Over the course of When Calls the Heart’s eight, going on nine, seasons, many of the characters have experienced trials and tribulations. Because each character is a unique individual, they have dealt with their trials in their own way. Some of these trials took longer to resolve than others. But no matter what these road maps looked like, the trials were met and conquered. Despite the ninth season just beginning, the majority of Hope Valley’s citizens are already experiencing conflicts. A few of them have even faced the music. With these conflicts starting, it will be interesting to see how they get resolved. For now, let’s begin this episode’s re-cap!

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

Season: 9

Episode: 2

Name: Out Like a Lamb

Major stories:

Toward the beginning of this episode, Bill releases Henry from prison. He tells Henry how Jerome has dropped the charges made in the previous episode. But instead of being excited to leave his jail cell, Henry takes his time leaving. Shortly after Henry’s release, Joseph tries to talk to Henry. But all Henry shares is how he doesn’t go to church because he doesn’t like the sermons. Meanwhile, Fiona struggles whether to share her knowledge of Henry and Jerome’s business relationship with Henry. When she brings this struggle to Joseph, he tells her to tell Henry the truth. At the petroleum plant, Fiona confesses to Henry her knowledge of his and Jerome’s work history. To her surprise, he thanks her for being honest with him. While that conversation is taking place, Lucas is discussing his plans to sell his half of the oil business with Jerome. Jerome likes the idea of recruiting some investors to buy this half. His only concern is Henry’s involvement in the business, as Jerome fears Henry hasn’t changed. But over the course of the episode, Jerome ends up changing his own mind. When he visits Henry at the petroleum plant, Jerome brings up the mining accident that happened prior to the events of the show. He tells Henry the accident was his fault, as he claims he cared more about money than business morale. Jerome also says he should have taken Henry’s warnings seriously. Before Jerome leaves Hope Valley, it appears he and Henry have settled their differences. Jerome encourages Henry to stay on the oil business, with Henry saying he’ll think about it.

Nathan and his horse, Newton, have survived the previous episode’s car crash. While Bill and Lucas unsuccessfully try to locate the car that hurt Nathan and Newton, Nathan is treated at the Infirmary for a concussion and a dislocated shoulder. Elizabeth tells Nathan she’ll take care of Newton. But the horse is so shaken up by the crash, he won’t let Elizabeth near him. At the ice cream parlor, Robert and Angela discuss Newton’s condition. After overhearing this conversation, Mei volunteers to help the horse. While on her way to the stables, Elizabeth discovers Mei has had more success approaching Newton. This success allows Mei to take care of the horse. During Newton’s recovery process, Mei asks Bill for his help. She tells Bill this request will be discussed at another time. Later in the episode, Mei apologizes again to Ned for posing as Jeffrey in her letters. She does clarify how she never lied about her credentials or qualifications as a pharmacist. Meanwhile, Elizabeth tells Nathan about Mei’s ability to take care of Newton. This information seems to satisfy him.

Minor stories:

Lee is anxious about the mayoral election results. Rosemary reassures him that no matter what happens, he’ll still remain an important member of Hope Valley. Later that day, Ned and Florence make an announcement about the election results. But they claim these results are inconclusive, which leads to a re-count. This re-count is resolved the next day, with Mike Hickam becoming Hope Valley’s mayor. Mike is surprised by the results, despite not being present for the announcement. His reason for his absence, as Mike later tells Fiona, was to help a neighbor wrangle his cattle. However, he was also afraid of the election results. Mike later comes to the conclusion that, in order to avoid a conflict of interest, he should give his part of the oil business to Fiona. His other conclusion is how impressed he was by Fiona’s honesty toward Henry. Meanwhile, Lee is bummed about the election results. To cheer him up, Rosemary suggests hearing Lee’s acceptance speech. Instead, Lee wants Rosemary to read the last part of it. She discovers Lee thanked Rosemary for helping him be the man he is today. Rosemary also surprises Lee, later in the episode, with a job offer. She offers to make Lee the Valley Voice’s managing editor. This means he’ll be overlooking the newspaper’s day-to-day operations. Finding the offer appealing, Lee accepts the job. His first assignment is redirecting a call to Rosemary.

While Cooper and Angela are at the ice cream parlor, Minnie comes to remind Cooper to do his spelling homework. Angela tries to take the fall for her brother by claiming she forgot to remind him of his homework. But Minnie says Cooper needs to take responsibility for his own actions. On their way home, Cooper confesses he doesn’t want to attend church anymore. His reasons are never brought up in this episode. This decision concerns both Minnie and Joseph. However, Joseph hopes his upcoming sermon will encourage Cooper to come to them for help. But Cooper might have found his encouragement from an unlikely individual. One day at school, Henry comes to talk to the students about his recent fight with Jerome. His moral to the children is to avoid using violence, as it only causes more harm. But Henry did not choose to visit the school on his own free will. Earlier in the episode, Elizabeth pays Henry a visit at his office, encouraging him to talk to her students about the fight. During this visit, Henry reveals Christopher and Rachel are going to get married in the near future. When Henry brings up how Elizabeth continues to write to Abigail, Elizabeth shares how much Henry’s out-of-town trip meant to Abigail.

Some thoughts to consider:

• I know it’s only the ninth season’s second episode. But, so far, Elizabeth and Lucas’ story is the weakest one. There is no intrigue, mystery, or a conflict that needs to be resolved. This is despite Elizabeth and Lucas’ heavy presence in the show’s marketing. Due to the story’s weaknesses, it seems like the other characters and plots are picking up the slack. Granted, we’re not even halfway through the season yet. So, I’m hoping Elizabeth and Lucas’ story picks up traction.
• I like seeing Angela become friends with Robert! Now that she is attending school, it’s nice to see her gain her first real friendship on the show. This creative decision will not only help Angela’s character development, but it will progress forward the stories of the students. Therefore, I will give the screenwriter(s) credit where it is due!
• On the blog, It’s a Wonderful Movie, a commenter named Abigail asked, “If Mei Sou is already married, how can she be matched up with Nathan”? After learning about Mei’s connection to Jeffrey, I thought the same thing. But I think it’s too early to judge Mei’s choices. We still know very little information about her. Her actual relationship to Jeffrey is , at this time, unknown. Also, just because Mei and Nathan have been featured together in this season’s marketing, doesn’t mean they’ll become a couple. With all that said, I will, for now, give Mei the benefit of the doubt.
• If you read my list of the top ten things I’d like to see in When Calls the Heart’s ninth season, you would know how much I wanted to see Henry fall in love, preferably with a new character. This came on the heels of seeing him happy in the previous season. But based on the ninth season’s first and second episodes, I’m wondering if Henry is going to learn to love himself before he can love someone else? If this is the case, that would be understandable.

What are your thoughts on this episode? How do you think these conflicts are going to get resolved? Let me know in the comment section!

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen