‘All Creatures Great and Small’: Is Tristan OK? Plus, Siegfried & Mrs. Hall Share Special Moment

[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for All Creatures Great and Small Season 5 Episode 3, “Homecoming.”]

The boy is back in town. Callum Woodhouse‘s Tristan Farnon returned home from war in one piece in All Creatures Great and Small on Sunday, January 26 on PBS. And it didn’t take long for him and big brother Siegfried (Samuel West) to get back into the swing of their signature squabbling, even if Siegfried did swear he would never utter a cross word to his baby brother again if he came home without a scratch. It also didn’t take long for the brothers to band together to give an ornery client a taste of his own medicine. The charming family reunion was also highlighted by baby Jimmy’s christening and a poignant private moment between Siegfried and Tristan at the episode’s end.

“Homecoming” began with James’ (Nicholas Ralph) parents arriving to Darrowby for the christening, and his mother and Helen (Rachel Shenton) struggled to connect. Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley), meanwhile, received a telegram for Siegfried about Tristan that made them both fear the worst. But it was happy news: Tristan would soon be home from Cairo, where he was serving as a military veterinarian, and they later learned that it would be for a considerable amount of time. The animal cases of the week were a dog with a phantom pregnancy, an experience that gave Helen and her mother-in-law the chance to connect through motherhood, and a goat whose owner was secretly refusing to administer its medicine out of resentment for having to pay for Siegfried’s services.

Siegfried and Mrs. Hall became Jimmy’s godparents during the christening, and everyone attending looked beyond pleased to see them standing together for this momentous occasion. If Siegfried and Mrs. Hall’s loved ones aren’t shipping them together already, the looks on their faces would convince you otherwise.

Helen Williams / Playground Entertainment and Masterpiece

The possibility of the veterinarian and his housekeeper getting together romantically this season seem to be increasingly possible. Last week in Episode 2, Siegfried told Mr. Bosworth (Jeremy Swift) that he still had hopes he would find new love despite his age. He said this next to Mrs. Hall. In the Season 5 premiere, Siegfried was gobsmacked by the sight of Mrs. Hall in her blackout warden uniform. And his annoyance over her spending time with Mr. Bosworth (for their work as wardens) could be interpreted as jealousy, whether Siegfried’s aware of that or not.

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Most of Siegfried’s emotional real estate was occupied by his brother’s homecoming in this episode. Treating the goat curtailed Siegfried’s speech plans post-christening, so Tristan let him give the truncated version (Siegfried is not one for brevity). He gave touching remarks about how you spend your life caring for a younger family member, like an emperor penguin, and then one day they grow up and you realize you need them more than they need you. Tristan teared up over the remarks.

The soldier was chipper the entire episode, responding with humor whenever he was asked about his service in Cairo. But there’s a hint that times were tougher during his deployment than Tristan’s letting on, so he may actually need his brother more than Siegfried currently believes.

Tristan will remain a regular throughout the rest of Season 5. Do you think he’ll catch on to the vibes between Siegfried and Mrs. Hall? And would he approve? We like to think so. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

All Creatures Great and Small, Sundays, 9/8c, PBS

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