ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL: EPISODE 6.1 “Gathering the Flock”

Name: ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL: EPISODE 6.1 “Gathering the Flock”
Item: ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL: EPISODE 6.1 “Gathering the Flock”
Author: Review

“Struggles with Seigfried”

Family Content: -2 Extreme caution for older teenagers and adults.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

Credits →

What You Need To Know:

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL: “Gathering the Flock” is the wonderfully crafted first episode of Season 6, airing on PBS. The beloved show is based on James Alfred Wight’s series of books, which recounts his experiences as a veterinary surgeon in England from 1940 to 1992. Taking place in 1945, the episode follows Siegfried, the elder vet at a veterinary clinic, as he must work through his pride and inability when their old housekeeper, Ms. Hall, arrives back in town to help the clinic.

The premiere episode of Season 6 of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL is entertaining and wonderfully crafted. The cast gives excellent performances. Fans will be thrilled to see familiar faces and will enjoy the gentle storytelling. The first episode of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL: Season 6 has a strong moral worldview. It focuses on reconciliation as Siegfried works through his struggles and makes the choice whether to reconcile with Ms. Hall. However, a few characters drink beer and whiskey. Also, there is one strong profanity mentioning Jesus and five lighter obscenities. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises serious caution.

Content:

(BB, C, L, V, A, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Strong moral worldview of people caring for each other and animals, a focus on reconciliation as a man full of pride who’s hurt people in his life must choose to either continue hurting those he loves or to change his behavior and reconcile with them;

Foul Language:

Three “d” obscenities, two “h” obscenities, one strong profanity using the name of Jesus, an two light profanities, plus three uses of the English word “bloody”;

Violence:

A dog is injured and blood is shown;

Sex:

No sex, but woman mentions she sleeps better with her husband next to her and that he keeps her warm, a couple kisses multiple times, and a man sneaks a woman into his workplace through a window,and they are seen sleeping on separate sides of a couch, but when a boy discovers them, the man pays him not to say anything;

Nudity:

No nudity;

Alcohol Use:

Two men toast and drink with bottles of whiskey, plus a man drinks a beer at a bar;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking or drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

A character is driven by pride.

More Detail:

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL: “Gathering the Flock” is the wonderfully crafted first episode of Season 6, streaming on PBS. The beloved show is based on a series of books by James Herriot, aka James Alfred Wight, which recounts his experiences as a veterinary surgeon working in the Yorkshire Dells from 1940 to 1992. However, Herriot wanted to start his books during a quieter era, so the books and the current series started in 1937.

Season 6 begins in 1945. The war in Europe has ended, but things at the veterinary clinic aren’t going well. Siegfried, the vet who hired James, has been acting differently lately and is very scatterbrained and chaotic. As profits at the clinic begin declining, James is at his wits’ end. That is, until Tristen, Seigfried’s brother and the third vet at the clinic, returns from the war.

Tristen observes Seigfried and determines he must do something about him. He and James decide to ask Mrs. Hall, their former housekeeper who had left to help her son Edward, to return and help at the clinic for a bit and restore order. Mrs. Hall agrees to help and, upon arrival, goes to work. Siegfried, however, who’s still struggling with her leaving in the first place, projects his insecurity and pride by hurting Mrs. Hall. Siegfried must work through his emotions and have a change of heart before he might drive Mrs. Hall away for good.

“Gathering the Flock” does a great job at showing life on English farms in the 20th Century. The portrayal of it all, from baby lambs being born to the apparel and the use of 1940s cars, is very accurate and engaging. The episode itself takes a slow approach, but it plays into a larger story, since it’s the first episode of Season 6. The cast continues to give excellent performances in this character-driven show, and fans will be thrilled to see the familiar faces and enjoy the gentle storytelling.

The premiere episode of Season 6 of ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL has a strong moral worldview. It focuses on reconciliation as Siegfried works through his struggles and makes the choice whether to reconcile with Mrs. Hall or not. The episode portrays this struggle clearly and shows how Siegfried’s heart changes over the course of the episode.

However, the episode features a few characters drinking beer and whiskey, but not to excess. There is also kissing between couples. Most notably, there is some foul language that takes Jesus’s and God’s name in vain, including some other mild profanities. MOVIEGUIDE® advises serious caution.