Another year, another season of Chesapeake Shores! After a very eventful week on 18 Cinema Lane, it’s nice to write a post that’s different from the usual movie review. Like last year, I will continue to re-cap Chesapeake Shores and share my thoughts on certain aspects of each episode. What’s interesting is how this show is receiving only six episodes. While shorter seasons for Hallmark Channel shows is nothing new, it seems rather late in the game for this particular series to get fewer episodes in their fourth season. However, Chesapeake Shores is receiving a movie, so maybe that is a reason for this decision. In the season finale re-cap post from last season, I shared that Season 3 of Chesapeake Shores was fine, but not as good as the first two seasons. My hope for Season 4 is for this show is get back on track and continue to tell stories that are engaging and intriguing. Now, let the re-capping of Chesapeake Shores’ fourth season begin!

Just a reminder: If you did not see the season premiere of Chesapeake Shores, there may be spoilers within this re-cap.

Season: 4

Episode: 1

Name: The End is Where We Begin

 

Abby’s story: It seems like Abby has moved forward from her relationship with Trace. At work, she attempts to recruit a new client to her business firm. When she meets the potential new client, the CEO of a financing management, everything seems fine. That is, until she checks in on their numbers. The more she looks at it, the more she feels they don’t add up. She tells Mick and Connor about her situation, where Connor suggests that the financing management’s CEO could be taking part in a ponzi scheme. Later in the episode, Abby crosses paths with Trace during her morning jog. When he apologizes and tries to convince her to start their relationship over, Abby refuses and continues with her jog.

 

Trace’s story: Trace returns home from his band tour. He tries to call Abby, but she won’t answer his calls. When he goes to Abby’s house to deliver flowers, Mick answers the door instead. The next day, when Mick pays him a visit, Trace tells him that he’s staying home for good this time. Mick, however, is not convinced. At The Bridge, Trace meets Emma Rogers, a bartender who also happens to be a songwriter. He tries to persuade her to sing in front of The Bridge’s audience. Emma ends up turning down the opportunity, saying that she doesn’t sing in front of people. Later that day, Connor visits Trace at The Bridge. When Trace tells Connor about his issues, Connor tells Trace where Abby is going to be so he can meet up with her. At the end of the episode, Trace and Abby cross paths on Abby’s jogging trail. Trace attempts to patch up his relationship with Abby, but Abby wants no part of it.

 

Mick’s story: One morning, Mick receives word that one of his business partners is being investigated. This was caused by the business partner laying down the foundation of a property. Mick visits his business partner, who claims that he’s innocent. He also visits Trace, who says that he’s staying in Chesapeake Shores for good this time. Mick and Megan spend more time together, reminiscing about the past and reflecting on family traditions.

 

Bree’s story: Bree’s career is reaching a bright spot. Her book has not only climbed up one place on a bestseller list, but she’s looking for a producer for her new play. Throughout the episode, she meets several producers who like the script. However, Bree feels that none of them understand her work. One day, Hannah Urso, a famous writer who now works with a prestigious theater in Baltimore, visits Word Play. Bree is so excited when she finds out that Hannah wants to help her bring her story to life. When Hannah shares her thoughts on the script, Bree feels that she has finally found a producer who understands her writing.

Kevin’s story: At the beginning of the episode, Kevin reveals to his siblings that he plans on proposing to Sarah. He hopes that he can propose to her while they are at Jess and David’s new bed & breakfast. Every time Kevin is about to propose to Sarah, he gets interrupted. One evening, he expresses his frustrations about the situation to Jess. She tells him that he shouldn’t be so focused on creating the perfect proposal. Kevin takes his sister’s advice and finally proposes to Sarah while they stop to change a tire on the side of the road. Sarah found a place where they could see the sunset over a large body of water. When Kevin asks Sarah to marry him, she, of course, says yes.

 

Jess’s story: Jess takes a trip to visit David at their new bed & breakfast. She invites Kevin and Sarah to join her on her trip. When Jess first arrives at the bed & breakfast, she’s excited about spending time with David and having her own business again. But the more time she spends at the bed & breakfast, the more she hates it. At first, she doesn’t want to tell David how she feels, especially since his parents purchased the facility for them. After she gives Kevin advice about his wedding proposal, he encourages her to be honest with David. After Kevin and Sarah leave, Jess tells David how she feels about the bed & breakfast. She learns that David feels the exact same way about the facility. They plan to own a bed & breakfast in Chesapeake Shores instead.

 

Connor’s story: One day, after work, Connor learns from Danielle that she just received a promotion. Not only that, she reveals that she now has a new car. Connor expresses his happiness for his girlfriend. At work, Connor negotiates with the opposing side of an environmental case. This assignment causes Connor to start reflecting on his career. When he meets up with Danielle and a friend, they remind him of how, in law school, he said he wanted to be a litigator. This makes him think about his future even more. At Sally’s Café, Connor talks to Abby about the future of his career. Abby shares her business situation with Connor. The next day, Connor makes the decision to take his environmental case to court, which shocks the opposing side. He also helps Trace meet up with Abby again.

Some thoughts to consider:

• Something that Jess said in this episode really concerned me. When she was talking about the bed & breakfast with Kevin, she tells him that it reminds her of David’s parents, but in a negative way. Whenever the subject of David’s parents is brought up, David seems to have a negative opinion toward them. If Jess and David are dating seriously enough to ever consider marriage, they’re going to have to deal with David’s family for a very long time. Besides, it’s been said that if you marry a significant other, you’re also marrying their family. Hopefully, Jess and David revolve this issue in the near future.

 

• While I’m happy that Kevin and Sarah got engaged, I really hope this show doesn’t adopt the “planning-a-wedding-in-an-unrealistic-time-period” cliché. I’ve said on more than one occasion that I am not a fan of it. After this year’s “June Weddings” line-up, it seems like Hallmark is trying to move away from this cliché. So, I would really like to see them continue to do so.

 

• Here’s a prediction I have for Season 4: Trace and Emma become a couple. This causes Abby to get jealous, leading her to find a new male significant other. Despite these choices, Trace and Abby still have feelings for one another. So, they end their temporary relationships and get back together.

 

• I thought this episode was just fine. It felt like overarching stories were beginning, instead of focusing on episodic subplots. If the rest of the season takes this story-telling approach, it would be very different from the other series on Hallmark Channel.

What are your thoughts on the season premiere? Do you have any predictions for Season 4? Let me know in the comment section!

 

Have fun in Chesapeake Shores!

Sally Silverscreen