The Stars of All Creatures Great and Small Weigh In on the Show's Dramatic Season Finale
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Christmas came a little late for the characters of All Creatures Great and Small. Tonight, the show's 2020 holiday special finally aired in the U.S., bringing a bit of belated cheer to Masterpiece PBS. But despite the festive setting, the show's season finale is about more than mistletoe and eggnog; the episode follows Helen on the eve of her wedding to Hugh, when doubts begin to set in.
"That was the trajectory back then, that you'd get married. But I don't really think she's ever had a chance to think about that. I don't think she's questioned it really. And then James comes on the scene and illuminates another path that she might not have thought of," Rachel Shenton, who plays Helen on the series, says, speaking to her character's state of mind. "On the night before her wedding, she's just overwhelmed and a bit confused." So even though she's getting married in the morning, when James is called upon to help deliver some puppies, she goes with him.
"She wants desperately to spend a bit more time with James, but also be away from all the pressures. I think he allows her to be a different version of herself really, because he doesn't know all the nonsense that's come before. He doesn't know all the heartache and all the struggle," Shenton says.
But despite the ample opportunity for James to tell Helen how he feels before she ties the knot, he doesn't use their night together to bare his soul. In fact, he helps ensure she makes it to the church on-time.
"I think James is in this constant battle between heart and head. He's got this moral dilemma that he feels bursting out of him. He's a good guy. And then Helen has a fiancé, and she's going to be married the next day. And he's friendly with Hugh to a certain extent as well. So what kind of person would he be if he were to do that, and disregard the feelings of everyone else?" actor Nicholas Ralph, who plays James Herriot says.
"Throughout that episode, we see him battling with that decision. There's definitely a moment where he is thinking about it, and then ultimately doesn't."
Fortunately, for fans of the couple, this isn't the end of James and Helen's story. All Creatures Great and Small has already been renewed for a second season.
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