Edward – As this episode begins, Audrey Hall (Anna Madeley) receives a letter from Edward (Conor Deane) who is training with the navy and will be given leave next month to visit family. He thinks it’d feel right for them to meet so he asks if she can come to Keighley train station. Audrey goes to the meeting place. Siegfried (Samuel West) gives Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) an apron because he will cook and clean in Mrs. Hall’s absence. Tristan is also reminded that she left a list of things that need to be done. Andrew Simmonds (Austin Haynes) delivers a letter saying they promised Andrew’s headmaster a day’s work experience. Tristan thinks Siegfried should do it since he is going to be handling Audrey’s responsibilities. Audrey steps outside to join a group of women with tea.

She learns that one woman, Penny (Lara Steward), has hearing difficulties. Audrey is told that the trains are sometimes late, but Penny is sure they’re on their way. Audrey tells Penny about her son Edward. After getting tea, Siegfried shows Andrew around the dispensary. They continue touring Skeldale House while Tristan cleans. Andrew is introduced to the rat named Volonel. He calls him beautiful and gets the opportunity to hold him. Tristan watches from a distance. James (Nicholas Ralph) tells Helen (Rachel Shenton) he could get used to living up there before she reminds him that her dad will be coming back tomorrow. Jenny Alderson (Imogen Clawson) tells them to stop mucking about.

They go inside to eat. Helen learns that her sister left school because Jenny is 14 and wants to work on the farm instead. Helen is surprised that her dad is fine with it. After James leaves, Helen goes outside where her sister is working on the sheep. Helen wishes they’d spoken about school since it is a big decision. She notices something with one of the sheep. Jenny doesn’t see how she could miss it, but Helen admits it is easy to miss and she is still learning. Audrey doesn’t believe her son is coming so she thanks Penny for the tea and prepares to leave. She runs into him as he apologizes for making her wait for so long. They briefly talk about their journeys before agreeing to find somewhere to sit. Audrey reminds Edward that she invited him to come to Skeldale, but he says he hasn’t had the time.

Since the waiting room is full, Penny tells them to go to the left luggage. Once they sit down, Edward explains he’ll have to leave in a while. Siegfried and Andrew sit down at the kitchen table as Tristan suggests he has firmly put Mrs. Hall’s job at risk. Siegfried admits it is better than he expected. Andrew has brought his lunch. As they eat, Andrew tells Siegfried he likes giraffes the most and rats are a close second. Moments later, Mr. Sunningwell arrives outside with his dog Benjamin who was kicked by a cow. Once Tristan carries the dog inside, he and Siegfried briefly argue about who should take care of him. Siegfried takes the dog into the surgery while Tristan wonders how Mrs. Hall does it. When Edward takes the cookies from his mom, he tells her she shouldn’t have gone to so much trouble.

They begin talking about how his dad used to like the cookies burned. Edward admits he doesn’t speak to his dad anymore, but he isn’t eager to answer more questions. He goes on to say he can’t stand the fool even though Audrey doesn’t think he should speak about him like that. They were close before Edward saw him for who he really is. When Audrey asks if he is still drinking, Edward says of course because he is always drinking. As for Edward, he says he doesn’t anymore. Audrey believes his dad was a victim of his circumstances like many people, but Edward says that is no excuse for how he treated her. Nevertheless, she says she doesn’t hate him.  She explains that he was a good man before the war and a damaged one after. Edward wonders if the war damages everyone. Audrey says not everyone.

While checking the dog, Siegfried thinks there is something Andrews wants to say. Andrew was thinking whether the injury was internal or external. Mr. Sunningwell (Ian Mercer) admits he doesn’t know where the dog was kicked. Siegfried explains that the dog might be concussed so they’ll have to be careful if they give him any general anesthetic. There is a small chance that he may not return. Sunningwell says the dog is all he’s got. Andrew tells him that Benjamin will be alright because Mr. Farnon will make him better. James checks the sheep before telling Helen and Jenny that she isn’t doing well right now although things might change. The infection is spreading across her hoof. She has a temperature and isn’t eating so James gave her an injection of Prontosil. They’ll have to wait and see, but they can sometimes deteriorate quickly.

In that case, they’d have to remove the necrotic part of the hoof. If the infection spreads, the best thing would be to put Nelly down. Edward is worried that war will damage him too, but Audrey insists it won’t happen. Edward says meeting felt like the right thing to do just in case. Audrey assures him there will be many more times before asking about his training. He says no one knew who he was when he started so he could pretend to be someone good. Audrey reminds him he is someone good and she has always seen someone good in him. He questions why she turned him in to the police and whether she saw the good in him then. She claims she always has and did that for his own good. Edward isn’t sure about that because Borstal ruined him.

He claims it took away any good he had left and she did that to him. Back at Skeldale House, Tristan tells Mr. Sunningwell that Jess is waiting for the housekeeper to return. Sunningwell reveals he promised his mom he’d take good care of Benjamin. He is the only living, breathing thing he has left connecting him to his mother. Tristan doesn’t think he left her down and insists she’d be proud of what he has done for Benjamin. Siegfried points out to Andrew that the dog’s hip juts out slightly so he thinks it is dislocated. They’ve used just enough to relax the dog’s muscles. Then, Siegfried says they have to clip the hip back into place. He thinks Andrew will know what to do since he has played tug of war.

Once they’ve finished, Siegfried congratulates Andrew for treating his first patient. Andrew goes out to tell Sunningwell the good news. Sunningwell thanks them on the way out. Audrey talks to Penny about being happy to see her son. She returns to Edward to say she couldn’t lie for him, but Edward claims he didn’t want that. She reminds him that Mr. Granville trusted her with his house and things. Edward believes she always cared for the people she worked for more than she did for them. Although he thinks she was humiliated by him, Audrey says she loves him more than anything in this world. Tristan talks to Andrew about potatoes. Tristan says he is fortunate not to have brothers or sisters, but Andrew thinks it’d be nice to have someone around.

Siegfried joins them and says Andrew was professional before they hear a knock at the door. Siegfried tells Andrew he’ll be a credit to their profession one day. They hear Andrew telling his dad about his day as he leaves. James finds that Nelly is deteriorating rapidly. When Helen asks Jenny what they should do, she suggests removing a small part of the hoof as James recommended. Audrey admits there isn’t a day that she hasn’t felt guilty about what she did. She felt more guilty that he had gotten into that position in the first place and wondered where she had gone wrong. She walks with him while explaining that she panicked that day and didn’t do it to punish him. Audrey thought it would fix the mistakes she made somehow. Edward finally stops and hugs her before getting on the train to leave.

As the train begins moving, Edward says something that Audrey can’t hear. Penny tells her that he said, “I love you, Ma.” James works on Nelly. Helen apologizes to her sister for making her feel like she wasn’t good enough. She tells Jenny can be anything. If she wants to be a farmer, Helen is fine with it. She has always been an excellent farmer anyway. James comes and tells them it went well. Tristan burns himself when he tried to pull the Shepherd’s pie he made for Audrey out of the oven. Tristan tells Siegfried he used to look up to him just like Andrew did. He thinks his brother always resented him a little. Siegfried reveals he told Evelyn early in their marriage that he wasn’t ready for marriage. She didn’t understand and saw something in him that he didn’t.

Then, Tristan came. When Siegfried got ready, Evelyn got ill and died. Siegfried believes he would’ve done things differently given the chance. When Audrey returns, Tristan tells them to go sit down and he’ll bring them a brew. Audrey tells him to go see Florence and well done because the place looks spotless. Siegfried tells Audrey he wishes the past would invite him back to rectify a thing or two. She tells him he is forgiven for whatever it is before confirming that her son turned up. It was over before she knew it, but it feels like the ground shifted beneath her. Siegfried thinks he finally realizes how much she cares. He isn’t sure any of them know how to express their gratitude to her.

 

All Creatures Great And Small Review

This episode of All Creatures Great and Small was the best so far this season and possibly one of the most emotional episodes through three seasons. Each season has one episode that is a tear-jerker and this one fits that description exceptionally well. The scenes with Audrey and Edward were exceptional enough to leave a lasting impact on viewers while the scenes at Skeldale House were touching in other ways.

The episode did a good job of mixing some humor into the equation so it wasn’t too much. The performances were great with Anna Madeley standing out since her scenes were more dramatic. It’ll be interesting to see whether this will be a one-off or if Audrey will be able to develop some type of relationship with Edward at some point.

If one episode is going to stand out from the third season, it will likely be this one. Truly, it will be hard to top this episode. It scores an 8.5 out of 10. Recaps of All Creatures Great and Small are available on Reel Mockery here. If you’ve found our site beneficial and want to support an independent voice, consider following this link to find out how to support us.