Before school begins in Hope Valley, Elizabeth states how she wants to create a routine for the students of Benson Hills so they can have a sense of normalcy in their lives. When I first heard what Elizabeth said, I remembered how When Calls the Heart has created their own routine. For Hearties, it’s the fact the show itself premieres each episode at a consistent time on a consistent day of the week. Behind the scenes, this routine looks like a block of days or months set aside for filming, screenwriting, and editing. These routines created by the show give the cast, crew, and Hearties expectations, a sense of predictability, but most importantly, something to look forward to. Even when this routine has become interrupted, the creative team behind When Calls the Heart has adapted to the best of their abilities so the routine carries on as smoothly as possible. Few television shows have survived past ten seasons like When Calls the Heart. What seems to have worked in When Calls the Heart’s favor is building a strong and stable routine.

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

Season: 13

Episode: 3

Name: Back to School

Major stories:

The children of Hope Valley and Benson Hills are going back to school. But for the students of Benson Hills, they are having a difficult time adjusting to their new educational surroundings. One young girl tells Elizabeth how she’s tired of receiving people’s sad faces. Gwendolyn, who likes to be called Gwen, is carving into one of the desks with a fork belonging to Rosemary. Elizabeth encourages Hope Valley’s students to sit with the students from Benson Hills in an effort to integrate Benson Hills’ children into her class. But Elizabeth feels there is more she can do to make all her students feel like they are part of a community. Later in the episode, Elizabeth, Nathan, and Jack Jr. organize a field day. Everyone participates in the activities except for Cooper and Toby. They turn to Elizabeth toward the end of the episode to reveal they made a small cooking fire during their hike in the national park. However, Toby and Cooper reassure Elizabeth they put the fire out. As they reflect on what happened, they second guess if their fire was what caused the national park, Rosemary’s Playhouse, and Benson Hills to burn.

Lee is convinced someone intentionally started the fire in Goldie National Park. One day, at the saloon, Mollie confesses to Lee how, on the day of the fire, she saw an older gentleman entering the park carrying what looked like a kerosine can. Even though Bill and Nathan are currently conducting an investigation, Lee wants McGinty to be held accountable, as he believes McGinty is responsible for the fire. But when Lee confronts McGinty about the fire at the saloon, McGinty is appalled by Lee’s accusations. Nathan arrests Lee after Lee punched McGinty. When Rosemary picks up Lee from the jail, Lee shares how all he wants is for the guilty party to be held responsible for what they did. Rosemary reminds her husband how they don’t know all the answers yet.

Minor stories:

The residents of Benson Hills are literally and figuratively picking up the pieces of their lives after the fire. Some of Hope Valley’s residents, including Mei, volunteer to take Benson Hills’ residents back to Benson Hills to reclaim their lost possessions. Maisie, Benson Hills’ mayor and Mike’s sister, is trying to acquire relief funds to rebuild Benson Hills. When Mei offers Maisie a place to stay at her and Mike’s apartment, Maisie turns down the offer at first because she doesn’t want Benson Hills’ residents to believe she gave up on them. But after Mei finds a baby portrait of Mike from what was Maisie’s house, Maisie realizes her family is just trying to support her. Meanwhile, Lucas agrees to appear at a meeting about insurance claims, organized by Edie and Maisie. But due to a scheduled dinner that runs longer than planned, Lucas ends up missing the meeting.

Some thoughts to consider:

• Like I mentioned in this re-cap post, Gwen carves into one of the desks with a fork belonging to Rosemary. Later in the episode, at the Coulter family’s house (where Gwen is currently residing), Gwen tries her hand at woodcarving under Lee’s guiding eye. The two instances I brought up make me wonder if Gwen will eventually take up woodcarving as a hobby? Maybe this new hobby will help Gwen pass the time and make new friends until she can be reunited with her father?
• Rupert is one of Elizabeth’s newest students from Benson Hills. During class, he brings up his past studies about ancient Rome. Rupert even talks about a class project he made that became lost in the fire. In my list of the Thirteen Questions for When Calls the Heart’s 13^th Season, I wondered if another student would receive the Hope Valley Scholarship. With Rupert’s expressed desire for learning, could Rupert be the next Hope Valley Scholarship recipient? Though he is one of Benson Hills’ students, perhaps he could the exception to the rule.
• In this episode of When Calls the Heart, Elizabeth brings up the idea of a poetry club, in order to encourage Oliver to read William Shakespeare’s work. Reflecting on Elizabeth’s idea, it would be great if Hope Valley had a book club! The library would be the club’s official meeting spot. Different stories and genres could be explored within the club. Maybe they could even solve mysteries like in the Ainsley McGregor Mysteries series! Since Hearties know a fourteenth season is on the horizon, perhaps Hope Valley could see its first book club come to fruition.

What are your thoughts on this episode of When Calls the Heart? What lessons do you hope Elizabeth’s students learn in their upcoming school year? Please tell me in the comment section!

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen