Going into the twelfth season of When Calls the Heart, a Heartie can’t help but become reflective over their favorite show. However, it seems like When Calls the Heart’s creative team wanted their fans to look back at how far the show has come. A few examples are Elizabeth teaching her son the meaning of the word, ‘reflective’, and Rosemary reminding Nathan how no one knows what the future holds. It’s amazing this program has stayed on the air for eleven years and twelve seasons! In the history of television, few shows have made it that far. But if the history of television has taught us anything, another season is not guaranteed. While renewal news has usually come quickly for When Calls the Heart, it’s easy for Hearties to take that news for granted. Earlier in this introduction, I mentioned Rosemary telling Nathan how no one knows what the future holds. She followed that up by saying how we should enjoy the time we have. So, let’s enjoy this re-cap of When Calls the Heart’s season twelve premiere!

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: 12

Episode: 1

Name: The Mountie Way

Major stories:

Superintendent Andrew Hargreaves arrives in Hope Valley to give Elizabeth one of Jack’s prized possessions. This object is a medal Jack earned before he passed away. The medal leads Elizabeth to explain to her son what ‘reflective’ means. She also allows Jack Jr. to wear his father’s medal on his first day of school. Inspired by Jack’s bravery, Jack Jr. lets Lilly borrow the medal when he learns she’s nervous about being one of the youngest kids in Elizabeth’s class. Jack Jr. and Elizabeth also agree how having the medal is a reminder that Jack will always be with them. Meanwhile, Superintendent Hargreaves assigns Nathan to train a Mountie cadet named Oliver Garrett. Nathan is told Oliver is at the bottom of his class. But after he and Bill talk to Oliver, they think something isn’t adding up. That’s because Oliver seems enthusiastic about being a Mountie. In fact, he expresses interest in the forensic and scientific sides of the profession.

Throughout this episode, Lucas encourages Lee to go to Capitol City to work on their national park project. Lee is hesitant because of how much time he thinks he’ll spend away from his family. Rosemary is also hesitant about Lee’s potential travels for the same reason. Henry comes up with the idea to name the national park after Goldy. This development makes Rosemary reconsider letting Lee go to Capitol City. In the end, Lee and Rosemary compromise. Lee goes to Capitol City during the week and comes home on the weekends. When Lee is contemplating his potential trips to Capitol City, Rosemary is frustrated by The Valley Voice’s decreased readership. Lee jokingly recommends radio shows advertise in the newspaper. This suggestion inspires Rosemary to create her own radio program.

Minor story:

Lucas and Lee have different priorities when it comes to the national park project. For Lucas, it’s about revitalizing his disastrous approval rating. For Lee, on the other hand, the project is about providing Goldy and her generation with a gift that keeps on giving. On the train ride to Capital City, Lee and Lucas cross paths with Edwin Mitchel, who used to work with Lucas. Edwin brings up Lucas’ approval rating and says he has some ideas to save Lucas’ reputation. Even though Lee is skeptical of Edwin’s offer, Lucas is open to hearing what Edwin has to say.

Some thoughts to consider:

• Back in 2021, I wrote a list of the top ten things I’d like to see in When Calls the Heart’s ninth season. One of those things was Hope Valley’s first female Mountie. When I discovered a new Mountie would be introduced in season twelve, I was so excited at possibly getting my wish. But season twelve’s premiere left me disappointed. Oliver has potential to be a well-written, well-acted character. However, not giving Hope Valley their first female Mountie is such a missed opportunity.
• Is it just me or has Lee’s sawmill disappeared from Hope Valley? When Lee made his debut in season two, one of his purposes was to open a sawmill and provide job opportunities for Hope Valley’s residents, especially after the coal mine’s closure. But ever since Rosemary started the town’s newspaper, it seems like the sawmill isn’t a priority for Lee like in past seasons. In fact, the sawmill wasn’t brought up in this episode. If Lee is not running his sawmill anymore, who is?
• Throughout season twelve’s premiere, the children of Hope Valley become obsessed with a comic book about a character named Captain Billie. It even gets to the point where the children debate if comic books should be considered literature. I found this debate ironic because When Calls the Heart is based on a pre-existing book series. I also think it would be a good idea for Elizabeth to take that aforementioned obsession and turn it into a class project where her students create their own comic books!
• In this re-cap, I mentioned Rosemary being inspired to create her own radio show. For me, this part of the episode was ironic. That’s because, in my re-cap post about season ten’s finale, I said I wanted to see Fiona create her own radio show. From the way Rosemary described her ideal radio program, the primary focus would be on news within Hope Valley and its surrounding areas. Since Rosemary has written for The Valley Voice for a few seasons, this seems like a good idea that I can’t wait to see upfold!

What are your thoughts on When Calls the Heart’s season twelve premiere? What are you most excited about this season? Please tell me in the comment section below!

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen