When Calls The Heart - General Discussion

[sharifa70]

On 10/12/2023 at 6:39 PM, CarpeFelis said:

What next—someone’s Evil Twin comes to Hope Valley starting trouble?

I mean, there was the time Elizabeth’s sister Julie showed up and brought a bunch of chaos with her.

[MollyMelrose]

Oh, Jack's not dead. He just realized he was married to a woman with serious ball-busting shrew tendencies and used the rock slide as his means of escape. He's living the high life now, not necessarily wealthy, but definitely happy, healthy, and wiser.

And, he's gonna meet up with Lucas at some point, and boy howdy, will they have a lot to share. 😉

That's my fanwank. Free for the taking to a good home. 😂🤣😂

[AnnA]

Even though I absolutely hate what Elizabeth just did to Lucas,  there's a part of me that feels Lucas is better off without her.  I love Chris McNally and was Team Lucas all the way.   I should note that I'm also a Kevin McGarry fan but I'm not a Nathan fan.  He seems wishy washy - too much so for a mountie. 

[lookeyloo]

Maybe the writers will give her another go with Nathan, when that doesn't work drag it out and a handsome stranger gallops into town and sweeps her heart away.

[AnnA]

2 minutes ago, lookeyloo said:

Maybe the writers will give her another go with Nathan, when that doesn't work drag it out and a handsome stranger gallops into town and sweeps her heart away.

I'd prefer if they just sweep her away.   She could/should move back east.  She's become incredibly self-centered and annoying.

[lookeyloo]

2 minutes ago, AnnA said:

I'd prefer if they just sweep her away.   She could/should move back east.  She's become incredibly self-centered and annoying.

The least interesting of all their characters.  I wish they had someone like Fiona's character as lead, someone with "spunk".  Is it the actress or the scripts/directing.  The straight face, emotionless except when she looks longingly into the distance, etc.  And where in that tiny house does she keep her copious wardrobe?

Edited October 15, 2023 by lookeyloo

[AnnA]

Nevermind.  My post was a mistake.

Edited October 15, 2023 by AnnA

[CarpeFelis]

3 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

The least interesting of all their characters.  I wish they had someone like Fiona's character as lead, someone with "spunk".  Is it the actress or the scripts/directing.  The straight face, emotionless except when she looks longingly into the distance, etc.  And where in that tiny house does she keep her copious wardrobe?

I could definitely get behind making Fiona the main character instead of Elizabeth! She’s far more interesting as well as more likable.

[MollyMelrose]

The school kids were mad at Lucas because Elizabeth dumped him?

Whatever, show.

Abigail returning? The "real" romance of Nathan and Elizabeth? If this is what awaits in the new season, I'm on Team Asteroid Makes a Direct Hit on Hope Valley.

[sharifa70]

1 hour ago, MollyMelrose said:

Abigail returning? The "real" romance of Nathan and Elizabeth? If this is what awaits in the new season, I'm on Team Asteroid Makes a Direct Hit on Hope Valley.

What, what? I haven’t seen today’s episode yet and haven’t decided if I’m going to, but I hated Abigail even before Lori Loughlin’s arrest. If she comes back I’m definitely out. 

[norcalgal]

On 10/9/2023 at 9:30 AM, Artsda said:

In Canada, there's no Governors or Governor elections.  They follow a Parliament like UK.  So this election isn't based on Canada.  

The train station scene was well done, so was Elizabeth breaking down to Rosemary.  

Seems like they're going for Nathan's hostage taking triggered her feelings. She realized she could still lose him while being with the safe choice? It is interesting twist, I enjoyed Nathan this season I hope they don't ruin him. Even him and Lucas has been great together. 

This season ending twist has been pretty interesting. I thought it would follow bore path of marriage and new baby. 

 

On 10/9/2023 at 7:01 PM, redpencil said:

But the triangle did end when she chose Lucas on the bridge (in what was a really romantic scene! you don't have a scene like that if it's not going to be endgame, that's just dumb). If they were going to resurrect it a full season later, they should have just had her choose Nathan to begin with (or at least not made a choice at the time). She even accepted Lucas's proposal (in another good scene) with absolutely no indication at the time that she was hesitant or didn't mean it. Terrible writing, and jerks around the viewers and hurts Lucas for no good reason (and now he's basically forced into this governor's race to save the town after getting his heart broken, while nobody else in the town is willing to sacrifice for it).

If she breaks off an engagement with Lucas (who did nothing to deserve this) only to turn around and get with Nathan one episode later, that just speaks poorly of Elizabeth. (And, again, terrible writing.)

 

On 10/10/2023 at 5:14 PM, Artsda said:

Yes the triangle ended, but it doesn't look like this is a resurrection. Instead it's a she chose wrong over fear over Nathan.  Which does make sense and an interesting twist. 

Nathan isn't and hasn't been chasing her, his concern with asking her what she wanted was based on her miserable face he saw. Which had him as a friend push her to see what she wants to make herself happy, just like Rosemary did. 

 

 

On 10/11/2023 at 8:47 PM, redpencil said:

That's definitely how they're writing it, but there were absolutely no hints or foreshadowing until the last few episodes. If this was the plan the whole time, there would have at least been some subtle clues to it back when she chose Lucas and then accepted his proposal.

This is the new writers throwing away and ignoring things that happened before in service of their own (bad, IMO) ideas. I know the new writers had nothing to do with anything that happened before they were in charge, but you're a writer. Come up with an idea that doesn't jerk around the viewers and ignore what's already happened on your show. This is lack of creativity, in my mind. Not an effort for more creativity. It's like the whole stupid Moonlighting curse myth. If your show suffers because you got a couple together, that's because you don't know how to write for them after they get together.

I stopped watching this show at the end of S8? S9? but catch up via this Forum.

The bolded encompasses my thoughts on this ridiculous never ending triangle when we truly thought it had ended.

Every time I think I have it figured out, I’m confused again:  is Hope Valley in Canada or the US?!  If the former, Canada doesn’t have governors!  Why do they use American terminology when it’s an easy thing to look this up.  Before you know it, Lucas will run for President, when they mean Prime Minister!  

Edited October 16, 2023 by norcalgal

[WhyAmIHere]

I too would like to know where this show is supposed to be set.   It almost seems to be set in the western US now but somehow still has Mounties.   And how is the capital city 22 hours away by train? 

If the show had not been renewed for season 11, this season would have ended with Lucas and Elizabeth getting married.  This flip flop was just to extend the longevity of the show.   I don't think the Nathan/Elizabeth fans should get too comfortable.  They may keep her changing her mind indefinitely. 

I don't think Lori Loughlin will come back.  I think Hallmark is done with her. 

Henry was the best part of the season, and Abigail would suck the life right out of him.   Pair him with Fiona, I dare you WCTH writers.  (Only if the show insists on pairing everyone up; it's also okay to be single and fine with that status). 

Edited October 16, 2023 by WhyAmIHere

[sharifa70]

18 hours ago, WhyAmIHere said:

I too would like to know where this show is supposed to be set.   It almost seems to be set in the western US now but somehow still has Mounties. 

They mentioned Bellingham a few seasons ago as not being too far away so I’m guessing British Columbia maybe?

[CarpeFelis]

I hope Henry going to see Abigail doesn’t mean he’s being written off the show. He’s become one of my favorite characters. I wouldn’t mind, conversely, seeing Abigail return if she’s recast.

I kind of enjoyed that last scene between Elizabeth and Nathan where she was giving him this cow-eyed look that was apparently meant to convey that she realizes she loves him—but really just made her look dumbstruck—and he just said good night and left! Ha, take that, Little Miss Everyone-in-Town-Adores-Me! (I swear the writers should just have named her Mary Sue and been done with it.)

[dubstepford wife]

Having gotten WAY too into this show when it first came out, I figured it took place in Alberta because in 1914 there was a mining disaster that killed about half of a town's mining workforce, leaving many women widowed and many children fatherless.  It was the Hillcrest Mine Disaster, and I thought that might have been what the writers based the original town of Coal Valley on.

That said, the show actually takes place in an alternate universe, where the US and Canada are the same country, WWI is not a thing, people are always immaculately clean and have massive wardrobes and distractingly obvious veneers (looking at you, Kevin), and the technology is somehow both way too far advanced for the time period but also sometimes more appropriate for the 1860s.

 

[CarpeFelis]

3 hours ago, dubstepford wife said:

people are always immaculately clean and have massive wardrobes

Not only are they always clean with shiny hair despite how dusty the unpaved roads must be… their massive wardrobes are way too fancy for what’s supposed to be a rural town in the middle of nowhere. Especially Elizabeth’s and Rosemary’s. And some of the outfits look like they just took modern dresses and made them floor length.

[allonsyalice]

and they never tie their hair up!!!!

[sharifa70]

On 10/19/2023 at 6:06 AM, allonsyalice said:

and they never tie their hair up!!!!

Not to mention nobody wearing hats and the men running around in their shirtsleeves (don’t get me started on Henry’s Undershirt).

[CarpeFelis]

May the ghost of Edith Head come back and haunt the costume department for their ridiculously anachronistic choices (assuming she’s finally done with Reign).

[norcalgal]

17 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

May the ghost of Edith Head come back and haunt the costume department for their ridiculously anachronistic choices (assuming she’s finally done with Reign).

As someone who watched all seasons of Reign, I approve this message!  😉

[Bliss]

I vote for more horse chases!

[DMK]

I don’t even watch this show but I keep seeing promos for it during Golden Girls reruns and is that really the most interesting plot that they have to plug about the new season: woman gets a haircut? 

[lookeyloo]

On 10/15/2023 at 3:17 PM, lookeyloo said:

Maybe the writers will give her another go with Nathan, when that doesn't work drag it out and a handsome stranger gallops into town and sweeps her heart away.

This is what I said back then.  I still think that is a possibility.

[norcalgal]

13 hours ago, DMK said:

I don’t even watch this show but I keep seeing promos for it during Golden Girls reruns and is that really the most interesting plot that they have to plug about the new season: woman gets a haircut? 

I haven't seen the promos of which you speak, but if the person who got the haircut is Elizabeth - THE main character - uh oh!  It could be a Felicity moment for the show.  I'm showing my age with this reference.

Narrator:  when Felicity - the main character in the eponymous show cut her hair at the start of a new season, the show's ratings tanked and the producer joked that no one else would ever be allowed to cut their hair!  🤣

[DMK]

3 minutes ago, norcalgal said:

I haven't seen the promos of which you speak, but if the person who got the haircut is Elizabeth - THE main character - uh oh!  It could be a Felicity moment for the show.  I'm showing my age with this reference.

Narrator:  when Felicity - the main character in the eponymous show cut her hair at the start of a new season, the show's ratings tanked and the producer joked that no one else would ever be allowed to cut their hair!  🤣

I don’t know who the character is, but it’s not a drastic cut, it’s just to shoulder length. I’m just amazed that this is the thing they choose to promo. Is the show that boring, that a haircut is the primary storyline?

[Artsda]

 

[norcalgal]

20 hours ago, Artsda said:

 

What the heck changed?  Based on the preview, they’re revisiting Elizabeth and Nathan again!  The Lizzy/Lucas ‘shippers must be furious…..unless….it’s yet another bait and switch from the show.  

The potential yo-yo must be so damn infuriating given the season 8? 9? finale had Elizabeth choosing Lucas - and I’m a Nathan/Liz ‘shipper!  🤪

[Artsda]

I think with how they ended last season they had set up reuniting Nathan and Elizabeth since then. 

[CatLady]

This show officially turned into a trash, you cannot believe what you've been shown show with the arrival of the new show runner last year. No one is behaving in character and it is awful.  That drip Nathan is a total bore.  And Elizabeth is acting like some stupid, selfish teenager.  I want to watch a show about adults not 90210 Canadian frontier style.

WCTH is off my record and watch list.

[norcalgal]

On 3/18/2024 at 8:10 PM, Artsda said:

I think with how they ended last season they had set up reuniting Nathan and Elizabeth since then. 

But why?  It seemed pretty definite- and final - that Elizabeth chose Lucas at the end of S9?  (maybe 8?) so I don’t understand why the show might now make Elizabeth have a romance with Nathan.

That seems disrespectful to Lucas, the Lucas shippers, and the writing from what came before. And this is coming from me - a Nathan/Liz shipper!
 

Will the show just have Elizabeth ping pong back and forth between the two men every season?  Pick a lane and stick with it, WCTH!  

[Artsda]

It makes sense if you watch it. It's not about ping pong, it's about her still affected from losing her mountie husband and choosing the more safer root to love not another mountie. Then her almost losing Nathan, still while not with him making her realize things she was trying to avoid.

 

New Season Interview:

 

[norcalgal]

13 hours ago, Artsda said:

It makes sense if you watch it. It's not about ping pong, it's about her still affected from losing her mountie husband and choosing the more safer root to love not another mountie. Then her almost losing Nathan, still while not with him making her realize things she was trying to avoid.

 

New Season Interview:

 

Huh, wow - I’m a little surprised this interview makes it so clear that S11 will be Nathan/Liz.  What I don’t quite understand is this interview says the reason Elizabeth is turning to Nathan is because she’s finally “out of her cocoon”. ???  Granted, I don’t pay close attention when watching the show, and have fast forwarded within episodes, but how was she not out of her cocoon the entire time she was with Lucas?  
Two more things:

1) I don’t like Liz’s new haircut (underwhelming and is just a short version of her usual long hair);

2) Kevin is the WCTH version of Marvel Cinematic Universe Mark Ruffalo: spilling spoilers/plot.  😀🤣
 

[redpencil]

21 hours ago, Artsda said:

It makes sense if you watch it. It's not about ping pong, it's about her still affected from losing her mountie husband and choosing the more safer root to love not another mountie. Then her almost losing Nathan, still while not with him making her realize things she was trying to avoid.

IMO this is not at all how it was actually written back when she initially chose Lucas, with the scene on the bridge, etc. I think that's what the new writers/showrunners are going with, but it wasn't what the previous showrunners had in mind, and certainly not what came across on screen.

On 3/22/2024 at 9:08 PM, norcalgal said:

That seems disrespectful to Lucas, the Lucas shippers, and the writing from what came before. And this is coming from me - a Nathan/Liz shipper!

Totally agree with this. I definitely preferred Lucas/Elizabeth, but could have lived with it if it had been written with this in mind the whole time, but I really don't think it was.

I still have the last 2 episodes from the previous season on my DVR with zero desire to watch them (and it took me a while to watch the episode before that, too), and I can't imagine I will be motivated to watch any of this new season.

[Artsda]

14 minutes ago, redpencil said:

IMO this is not at all how it was actually written back when she initially chose Lucas

What they wrote that last season made sense for last seasons writing.  When she initially chose Lucas she chose him  because she loved him, that's not erased. What was added was maybe there was some else behind that too. 

It was written she loved and married Jack too. Writers had to change with his death.  

 

[dubstepford wife]

An entire season dedicated to her cutting her hair sounds about right.  I remember there was an episode a season or two back where the main thing that happened was Nathan ate a lot of ice cream. 

The short hair makes sense though, Erin has short hair in real life and the showrunners were probably like, we're sick of maintaining those wigs, and it's the 20s in the timeline anyway (or at least I think it is, who knows with this show) so long hair had fallen out of fashion.  

[Sidney]

14 hours ago, dubstepford wife said:

An entire season dedicated to her cutting her hair sounds about right.  I remember there was an episode a season or two back where the main thing that happened was Nathan ate a lot of ice cream. 

The short hair makes sense though, Erin has short hair in real life and the showrunners were probably like, we're sick of maintaining those wigs, and it's the 20s in the timeline anyway (or at least I think it is, who knows with this show) so long hair had fallen out of fashion.  

 

I can see that happening. LOL

[Sidney]

14 hours ago, dubstepford wife said:

An entire season dedicated to her cutting her hair sounds about right.  I remember there was an episode a season or two back where the main thing that happened was Nathan ate a lot of ice cream. 

The short hair makes sense though, Erin has short hair in real life and the showrunners were probably like, we're sick of maintaining those wigs, and it's the 20s in the timeline anyway (or at least I think it is, who knows with this show) so long hair had fallen out of fashion.  

 

I can see that happening. LOL

 

It was hard enough to find Elizabeth interesting. Now she's just so unlikeable. Too bad they won't focus on any other female characters.

If the show could give us some Lucas/Henry scenes I could watch them.

[Artsda]

 They give away a lot in these. Spoiler warning. 

 

[MollyMelrose]

Hope Valley Snark season is upon us!!

Elizabeth does, in fact, get her hair cut. 

She also rushes to the bedside of the man she recently dumped.

In spite of that, Lucas makes a speedy recovery, and is soon doing noble governor-ly things. 

Lucas' shooter is arrested .... or was he? Bill is on a mission to uncover the truth. With Rosemary's help. Heaven help him.

Faith's failure to diagnose an older woman's heart condition may result in her becoming an insta-mom.

Fiona is now a suffragette ... in Nashville. Why not?

Mei is stressed by her workload of TWO clients. 

Nathan continues his search for bad guys and a personality. Which he had a while back. But will have to conform to Elizabeth's dictates in the future.

[CarpeFelis]

Snark season indeed! My first snark of the season: I hate the haircut. It does absolutely nothing for her. They could have at least styled it instead of leaving it looking like nobody knew what the hell to do with it! And what happened to Elizabeth saying she didn’t want to go above shoulder length?

Second (more important) snark: Why do I have the feeling the reason Fiona is gone is because Krakow heard the viewers preferred Fiona to drippy Elizabeth?

ETA: Third snark: Here we go with the anachronisms again. Faith is now running around town in pants. And the surgeon at the hospital is a woman. How true to the period are either of these things? They seem to be implying it’s the 1920s, but it was not common in that period for women to wear pants: https://vintagedancer.com/1920s/did-women-wear-pants/
And in the rare instances when they did wear them in public other than for sports or the beach (article says they’d need to be “as bold as Amelia Earhart” to do so) they were looser fitting and flowy, not like what Faith was wearing.

I’ll say it again, may the ghost of Edith Head come back to haunt the costume department!

Edited April 8 by CarpeFelis

[Artsda]

 

 

[allonsyalice]

On 4/8/2024 at 12:45 AM, MollyMelrose said:

Fiona is now a suffragette ... in Nashville. Why not?

Honestly, Fiona would. She was already a pretty forward and ground breaking character when she was introduced. Having her be a suffragette makes total sense to me. 
 

I need to stop watching this show, but every season calls to me like a siren song. I know it’ll be bad. I know it won’t make sense. I know it won’t be interesting. And yet….here I am. 
 

please do not get me started on Faith’s pantsuit. THAT WAS NOT A THING IT WAS LITERALLY ILLEGAL FOR WOMEN TO WEAR PANTS. As noted above, she’d have to be daring as hell to wear them, and that style isn’t right at all. 

Also, could teachers wear their hair that short back then? This show always gives me things to look up  

I cannot believe the surgeon at the hospital is a woman? I get Faith running a medical centre in a small town, but a surgeon??? In a hospital??? A woman??? I’m gonna have to research this. 
 

Tiny Goldie continues to be the best actress I’ve seen on this show. 
 

[norcalgal]

2 hours ago, allonsyalice said:

please do not get me started on Faith’s pantsuit. THAT WAS NOT A THING IT WAS LITERALLY ILLEGAL FOR WOMEN TO WEAR PANTS. As noted above, she’d have to be daring as hell to wear them, and that style isn’t right at all.

I’ve long since stopped fretting about this show’s anachronism in fashion (hair and clothes).  

Sorry to flog this horse again, but why did WCTH reverse course and is now having Nathan and Elizabeth get together?  Was it really only because the show has a new show runner?  And does anyone feel the show did enough in the last 1-2 seasons to lay the seeds for this reversal? 

[MollyMelrose]

Ratings for the first episode indicate that screwing over a significant portion of the fanbase wasn't a great idea.

[SHERMDOG]

On 10/15/2023 at 2:21 PM, AnnA said:

I'd prefer if they just sweep her away.   She could/should move back east.  She's become incredibly self-centered and annoying.

O..m...gee!! Yes! I'm just tired of pretty much everyone on this show. Elizsbeth and Nathan act like they are freaking 13. And while I like the actor that plays Nathan, I can't stand this character. I was ream Lucas. Heck I dont know. I will give it another episode. I don't see this season being very exciting though. Ugh

[SHERMDOG]

10 minutes ago, SHERMDOG said:

O..m...gee!! Yes! I'm just tired of pretty much everyone on this show. Elizsbeth and Nathan act like they are freaking 13. And while I like the actor that plays Nathan, I can't stand this character. I was ream Lucas. Heck I dont know. I will give it another episode. I don't see this season being very exciting though. Ugh

Ok...I lied...I LOVE Henry!! Lol

[allonsyalice]

Pascale Hutton should wear red all day every day. The woman is stunning. 
 

 

[MollyMelrose]

The expressions on the faces of Elizabeth and Nathan when they discovered the true identity of the jolly good fellow ... worth the price of admission. :)

Edited April 16 by MollyMelrose

[norcalgal]

3 hours ago, MollyMelrose said:

The expressions on the faces of Elizabeth and Nathan when they discovered the true identity of the jolly good fellow ... worth the price of admission. :)

Everyone sang the “Happy Birthday” song to Nathan.  Was that song common knowledge at that time?  (Was the song even written at that time?!)

[Sidney]

Another season of Elizabeth's love life. Just what the viewers want to see.😄