Last week’s episode of When you call the heart, “Welcome to Hope Valley,” it was fraught with dramatic events, from the verdict on Nathan’s investigation to Elizabeth and Lucas’s big moment at the end of the episode. It was a lot to absorb and, fortunately, the March 21 edition of the Hallmark Channel offers fans some breathing space. There is still a lot going on in Hope Valley, but not as many roller coaster moments as we saw in recent episodes.
Love is in the air in this episode of ‘When Calls the Heart’
The Elizabeth-Nathan-Lucas love triangle has been the big story so far this season When you call the heart. But Elizabeth is not the only Hope Valley resident with a lively love life.
In “What the Heart Wants”, we had a few more flirtatious moments with two of the couples not quite on the show. First, Florence (Loretta Walsh) and Ned (Hrothgar Mathews) shared another sweet exchange at the mercantile – until they were interrupted by Carson (Paul Greene) and Faith (Andrea Brooks), of course. Meanwhile, Molly (Johannah Newmarch) and Bill (Jack Wagner) had a strange interaction at the barbershop. Molly’s effort to impress Bill last week with her new dress did not work as planned, but there is still a lot of tension between the two.
In addition, Hickam (Ben Rosenbaum) is keeping an eye on Fiona (Kayla Wallace), although we still don’t know if the feeling is mutual. This is not exactly an unexpected match, based on what we saw in the previous episodes. However, it complicates the theory of some fans that whoever does not win over Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) will end up with Fiona.
Jesse’s big betrayal
Unfortunately, things were not so romantic at the Flynn home. Dottie’s Dress Shop is on sale, which leaves Clara (Eva Bourne) worried about losing her job soon. Bill offers to increase her coffee hours and even suggests that Clara and Jesse (Aren Buchholz) join him as partners in the business. But Jesse hesitates, much to Clara’s disappointment. (As an aside, Bill’s multiple references to Abigail in this scene could be a sign When you call the heart preparing Lori Loughlin’s return?)
We later found out why Jesse didn’t take the chance to buy a successful business. He has already invested his savings elsewhere. Worse, the money is gone. The result is a painful scene between him and Clara, with Bourne leaving her totally hurt and furious with her husband’s actions. She has been working two jobs to try to put them in a safer financial situation, but he seems willing to take shortcuts to get there and hide those shortcuts from his wife. It is an alarming movement, especially considering its past outside the law. Jesse’s heart was probably in the right place – he probably wants to give Clara everything he thinks she deserves – but he made a lot of mistakes, and fixing things with Clara is going to take a little bit of work.
At Team Infirmary, things are also complicated. Since Faith returned from Chicago, neither she nor Carson has been sure how – or if – to move on with their romance. Now, there is another wrinkle. Carson received a surgery scholarship offer at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. It’s a dream come true, but taking it means leaving Hope Valley – and Faith. He suggests that she go with him, but she points out that they are not married. Besides, she doesn’t want to leave Hope Valley. This is setting up a big choice for Carson, who may have to decide between his career and the woman he loves.
Hope Valley graduation day
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Meanwhile, Elizabeth is preparing for the school’s graduation day celebration. Robert (Jaiven Natt) gives the graduation speech, with the help of some of the other students. They sing a song they wrote in honor of their teacher. It’s the kind of moment that would seem mushy on almost any other TV show. However, it somehow works in the idyllic world of When you call the heart.
The celebration goes without a hitch, and Minnie Canfield (Natasha Burnett) is impressed enough to consider sending Angela (Vienna Leacock) to school next year, much to Elizabeth’s delight. But there is a hint of a problem in the air. Mr. Landis (Todd Thompson) arrives “unofficially” to observe the ceremony. He wants to take the Hope Valley school to a larger regional district, but Elizabeth closes it. “This will not happen. I won’t let you, ”she says.
Lucas and Elizabeth are going to have a real date
The preview of this week’s episode showed some major events. One of them – the disappearance of Rachel (Jennifer Laporte) – turned out to be quite inconsequential. It turns out that she went for a walk and got lost. Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) and Lee (Kavan Smith) find her walking along a dark road. Although she is shaken, there is no harm. But the other two – Lucas (Chris McNally) and Elizabeth’s meeting and Nathan’s (Kevin McGarry) night visit to Elizabeth – left a little more to unpack.
First, let’s deal with that mysterious note that Elizabeth sent Nathan. It turned out that it had to do with him skipping parent-teacher meetings. He’s avoiding Elizabeth, for obvious reasons, but they talk about Allie (Jaeda Lily Miller). Her academic performance was hampered because she was concerned with the investigation.
Elizabeth then reminds Nathan how much he means to Allie. “You will always be the measure of the quality she will look for in a man when choosing whom to marry,” she says. It’s a strange thing to say at a parent-teacher meeting, and it seems that this conversation may be more about Elizabeth and Nathan than about their relationship with Allie. Is Elizabeth saying that she considers Nathan to be a material marriage (though perhaps not for herself)? It is hard to say. There is a lot left unsaid in this scene – especially when Elizabeth mentions Fort Clay and Nathan ignores her. They both seem to be hiding something.
Elizabeth’s interactions with Lucas in this episode could not be more different than those with Nathan. She lights up whenever he is around, whether to invite her for an early morning horse ride or to invite her to a “real date”. Its natural chemistry makes it easy to see why so many viewers are investing in this pair. “It feels like the first time in a long time that I haven’t had anything weighing on me,” Elizabeth tells him over dinner by candlelight. But she also doesn’t want to rush into anything. When he takes her hand on the table, she doesn’t move away. But she warns him that he needs to take things slowly. “We have all the time in the world,” he replies.
The next episode of When you call the heart airs on Sunday, March 28 at 9 pm ET on the Hallmark Channel.