Season 5 Discussion Thread

[Dowel Jones]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

For those of us without a strong background of military knowledge, can you explain the difference between dishonorable discharge and being relieved of his duty? 

I'm not of military background either, but it would seem that 'relieved of duty' is removing someone from a command position as an officer.  General Fredenhall was relieved of command in WWII by Patton, and he went back to the US as a training unit commander.  MacArthur, on the other hand, probably had nowhere to go when he was relieved of duty in Korea and so retired from the Army.  A less-than-honorable discharge (there's probably a few categories) means that you were basically kicked out of the Army with a black mark on your service record.  Depending on the era, that could have serious negative consequences in post-Army life.

[possibilities]

If he had refused an order to spare an animal, I think he would have told Seigfried and James, and they would have supported him. So, if he does have a secret, I don't think that would likely be it.

Edited Thursday at 08:51 PM by possibilities

[Kenzie]

Because Tristan was a real-life person I don't think even a fictionalized version of his life would include any story line that could possibly impune his character and embarrass his living descendants.

I chose to think that even though Tristan primarily worked with animals he just wasn't ready to talk about the other bad parts of war and death that he certainly must have seen.

[Orcinus orca]

For what it is worth, there was no fighting in Cairo in WWII.  That's not to say Tristan could not have been sent to some front, but if he was in Cairo the whole time he would not have seen actual fighting.

[Sarah 103]

On 1/29/2025 at 8:26 PM, magdalene said:

Why would anybody automatically assume Tristan was dishonorable?

On 1/29/2025 at 10:46 AM, AZChristian said:

Being in the armed forces is a 7-days-per-week, 24-hours-per-day job, especially during wartime.  He specifically said he would be at his leisure the other four days per week.  Seems illogical.  If he were a lecturer for three days per week, why wouldn't they have him - a certified veterinarian - spending part of his four days of "leisure" time treating military animals or training others in the field up to the number of hours one would expect from a full-time employee?

@magdalene Based on the above post, which many people thought made a valid point, people started to speculate, because this is the internet. 

13 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

For what it is worth, there was no fighting in Cairo in WWII.  That's not to say Tristan could not have been sent to some front, but if he was in Cairo the whole time he would not have seen actual fighting.

So probably not dealing with shell shock, battle fatigue, or PTSD, but instead dealing with survivor's guilt. 

[Quilt Fairy]

23 hours ago, iMonrey said:

they had to come up with some reason for why Tristan would be back, and this is what they came up with. It only seems a bit suspect because it might not have been terribly realistic in real life.

Well, EXACTLY!  This reboot has ret-conned things from the beginning.  Lighten up, people.

Edited Friday at 02:19 AM by Quilt Fairy

[curbcrusher]

ETA: Apparently we are in 1941, so my thoughts are incorrect.

I figured Tristan is back because the North Africa Campaign is over, or really close to over (Looked it up, it ended May of 1943). From the causal reading I've done on WWII over the years, the North Africa Campaign used camels as pack animals, probably along with horses and mules. Therefore, a large need for vets. While some pack animals were used in the European Theatre, I think most of the movement of men and goods was via mechanical means.

  So, with the reduced use of animals, the service had a reduced need for vets. Tristan can come home. Having severed honorably, Tristan can come back to England, help his brother out, spend some time training and perhaps find other ways to contribute to the war effort.

Edited 23 hours ago by curbcrusher
Include more info from other commetns.

[j5cochran]

I don't think that we're up to 1943 yet. Real history spoiler alert....

Spoiler

Mrs. Hall's son is on the HMS Repulse (we learned that last season when she met him at a train station). That ship is going to sink in December of 1941, just a few days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. I don't think that any of those events have happened yet in the All Creatures universe.

 

[chitowngirl]

It’s 1941.

[iMonrey]

I rewatched this episode and there might be something there with Tristan. When James took him upstairs to his room and told him Siegfried missed him, James turned around and left while Tristan stood there for a minute looking pensive. Just kind of made me go "Hmmm." Then at the pub, either James or Helen's father asked him something specific about his time in Cairo and Tristan completely dodged the question.

I still don't think it's anything really serious, because this isn't that kind of show. But there might be something he's hesitant to talk about that could come up later. They'll have to get to it pretty quickly though - the season is already half over!

[dancingdreamer]

What a lovely  episode. I felt I got to know everyone,  just a little bit better. Tristan  was terrified  of the snake, and Carmody managed  to get the better of Tristan,  because  of it.

James  yelling  at that dog, was so out of character, I think  he still feels  a lot of guilt. 

Tristan  has a lovely  twinkle  in his eye, I'm so happy  to have him back. 

Mrs Hall getting  a better mattress,  is such a Mrs Hall thing to do.

Jimmy looks lovelier,  with each passing week. 

My favorite  Sunday  show! 

[HoodlumSheep]

5x04:

james yelled at a dog. dang. :(. hopefully he'll eventually feel comfortable enough to talk more about what happened with his crew to someone. same with tristan and whatever he experienced.

is this the dog (or one of the dogs) from the books i've seen mentioned here and there in previous threads? the one that would always scare him or something?

an actual snake!!!

no much else to say about this episode tbh.

 

Edited Yest. at 04:51 AM by HoodlumSheep

[Sarah 103]

5 minutes ago, HoodlumSheep said:

5x04:

james yelled at a dog. dang. :(. hopefully he'll eventually feel comfortable enough to talk more about what happened with his crew to someone. same with tristan and whatever he experienced.

I wonder if they will end up talking to each other. It would make sense. James would make the first move.  

Something traumatic happened to Tristan, but I'm not sure what. 

I like that Siegfried decided he was sick of being the fatherly adult and wanted the boys to figure it out for themselves. Mrs. Hall believed the men were useless when it came to what was happening and realized some of the emotional issues at play. 

It will be fun to see where/how Tristan vs. Carmody plays out. 

 

[Dowel Jones]

The private's story about the rattlesnake in his tank set me back a bit, so I had to look it up.  Rattlesnakes are common only in the Americas.  You wouldn't find any in North Africa.  I wonder if he made up a story too.  Tristan is right, though.  Carmody shouldn't ask about the nature of the injury, because everyone in there was injured seriously enough that they had to be sent back to England.  That's a lot of trauma to work through.

[jah1986]

Another enjoyable episode. I had no doubt Tristan and Carmody would work it out, and I am glad Siegfried tried to stay out of it. They are not children, they are adults who need to work it out for themselves. I thought James being scared by the do was out of character, but then he yelled at the dog and that was really out of character. I hope he's able to make peace with his situation soon. I really hated to see Mrs. Pumphrey treated shabbily in her own home. Proud of Carmody taking care of the snake situation, he's showing real growth as a character.

[iMonrey]

9 hours ago, Dowel Jones said:

The private's story about the rattlesnake in his tank set me back a bit, so I had to look it up.  Rattlesnakes are common only in the Americas.  You wouldn't find any in North Africa.  I wonder if he made up a story too. 

Did he say he was stationed in North Africa, though? Tristan was stationed there but I don't remember if Harry said he was.

Room Gate: It's Tristan's room, full stop. He shouldn't be relegated to the closet. If there was a room available at a nearby B&B, they both should have been told if they didn't want to share one of them could take that room.

I would have started yelling and stomping on the floor as soon as I was locked in the room. I don't know why they waited so long.

I was shocked when James got so angry at the dog. We have never, ever seen him angry like that before. I don't know of anything that happened to him that would have given him PTSD but that's what it looked like. I guess survivor's guilt could manifest itself in much the same way. I forgot about his crew being shot down after he was sidelined.

There was a close-up shot of the fireplace in the sitting room and I never noticed before how pretty it is with the blue tile surrounding it. Apparently the cameraman noticed it too.

[Dowel Jones]

46 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Did he say he was stationed in North Africa, though?

Carmody said that the soldier was in a tank regiment in North Africa during the dinner conversation, and he wanted to follow in the fellow's footsteps.

[Sarah 103]

57 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I was shocked when James got so angry at the dog. We have never, ever seen him angry like that before. I don't know of anything that happened to him that would have given him PTSD but that's what it looked like. I guess survivor's guilt could manifest itself in much the same way. I forgot about his crew being shot down after he was sidelined.

I think survivor's guilt is far more likely than PTSD for James. I also really like the idea (based on pure speculation/fan-theory) that both James and Tristan are dealing with survivor's guilt in different ways. I just hope they can talk to each other and help each other. 

[Quilt Fairy]

That was a lovely episode.  The only thing that was off for me was Carmody telling Mrs Pumphrey that the python was harmless.  Considering its size, I think it could have easily killed Tricki, although I'm not sure it would have been interested in eating something with that much hair. 

I thought the bedroom dispute was silly, as I suppose it was meant to be. IMO, of course Carmody should have the room, he's there full-time, while Tristan is there only 3-4 nights a week.  But more than that, there's an actual war going on and people are supposed to be pulling together, not fussing over little things.  

[libgirl2]

Something definitely is off with James. You can't tell me in all this time a dog hasn't barked at him like that. I go with some form of survivor's guilt. 

[Haleth]

Every Tristan/Carmody interaction had me laughing.

Was anyone else waiting for the cow to have projectile diarrhea?  Don’t stand behind the cow, James!

I love how Siegfried and Mrs Hall sit down for a nightcap in front of the fireplace after they put the kids to bed. 

[libgirl2]

11 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Every Tristan/Carmody interaction had me laughing.

Was anyone else waiting for the cow to have projectile diarrhea?  Don’t stand behind the cow, James!

I love how Siegfried and Mrs Hall sit down for a nightcap in front of the fireplace after they put the kids to bed. 

OMG! I wasn't the only one! 

Yes, she has whatever sewing or knitting project she is working on (or petting the dog) and he has his pipe. 

Edited 16 hours ago by libgirl2

[PhoneCop]

Carmody and Tristan's bed-to-bed banter had me wishing Richard can harness that energy the next time he runs into Doris.

[tennisgurl]

I really enjoyed Carmody and Tristan getting to know each other, the bed room shenanigans were hilariously petty, I could understand both of sides and see how the two of them would clash. It was probably extra hard for Tris as it seems like Carmody and Siegfried are such pees in a pod and have so much in common, it had to feel like he was being replaced, while Carmody likes his rules and order so much, having this new person in the house obviously threw him out of wack. They seem to be doing better now at least. 

James must be really struggling if he yelled at a dog, I don't think we have ever heard him raise his voice like that. I am glad that they are talking more about his flight crew, it seems like he is suffering from a whole lot of survivors guilt that is not not really ready to talk about yet. 

That fireplace looks so charming and cozy, perfect place for a night cap as you catch up after "the kids" have gone off to bed. 

Tristan's mustache is growing on me a little bit, or more likely I am just getting used to it, but he can shave it off any day now. 

[Driad]

Speaking of dogs, I would have liked to see Jess greet Tristan enthusiastically, while Dash wonders "Who is this human?"  (I think Dash arrived during Tristan's absence.)

[peacheslatour]

I was shocked when James got so angry at the dog. We have never, ever seen him angry like that before. I don't know of anything that happened to him that would have given him PTSD but that's what it looked like. I guess survivor's guilt could manifest itself in much the same way. I forgot about his crew being shot down after he was sidelined.

In the books, that dog was strictly played for laughs. They went another way with the show. I have no idea why.

[Quilt Fairy]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I am glad that they are talking more about his flight crew, it seems like he is suffering from a whole lot of survivors guilt that is not not really ready to talk about yet.

I know we're not talking about Bletchley Park and cracking Enigma here, but I have to wonder if James and perhaps even Tristan are legally restricted regarding what they can talk about.  The war is still going on, after all, and not going well for England. 

[Sarah 103]

5 hours ago, Haleth said:

I love how Siegfried and Mrs Hall sit down for a nightcap in front of the fireplace after they put the kids to bed. 

I simultaneously love and hate this. On one hand, they are all grown adults with professional lives and on the other hand, they are absolutely a found family with all of sibling rivalry and parental responsibilities and issues that entails. 

5 hours ago, Driad said:

Speaking of dogs, I would have liked to see Jess greet Tristan enthusiastically, while Dash wonders "Who is this human?"  (I think Dash arrived during Tristan's absence.)

This makes me wonder, what if the person Tristan opens up to about what happened isn't a person, but Jess or another dog. 

[iMonrey]

Tristan and Carmody chasing Tricki up and down the halls was appropriately comical but in reality I don't think they would have that much trouble catching him. Pekinese can't run that fast, they have very short legs.

[anna0852]

33 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

This makes me wonder, what if the person Tristan opens up to about what happened isn't a person, but Jess or another dog. 

I can absolutely see that happening. If no, the reason that it’s 1941 with a war raging and very much the era of “man up”. There is no way Tristan would’ve been encouraged to discuss his feelings with any other human unless they were all significantly drunk, and no women were in sight. I don’t agree with this, but that’s how it was.
 

I did like that nod to rationing at the beginning as Mrs. Hall commented that the shopping she’s just done has to be stretched to feed all of them. Sorry Audrey, it’s going to get far worse before it gets better.

The good news is that since it is now 1941, America will join the war in December and the next series might see Darrowby significantly livelier,with American servicemen stationed nearby. At the very least, the Yanks were quite generous in sharing their superior food rations with the locals.

Edited 9 hours ago by anna0852

[Blergh]

I knew that Tricki would be the one to find the snake! Dogs (and cats) have incredibly powerful senses of smell and other means to detect hidden critters! No, I wasn't surprised that Tristan and Carmody would have initially clashed like chalk-and-cheese - especially having to share a room with a single bed ( before Mrs. Hall was able to pull incredible strings to get a fairly decent new mattress- and it should be noted that during the War furnishings of any kind were very hard to find- even very used junk  ). However, with the two of them getting locked in that hidden room in Pomphrey Manor, it was either learn civility or destroy each other! I knew that Carmody meant no harm but I agree with Tristan that he shouldn't have asked that wounded solder about how he'd gotten injured (or at the very least should have prefaced it with a 'may I ask you how. ..?').

I can't say I imagined that James would have had the PSTD - nor so hostilely responded to the  relatively small dog barking. However, I think Helen letting him know that he COULD tell her about his wartime angst was a big help even if he's not quite ready to fully spill his guts (and it may be he's afraid that if he gets started doing so, he won't so easily be able to put said guts back inside).

Yes, I felt sorry for Mrs. Pomphrey somewhat being made to feel less than welcome in her OWN home but OTOH during the War, she and others HAD opened their homes,etc. to help out soldiers and others in need and she did have her unseen cottage to chill in. She definitely seems far less flighty these days than when she started but her affection for Tricki remains strong as ever!

Look forward to more!