To anyone who watches When Calls the Heart, Hope Valley is known as a town where kindness, hospitality, and love can be found. It’s a town that some people probably wish existed in real life. When the events of this episode happen, however, those things kind of become tested. The people of Hope Valley have gone through a lot over these six seasons, showing the audience how strong they can really be. But where there’s triumphs, there are trials. Instead of running away, our favorite characters will have to face them sooner or later. I apologize if this sounds really random, but I’m going to be out of town this coming weekend. Because of this, I will be publishing the next Sunset Over Hope Valley post later than usual. If you see any posts get published this weekend, that is because I wrote and scheduled those posts in advance.

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

Season: 6

Episode: 6

Name: Disputing Hearts

 

Major Story:

• After purchasing Jesse’s land, Henry hires employees to help search for oil. He purchases other pieces of land as well, in the hopes that oil will be found. One day, Henry does find oil, a “geyser” to be exact. When the townspeople of Hope Valley hear about this news, a frenzy ensues. Not only do other people try to find oil on their land, but the prices at the Mercantile also rise. This newfound oil has caused tension between neighbors as well. Because Curt, a resident of Hope Valley, is upset that his neighbor was paid by Henry and not him, he has decided to close his gate to anyone outside of his family. This presents an obstacle for Lee, as Curt’s path is the only way that the lumberyard will be able to make a business deal with a potential client. After some negotiating, Curt decides to keep his gate open for 24 hours. Lee also finds out that his potential client has pushed their dateline to a few days sooner than expected. This causes Lee to feel a little overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Bill does some research about the legality of land purchases. He finds evidence that proves what Curt is doing is wrong. However, Curt is still upset and wants to express his frustrations toward Henry. This situation makes Lee remind Bill of how good of a judge Bill would be. While all this is happening, Henry resigns from his job at the lumberyard. He uses this opportunity to start his own petroleum business.

Minor Stories:

• One day in school, Elizabeth assigns a series of math problems that involve group work. However, Ally has other ideas. Toward the end of the assignment, Elizabeth finds out that Ally refused to work with her group. Ally surprises her teacher by showing that she correctly completed all of the math problems. Impressed by Ally’s intelligence but concerned by her choice to not work with others, Elizabeth invites Nathan to talk with her after school about Ally. During this meeting, Elizabeth learns more about her new student. According to Nathan, Ally’s mom died when she was very young and her dad left their family. Also, her grandma was unable to take care for her granddaughter. Ally’s backstory encourages Elizabeth to help Ally to the best of her abilities. At recess, one day, Elizabeth sees Ally sitting by herself, reading. When Elizabeth encourages Ally to join the other students, Ally says that she would rather stay by herself. During math class, however, Ally chooses to help Opal with a difficult math problem.

 

• Throughout this episode, something concerning has been on Rosemary’s mind. Toward the beginning of the episode, she tries to take her mind off of this subject by volunteering to create a dress for Anna and her mother. Eventually, Rosemary does bring up her concern to Carson during a doctor’s appointment. When she says that something doesn’t feel right, Carson suggests that she talk to Lee about how she feels. Later in the episode, Rosemary plans a special dinner for her and Lee. She hopes to talk to her husband about her concern. However, life has different plans. When Lee comes home, he is so overwhelmed by everything that’s happening at the lumberyard. Because of this, Rosemary chooses to postpone her conversation.

 

• At the Infirmary, Carson asks Faith if she has reached out to her father. She reveals that she has written and torn up a letter for her father on three separate occasions. This inspires Carson to search for Faith’s father. With a little help from Fiona, Carson eventually accomplishes his goal. One day, Carson invites Faith to join him at the Mercantile. When she arrives, he reveals his plan to her. As it’s time for the phone call to arrive, Faith accepts the message from her father. Her father tells her that he misses her.

 

• As Fiona posts a message board in the Mercantile, she also posts a notice about a position as a telephone operator. With some coaxing, she convinces Florence to take the job. Things don’t run so smoothly for Florence at her new job. She has struggled to make the right connections to different phone lines, causing calls to come in longer than expected. After accidently damaging the operating board, Florence is embarrassed and runs out of the Mercantile. When Fiona runs after her, wanting to know what happened, Florence shares that she wants to quit her job. In an attempt to help Florence keep her job, Fiona tells Florence that this job is a good fit for her because she has great communication skills. Touched by this compliment, Florence reveals that this is the first time she has ever had a job.

Some thoughts to consider:

• I would be disappointed if Henry Gowen becomes a villain again. The writers of When Calls the Heart have spent a good amount of time and effort to give Henry a redemption arc. If Henry turns into a villain, I would feel like that redemption arc was wasted. Hopefully, the issues relating to the oil can get resolved.

 

• I think it’s very interesting how Ally ends up being an academically gifted student. This concept of gifted children has only been briefly brought up on the show. So, I hoping that this concept can be fully explored this time.

 

• Is it just me or does Elizabeth’s desire to start a library seem very random? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall this idea for a library ever being mentioned in earlier seasons. Maybe this is the writers’ way of making up for Rosemary not receiving her theater?

What are your thoughts on this episode? Which story was your favorite? Share what’s on your mind in the comment section!

 

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen