Jake Winemiller

All who read this will understand the truth, as I see it, concerning the new PBS Series, All Creatures Great and Small. As a reader and enthusiast of the book series by James Herriot, and an owner, lover, and watcher of the original TV series I knew it would be too good to be true to have an updated production that has the values that the author of the original book series describes from his life as a young veterinarian in the 1930s Yorkshire Dales. The stories in the book series All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Wise and Wonderful, All Things Bright and Beautiful, The Lord God Made Them All, (and other books) as I said were true stories. The only things not real were the names of the people (including the author) and the names of the towns. The modern series on PBS absolutely destroys the true stories by a heavy handed, disconcerting attempt to make all things fit the utopian narrative of current times, where, in a nut shell, their fantasy world trys desparately to make women strong and capable and men weak, inept, and effeminant. So we are forced to watch a 1930s Yorkshire world in which mainly strong capable women are the movers and shakers that make world go round. Mrs. Hall, in the show is the behind the scences driving force of the veterinary practice, as compared to the true story, in which she is a gracious 60 year old house keeper who had a secret life with a few suitors who would occasionally, unsuspectedly arrive at the back door with large rabbits in an attempt to win her over. She won medals at the local fairs for her cooking and baking. Helen was a loving, feminine, sweet, kind, helpful person who, when her mother passed away, took care of her father, aunt and younger brother and sister on the family farm by doing the household and farm duties wonderfully and amazingly and most of all lovingly. The Helen in the new TV series is running the farm, and dragging around a huge bull. Many of the other "farmers" in the 1930s utopian Yorkshire are females including a strong pipe smoking wheeler, dealer that challenges everyone around her. Sigfried and Tristan are sneaky, dishonorable, adolescent acting, men who are kept inline by Mrs. Hall. Mrs. Hall is seen at surgeries, in pubs, sitting at tables eating with her employer dispensing sage advice in all settings. Mrs. Hall is not 60 years old, in the new series she appears to be in her 30s and of course there is a hint of the possibility that she and Sigfried may blossom into some kind of relationship. I just wish a period story would stay true to the period as described by the author, I am tired of having history purposely scrubbed to fit contemporary narratives. A final note, character development is variable and clumsy and thus very hard for me to fall in love with the new characters as portrayed in the new TV series. Having said this, though deeply disappointed, I do enjoy the new story. At least there are no commercials!