REVIEW: All Creatures Great And Small, Series 1 Episode Two 'Dog Days'

 REVIEW: All Creatures Great And Small, Series 1 Episode Two 'Dog Days'

Tonight I will be watching the last episode of All Creatures Great And Small's seventh series, 'Promises To keep', and so I thought I would take a look back at my views on the second episode of the show's first ever series, 'Dog Days'.

This episode is the one that introduces Peter Davison's Tristan, and personally I enjoyed it a lot. James and Tristan's relationship is already being shown to be a lot of fun; I love the little pranks they pull on each other here. It makes me think of a sibling relationship, especially as they seem to be of a similar age, which makes it all the more weird that Siegfried and Tristan are the siblings. Siegfried and Tristan may be the actual brothers, but James and Tristan also are in spirit (if not in blood).

As with the Channel 5 version, the second episode also introduces us to Mrs Pumphrey and her dog Tricky Woo. Somehow the original version is even more eccentric than the Diana Rigg take! Continuing with the strong theme of family present in this episode, here we have Mrs Pumphrey designating James who see to Tricki Woo's veterinary needs as his 'uncle', showing an interesting degree of affection towards the young vet, and suggesting that she almost sees James as a 'replacement' for her dead husband.

They definitely play it up more for the comedy here, with mention made of Tricky Woo having a pen pal and Siegfried's past assistants writing letters to thank the dog for gifts. It's a good laugh, although I do think I prefer the Dame Diana Rigg take on the character overall to Margaretta Scott's portrayal of the oddball dog owner. She makes the character feel more 'real' to me and less like a caricature.

Mrs Pumphrey's manservant Hodgekin also appears to be a very strange character, although in a wildly different manner to Tricky Woo's loyal widower. Through actor Teddy Turner's performance there is a very clear suggestion that he holds a certain level of disdain towards Tricky Woo; this is a man who is perhaps not the world's biggest fan of the canine world, and would rather complete his duties tending to Mrs Pumphrey's needs without a dog getting under his feet.

You wonder, in a sense, just why Hodgekin sticks with Mrs Pumphrey. it is clear throughout the episode that this is not a woman who would be prepared to give up her dog because of another man's clear dislike for the pooch - and quite right too - so why continue working in an environment where you are going to be constantly unhappy? Perhaps Hodgekin deep down feels a level of care and duty towards Mrs Pumphrey, which goes beyond a simple employer and employee relationship? Maybe he was even quite close friends with Mrs Pumphrey's departed husband, and he continues out of loyalty towards his friend?

There's clearly something keeping Hodgekin by Mrs Pumphrey's side, and it would be interesting to see if this is ever explained, as I continue my viewing of the original All Creatures Great And Small.

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What are your thoughts on All Creatures Great And Small's second episode? Let me know in the comments.