind, which Democrats love) and, if we've read ahead in the books, know he's going to come back unscathed. But he hasn't read ahead and doesn't know. Neither does Helen, nor the housekeeper, nor Siegfried nor Tristan (who is finally a qualified vet and has the practice, and James' wife, all to himself).
The last three series, of James' tribulations with the often unappreciative folk he's serving have been a roller-coaster ride of happy times with animals recovering under his care (like Oscar the cat) or, contrariwise, owners having to surrender their animals (big ones and pets) to be "put down." Now James has to help put Hitler down so the "final" series comes to a suspenseful end.
The ending, I'm afraid, is the best part of this episode. Otherwise it's just a lot of good-byes.
I don't know if this series really inspired anyone to be a vet. For the most part I think of the satire of "All Creatures Great and Small" in the 1970s humorous wireless program "The Burkiss" way has "Helen" saying "Farmer so-and-so says his cow is much better and he's sure it's because you had a hand in it."
In the first episode James Herriot arrived by bus like a western gunslinger, coming to clean up the town. By this episode, having cleaned up the town and won the heart of the local beauty (actually not nearly as lovely as many of the other actresses who appear, but it's all play-like) he ride out (by car) to take on Hitler.
Indeed, James joins the fight against National Socialism (as opposed to the other kind, which Democrats love) and, if we've read ahead in the books, know he's going to come back unscathed. But he hasn't read ahead and doesn't know. Neither does Helen, nor the housekeeper, nor Siegfried nor Tristan (who is finally a qualified vet and has the practice, and James' wife, all to himself).
The last three series, of James' tribulations with the often unappreciative folk he's serving have been a roller-coaster ride of happy times with animals recovering under his care (like Oscar the cat) or, contrariwise, owners having to surrender their animals (big ones and pets) to be "put down." Now James has to help put Hitler down so the "final" series comes to a suspenseful end.
The ending, I'm afraid, is the best part of this episode. Otherwise it's just a lot of good-byes.
I don't know if this series really inspired anyone to be a vet. For the most part I think of the satire of "All Creatures Great and Small" in the 1970s humorous wireless program "The Burkiss" way has "Helen" saying "Farmer so-and-so says his cow is much better and he's sure it's because you had a hand in it."
