While waiting for the arrival of Jeanette, Lucas asks Henry “you ever find yourself asking how you got here”? Henry responds by telling Lucas, “Just about all the time”. Lucas’ question was a very poignant inclusion in this episode. As When Calls the Heart is close to wrapping up their eleventh season and will soon embark on a twelfth season, it can be easy to think about and ask a question similar to Lucas’. Fans of a television show are so invested in what is happening on screen, they may not realize how much time has passed.  When that realization dawns on a fan, they might wonder “where has all that time gone”? I guess Lucas’ question is a testament of the longevity of When Calls the Heart. Captivating stories and memorable characters have made each episode feel shorter than an hour.

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: 10

Name: What Goes Around

Major stories:

Allie still has her heart set on meeting her father, Dylan. Though she has money for a train ticket, Angela gives Allie more money to afford a hotel room if necessary. At the Jack Thornton School, Elizabeth organizes a day to restock school supplies, with some of her students volunteering to help. But when Allie doesn’t show up, Elizabeth and Nathan become concerned with Allie’s whereabouts. Angela confesses Allie’s plan to Nathan and Elizabeth. Nathan finally realizes why he received a phone call about Grandville prison earlier in the episode. When Elizabeth and Nathan arrive at the prison, they find Allie in tears. Allie tells Nathan Dylan didn’t want to see her. This crushing reality hurts Allie for most of the episode. As she wonders why her own father would reject her, Nathan explains to Allie how Dylan made a mistake by refusing to see his daughter. Nathan also stresses how lucky he has been to have received the opportunity to raise Allie. Toward the end of the episode, Nathan thanks Elizabeth for supporting both him and Allie. Elizabeth tells him how she will always to there for them.

As a last resort, Lucas agrees to meet with Jeanette about her hotel bid. Even though Henry claims everything seems legitimate, Lucas still has his doubts. Similar to his meeting with Montague, Lucas wants to keep this meeting a secret. This secrecy concerns Lee and he turns to Maisie to share these concerns. For the first time, Maisie and Lee agree on something. They come together to create a statement pulling their support for the hotel. After Lucas receives this statement, he regains his memory. Lucas not only remembers Jeanette visiting him the night he got shot, he also remembers a man named Casimir Shaw shooting him. When he confronts Jeanette about these memories, she confesses how Casimir forced her to work with him. Jeanette shares Casimir’s involvement in the hotel bid as well. In response to all this news, Lucas cancels the hotel indefinitely. He also encourages Jeanette to leave Hope Valley in the middle of the night.

Minor stories:

Faith spends one more day with Lily before Dora comes to retrieve her. One of the things they do is have ice cream at the Ice Cream Parlor. Later in the episode, Dora arrives in Hope Valley. Though Lily is excited about her grandmother’s return, she’s also heartbroken about leaving “Auntie Faith”. Seeing how upset Lily is about saying goodbye to Faith, Dora and Faith come to a mutual agreement: Lily will permanently stay with Faith. Dora also agrees to visit Lily from time to time.

At the Queen of Hearts Hotel, Maisie tells Mei how her and Mike’s mother would love to meet Mei. Brother and sister agree for Mei and their mother to meet over dinner in a few days. Despite being put on the spot, Mei accepts the offer. While Mei comes up with a meal plan for the dinner, Mike confesses to Mei how Maisie invited the whole family to meet Mei. Even though she receives unexpected news, Mei still agrees to the dinner. When the dinner finally arrives, Mei not only meets Mike and Maisie’s mother, she also meets Maisie and Mike’s sisters. After all the curve balls during the planning process, the dinner itself is a success.

Some thoughts to consider:

• In my last Sunset Over Hope Valley re-cap post, I stated how the hotel was not worth losing friends over. I still stand by that statement. But from a production perspective, it seems like the creative team behind the show made a promise they likely couldn’t keep. As I said in one of my re-cap posts from this season, creating a television show is like trying to solve a math equation. One aspect of that equation is figuring out how to utilize funds and manage a budget. Building a set piece, whether it’s the Jack Thornton School or a hotel, costs money. The longer a television show stays on the air, the more money required to keep that show running. With all that said, I wonder why the show’s creative team would entertain the idea of a hotel if they probably couldn’t afford to create one?

• Back in season five, one of the overarching subjects was the creation of a train depot. Since this depot had been heard but not seen, I honestly didn’t think it would ever appear on the show. However, this is the second episode this season where Hope Valley’s train depot was featured! It actually looks like a nice location. Plus, the train depot proves how Hope Valley has become a desirable travel destination since the show began in 2014. With Hope Valley and Benson Hills merging in the future, I wonder what will happen to the train depot?

• Strong acting performances have been showcased throughout the lifespan of When Calls the Heart. But in this episode, I thought the strongest performances were Kevin McGarry’s and Jaeda Lily Miller’s! One of the best scenes this season was when Nathan explains to Allie why Dylan didn’t want to see his daughter. The emotion expressed between these characters appeared genuine. The sincerity of Allie and Nathan’s emotions and expressions were the result of Jaeda and Kevin’s acting talents!

What are your thoughts on this episode? How do you feel about the hotel being indefinitely canceled? Share your thoughts in the comment section!

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen