At the beginning of this episode of Chesapeake Shores, the U.S.S. Kelsey, an important prop in Carrie and Caitlyn’s school play, has been destroyed due to a water leak. This prop has been used in this particular play for fifty-three years, even recording the signatures of former cast members. Abby, Bree, and Jess are obviously heart-broken about the U.S.S. Kelsey’s fate, as Abby and Bree clean up what remains of their school-time memento. On this show, it seems like everyone is trying to steer their ship. In some episodes, the characters’ journeys are smooth sailing. At other times, they end up facing stormy seas. While not as broken as the U.S.S. Kelsey, each character does have flaws in their ship’s foundation. As long as they have an anchor to keep them grounded and a compass to guide them, each character will eventually find their way.

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

Season: 4

Episode: 4

Name: Breaking Hearts and Playing Parts

 

Abby’s story: Abby, once again, volunteers at her daughters’ school. This time, she agrees to help with school play preparations. Luckily, Jay is the play’s director, so she has a friend to spend time with. As mentioned in this re-cap’s introduction, the U.S.S. Kelsey ends up becoming destroyed. When Jay asks her if she knows anyone who can help re-build this prop, she asks Mick for his assistance the next day. Unfortunately, he turns down her offer. One day, during play rehearsal, she discovers that Trace has volunteered to re-build the U.S.S. Kelsey. She carries on small talk with him, but that’s the extent of their interaction. Later in the episode, Abby and Jay talk about her relationship with Trace. She tells him that she and Trace used to date, but are now just friends. Jay and Abby also agree with share lunch together. When their lunch outing arrives, they also invite members of Abby’s family. They end up having a good time, with Jay even sharing his fries with Bree. At the end of the episode, Abby and Jay marvel at Trace’s handiwork as they take one final look at the new U.S.S. Kelsey. During their observation, Abby notices that Trace preserved all of the signatures from the old ship.

 

Trace’s story: When Mark Hall makes one final offer to make Emma a singing sensation, Emma politely turns him down. This decision pleases Trace, as he has rarely seen people tell Mark no. One day, at The Bridge, Trace meets Jay for the first time. The purpose of this meeting was for Jay to convince Trace to re-build the U.S.S. Kelsey. When Trace learns that Carrie and Caitlyn told Jay about his handiwork, Trace agrees to volunteer. Trace shows up to play rehearsal one day, which happens to be on the same day that Abby is helping with the play. Abby and Trace share small talk, but that’s about it. After getting to know Jay a little bit better, Trace realizes that Abby may be starting a new relationship. For the majority of this episode, he has been torn between wanting to get back together with Abby and potentially beginning a new relationship of his own. At The Bridge, one night, Trace helps Emma with an original song. During this song-writing session, Emma kisses Trace. After Trace kisses Emma back, he shares that he probably shouldn’t have done that. The next day, Trace apologizes for the unplanned kiss. During this interaction with Emma, he learns that one of Mark’s offers to Emma involved her trying to recruit Trace back on tour. This discovery makes Trace lose trust in Emma.

 

Mick’s story: Mick’s legal situation just became more complicated. His former business partner is trying to make a deal where Mick is named co-conspirator. Mick’s lawyer also suggests that he hire a PR firm to help him establish a presence on social media. Because of everything that going on in his work-life, Mick’s personal life has been affected. One day, he ends up cancelling plans with Megan because of a meeting with his lawyer. He apologizes to her by giving her a red rose and explaining what’s been happening. Mick shares that he’s overwhelmed by the changes that are taking place around him. Megan forgives him and accepts the rose.Megan’s story: At the beginning of this episode, Megan is busy planning Kevin and Sarah’s wedding, as well as creating a vision board for herself. When discussing her progress with Nell, Megan is told that she should focus less on the past and more on the present. During lunch with the O’Brien family, Kevin and Sarah announce that they recently eloped. This shocks the family, especially Megan. Not only that, but she’s also heart-broken that her chances of planning their wedding are now gone. When they ask her if everything’s ok, she tells them that she’s fine. But, in reality, she’s trying her best to hide her true feelings. Throughout the episode, Megan processes what has just happened. She also realizes that Mick has been trying to process what’s been going on in his life. At the end of the episode, Kevin and Sarah reveal that, even though they eloped, they want to organize a wedding reception. This pleases Megan and makes Mick happy for her. Mick and Megan share a gesture that indicates that they are growing closer in their relationship.

Bree’s story: Bree is dealing with the aftermath of her break-up with Simon. She changes the end of her play, which pleases Hannah and is a better fit for the story. But, no matter what she does, she still feels upset about Simon leaving her life. The people around her have been understanding of her situation, from Abby inviting her to help clean up the U.S.S. Kelsey’s remains to Jay sharing his fries with her. Trying to take her mind off of her dilemma, she helps David and Jess with a personal problem. But, when she helps them solve their issues, she realizes that she’s the only sibling in the O’Brien family that isn’t in a relationship or starting a new relationship. This causes Jess, David, and Connor to comfort Bree.

 

Jess’s story: Jess and David are trying to choose an overarching style for their bed & breakfast. Jess wants the bed & breakfast to have a traditional look, complete with a couch from their previous bed & breakfast. David thinks the facility should adopt a modern style, using a day bed that he cherishes. When they ask Connor for advice, he is unable to help them make this decision. For the majority of the episode, David and Jess are finding it difficult to come up with a solution. When Danielle, Connor, and Bree hang out at the new bed & breakfast one day, Bree suggests that Jess and David try to look at the problem from the other person’s perspective. This technique helps them realize the importance of their beloved piece of furniture. They both come to an agreement where they not only get to incorporate both of their styles into the bed & breakfast, but they also get to create a new, shared style for the main sitting area.

 

Connor’s story: Connor is figuring out where his relationship with Danielle stands. He feels that Danielle telling him “I Love You” complicates things. He turns to various family members for advice, including Nell. She tells him that it’s important to “like who you love”. While helping Kevin move his belongings to Sarah’s house, Connor tells Danielle that he loves her. But, Connor still feels like something isn’t right in his and Danielle’s relationship. When he is comforting Bree at David and Jess’s bed & breakfast, Danielle doesn’t approach Bree to console her. The next day, at dinner, Connor addresses Danielle’s dislike toward her family. She doesn’t provide an answer, but instead talks about how she doesn’t like to spend time with his family. This makes him realize that he and Danielle want very different things in life. He shares this thought with her.

Some thoughts to consider:

 

• In this episode, I found some of the wardrobe choices to be very interesting. In the very first scene, I noticed that all of the O’Brien sisters are wearing a white shirt. In another scene, Hannah and Bree wear outfits that are color coordinated. Hannah’s shirt is black and her jacket is maroon. Meanwhile, Bree’s jacket is black and her shirt is maroon.

 

• In the scene where Connor and Danielle realize that they want different things in life, Andrew Francis and Britt Irvin gave one of the best performances in any Hallmark project they’ve ever appeared in! It was both emotional and powerful, things that are needed for a scene like this. It makes me wish that Andrew and Britt would receive a lead role in a Hallmark film.

 

• Ever since the third season, it feels like Chesapeake Shores has plateaued. In the first two seasons, the show had a healthy balance between being story-driven and character-driven. From season three on, the series has become so character-driven, that it comes at the plot’s expense. Every time an interesting subplot is about to be introduced or an overarching plot can be revisited, the screenwriters don’t take advantage of those creative opportunities. What also doesn’t help is how this season is only six episodes long.

How do you feel about this episode? Do you think that Kevin and Sarah made the right decision? Please state your thoughts in the comment section!

 

Have fun in Chesapeake Shores!

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