Growing up, I remember my Mom sitting us down and watching Little House on the Prairie with us. She would enjoy every moment of the show, talking to us about how she grew up on a farm, sometimes telling us the age-old story of having to work seven miles uphill both ways in the snow to school. When I was a kid, I hated having to watch shows like that, but now I look back on it with fondness.
When Calls The Heart reminds me of those days. I don’t have kids to make them watch it with me, but I watch the show, and I think about how shows like this make a difference. They remind us about the way that life as we know it can be fleeting, about the importance of community, and the importance of being there for others.
As you may remember, in last week’s episode, there was a fire that started in Goldie National Park. While they can get the kids out of the park, the people of Hope Valley realize that they need to go. Hope Valley is under evacuation. Elizabeth is with the kids, as Nathan goes to tell everyone about the evacuation.
And tell Lucas that Edie rode off to her ranch. Edie is putting her life in danger, but she is okay with that. She’s okay with that because she needs to give her animals a fighting chance. I think that Edie is courageous most of the time, but she should have waited for someone to go with her. Lucas does show up to help her, and I believe that’s his way to show how much he cares.
I guess that it was good that they were there because they could tell everyone upon their return that the fire was changing direction. Lucas being able to tell the town that the fire was changing its path was a good thing. It was able to make an evacuation necessary, but instead, it allowed them to be there to help anyone coming into town because they needed to evacuate.
BENSON HILLS
The fire is moving towards Benson Hills. I can’t even imagine the pain that some of them instantly felt as they were told this. Some of their family is there. Michael asks to take one of their fire pumps over there and help. Several people offer to go with. Nathan heads out on his horse, and Rosemary heads to the radio.
It’s the strangest thing about When Calls The Heart, it doesn’t matter if you are in the community or not, they will welcome you as family. You become invested because you know that these people are family. There are so many questions here, but what we do know is that everyone is going to step up to the plate.
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I think that one person we need to give a lot of credit and love to is Minnie. That woman is filled with strength and beauty. She’s got a heart of gold and so much love to give everyone around her. She’s always a pillar of strength.
As the people of Benson Hills make their way into town, my heart breaks for all of the people. They’ve lost everything, and yet they are all trying to remain as positive as they can be.
GWENDOLYN
There is a lot of pressure on the adults to make everyone comfortable. But I can’t even imagine what it’s like for the kids. With Nathan bringing Gwendowlyn back and the little girl terrified, my heart broke a little for the girl. She was terrified, and I don’t blame her.
The people of Hope Valley are worried about everyone, but they want to give them something to hold onto. You have some people who are being kind and others who just want to hurt others. Constable Garrett goes into action, and the only part of that, well, that made me laugh is that he was happy that Allie caught it.
Elizabeth is doing everything that she can to take care of Gwendolyn, as well as everyone else in town. There is a lot of pressure that they are all under. And what I do love about this show is that there is always this subtle reminder of life being fleeting, but something to hold onto. There is hope everywhere.
Little Gwendolyn, who can’t find her Dad, is heartbroken, but Goldie helps her smile. Rosemary asks Gwendolyn to come home with them and help watch Goldie. It goes to show you that no matter the age, people want to feel needed. But also, even in the worst of times, it is important to still think of others.
MAGIC SHOW
The kids of Benson Hills get a show from Lucas, and even I was entertained. The kids are laughing, and all I could think of was that in the worst of circumstances, kids are always the ones with hope and giving hope. They can laugh, even in tears. They can remind adults that even as times get rough, there is hope that remains.
And for all of the people of Hope Valley and Benson Hills, they need that. They are all special, and somehow they seem to find a solution to everything. There is something to be found everywhere – even in the worst of times.
Allie is helping the kids feel comfortable. When it is the end of the night, she wants to be there for Oliver and brings him popcorn. He’s made his first arrest. Allie and Oliver have been awkward, so them finding a sense of normal – I love that for them. I think I smiled to think that Allie and Oliver are finding their way to normal.
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The way that these two are struggling to find normal, young love is always interesting. Their innocence, their path – it doesn’t need to be rushed. These two are adorable.
THE NEXT DAY
The next day, everyone returns, and Nathan is safe. I have to admit that I am always worried when bad things happen that there is going to be some fatality. I was happy to see that even though everyone looked like they’d been through wa,r there were no fatalities and everyone was accounted for.
Gwendolyn saw Nathan and instantly asked if her Dad was found. The pain in that little girl’s eyes when she found that she wouldn’t see her Dad for weeks – that was a lot. He’s in the hospital in Buxton, and she can’t see him yet. Benson Hills has been destroyed. Half of the houses are gone, and Main Street is destroyed. The loss is deep.
Hope Valley will help them rebuild. Watching this episode and seeing how life can change in a moment was a reminder that we all need to take the good with the bad.
Lucas and Edie need to tell each other how they feel, or I will want to jump through the screen and scream at them all.
Nathan telling Elizabeth how much he loves her – that was cute. Elizabeth giving him food and talking to him about what makes Hope Valley home is the people – we couldn’t agree more. Yes, he fell asleep during the talk, but the man needs to rest. Lucas and Edie need to take note.
There is something beautiful about the people of Hope Valley, and even though so much has been stolen from them by the fire. A lot has changed, and the memories are what was important. The fire made them all think about what was important. The way back to normal feels like it is fleeting, but a new normal is there.
I don’t know what is going to happen next, but I do know that I believe that whatever happens next, I am all in.
How did the fire even get started? What happened? So many questions.
When Calls The Heart airs Sunday nights on The Hallmark Channel.
