by Brian H
Original Air Date: November 23, 2020
Starring: Dave, Chester
Directed by: Charlotte Bruus Christensen
This episode contains a Severe Kitty Carnage Warning!
Synopsis: Based on the 1939 novel by Rumer Godden. In 1934 a group of nuns headed by Sister Clodagh (Gemma Arterton) are sent by their order to a remote principality in the Himalayas at the request of the ruler to take over an abandoned palace and open a school and clinic for the local children.
Severe Kitty Carnage Warning! When the nuns first arrive at the palace they are busy cleaning the place. One of them suddenly comes across the bloody body of a dead calico cat which causes her to shriek. The other nuns come running and while showing sympathy for the poor animal simply cover the body with a cloth and assure the nun the “poor creature cannot harm you.” This scene caused quite a bit of controversy when the series first aired in Britain, as viewers felt that some kind of warning should have been given before the startling image.
Kitty Cameos: The nuns have a hard time adjusting to the location, high altitude, winds, and also the palace, which had been used by a previous prince for his harem. A native housekeeper Angu Ayah (Nila Aalia) works for the nuns and puts a bowl of milk on the ground each morning which makes her popular with the local cats.
Two cats appear, a tortoiseshell tabby and an orange and white tabby.
Later one of the nuns trips over the bowl causing it to spill milk which the tortoiseshell licks up. The animal trainer on the series was Charlotte Wilde and the tortoiseshell was played by cat actor Dave while the ginger and white tabby was played by Chester.
Final Mewsings: Nuns and cats don’t cry over spilt milk.
Many thanks to Mark Murton for letting us know about the Kitty Carnage Warning in this episode!
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