The schedule for the Character Review posts will be changing to Friday (or Saturday at the latest from now on).
*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television show All Creatures Great and Small. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show. There is something to be said about a well-written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.
When we are young, we are often young and stupid. We think that we know everything. Maturity and learning that you don’t know everything sometimes requires a few mess-ups along the way.
In the PBS/Masterpiece television series, All Creatures Great and Small (based on the book series of the same name) Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) is the much younger brother of local veterinarian Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) in 1930s Yorkshire. Like many young men, he is foolhardy, does not always think through his decisions, and is more about the present than the future.
He is the yin to James Herriot‘s (Nicholas Ralph) yang. James is serious, quiet, and takes his duties seriously. They are a nice balance to one another. Tristan brings out the fun in James while James encourages Tristan to put a little more effort into his job.
As the calendar moves on, he starts to grow up and wants his brother’s approval. But Siegfried is very hard to please. He has no expectations that Tristan will be up to snuff. When Siegfried makes a mistake and blames his brother (and is eventually proven wrong), their relationship starts to change. Siegfried also smudges Tristan’s academic record, which does not go over well when he finds out. When they finally get to talking, the elder Farnon reveals that he was jealous of the easy relationship Tristan had with their late father.
What he does not know is that further change is around the corner. World War II may force Tristan to make decisions that he may never have considered before.
To sum it up: Being young, fearless, and carefree is great. But it doesn’t last forever. Growing up comes whether we like it or not. Like all of us at that age, Tristan makes a few mistakes. But he does eventually start to mature and become an adult.
Which is why he is a memorable character.