When the term, Hope Valley, is spoken, Hearties will typically think of the town itself and the people within it. They’ll also think about how, over these nine and a half seasons, Hope Valley has earned the reputation of being a safe and trustworthy place, filled with residents that can be trusted by others. But every so often, there is a character who seems suspicious. These types of characters fall into one of two categories. The first category is suspicious characters who learn the fault in their ways, seeking redemption and becoming trustworthy over time. The second category is characters who don’t have good intentions, eventually facing accountability for their actions. This season has, so far, only shown characters from the first category, with Harry becoming one of the newest faces in Hope Valley. Since season ten hasn’t aired every episode yet, it’s unknown which category characters like Madeleine and Montague are placed in.

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

Season: 10

Episode: 8

Name: What Is and What Should Never Be

Major stories:

Montague has big plans for his and Madeleine’s property. But, so far, he’s been secretive about these plans. When Nathan visits the property, after receiving a noise complaint, he learns Montague and his employees are planning to drill a new well, despite the property already having a functional well. Later in the episode, while Elizabeth rides past the property, she learns Montague’s employees are using a horse and plow. Meanwhile, Bill is having regrets over selling his land to Madeleine. He also becomes suspicious of Montague. Lucas has doubts about Montague as well. But because he is a guest of the saloon, there’s not much Lucas can do about the situation. Even Rosemary becomes suspicious, as Lee receives a large lumber order that will used to build a bridge.

Rosaleen learns she’s been accepted into a nursing program! At the beginning of the episode, she shares her good news with Elizabeth. But this joy is short-lived when Rosaleen learns Henry created the Hope Valley Scholarship. When coming face-to-face with Henry in town, Rosaleen turns down the scholarship because she feels Henry is just trying to pay people off, an action Henry did in the past. She also strongly considers leaving Hope Valley again. In a heart-to-heart conversation with her daughter, Mollie encourages Rosaleen to forgive Henry, once again pointing out how Henry has come a long way since the mining tragedy. Later in the episode, at the stables, Rosaleen confronts Henry. She admits how she isn’t afraid of Henry anymore, as he is no longer the man she used to fear. Henry uses this conversation as a chance to apologize to Rosaleen. As a peace offering, Rosaleen invites Henry to church to listen to the choir. Henry accepts this invitation by sitting next to Rosaleen at church.

Minor stories:

Rosemary learns the Governor is currently on a campaign tour. Unfortunately, one of the campaign stops isn’t Hope Valley. To try and get the attention of the Governor, Rosemary brings up the idea of a grand town-wide celebration. One of her suggestions that comes to fruition is a choir. Rosemary not only joins the choir, she also recruits Minnie as the choir leader, as she led her choir in Missouri. One day, after choir practice, Mei expresses her doubts about her singing abilities. Mike disagrees, as he thinks Mei’s singing sounds nice. Minnie and Rosemary agree with Mike, giving him and Mei a duet. As they practice together, Mei begins to gain confidence in her singing abilities. The choir as a whole gain confidence as well, as their talents improve. The choir’s first performance takes place during a church service.

After learning Robert can only babysit Jack Jr. in the evenings, due to his postal service job, Ally asks Nathan if she can babysit Jack Jr. Nathan agrees, as long as Elizabeth is ok with the idea. With approval from Elizabeth, Ally officially becomes Jack Jr.’s babysitter! On her first day on the job, she and Jack Jr. agree to play Hide and Seek. Shortly after the game starts, Ally panics because she can’t find Jack Jr. She asks Nathan for help, afraid she might never be able to babysit again. Fortunately, Jack Jr. is found, hiding under the sofa. When Elizabeth returns home, Nathan is still at her house, as Jack Jr. and Ally have fallen asleep. Elizabeth suggests Ally spend the night at her house, with Nathan agreeing with her idea. Nathan and Elizabeth also have a friendly conversation, discussing topics ranging from bringing up Jack with Jack Jr. to Nathan confessing how he and Faith are just friends.

Some thoughts to consider:

• I recently created a list of the top ten characters I’d love to see return to When Calls the Heart. Two characters included on that list were Laura and Tom Thornton. While making the noise complaint to Nathan, Laura’s father mentioned how Laura is currently in teaching college, which explains why she has been absent this season. While visiting Jack’s grave, Elizabeth references how Charlotte told her a story involving Jack and Tom. Even though his name wasn’t mentioned, it is a pleasant surprise to hear Tom brought up on the show! It was also nice that Laura’s story received some closure!
• I know season ten isn’t over yet. But I’m disappointed how few times Harry has been included in the overall story. Out of the eight episodes that have premiered so far, he has only appeared in three of them. Plus, Harry hasn’t interacted with many characters, only sharing screen-time with Faith, Nathan, Ned, and Florence. I’d like to think Harry’s story will receive more attention in these last four episodes, especially since we may learn more about the Union City Holdings company. Though I’m starting to wonder if the show’s creative team is waiting to tell more of Harry’s story in season eleven?
• Despite Lucas and Elizabeth becoming engaged, it doesn’t feel like they’ve spent much time together this season. In fact, Elizabeth seems to be spending more time with Nathan than Lucas. Based on statements made by Nathan and the shared time between him and Elizabeth, I’m wondering if Elizabeth will change her mind about getting re-married? I’ve heard comments from Lucas and Elizabeth fans expressing their disappointment about the limited time between their favorite couple, as well as the lack of a wedding this season. Could the reason for a wedding free season be because Elizabeth might end up marrying Nathan instead?

What are your thoughts on this episode? What do you think Montague’s building plans are? Please tell me in the comment section below!

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen