Well, this is it. My Season 5 finale re-cap has finally come. Thank you so much for joining me as I wrap up the Sunset Over Hope Valley re-cap series for the fifth season. There has definitely been much speculation leading up to this episode, with Hallmark Channel keeping the details of it under-wraps. There were debates on social media, Hearties everywhere trying to guess what would happen in the finale. Some were preparing themselves for the worst, while others held out hope. Now that the episode has finally aired, let’s talk about the much-anticipated Season 5 finale.

Just a reminder: If you did not see the season finale of When Calls the Heart, there may be spoilers within this re-cap.

Season: 5

Episode: 10

Name: Close to My Heart

Major Stories:

• Three weeks after Jack’s death, Elizabeth is still reeling from his passing. Her appetite has been reduced and she purposefully avoids places and things that remind her of what she has lost. To provide support, Abigail invites Elizabeth to join her friends, all of whom are widows. During their time together, the widows share their advice for how to move forward after such a loss. When Clara shares her story of how short her marriage to Peter was, Elizabeth gets upset because she feels she was cheated out of a happily ever after. Abigail reminds Elizabeth that when she came along to Hope Valley, all of the widows in their group felt broken. However, Elizabeth’s presence in Hope Valley gave them the hope that they needed to move forward from their grief. Later in the episode, the widows also share their favorite memories about their fallen spouses. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is informed by Rosemary that Opal hasn’t spoken as much as she usually does. Elizabeth meets up with Opal at Dottie’s Dress Shop and asks her what’s wrong. Opal reveals that she is upset that she didn’t get the chance to thank Jack for saving her life. To make her feel better, Elizabeth shares that Jack also saved her life, giving both her and Opal something in common. After this talk, Elizabeth shares with Abigail and Rosemary that she will go back to teaching. She feels that teaching in Hope Valley is where she belongs. The next day, the widows give her a blanket with hearts on it, reminding her that she will be wrapped up in love, no matter what happens. Shortly after this, Elizabeth becomes nauseous after smelling coffee. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Elizabeth is pregnant.

 

• While Elizabeth is taking a leave of absence, Rosemary substitutes as the teacher of the school. During her time as a teacher, Rosemary not only deals with a very sad Opal, but she feels overwhelmed with her temporary responsibilities. At the lumber mill, Rosemary shares her feelings about her slipping self-esteem to Lee. While Lee suggests that the students need a break from dealing with school and Jack’s death, this gives Rosemary an idea of bringing the students to the lumber mill to make wooden crafts. On the day of the “field trip” to the lumber mill, Rosemary discusses ideas with the students of what they want to build. All of the students agree that they want to build something for Elizabeth. While Henry is teaching the students about wood carving safety, Rosemary notices that Opal is still upset. She immediately goes to Elizabeth and tells her what’s up. Rosemary decides to organize a meeting for Elizabeth and Opal to have a heart-to-heart discussion.

 

• The students of Elizabeth’s class are still affected by the loss of Jack. While Rosemary is still their substitute teacher, they are taken to the lumber mill on a “field trip” to get their minds off of the recent events. While talking with Rosemary about what they should build, the students agree that they want to build something for Elizabeth. During the students’ break, Cody gets an idea and rallies the other students into agreeing with the idea. When Elizabeth comes back to school, the whole class surprises her with a sign that they made. The class also decides that they want the school to be renamed the Jack Thornton School, since Jack helped build the school. Because all of the adults who were present at the school agree with this name change, the school officially becomes the Jack Thornton School.

Minor stories:

Because everything was centered around the death of Jack Thornton, there were no minor stories in this episode.

Some thoughts to consider:

• Though this was a good episode, the only thing that disappointed me about it was Tom Thornton’s absence, especially in the funeral scene. First, Tom loses his dad because he was a fallen Mountie and now Tom loses Jack almost the same way. I would be willing to bet that Tom would be traumatized by what happened. What frustrates me as a fan is that the creative team behind When Calls the Heart went through all that trouble to bring Max Lloyd-Jones back on the show as Tom Thornton for the wedding episode, but couldn’t keep him on the show for, at least, the funeral scene. To make up for the lack of Tom’s presence in this episode, I really hope that the creative team behind When Calls the Heart decide to feature Tom in the Christmas movie and give him a good-sized story arc. Also, did anyone else notice that on Jack’s headstone, it didn’t say “brother” and “son” on it?

 

• This episode has really divided fans, with some of them claiming that they are never watching the show again. I can only speak for myself, but I still plan on watching When Calls the Heart and the upcoming Christmas movie. I also will review the Christmas movie and continue with the Sunset Over Hope Valley re-cap posts.

 

• If Elizabeth ends up having a daughter, I hope she names her either Hope (because Elizabeth’s, as well as Jack’s, story started in Hope Valley) or Joy (because Elizabeth finding out about her pregnancy was her moment of joy in a time of grief).

 

• As I’ve mentioned earlier, I thought this was a good episode. I liked how it explored the different ways people can grieve. Everything about this episode was really well-made, the quality being on-par with the wedding episode.

What did you think about the Season 5 finale? Are you continuing to watch the show? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

See you in Hope Valley.

Sally Silverscreen