NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Season 11, Episode 1 of When Calls the Heart.
Welcome back to Hope Valley, Hearties! On April 7, the season 11 premiere of When Calls the Heart aired. The episode picked up where we left off at the end of season 10, gave us some answers we’ve been waiting for, and hinted at some changes to come for some of our favorite characters. Let’s recap!
Lucas' Fate Revealed
In the final moments of last season, Bill approached Nathan and Elizabeth to tell them that Lucas had been shot. At the beginning of this episode, Elizabeth, Nathan, Lee, and Rosemary anxiously await details in the Valley Voice office. They are informed that Lucas has been shot twice and is in surgery, but that’s all the info they get.
Elizabeth and Bill rush off to be at Lucas’ side in Capital City. Don’t get too excited though Team Lucas… it’s clear that Elizabeth is there as just a friend. They are told that Lucas has lost a lot of blood and is very weak, and we see him lying motionless in a hospital bed.
Don’t fret Hearties! Lucas pulls through, although he faces a long recovery. After a four-month time jump, Lucas is finally able to get back to work as governor. His first item of business is announcing a new public-private partnership that will help increase tourism and boost local economies. Of course, the first site will be in Hope Valley, where a new “world-class hotel and resort” will be built. Lucas may not be in Hope Valley, but it’s clear that a piece of his heart will always be with the town.
Lucas is also building a team to work with him as governor. He asks Henry Gowen to join his team, but Henry declines. What has Henry been doing during the past four months? He says that he’s been traveling, but there is no mention of his trip to see Abigail Stanton. Maybe that will be a storyline later on?
The Culprit Was Caught... Or Was He?
During the four months that have passed, Nathan was assigned to a special investigative team to find the person who shot Lucas. A man named Clayton Pike confessed to the crime, but is he really our guy? Nathan doesn’t think he is, and neither does Bill… Rather, they think Pike took the blame to cover for Montague.
Unfortunately, there’s no solid evidence to support that idea, just Madeline’s warning to Bill about Montague on election night. If you’ll recall, she told Bill that Montague would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Does that include shooting Lucas? Maybe…
The case is closed, which puts Nathan in a tough position. He can’t push the investigation further without crossing his superiors. However… Nathan tells Bill that he, as a retired Mountie, could request the case file purely out of professional interest.
Complicating matters even further is the fact that Lucas doesn’t remember anything from the night of the shooting. Rosemary, who has been badgering Nathan and Bill about their suspicions regarding the case, asks Lucas over the phone if he remembers Clayton Pike now that he’s seen his photo. He says that he still doesn’t remember anything from that night, but was that a bit of hesitancy in his voice?
Remember, we saw that Lucas recognized the assailant in the season 10 finale. So, does he really not remember the shooter now? Or, is there a reason he is trying to conceal what really happened that night?
Where's Fiona?
One of our Hope Valley favorites is missing from our screens! Fiona has been in Nashville, fighting for women’s rights. It seems that she won’t be back anytime soon, as she tells Faith in a telegram that she plans to stay in Nashville indefinitely.
Has Kayla Wallace left When Calls the Heart permanently? Only time will tell, but hopefully we’ll see Fiona again later on in the season!
Faith's Struggles
Fiona is gone for who knows how long and Mei is busy with her new romance with Mike Hickam, leaving Faith feeling lonely. Although she is happy with her life she feels a bit left behind, she admits to Minnie.
However, that doesn’t mean she isn’t busy- she is the town doctor after all! One patient, Dora Watson, visits Faith at her office only after her young granddaughter’s persistent urging. Later on, Dora has a heart attack in the mercantile and is rushed to a hospital. This leaves Lily, her granddaughter, in the care of Faith as she has no other living relatives. Looks like Faith and Lily will be keeping each other company for the foreseeable future.
Changes for Elizabeth
Elizabeth is all about embracing change in this episode, as she tells Rosemary that she’s “feeling restless for something new”. However, she hasn’t jumped right into Nathan’s arms after her breakup with Lucas, if that’s what you’re thinking. Actually, Nathan has been away so much that he and Elizabeth haven’t had a chance to talk- so we didn’t miss anything on that front over the four-month time jump.
Now, Nathan is back in town. While he and Elizabeth are clearly happy to see each other, there aren’t any proclamations of love during this episode. Elizabeth admits to Rosemary that she is unsure of how Nathan feels about her now since it has been so long since he last expressed feelings for her. This would be a valid point if it weren’t so obvious that Nathan is still 100% in love with her.
Changes in Elizabeth’s life manifest in other ways, like a “breakup haircut”. She debuts a new shoulder-length bob, courtesy of Rosemary’s hair skills (remember our favorite hairstylist, Fiona, is gone). Nathan is clearly into Elizabeth’s new ‘do.
At the end of the episode, we get one final Nathabeth (Elizathan? What are we calling this?) moment when Nathan sits down by Elizabeth to watch the planets align.
“It’s so beautiful,” says Elizabeth, looking at the sky.
“Yeah, it is,” says Nathan, looking at Elizabeth. Aw!
That's it for the premiere, Hearties.
Do you like Nathan and Elizabeth as a couple? Who do you think shot Lucas? Let me know down below.
Tune in to watch the next episode of When Calls the Heart on Sunday at 9/8c on Hallmark Channel, or stream it on Hallmark Movies Now or Peacock. I’ll see you next week for another recap!
