[7.6/10] I cannot deny the power of Seigfreid and Tristan telling one another “I love you.” Siegfried tells his little brother that, however hard on him he may be, it’s not out of disdain; it’s because he cares deeply for this younger sibling who is a surrogate son. And in his Xmas toast, Tristan acknowledges that raising him must not have been the easiest thing, and tells his big brother in no uncertain terms that he loves him. That shared affection has always been floating in the background of All Creatures, but to see it come out when it most needs to be said and heard gives it the extra force of being made explicit.
It’s earned too, and demonstrated through their actions. This show has tended to write the Farnon brothers in circles. One episode, Siegfried finally seems to recognize that Tristan is capable and maturing. And the next he’s back to treating him like a disobedient child. There’s truth to that. The movement of real life relationships is often more elliptical than a straight line of progress. But still, for television it can make those supposed breakthroughs seem less meaningful in hindsight.
And yet, here, Siegfried shows he cares in one of the most painful ways for him -- he’s willing to let an animal suffer and maybe even die if it’ll save his younger brother. And not just any horse -- the one that represents his guilt over his dead friend. The situation that creates that dilemma is pretty contrived, but the import of Siegfried’s decision isn’t. He is willing to sacrifice his most deeply held professional principles on the altar of keeping the family he loves safe from the horrors of war he knows all too well.
For his part, Tristan has internalized Siegfried’s lesson. He puts the welfare of the animal first. He stands up to his brother and paves his own way in a manner that Siegfried can’t help but respect. And he sets out to do the noble thing on his own terms, be the master of his own destiny and not just his big brother’s shadow. It’s the kind of maturity, responsibility, and self-possessed state Siegfried always wanted for his brother, and the irony is that Tristan coming into those qualities that takes him away.
Their reconciliation is tied to their parents. Siegfried admits that he was bitter over the fact that Tristan was his parents’ favorite, their father’s especially, something that must have eaten at Siegfried, who’s implied to have sought their father’s approval in the same way that Tristan sought his. But Tristan also gives him absolution, essentially saying that he fulfilled his promise to their father to raise Tristan right and set him on the right path.
It’s a path that leads him to war and an uncertain future. But the crucible of such a momentous turning point in their lives brings out the most honest and vulnerable feelings in each. Tristan leaves as he came, back down in a sack of sundries. But it ends with a hug between the two brothers, an admission of the genuine affection between them, and the pain each feels at separation, however necessary, and however much strife may have rested between them until now. It’s a hard thing, but it brings out the truth in each, and Samuel West in particular gives arguably his best performance in the show to date.
The rest of the material in the episode is sound, but can’t quite compare. I do appreciate Mrs. Hall rushing to catch Gerald, even if it means leaving Siegfried behind in a tough moment, because she’s prioritizing her own happiness over loyalty to her employer, inc contrast to her son’s recriminations. I can’t say I was ever especially invested in her relationship with Gerald, but it’s still nice to see them get a grace note before he leaves for another town, and the show played me like a fiddle with their near miss.
That said, I have very little patience for Eva, the evacuee they’ve taken in at Skeldale house who loves The Wizard of Oz. She’s such a walking trope. The precocious orphan type, played with all they vigor of a toothpaste commercial, feels like a hokey yuletide inclusion of the show. They nod a little at her Jewish heritage, but spend most of the episode with her thrilled to the gills over Xmas and don’t dare touch on the prejudice she might face in a rural community in the 1940s. The humor involving her is weak, and the metaphor of her feelings about nurturing a kitten who’s away from its mother is transparent and blunt as anything. There’s some pathos in the scene where she admits she misses home, and she and Siegfried give one another permission to be sad. But on the whole, if she doesn’t return for season 4, I won’t be crying any tears.
Overall though, the thrust of this episode is a goodbye, however temporary or permanent, for Tristan, and one that puts a capstone on the relationship between him and his brother that has been one of the pillars of the series. The road to get there is a touch janky, but the emotional materia lands, and it works as a resounding and poignant send-off for the character. That’s more than enough on Xmas.
Please tell the editor that that blue filter for the outside shots is really ruining it. If you dont want to film winter scenes in winter, do not solve it like this.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-06-16T02:05:53Z
[7.6/10] I cannot deny the power of Seigfreid and Tristan telling one another “I love you.” Siegfried tells his little brother that, however hard on him he may be, it’s not out of disdain; it’s because he cares deeply for this younger sibling who is a surrogate son. And in his Xmas toast, Tristan acknowledges that raising him must not have been the easiest thing, and tells his big brother in no uncertain terms that he loves him. That shared affection has always been floating in the background of All Creatures, but to see it come out when it most needs to be said and heard gives it the extra force of being made explicit.
It’s earned too, and demonstrated through their actions. This show has tended to write the Farnon brothers in circles. One episode, Siegfried finally seems to recognize that Tristan is capable and maturing. And the next he’s back to treating him like a disobedient child. There’s truth to that. The movement of real life relationships is often more elliptical than a straight line of progress. But still, for television it can make those supposed breakthroughs seem less meaningful in hindsight.
And yet, here, Siegfried shows he cares in one of the most painful ways for him -- he’s willing to let an animal suffer and maybe even die if it’ll save his younger brother. And not just any horse -- the one that represents his guilt over his dead friend. The situation that creates that dilemma is pretty contrived, but the import of Siegfried’s decision isn’t. He is willing to sacrifice his most deeply held professional principles on the altar of keeping the family he loves safe from the horrors of war he knows all too well.
For his part, Tristan has internalized Siegfried’s lesson. He puts the welfare of the animal first. He stands up to his brother and paves his own way in a manner that Siegfried can’t help but respect. And he sets out to do the noble thing on his own terms, be the master of his own destiny and not just his big brother’s shadow. It’s the kind of maturity, responsibility, and self-possessed state Siegfried always wanted for his brother, and the irony is that Tristan coming into those qualities that takes him away.
Their reconciliation is tied to their parents. Siegfried admits that he was bitter over the fact that Tristan was his parents’ favorite, their father’s especially, something that must have eaten at Siegfried, who’s implied to have sought their father’s approval in the same way that Tristan sought his. But Tristan also gives him absolution, essentially saying that he fulfilled his promise to their father to raise Tristan right and set him on the right path.
It’s a path that leads him to war and an uncertain future. But the crucible of such a momentous turning point in their lives brings out the most honest and vulnerable feelings in each. Tristan leaves as he came, back down in a sack of sundries. But it ends with a hug between the two brothers, an admission of the genuine affection between them, and the pain each feels at separation, however necessary, and however much strife may have rested between them until now. It’s a hard thing, but it brings out the truth in each, and Samuel West in particular gives arguably his best performance in the show to date.
The rest of the material in the episode is sound, but can’t quite compare. I do appreciate Mrs. Hall rushing to catch Gerald, even if it means leaving Siegfried behind in a tough moment, because she’s prioritizing her own happiness over loyalty to her employer, inc contrast to her son’s recriminations. I can’t say I was ever especially invested in her relationship with Gerald, but it’s still nice to see them get a grace note before he leaves for another town, and the show played me like a fiddle with their near miss.
That said, I have very little patience for Eva, the evacuee they’ve taken in at Skeldale house who loves The Wizard of Oz. She’s such a walking trope. The precocious orphan type, played with all they vigor of a toothpaste commercial, feels like a hokey yuletide inclusion of the show. They nod a little at her Jewish heritage, but spend most of the episode with her thrilled to the gills over Xmas and don’t dare touch on the prejudice she might face in a rural community in the 1940s. The humor involving her is weak, and the metaphor of her feelings about nurturing a kitten who’s away from its mother is transparent and blunt as anything. There’s some pathos in the scene where she admits she misses home, and she and Siegfried give one another permission to be sad. But on the whole, if she doesn’t return for season 4, I won’t be crying any tears.
Overall though, the thrust of this episode is a goodbye, however temporary or permanent, for Tristan, and one that puts a capstone on the relationship between him and his brother that has been one of the pillars of the series. The road to get there is a touch janky, but the emotional materia lands, and it works as a resounding and poignant send-off for the character. That’s more than enough on Xmas.