What To Know
- Siegfried’s unruly behavior in town leads to locals treating Mrs. Hall poorly, prompting her to confront him.
- Tension arises between Siegfried and James over the purchase of an expensive X-ray machine.
- A potential love interest for Tristan debuts next week.
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for All Creatures Great and Small Season 6 Episode 2, “Old Dogs, New Tricks.”]
Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley) is back at Skeldale House in All Creatures Great and Small, but that hasn’t stopped Siegfried Farnon’s (Samuel West) ornery and wild behavior in town. The impact of his attitude stemming from his partying habit has reached the locals in town, resulting in them treating Audrey with disdain as she ran her errands in Season 6 Episode 2, which aired on Sunday, January 18, on PBS. He had to make amends so she could have a peaceful time in town.
Siegfried made a grand gesture when running across train tracks to reach Mrs. Hall in time before she left town in the Season 6 premiere. He convinced her to come back to Skeldale full-time (she spent some time away in the four-year time jump to care for her son, Edward, who was wounded in the war). Her return didn’t magically make Siegfried’s emotional issues go away, even if it was her absence (or moreso his refusal to process his feelings) that made him so sour.
Shopkeepers in town were rude to Audrey, and she noticed it quickly. She informed Siegfried of how his behavior was impacting her in a tense conversation in which she compared him to a blind mole rat. He did the right thing by apologizing to those people in the village.
“I hope I didn’t say too much,” Audrey later told Siegfried, who replied, “You said what needed to be said, but if you ever compare me to a blind mole rat again, we shall have words.”
Siegfried had a difficult dynamic with James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) in this episode as well. James bought an expensive X-ray machine to modernize their veterinary office, but Siegfried wasn’t happy about it. He resisted the change mainly for the price, but also because he doubted how advanced the technology could be. He was validated when the machine knocked out the electricity in the office, but they’re keeping it and figuring out how to use the machine to provide more options of care.
The nun who arranged for the arrival of the machine, Sister Rose (Elexi Walker), ended up adopting the dog they saved without the machine’s help. She’s also arranging for Skedale to use the local hospital’s dark room to be able to properly review X-ray scans, solving a major issue within their office.
Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) revealed at the episode’s end that he’s ready to start taking some jobs for the office while he’s still in town. Gaia Wise‘s Charlotte, a love interest for Tristan this season, makes her debut in next week’s episode. Could Tristan meet her on a call?
All Creatures Great and Small, Sundays, 9/8c, PBS