Full disclosure, Liv normally writes these, but she’s out celebrating her birthday, so I took over for this week. Our views may not be the same, but one truth remains – we’re both fans of the show. She’ll be back next week.
Chesapeake Shores is a place like no other. There’s something quintessential about a small town, especially when you’re from there. Granted it can be the place that outs all your secrets. But it can also be the place that keeps them.
Home, when you’re from a small town, is all the little things that you’ve become accustom to. Things that you look forward to every years. Festivals, the end of summer, bonfires with friends. I think that when you’re from a small town, you look at things differently and that’s not such a bad thing.
For Chesapeake Shores, it’s time for the Seaside Festival. Luke says it’s romantic, but if a festival is romantic, I have to admit that I definitely did them wrong growing up. That aside though, Luke has found a machine, Mr. Mystic. It’s a fortune telling machine, and when he asks Bree to be the one to try it out, she gladly accepts the mission.

Until she reads the fortune. It tells her that the love of her life is right in front of her eyes. Now, I do get being afraid of that fortune. I get Bree’s trepidation when Luke pulls the same fortune that she just did. But, I don’t understand why she thinks that he would set that up. Maybe she’s just so afraid of love that she can’t admit anything about it or open herself to the possibilities of it. We shall see (and yes, it’s sooner than one thinks).
I am gonna have to say that this episode is a testament to eat your salads, because that’s what everyone seems to be eating. Talks between Bree and Sarah further confirm for me that Bree is starting to realize that she really does love Luke. I get why love is a scary thing.
Love is literally the scariest thing. It encompasses everything that you don’t want to tell anyone – the vulnerability, the strength, the secrets, the laughter, the tears. Love encompasses every emotion.
And that is terrifying for anyone.
But, so many people don’t realize that they are worth of unconditional, all encompassing, can’t eat, can’t sleep, believe in cheesy fortunes kind of love. Bree and Abby are two of the people on this show who don’t see that about themselves.
But I am hoping that Luke and Evan are able to open them up to seeing and believing in just how big the possibilities are for them.

One thing that I love about Chesapeake Shores is Evan. Don’t get me wrong, I always loved Trace and I still do. But I love the fact that they picked someone so opposite for Abby. I think if they would have put her with another character like Trace, I would have given up on the show. But putting in someone so different, made it feel more real.
Evan and Abby at the Seaside Festival, I feel like to a point he tries too hard. He doesn’t see the simplicity in things. But I also feel like he does. He’s starting to at least. When they get their fortune from Mr. Mystic, and it’s the love of your life is standing in front of you fortune, they both weren’t expecting that.
It seems like this machine is forcing the residents of Chesapeake Shores to face their emotions, which isn’t easy at all. How do you come face to face with emotions that you aren’t able to admit.
For Bree, it’s gotta be a joke. She thinks that Luke planted it. And I think that she’s having a hard time with it because she has to admit she feels things and that opens her up to pain again.
For Abby, it opens her up to realizing that her relationships have failed and she’s never known who she is on her own. It scares her that she could fall so fast.
For Luke, he’s just living and trying to figure himself out, but you can tell that he loves Bree, so it’s off putting.
And Evan, well if you can figure him out, then you let the rest of us know cause he’s confusing AF.

Evan, to a point, I don’t think he’s trying to impress Abby. I think he’s dating the way that he knows now. I also think that when it comes to Abby, she doesn’t want to be the person that enjoys all of these things. She doesn’t know what to think, but wants to please Evan.
And that’s saying something. I think that when it comes to fear and love, it’s a perfectly normal thing. It’s one of those things that we all have. But it’s how you handle it that will change everything.
For Bree, her trust issues and her lack of faith are going to be the thing that push Luke away. See, everyone isn’t the same, but I can guarantee you that everyone has their own issues. And Luke, after everything that he’s been through, he’s also still got trust issues. So you have to find a way to put things aside, and find a compromise.
It’s no surprise to me that Luke took a step back and away.
But it’s also no surprise to me that Abby and Evan find their way back to being bluntly honest and themselves.
That’s what I loved the most. They may not be ready to say it, but it’s definitely love.
Love is definitely in the water in Chesapeake Shores.

MICK
One of the most difficult storylines this season has been Micks. It’s becoming increasingly hard for me to figure out where they are going with this, because we have five episodes left and Mick isn’t fully able to recognize that he has an issue. He doesn’t believe that he’s an addict.
In this life, one of the hardest things that we will ever have to face is the reality of ourselves. Accepting who we are – who we truly are – is terrifying. But sometimes it’s the strongest thing that you can do. And getting help for it just makes you stronger.
My perception is that Mick believes that if he calls himself an addict, he’s let people down and he’s not the strong man that he’s always thought of himself as. But I don’t think that his kids would look down on him for admitting he’s an addict. I think they would be prouder of him.
Because in the admitting he can get himself help.
And seeing him get to the point where he can admit that he is an addict, well, I broke. It’s a huge step, one that Mick was finally ready to take, because it is the truth, but also it’s something he did for himself and that’s so important.
Seeing him stand up and say that he’s an addict and seeing what he went through to get to that point where he could. Moving television, but also inspirational. And well I for one am happy to see him take positive steps forward.

OTHER THOUGHTS
- Evan and the Cobb Salad scene. Like, it’s a little, ok a lot, over the top.
- Also who hasn’t even had a cob salad?
- Mandrake will forever scare me.
- I really wish that we got more of Kevin and Sarah, but their one scene isn’t much to really speak of, so that’s that.
- Ever wonder if we’d get a spinoff centered around any of the characters? Who would you want?
- It sucks that all they are doing is sprinkling in Conrad and Margaret. We’d like been waiting for more and we feel cheated.
- Evan trying to cashapp… no bro. no.
- Sarah and Kevin – their whole conversation fills like scene fillers and I am sad they’ve been reduced to that.
- Kevin and Abby, their conversation… I love that they’re trying to talk to each other, but I felt a disconnect in the conversation.
- Sometimes I feel like they’re just tossing in characters so we can see them, and I hate that.
- The fireworks… good job Mandrake.
What did you think of this weeks episode of Chesapeake Shores?