NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Season 11, Episode 8 of When Calls the Heart.
Hello, Hearties! Welcome to the episode recap for May 26th’s episode of When Calls the Heart, titled “Brother’s Keeper”. Tonight’s episode is all about Hope Valley’s very first choir festival. Let’s get right into the recap, shall we?
Voices of the Valley
This episode starts with Elizabeth and Tom talking in her backyard, shortly after the events of last week’s episode. (If you missed it, catch up here.) Tom doesn’t have the money to pay back all the choirs and, looking back, he realizes there were signs of Mr. Sweeney being a crook. “Jack was right about me, I’m nothing but a screw up,” says Tom.
Nathan shows up, bringing with him the news that Sweeney is in custody. The money Ned wired to him has been recovered, so everyone in Hope Valley will get their “festival fees” back. However, Sweeney gambled away the other choirs’ money, totaling about $300.
After Tom heads inside to have breakfast, Nathan warns Elizabeth that if Tom can’t come up with the money owed to the other choirs he can be charged as an accessory to fraud. Elizabeth tells Nathan how sorry she is, and how she wishes she would have trusted his instincts. “You just wanted to believe in your brother-in-law. There’s no fault in that,” says Nathan before telling her he trusts her instincts too (aw!).
A bit later, an emergency (perhaps a dramatic word for this occasion) choir meeting is held so Tom can tell everyone that their money did not actually go to the Salt Lake City choir festival but into Mr. Sweeney’s pocket instead. While the Hope Valley Choir is happy to hear that they will be getting their money back, they are dismayed to hear that the neighboring town’s choirs will not.
Elizabeth gives Nathan a look, so he tries to help by saying that Tom has come up with a plan to get the money back. What kind of plan? Ummm… well…. Nathan stammers on a bit before Elizabeth jumps in to say that Hope Valley will be having its very own choir festival. Everyone is immediately on board with the idea, planning the venue and decor with enthusiasm.
While Nathan, Elizabeth, and the rest of Hope Valley want to give Tom a chance to make things right, Maisie Hickam doesn’t exactly share their forgiving attitude. She makes it very clear that she wants Tom arrested should he not be able to raise the money to pay back all the choirs.
Plenty of people from neighboring towns attend the festival, which kicks off with a duet by Florence and Ned. Tom thanks Nathan for all his help and Nathan says that Mounties watch out for their own. While Tom is not a Mountie his brother and father were. Tom tells him that he and Jack would have really liked each other. Tom has also clearly picked up on the flirty eyes between Nathan and Elizabeth, so he tells Nathan that he is glad she has someone like him in her life.
The festival manages to raise about 2/3 of the money Tom needs to pay back the choirs. That is NOT good enough for Maisie Hickam, but Lucas offers to donate the rest from the Governor’s Cultural Fund. Thus, Tom is now free from his mistakes with Sweeney.
After more performances throughout the day, the festival ends with everyone in the saloon, dancing and socializing. Tom tells Elizabeth that he needs to find a new job and thanks her for believing in him. She reminds him that he needs to believe in himself as well.
Faith walks over and asks Tom to dance, while Elizabeth gazes longingly over at Nathan. “Haven’t you heard? It’s the 20’s,” Tom reminds her as he heads to the dance floor. Elizabeth gets what he’s saying, so she walks over and invites Nathan to dance. The episode ends with the two swaying on the dance floor.
Meet Jacob
As Mike is hanging a sign for the Voices of the Valley Festival, a man exits a taxi and walks over to him. He asks Mike where he can find Joseph Canfield, and Mike tells him to check the cafe or the church. Of course, this new guy in town is no other than Jacob Canfield, Joseph’s estranged brother.
Jacob walks down the street and happens upon his niece and nephew setting up for the festival. He introduces himself, and Angela and Cooper are elated that he has come to visit. Minnie comes around the corner and spots Jacob, immediately embracing him.
They all go back to the cafe, where Joseph tries to greet Jacob with a handshake that he doesn’t accept (somebody’s still upset). Jacob still wants an apology, but Joseph has literally no idea what he needs to apologize for. “Well if you don’t know, there’s no point in me trying to tell you,” Jacob tells him before making a dramatic exit from the cafe.
Minnie follows Jacob and tells him that Joseph isn’t perfect but he is a good man and he misses Jacob. Jacob tells her that he hasn’t stepped foot in a church in 20 years and he quit singing. He wants to catch the next train out of town, but Minnie urges him to stay to watch Angela play piano at the festival the next day.
Even though he tells Minnie that it’s not a good idea for him to stay, Jacob does in fact stay in Hope Valley. After some counseling from Henry, Joseph is also now ready to apologize regardless of what he did wrong. When the kids trick the two brothers into meeting in the library, Joseph does just that.
Jacob is still angry that Joseph doesn’t remember what happened, so he (finally) explains. Everything changed when their grandfather died and Joseph met Minnie. Joseph quit singing with him, and Jacob felt abandoned. Jacob had space in his heart for both Joseph and Minnie, but Joseph wouldn’t let him in. Even though Joseph wants to make up now, Jacob says “it’s too late” and storms out of the library.
(I’m going to be honest here, and feel free to disagree with me, I thought this was going to be a touch more dramatic of a reason for not speaking for 20 years?)
Anyway, as the Hope Valley Choir takes the stage, Jacob joins the audience to watch. After some urging from the town, Jacob joins the choir as they are missing a tenor and they sing “Amazing Grace”. Back at the cafe, Joseph once again apologizes and Jacob admits that it upset him that Joseph didn’t seem to miss him at all. The two brothers make up for good and share a meal with Minnie, Angela, and Cooper in the cafe.
Who Hired Clayton Pike?
Clayton Pike is staying in Hope Valley’s jail for one night, thanks to Nathan calling in a favor. After being escorted into the jail by Mounties, Clayton is visited by Bill and Rosemary. They tell him that they know he couldn’t have shot the Governor, and that they have spoken to his mother. While Clayton might have been trying to be a good son in trading his freedom for his mom’s surgery, Bill and Rosemary need to know who he is working for. Clayton is clearly rattled and seems to want to say something but only lays down on the cot and wonders aloud what’s for lunch.
Later on, Lucas visits Clayton at the jail and requests to speak with him privately. The Mounties on guard leave the room and Lucas tells Clayton all he wants to know is “why”. Clayton says that if he tells him he’s a dead man. “And if you don’t, am I?” Lucas asks him in return. Infuriatingly, we don’t get to hear Clayton’s answer to this.
As Clayton is escorted from the Hope Valley jail, Bill and Rosemary ask him one last time if there’s anything he wants to tell them. “Be smart and stop asking so many questions,” he tells them. Stop asking questions? Bill and Rosemary? I don’t think so.
“Did Montague hire you to shoot the governor?” Bill asks him, immediately after this warning.
“All you need to know about the guy behind this is he’s got eyes everywhere. If I rat him out, he’ll get to me, even inside prison. He’ll go after Mother too.” Clayton is clearly terrified of whoever hired him. Nathan assures him that the Mounties can intervene, but Clayton is adamant that not even the Mounties can touch this guy. He gives one last warning to leave the entire thing alone before leaving Hope Valley, otherwise, this mystery man may come after Bill and Rosemary too.
A Dilemma for Lucas
Same as last week, the only bidders on the new resort are Jeanette Aucoin’s group of investors and Bernhardt Montague. At the end of episode 7, Lucas called Montague and it turns out he is considering his bid for the resort. Lucas seems desperate and Edwin (who I still don’t trust) seems happy that he took his advice and called Montague.
Henry, however, tries to dissuade Lucas from accepting the Montague bid. “He is reviled in this town for good reason,” Henry reminds Lucas, along with the fact that he was the prime suspect in the shooting.
Montague is a businessman, and while Lucas may not love his ethics, he can get the job done and has never technically operated outside the law. He wants Henry to go over Montague’s bid with a fine-tooth comb to make sure everything is on the level.
Lucas also asks Henry what he has found on Jeanette Aucoin’s investors, and Henry says everything seems legit. “What is it that I’m not seeing here?” Henry asks Lucas, referring to the fact that he refuses to accept Aucoin’s bid despite its seeming legitimacy. “I’ve asked you to trust me on that,” replies Lucas.
If Lucas will not consider the Aucoin bid, then Henry advises him (again) to step away from the resort. Edwin says that is not an option because it will make Lucas look weak after making promises to the valley. “Edwin, that is a story you’re telling yourself,” Henry says, “Lucas you can always walk away.”
Lucas says it’s no longer just about creating a future for Hope Valley. With the Benson Hills Oil Company’s closing down, they need to create jobs for the valley right now. It seems Lucas has made up his mind, although he says it is not a done deal with Montague yet.
That's it for "Brother's Keeper"!
Montague is visiting Hope Valley and Allie has some questions about her biological father during next week’s episode of When Calls the Heart. Join me for the recap!
