After over a year of waiting, When Calls the Heart is back! With that, comes the return of my Sunset Over Hope Valley re-cap posts! For my article titles and introductions, I’m always inspired by things said by the characters, an episode’s theme, or an observation I’ve made while watching the show. In the case of the season ten premiere, I was inspired by Lee reminding Joseph how “the good Lord will provide”. This season starts with Hope Valley lacking money. Yet, none of the characters seem that concerned with their current circumstance. Maybe it’s because of Lee’s quote that helps Hope Valley’s residents get through their situation in stride. If that’s the case, it would explain how Hope Valley has been able to endure so much over the course of this show. Now, let’s start season ten’s Sunset Over Hope Valley re-caps!

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

Season: 10

Episode: 1

Name: Carpe Diem

Major stories:

Due to the destruction of the coal mine and the foundry going out of business, Hope Valley is strapped for cash. In response, a community swap has been organized, providing supplies to residents in need. This inspires Elizabeth to donate her maternity clothes to Rosemary, after learning Rosemary’s clothes order never arrived. Though gracious to accept Elizabeth’s offer, Rosemary isn’t thrilled by the styles of the maternity dresses. So, she makes the dresses her own, such as dying a “dusty pink” dress purple. Meanwhile, Lucas receives an excess order of beets. To put these beets to good use, he comes up with a surprise. Because the surprise is big, Lucas recruits other residents, such as Minnie. Throughout the episode, Lucas doesn’t reveal much information about his plan. But toward the end of the episode, he invites everyone to a community wide dinner. The surprise is a success; an evening of good food, laughter, and joy shared by friends and family.

With the foundry going under, Lee hires many of the men who were laid off. A potential new client could allow Lee to hire more employees. One of the men who lost their job was Richard, Robert’s father. He considers selling the family’s farm and moving out of Hope Valley, in an effort to seek employment. Richard was offered a job by Lee, but turned it down, as he doesn’t want to receive “hand-outs”. Later in the episode, Lee asks Richard again if he’d like to work at the saw mill. Again, Richard politely refuses the offer. At the community wide dinner, hosted by Lucas, Joseph reminds the guests how everyone should be humble. This message resonates with Richard. During the event, Richard apologizes to Lee for his stubbornness. He also accepts Lee’s job offer.

One day, Cooper and his friend, Todd, show up to class in wet clothes. Elizabeth doesn’t think much of this occurrence. The next school day, more students, including Ally, arrive in wet clothes. Now, Elizabeth becomes suspicious. After class, Ally asks Elizabeth if she could proofread her poem. Elizabeth promises to read the poem if Ally confesses why her clothes are wet. Ally shares she, as well as other students, found a watering hole. Curious by this discovery, Elizabeth recruits Bill to inspect this new location. When they arrive, they learn the “watering hole” is a hot spring. While Elizabeth is open-minded about Hope Valley having its own hot spring, Bill is more reluctant about it. However, Bill falls in the hot spring at the end of episode, due to Elizabeth’s insistence to “seize the day”.

Minor stories:

Nathan receives a dog from the Canadian Mounted Police. Because the dog, Scout, failed his Mountie training, he had nowhere else to go. Nathan reluctantly accepts Scout, but plans on finding someone to adopt him. The dog seems to have a mind of his own, staying put in the jail whenever Nathan calls his name. But when Ally and Elizabeth pay Nathan a visit, Scout comes to them. Both Elizabeth and Ally adore Scout, even reminding Elizabeth of Jack’s dog, Rip. Despite the newfound adoration, Nathan is still not impressed with the dog.

Bill was able to arrange a trial for Henry, which is in two weeks. Henry is happy about this news. Meanwhile, Bill is still dealing with his medical issues from season nine. When he comes back from Union City, Faith finds out Bill didn’t show up to his doctor’s appointment. She confronts Bill about this, but Bill tells Faith how none of the doctors know what’s wrong with him. He even shares this frustration with Elizabeth, claiming there’s something wrong with his lungs. On the night of the community wide dinner, Bill and Henry discuss the meaning of “carpe diem”. Henry encourages Bill to take Elizabeth’s advice to “seize the day”, as he claims Elizabeth is “a smart lady”.

Some thoughts to consider:

• In all my years of watching and re-capping When Calls the Heart, I’d say season ten’s premiere is one of the show’s strongest! While there was an abundance of stories in this episode, it never felt like there was too much going on. Plus, the episode was funnier than I expected. “Carpe Diem” definitely did a good job laying the foundation for the rest of the season!
• In the past, I’ve stated how I didn’t like Elizabeth’s self-centered personality. On my wish-list of the top ten things I wanted to see in season nine, one of my requests was an attitude change for Elizabeth. The previous season showed Elizabeth becoming less self-centered. But in season ten’s premiere, Elizabeth was more selfless than she’s been in a while! This is not the only pleasant surprise I discovered in this episode. Henry appeared happier than he was last season! These are changes I can definitely get used it!
• During the community wide dinner, Lucas mentions how times like this one should be a time to give thanks. His statement made me think about Thanksgiving. For Americans, Thanksgiving takes place in November, while Canadians celebrate the holiday in October. But shouldn’t we celebrate thanks every day of the year? I know the significance of the Thanksgiving holiday. However, I never would have gained this new perspective if it wasn’t for Lucas.
• Last season, it seemed like When Calls the Heart’s creative team was considering adding another love triangle to the show. In season ten’s premiere, however, that speculation was denied. Nathan admitted he worked things out with Mei, with Mei claiming she and Nathan are just friends. Meanwhile, Faith is still thinking about Carson. Based on this episode, I’m wondering if Fiona and Nathan will end up becoming a couple?

What are your thoughts on season ten’s premiere of When Calls the Heart? What stories are you excited about? Let me know in the comment section below!

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen