As we get older, one of the most important things that we try and figure out is who we are and what we want out of life. Finding our way is never the easiest thing – but can you imagine what it would be like in 1874? We can’t either. But what we do see when watching this episode of Hope Valley: 1874 is that it definitely wasn’t easy.
And neither is change.
But what we can quickly see is that the characters in Hope Valley: 1874 are giving everything that they are to make this new found frontier a better place. One that they can all prosper from and enjoy a new life. However, what that involves is a lot of things that we’re pretty sure that no one is ready for.
There is a lot going on in Hope Valley: 1874, with Rebecca and Tom leading the way on change and stubbornness affecting them both. Having to move forward and solidify the things that they have wanted to build. Sometimes that means that you’d have to make compromises that you wouldn’t in other ways.
HATTIE & OLIVIA
Hattie is one of my favorite characters and that is because of her fierce independence and stubbornness. She is devoted to her friends and family – her community. She wants to make the best of a situation.
Olivia doesn’t like living on the frontier. She remembers arriving and this being the only place she really knows, but also the only place that she wants to escape from. Watching, I don’t think Olivia knows the romanticism of where she lives. She doesn’t see a lot of things that are right around her.
Like for example – Olivia doesnt see that both Caleb and Alexander both want to be with her. What they offer are very different things – but I wonder if she even realizes that they are both wanting to give different things.
Alexander tells her about a way that she can get paid for her art. The government is publishing pictures of the frontier to try and entice people to come to the west.
Olivia has a hard time trying to find what to draw, but when she does it is very interesting. She does see the beauty in the people and landscape. I think that the only issue would arise in the picture she drew of Rebecca. It seems that Alexander is trying to find a reason to investigate Rebecca and whatever he finds – I feel like will be the downfall of her or cause danger.
GOTTA MAKE THEM BELIEVE
Rebecca is working so hard to make a future for her and Sarah, but that means coming up with big ideas. Big ideas that can change the way the frontier works. She’s coming up against every obstacle, but it won’t stop her.
The hard part for her is that she wants to succeed but is running from something. Whatever it is – she knows that she can’t go home. The only thing is we’re wondering is why did she run? What made her unable to stay where she was?
I feel like we’re going to find out why she’s running too late. Now, yes we’re going to need a cliffhanger and that’s a good one. I am not sure what that will be. However, I am in on the journey.
Rebecca needs to earn money to fix the boarding house and decides to open a mess tent for the prospectors so that they eat good food. Rebecca is ingenious because she keeps trying to find a new way to do things.
She’s trying to be a good Mom and part of that is letting Sarah be a kid. For Sarah, that seems hard. She’s had to do everything with her Mom and Sarah is having a hard time with that. She thinks her Mom doesn’t want her around anymore and that is really hard to accept.
With everything that happens, I feel for Rebecca and Sarah. I don’t know what they are running from but I make no mistake – they are running. I just hope that they can stay safe.
ONE DAY A WEEK
Tom is a complicated man and I have made no secret that he terrifies me. He just seems like he could loose his mind at any moment. He’s used to being the person that everyone fears or doesn’t go up against. But he’s also used to being the person that takes care of everyone.
Tom Moore needs to understand that it is not his way or the highway. He’s also gotta understand that he’s the rich man and people just want to be able to be rich too.
They want to make their way.
I get that Tom doesn’t really believe in the gold rush and finds the prospectors to be an annoyance first and foremost.
He’s angry when his people decide that they aren’t going to show up for work and instead are going to be prospectors. He doesn’t get it and also doesn’t want to give up on them. So he makes his excuses and has to learn the art of compromise.
Only it’s not until after he berates them and puts them down for their prospecting that he realizes that he’s going to have to take a different approach. Tom’s wanting them to make an honest living, but he also knows that he needs them to make his land grow and prosper. He can’t build the fence he needs without them.
I do believe that Tom is a good man, but maybe it’s that he’s stubborn and needs to soften. Change doesn’t suit Tom well. He does do it though – change that is. He approaches his people at the mess tent and tells them that he’ll give them one day off a week in order to prospect.
I think we were all shocked over that.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Rebecca and Sarahs conversations were hard to watch, because that poor little girls heart was breaking
- I need to know why it is that Alexander is so suspicious of Rebecca
- Caleb has it bad for Olivia
- Hattie in tears when her daughter said she drew her from memory – she is all of us when people love us that much.
- I felt so bad with the storm – that was a lot
Hope Valley: 1874 premieres on Thursdays on Hallmark+.
