All Creatures Great and Small season 6 finale finally answers Tristan mystery

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A season finale of All Creatures Great and Small always seems to bring tears, and this time it’s Tristan’s story that will likely get you reaching for the tissues.

When he came back to Darrowby after fighting in the war, he wasn’t quite the same, though he tried to appear cheerful. Mrs. Hall noticed immediately, but Siegfried was too preoccupied with his own troubles – caused by the housekeeper being away – to realize anything was wrong.

Everything finally came to a climax in the last episode of season six. Tristan completely broke down, revealing the full extent of the terrible things he’d seen and letting all his pent-up emotions explode.

Tristan often went with his brother to look at horses with hoof problems, and this visit was no different – or so he thought. This particular case turned out to be far from ordinary.

As Tristan entered the stable, he immediately seemed unsure. When Siegfried told him to approach the horse’s head, he paused, then slowly began to walk toward it. He stopped after just a few steps, his face turning white with fear.

It really hit me when I saw Tristan in that scene. Siegfried was just asking him to check on the horse, completely oblivious to what was going on with his brother, and you could see the emotion building in Tristan. He was frozen for a moment, then just took off – ran from the stable, jumped in the car, and sped away. It was a powerful moment, visually and emotionally.

Callum Woodhouse hinted at a difficult season for his character, Tristan, explaining that Tristan will spend much of the season hiding his struggles and pretending everything is okay.

He likely held back a lot during the show, covering up his true feelings with alcohol and humor – which is typical for him – and I expect we’ll learn more about what was going on in the future.

Finally, in the last episode, we discovered the full story of what he went through – and the reason he’d received the Military Cross. He hadn’t been willing to talk about it earlier, when Siegfried and Mrs. Hall had eagerly asked.

Tristan found Siegfried in the church, where he’d been all morning, and shared a touching story about his close friend Billy. They’d been practically brothers since their training days, but were caught in an ambush while relocating their camp.

“Suddenly there was this noise,” he said, unable to fight back his tears.

Billy had been hit. “He was in a bad way.”

Honestly, I was totally confused about what just went down, so I instinctively tried to help the guy. Big mistake – he absolutely lost it and yelled at me to freeze and not come any closer.

The whole field they were standing on was covered in land mines.

He remembered hearing noises – a bang from over there, then another one closer by – and that’s when the horse pulling their wagon started to get frightened.

Siegfried realized it wasn’t the horse itself that bothered his brother, but rather the horse’s own fear, which had caused the panic in the stable yesterday.

There was no doctor available, so Tristan did his best to help his friend, but sadly, he couldn’t save him.

He explained that a mine was located very close by, and he would have been killed if Billy hadn’t shouted a warning.

I received a medal for saving some lives, but sadly, Billy wasn’t among those I could help. He actually saved my life, and I feel the award should have gone to him instead of me.

I found Tristan’s struggle really relatable. He admitted he tries to ignore his worries, but something always brings them rushing back – like when he spotted that horse, which clearly triggered a wave of unsettling thoughts. It’s a small moment, but it perfectly captures how easily anxieties can resurface.

Honestly, I don’t want this to end, but if a moment of fear is all it takes to bring me back to reality, then perhaps I’ll never truly escape this place – this state of mind.

Tristan then thumped his chest before breaking down, as Siegfried held him.

With Japan’s surrender, marking the end of Britain’s enemies, a new beginning arrived. However, for Tristan and the other survivors, a different struggle was just starting.

As a film buff, I’m really struck by how the story handles Tristan and Tom’s struggles. They’re both dealing with what we now call PTSD – though the term didn’t even exist back then – and learning to cope with it every single day. It’s not a quick fix, and honestly, it feels like a lifelong battle that impacts everything about them. The story doesn’t shy away from showing how deeply it affects their lives, and it’s portrayed as something that might never fully go away.

You can stream seasons 1 through 6 of All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5. The show is also available to purchase from Amazon.

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2025-10-31 01:38