Nell returned to Chesapeake Shores, even though she played a small role in this week’s episode. It seems like she’s the glue that keeps the O’Brien family together. When advice is needed, she has wisdom ready to share. She can instantly create a brighter day with a joke or a smile. Nell is also one of the first people to give condolences or well-wishes. Without Nell, this show would not be the same. Episodes where Nell is absent makes it feel like something is missing. This can also go for any of the other characters on Chesapeake Shores. They all play an integral role within the overall narrative. Whether they only appear in a few episodes, like Carrie and Caitlyn, or show up in every episode, like Trace, each and every character matters. Both the acting and the writing make this idea a reality.

Just a reminder: If you did not see this episode of Chesapeake Shores, there may be spoilers within this re-cap.

Season: 4

Episode: 3

Name: A Sonnet for Caroline

 

Abby’s story: Abby is finding it difficult to mandatorily stay home from work. She plans on using her newfound free time to take her daughters to school and volunteer in their cafeteria. After taking Mick’s advice, Abby plans on getting an éclair at a local bakery. When she arrives at the bakery, after taking her daughters to school, Abby discovers that all of the eclairs have been sold out. However, one of the employees has taken the last one. He offers to share his éclair with Abby, but she refuses. Later that day, Abby volunteers at Carrie and Caitlyn’s school by cleaning up the cafeteria. While there, she finds out that the bakery employee she met earlier is also a teacher and playground supervisor at the school. His name is Jay and Abby confides to him that she has a lot going on in her life. He tries to make her feel better by offering her a juice box, which she accepts. While visiting Kevin and Connor at Sally’s Café, Abby gets served with legal papers. The contents of these papers are kept a secret.

 

Trace’s story: Trace is happy to have complete control of The Bridge again. To get back on track, he tries to organize a new musical line-up. Unfortunately, the restaurant’s usual acts are scheduled for other shows. He then gets the idea to have Emma perform one of her songs. When he asks her to sing live, she refuses. The next day, during a slow day at The Bridge, Trace encourages Emma at sing in front of the guests. At first, Emma says no. But, after he introduces her on stage, she accepts his offer. When Trace notices Emma struggling with nervousness, he helps her out by providing guitar music for her song. During the performance, Mark Hall, the manager from past seasons, arrives just in time to hear Emma sing. Trace introduces Mark to Emma, who immediately recognizes him. He wants to make her music star, but Trace doesn’t feel she’s ready for the spotlight. Later in the episode, Trace learns that Mark tried to convince Emma to start a professional music career. She says she turned down the offer because she didn’t want to get stuck in a bad relationship. This is a reference to what Emma told Trace earlier in the episode, how a break-up with a rock-star led her to Chesapeake Shores.

 

Mick and Megan’s story: Mick is still dealing with his legal troubles. Despite this, he agrees with join Megan on her trip to a potential wedding venue. During this trip, Megan shares how she needs to find something to do with her time. They also talk about their wedding. This leads to them sharing a heart-felt kiss. The next day, Mick and Megan agree not to talk about the kiss ever again. At Sally’s Café, Megan consults with Nell on what she should do about the situation. Nell shares that it’s better to live with mistakes than regrets. Toward the end of the episode, Mick and Megan share a toast by the shore. Megan conducts the toast, by saying that she will bury the past and see where her relationship with Mick will go. Mick agrees to Megan’s plan.

Kevin and Sarah’s story: It seems like Kevin and Sarah can’t have a moment for themselves. The members of the O’Brien family volunteer to help organize the wedding. While Kevin and Sarah appreciate their thoughtfulness, they end up feeling overwhelmed. While spending time at the fire station, Kevin and Sarah discuss what they want for their wedding. They both agree that the most important thing is how they want to spend the rest of their lives with each other.

 

Jess’s story: Jess and David are trying to purchase the house where they attended its open house in the previous episode. While placing a bid, they discover that a wealthier couple also wants to purchase the house. Refusing to give up on her dream, Jess comes up with a plan to show up at the same restaurant as the real estate agent. She and David invite Danielle, Connor, Simon, and Bree to have dinner with them at this restaurant. Unfortunately, Jess’s plan backfires as the real estate agent realizes what she’s up to. Later in the episode, Jess and David come up with a new plan to purchase their future bed & breakfast. They visit their competitors and Jess pretends to be David’s secretary. Jess and David encourage their competitors to purchase another property because the Peck family is interested in owning the house. Their plan works and they are able to move in to their new bed & breakfast at the end of the episode.

 

Bree’s story: Bree still feels like something is wrong with her and Simon’s relationship. She keeps giving hints to Simon about the state of their relationship, but Simon doesn’t seem to catch on. At the restaurant where Jess and David invite them, Bree finally shares her feelings with Simon. She tells him that she feels their relationship isn’t the perfect fit for them. He tells her that they shouldn’t try so hard to be perfect. The next day, Bree contemplates her relationship with Simon. She realizes that Simon is not the right significant other for her. Simon ends up visiting Word Play toward the end of the episode. He reveals, through a well-written speech, that their relationship isn’t working out and that it’s better if they went their separate ways. Both Bree and Simon agree to end their relationship on mutual terms. After Simon leaves Word Play, Bree picks up the paper that Simon’s speech was written on. When she unfolds it, she sees that the paper is blank.

 

Connor’s story: Despite his recent demotion at work, Connor is trying to keep his spirits up. He offers to help Kevin and Sarah plan their wedding and support Jess in her home purchasing efforts. Over the course of the episode, Connor learns that Danielle doesn’t like the idea of family. When he asks her the meaning behind her statement, she shares that she has some issues with her family. This causes Connor to contemplate his relationship with Danielle. Even though it seems like he and Danielle aren’t on the same page, he isn’t giving up on their relationship. One day, at the shore, Connor encourages Danielle to work things out with her family. Danielle doesn’t feel this is possible because her family is different from Connor’s. At the end of their conversation, she tells him that she loves him.

Some thoughts to consider:

 

• After Emma says that she recognized Mark Hall, I wondered if she was truly the person she claimed to be. To me, she seemed a little too eager to see Mark. This kind of contradicts what she shared with Trace about why she came to Chesapeake Shores. Maybe Trace will cross paths with Emma’s ex-boyfriend and his story will be different from what she told Trace?

 

• In some of their projects, Hallmark has cleverly hidden “Easter eggs” that relate to their products. This episode of Chesapeake Shores is a perfect example of this. At the bakery, when Abby holds the door open for Jay, a sign saying “Hallmark Cards for Sale” can be seen on a shelf at the right-hand side of the room. Another “Easter egg” can be found in Mark’s name. His full name is Mark Hall and if you put his last name first, his name is Hall Mark.

 

• I think this episode was falsely advertised. One of the biggest topics of the trailer was Abby being served with legal papers. In the episode, however, this event is barely referenced in the overall narrative. Hopefully, this will be covered in upcoming episodes.

 

• When Danielle talked about how her family has issues, I wondered if we would ever see members of her family appear on Chesapeake Shores? If so, which actors would portray these members?

What are your thoughts on this re-cap? Which actors would you like to see portray the members of Danielle’s family? Let me know in the comment section!

 

Have fun in Chesapeake Shores!

Sally Silverscreen