Simply an incredible show, we all know Jeremy Clarkson & his alpha male persona from Top Gear & The Grand Tour but this show, Clarksons Farm brings out another side of him. Yea there's still glimpses of his old self but farming shows another side to him, this episode especially. This show also brings a look at farming for the uninitiated, for the unknowing. It may turn some folks minds about farmers, but they may not watch it because it's not part of their echo chamber. I for one have found it to be a brilliant show, humorous, emotional ( I was in tears during this episode) and it highlights the ups & downs of farmers lives. I think it's brilliant. & I think Jeremy has found the role he has grown into.
2 Reviews
"Harrowing" is a Lesson On Life
steveoverlander10 May 2024
Warning: Spoilers
You don't often expect to get a lesson on Life, Love, Loss, and Death from a show about farmer, especially one that features Jeremy Clarkson, but that's exactly what Season 3 Episode 4 delivers. In this episode, Jeremy is looking forward to the birth of three litters of piglets and in typical Clarkson fashion, he has no idea what he's in store for.
I think the star of this episode (and maybe even the whole season) is Lisa, Jeremy's girlfriend, who has many moments in this specific episode that remind me of how touching it is to be human. Lisa, who has been thrust into a world of pig farming on a whim and a prayer, does her absolute best with no experience to help the piglets into this world. She is not prepared at all for the cruel indignation that mother nature so often presents when the mother pigs are indifferent to the wellbeing of their babies. In total, the Clarkson's lost 8 piglets and one mother.
Toward the end of the episode, Lisa and Jeremy do everything they can to save the last, orphaned piglet, who has lost all his siblings and his mother. After multiple days of trying to bottle feed and keep the piglet warm, they can see he is not doing well. Lisa understands this, and through tears and hushed tones, tells the little piglet that it's ok to let go. The scene ends with the baby piglet lying dead next to Lisa's beanie, in a homemade cradle. It was a moment that cut to my very core, because it was a reminder that the world can be so cold, so cruel, and yet the indomitable human spirit will fight on.
Kudos to you Lisa, because it takes serious courage to be that vulnerable on television.
Overall, I think the main theme presented, whether deliberately or not, is that life is so fleeting and fragile that it's important to make the most of it while you still can. Be vulnerable, feel the frostbite of a world so cold and remind yourself that the only protection you have from it is the warmth that comes from within. Understand that nothing is guaranteed in life and to be so grateful for every moment you share with someone or something you love. This is a piece of television that is so deeply philosophical without trying to be, and that's what makes it so excellent.
I think the star of this episode (and maybe even the whole season) is Lisa, Jeremy's girlfriend, who has many moments in this specific episode that remind me of how touching it is to be human. Lisa, who has been thrust into a world of pig farming on a whim and a prayer, does her absolute best with no experience to help the piglets into this world. She is not prepared at all for the cruel indignation that mother nature so often presents when the mother pigs are indifferent to the wellbeing of their babies. In total, the Clarkson's lost 8 piglets and one mother.
Toward the end of the episode, Lisa and Jeremy do everything they can to save the last, orphaned piglet, who has lost all his siblings and his mother. After multiple days of trying to bottle feed and keep the piglet warm, they can see he is not doing well. Lisa understands this, and through tears and hushed tones, tells the little piglet that it's ok to let go. The scene ends with the baby piglet lying dead next to Lisa's beanie, in a homemade cradle. It was a moment that cut to my very core, because it was a reminder that the world can be so cold, so cruel, and yet the indomitable human spirit will fight on.
Kudos to you Lisa, because it takes serious courage to be that vulnerable on television.
Overall, I think the main theme presented, whether deliberately or not, is that life is so fleeting and fragile that it's important to make the most of it while you still can. Be vulnerable, feel the frostbite of a world so cold and remind yourself that the only protection you have from it is the warmth that comes from within. Understand that nothing is guaranteed in life and to be so grateful for every moment you share with someone or something you love. This is a piece of television that is so deeply philosophical without trying to be, and that's what makes it so excellent.
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