We Can But Hope

I don't know why some men are so persistent. I guess the heart wants what it wants. I don't understand why James was so persistent in pursuing Helen when she was already engaged to someone else. If you're attracted to someone but they are already involved, move on! Love is a decision. Nd you can decide to move on and seek love elsewhere.

As someone said here, Helen is a farmer and James doesn't really like farming, so look for someone with your same interests, else by the time marriage and 2 children come along, someone might be longing for something different. So I didn't like James 'mooning' over Helen and I feel sorry for her fiance. (But I didn't see the episode so I don't exactly know why Helen broke up with him).

The episode begins with the funeral of a local farmer. All the veterinarians are there in a friendship role. Later, James is called by the widow to look at her herd. The cattle are suffering from a disease from bacteria in the grasses and it is doubtful they will recover. Keeping them alive involves a lot of expense for the woman and her meagre family. James does everything he can but he knows it will be hard. Meanwhile, he has asked Helen out and Tristan talks him into taking her to a fancy schmantzy restaurant where they get into a bit of an argument. James has little to stand on. In a less serious thing, Siegfried has given Tristan the job of raising some hens. But it happens that Siegfried is responsible for leaving the barn door open, allowing the chickens to run all over the area. But, of course, he won't admit it. This episode is about the tenuous business of farming in this type of setting. The final thing here is a tender moment for James and Helen as the episode ends.

Siegfried often concocts a plan to engender Tristan to take on and learn responsibility, and this time around it's keeping chickens in a storeroom back of Skeldale.

In the meantime, Mrs. Pumphrey has gone to London for the weekend and her chauffer drops Tricky Woo off to be cared for by Uncle Herriot. The only problem is Uncle Herriot is spending most of his time fighting a losing battle trying to save a young herd with a deadly parasite.

So when a chicken pecks Tricky Woo, Seigfried goes all crack-a-dog and leaves the door open ... allowing all the chickens to wander off.

James worries whether to continue almost certainly futile attempts to save the herd or convince the recently widowed farm lady to sell out before she loses everything.

And what will happen with Helen his time out?