Last September, I wrote a list sharing which ten characters
I’d love to see return to When Calls the Heart. My number one choice was
Tom Thornton, as his last appearance was all the way back in season five. So,
when I discovered Tom was returning to the show, my interest in the rest of
season eleven piqued! When Tom told Elizabeth and Jack Jr. what he did for a living,
he said he “sold happiness”. I would like to point out how Tom has been doing
that all along. Though I can only speak for myself, Tom has always made me
happy whenever he appeared on the show. Despite his more recent appearances
being brief, these moments were special and cherished. Looking back on Tom’s
story, I’m starting to realize how his and Henry’s story share several similarities.
Both characters had a troubled past, made a conscious effort to change, and now
have brighter futures!

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

Season: 11

Episode: 7

Name: Facing the Music

Major stories:

Tom Thornton has returned to Hope Valley in honor of Jack’s
birthday. After visiting his brother’s grave, Tom reconnects with familiar faces,
like Faith and Elizabeth, and meets new ones, such as Allie, Angela, and
Nathan. Tom’s career has taken a new path, this time selling sheet music for a
man named Mr. Sweeney. When the members of Hope Valley’s choir discover Tom is
looking for acts for an upcoming music festival, they become interested in
participating in the event. Tom informs them how only one spot remains in the
festival, so they would have to audition. The choir agrees to audition over the
phone, with the audition itself being a success. Because the choir received the
aforementioned last spot in the festival, Tom tells them they have to pay the $65
entry fee. Even though the choir agrees to chip in five dollars each, Elizabeth
and even Nathan are concerned by how quickly things are happening. When Nathan
and Elizabeth confront Tom about the entry fee, Tom reassures them how the
entire endeavor is legitimate. However, a phone call from Mr. Sweeney at the
Mercantile indicates how things are not going according to plan. Toward the end
of the episode, Elizabeth discovers Tom checked out of the Queen of Hearts
hotel and is on his way to Union City. She and Nathan find Tom waiting at the
train station. Tom confesses Mr. Sweeney not only stole the $65 dollars from
Hope Valley’s choir, but has stolen money from the festival’s other
participants. Tom turns to Elizabeth and Nathan for help with this situation.

Rosemary and Bill bring their lead on Luca’s case to Nathan.
Nathan would like to look into Clayton Pike’s connection to Union City
Holdings, but states how the Mounted Police are working on other cases.
Rosemary still cannot speak to Clayton himself, but feels the next best thing
would be to speak to his mother, Hazel. With Hazel living in Union City, Nathan
agrees to help Rosemary organize an interview. He also informs Bill and
Rosemary how Clayton is transferring prisons soon, so he’ll try to get an
interview for Rosemary. The original plan was for Rosemary to travel to Union
City for her interview with Hazel. But plans change when Hazel ends up visiting
Rosemary in Hope Valley. During the interview, Hazel claims she and Clayton
were at a political event around the time Lucas was shot. She even shares how
Clayton was taking care of her after she had injured her hip. Hazel received
money for surgery a week before Lucas became injured. She says a friend of
Clayton’s gave her the money, sharing how Clayton and the friend met at church.
While Hazel was at the hospital, Montague paid her visit and gave her flowers.

Lucas is having difficulty finding investors for the hotel.
Though Montague’s and Jeanette’s offer are still on the table, Lucas would
rather not work with them. Out of desperation, Lucas asks Lee to help find
investors. Though Lee agrees to help, he even has no luck finding a solution. As
a last resort, Mr. Mitchell, who now works for Lucas, suggests using an
emergency fund to start the hotel. Henry, who has recently started working for
Lucas, believes this is a bad idea. His belief is based on how the money in the
emergency fund came from the people of places like Hope Valley. Henry tells
Lucas to step away from the hotel if no other options are available. But toward
the end of the episode, Lucas ends up calling Montague.

Minor stories:

Because so much emphasis was placed on the major stories,
there are no minor stories in this episode.

Some thoughts to consider:

·       Last month, Net (from It’s a Wonderful Movie)
shared an announcement about two new Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies.
One of these movies, currently titled “Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Moon
and Back”, revolves around the POstables going on a road trip to find a rock
star. You’re probably wondering what this Signed, Sealed, Delivered
movie has to do with this episode of When Calls the Heart. During his
time in Hope Valley, Tom briefly sang a song at the Queen of Hearts hotel. I’m
not sure if Max Lloyd-Jones sang in that scene or if the singing belonged to a
voice double. But if Max sang himself and if Signed, Sealed, Delivered’s
creative team wanted to utilize more talent from Hallmark’s community, I hope
Max stars in “Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Moon and Back” as the
aforementioned rock star!

·       I’m disappointed the music festival ended up
becoming a scam. With When Calls the Heart receiving a twelfth season, Hope
Valley’s choir traveling to Salt Lake City could have served as a two-part
season premiere. If When Calls the Heart’s creative team was interested
in creating movies again, the music festival may have been the plot of the
film. According to the trailer for the next episode, it looks like Hope Valley
will host their own music festival. With all this said, it feels like the show’s
writers forced the original music festival to fall through just to keep the
story in Hope Valley.

·       This episode is, so far, the best one from season
eleven! It was great to see Tom come back to the show. But it was also great to
see the script less drawn out than other episodes this season. There was more intrigue
from each featured story, which kept me invested in what was happening on
screen. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how the story plays out in
next week’s episode!

What are your thoughts on this episode? Are you excited to
see Tom Thornton return to Hope Valley? Let me know in the comment section!

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen