During their trip to the Mercantile, Mei and Mike are searching for walnuts or almonds. This ingredient is intended for a moon cake and butter tart recipe. But when almonds and walnuts are nowhere to be found, the couple adopt a different, more accessible ingredient: hazelnuts. Not only does this decision work in Mike and Mei’s favor, other Hope Valley residents choose to use hazelnuts in their recipes too. In this episode of When Calls the Heart, hazelnuts become a shared ingredient among the characters. However, this is not the first time ingredients have been shared. When I introduced my re-cap for this season’s second episode, I talked about the presence “hope” has had within Hope Valley. I even gave an example of how hope impacted the lives of the show’s characters. Thinking about Hope Valley as a recipe, “hope” is an ingredient the characters have shared since the show’s beginning. It has taken on different forms (depending on the situation), being applied to each character’s life in a personalized way. How “hope” is shared is dependent on the character in question, from Elizabeth giving her students valuable advice to Lucas coming up with ways to save the day.

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

Season: 12

Episode: 10

Name: Through the Valley

Major stories:

Lucas has been served with a lawsuit from the ranchers. When he shares the news with Edie, she declares how she no longer works for McGinty. After Nathan is informed of the lawsuit, he and Lucas confront McGinty over it. During this confrontation, McGinty shares how Allie and Oliver trespassed on his property. Later that day, when Nathan asks Allie about McGinty’s claim, Allie confesses how she and Oliver, indeed, trespassed on McGinty’s land. Even though Allie believes she was in the wrong, Elizabeth tries to take some of the blame, due to presenting project-based learning to her students. But Oliver steps in and reveals how a path near McGinty’s land was blocked by ash trees. He believes the ash trees were stolen from Lee’s property, as the only ash trees near Hope Valley are owned by Lee. Oliver’s suspicions end up being correct, with Bill and Henry later confronting McGinty about Oliver’s findings. To avoid time in jail, McGinty drops the trespassing charges he gave to Oliver and Allie.

When it’s time for Elizabeth’s students to share their progress on their projects, Emily doesn’t have anything to bring to class. After school, she explains to Elizabeth how working at Henry and Joseph’s hazelnut business has prioritized her time. This inspires Elizabeth to help Emily find her project through her work with the hazelnuts. Because of how sawdust has helped the hazelnuts grow, Emily decides to create a project about the positive effects on conserving sawdust. But when she picks up a book she ordered at the Mercantile, Florence and Ned reveal how several students have submitted their applications for college. Embarrassed by her forgetfulness, Emily shares what happened with Elizabeth. When Emily tells Elizabeth she wanted to be just like her, Elizabeth reassures her student how a career in business would be a better fit for her. Meanwhile, Elizabeth is concerned about her son. He has not only been more tired lately, he also has been hungrier. When Jack Jr. passes out one day, Faith suspects he could be dehydrated. But after a series of tests, Faith tells Elizabeth her son has Diabetes.

Minor stories:

Mei and Mike plan on hosting a private harvest feast for just the two of them. They go to the Mercantile in search of walnuts or almonds for their butter tart and moon cake recipes. When almonds and walnuts are not available, Joseph suggests using some of the hazelnuts from his and Henry’s business. The other patrons of the Mercantile believe Joseph’s idea is a good one. So, they adopt hazelnuts in their recipes, turning Mike and Mei’s private feast into a community wide event. Despite this change in plans, the feast is a success! During the feast, Mike reveals to Mei the real reason he wanted the event to remain private; presenting a second honeymoon to Niagara Falls.

Georgie McGill returns to Hope Valley. Because of the recent arrests of Woody and Sunny Garrison, Georgie won’t share any information about the case. She even forbids Bill from sharing information with Rosemary. This upsets Rosemary, but she manages to find a way to write a report without Bill’s help. Meanwhile, Georgie and Bill interrogate Woody. He not only admits to being an accessory to the crime, he tells Bill and Georgie his brother, Jake, gave him a treasure map before he passed away. Woody claims only Jake knew where the stolen gold coins are. After the interrogation, Bill apologizes to Rosemary when he pays her a visit at the Valley Voice’s office. He explains how Georgie likes things done “by the book”. Bill also tells Rosemary how the gold coins’ location is still unknown. At the harvest feast, Georgie and Rosemary come to better terms. One reason is how, according to Georgie, Bill sang Rosemary’s praises to Georgie. However, that’s not the only thing Bill does. Before she leaves Hope Valley, Georgie and Bill share a kiss.

Some thoughts to consider:

• It is interesting which stories have become prioritized in this season of When Calls the Heart. As I mentioned in this re-cap, Faith tells Elizabeth her son has Diabetes. While this development leads to an interesting story, I wish that story had been introduced earlier in season twelve. Meanwhile, Ava’s story was drawn-out for more than half the season. Personally, I think her story should have lasted, at most, four or five episodes.
• When Calls the Heart’s creative team has tried to give Bill a love interest on more than one occasion. First, it was Abigail. Then, it was A.J. After that, it was Mollie. Now, it seems to be Georgie. If Bill does start a relationship with Georgie, I wonder if Jack Wagner will leave the show? As of the publication of this re-cap, there haven’t been any announcements about cast members departing from When Calls the Heart.
• Throughout the season, I’ve heard some fans entertain the idea of Edie and Lucas becoming a couple. But, in my opinion, the on-screen chemistry between Chris McNally and Miranda MacDougall hasn’t been as strong as other on-screen pairings. Plus, Edie and Lucas shared such limited time together within season twelve. Maybe these things could change if When Calls the Heart receives a thirteenth season. However, I don’t know if Edie will leave when season twelve ends.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Do you think Bill and Georgie will form a romantic relationship? Let me know in the comment section below!

Have fun in Hope Valley!

Sally Silverscreen