I don’t know why this season continues to keep our beloved characters apart, but I am metaphorically picketing the writers with a little sign that says, “Everyone in the same room.†This week, we had Mrs. Hall on her own adventure, Siegfried and sometimes Tristan, and then James and Helen. Everything is still cozy vibes and I’m still singing along to the theme song at the start and end, but good lord. It’s year three of COVID, showrunners! We know how to get actors in the same scene together safely, so why are you filming like we’re six months in? At least no cows died this week … that we know of.
I shouldn’t begrudge this episode its main plot, though, because Mrs. Hall essentially gets her own episode. Her no-good son Edward writes her a letter, informing his mom that he is training with the Navy and asking if she can meet him at a train station. Edward has been angry with Mrs. Hall for years because she called the police when he robbed her employer. He’s such an asshole to Mrs. Hall, and she is so Mrs. Hall–ish! Which is to say, thoughtful and kind and quiet and helpful and stern when necessary. Also surprisingly funny from time to time. I’m just saying, maybe Edward sucks.
Mrs. Hall doesn’t care, though, and she goes to the station’s waiting room and waits … and waits. Outside, two volunteer women, who are either hard of hearing or Deaf, are providing tea and biscuits. Mrs. Hall tells one of them she’s waiting for her son. (I tried to get my friend who knows ASL to translate their sign, and she, of course, said ASL is different from sign language in the U.K. An excellent point, my friend.)
It’s unclear how long Mrs. Hall waits, but it is quite some time. She finally takes her box of biscuits and starts to leave, when, of course, there’s Edward, with his naval duffel, referring to Darrowby as “Darrow.†Read the room, Edward. His conversational style is stilted at best and can be likened to pulling teeth. Mrs. Hall asks what time he has to leave, and he says, “In a while.†COOL, THANKS, BRO.
Let’s leave them sitting there in awkward silence for a bit while we see what’s going on with the rest of the practice. Tristan is taking over Mrs. Hall’s duties while she’s out, which means cooking and cleaning. Tristan thought they were splitting her tasks, but no. Siegfried has decided it’s all Tristan. Siegfried has to mentor a boy named Andrew for the day, and Tristan is very jealous of this child. I approve of this plotline because we get to dig into some brother feelings! Tristan loves Siegfried and wants his approval and it’s hard to see Siegfried readily giving that to some stranger when it’s so hard-won for Tristan.
Siegfried introduces Andrew to his pet rat then and acts all impressed when Andrew knows rat facts. Maybe these are my own younger-sibling vibes coming to the forefront, but Tristan knows rat facts too, SIEGFRIED. Siegfried and Andrew talk about giraffes and bond over loving egg-and-mayonnaise sandwiches, which is a real choice. It’s Andrew — not Tristan — who helps Siegfried treat an injured dog popping a hip back into place that had been dislocated after a run-in with a cow. Andrew, to his credit, does an excellent job on his first veterinary case, and really none of how he’s making Tristan feel is his fault. Andrew’s great, actually.
In other injured-animal news, James is at Helen’s family farm, checking out the sheep. Helen’s sister Jenny has left school at 14 to work on the farm, which bothers Helen, because (1) she knew nothing about this decision, and (2) she wants Jenny to have more information about Life and the World before making this choice. But Jenny seems very happy shaving sheep’s feet and wearing a snood! I’m so glad that despite Helen’s move to blazers and headbands, someone is keeping the snood tradition alive in her family. James is checking out the sheep because Helen notices that one of them has foot rot, which is a horrifying name. This is when a particular type of bacteria is present in the hoof, usually through moisture. I read way too much about foot rot, and I still cannot explain it beyond that. This is one of many reasons I am not a country vet.
James tells Helen how much her approval means to Jenny (ah, an episode theme!), and Helen and Jenny have a nice talk about Jenny working on the farm and what she thinks they should do for the sheep (cut off part of the hoof, she says!). James takes care of the sheep and it’s fine. Dare I say there are no animal deaths at all in this episode? Helen tells Jenny she’s a truly excellent farmer. SISTER SUPPORT. I’m here for it. Also, how weird that there are two instances on this show of much older siblings kind of raising their younger siblings after a mother passes. Feels real Boxcar Children/Bobbsey Twins. (Although, upon further examination, it appears the Bobbsey Twins had parents; I had just forgotten about them. Moving on!)
Mrs. Hall and Edward, still sitting in awkward silence, now approach the topic of food. She offers him the box of shortbread biscuits she made especially for him because he used to like them, and he says he had a sandwich before he left and is full. Good LORD, Edward. When Mrs. Hall says he can take them with him, Edward says his bag is full. OMG. The conversation turns to Mrs. Hall’s husband (ex-husband, I guess?) and Edward says he’s not speaking to him, and we learn he’s still drinking. Edward apparently has quit drinking, or at least has quit drinking to excess. Then they actually get into it, with Mrs. Hall saying Edward’s dad was a good man before the war, but it changed him. Edward is worried that war damages everyone.
I’m stunned every time I think about the people who lived through World War I and World War II, especially people who lost a spouse in the first war and then had to send a child off to the second. I don’t know how Mrs. Hall is able to handle this, especially with Edward holding such a grudge against her for turning him in. We find out that, despite his terrible attitude, he wanted to see her because it seemed like the right thing to do, just in case. Mrs. Hall explains why she turned him in, apologizes, and tells him she never stopped loving him. This happens as the train comes in, and it starts to pull away. As she chases after Edward’s compartment, trying to hand him the biscuit tin, it falls onto the platform.
Edward shouts something to Mrs. Hall, but she can’t hear him and is distraught. The nice woman with the tea from earlier reads lips, and she tells Mrs. Hall that he said, “I love you, Ma.†Awwwww, Mrs. Hall. Aw, nice tea woman. Not aw to Edward, he gets none of that.
Everyone has a real come-to-Jesus moment this week with their family. Helen and Jenny, Mrs. Hall and Edward, and Tristan and Siegfried, who finally have a conversation. Siegfried’s very warm with Andrew, but when Tristan was a child, he thought — and he still thinks — that Siegfried resented having to take care of him. Siegfried talks about his marriage and how he didn’t want children. He only started warming up to the idea right when his wife Evelyn fell ill. But Siegfried tells Tristan that if he had another chance, he wishes he would have done things differently with his brother. It’s a nice moment! Also, imagine it being the 1930s and you having the emotional intelligence to just up and talk to your brother about your feelings of rejection. My ancestors could never.
The episode ends with Mrs. Hall back with the people who appreciate her! Tristan makes her go relax in the living room, and she and Siegfried sit next to each other in matching armchairs (MARRIED). She has Jess, Siegfried has his pipe. Mrs. Hall compliments Tristan on the house and sends him off to see Florence. She and Siegfried talk briefly of their emotional days, not looking at each other, just staring straight ahead, which is sometimes the easiest way to talk to someone about emotional things! But when Siegfried tells Mrs. Hall that he doesn’t think any of them knows quite how to express their gratitude to her, they just look at each other and then sit quietly with their tea. I LOVE THEM AND THIS SHOW. To a Siegfried and Mrs. Hall wedding in season four!