When Calls the Heart Season 7 Episode 9 Review: New Possibilities
Carissa Pavlica
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Now, come on. You didn't really think Lee's life was on the line, did you?
No. Lee will be just fine. But what When Calls the Heart Season 7 Episode 9 did was use Lee's close call to rattle the hearts and minds of Hope Valley.
There is a lot to think about as we drift into the finale, so let's do it.
It's so comforting that the entire town waited together at the cafe so they could be near each other while awaiting news on Lee's condition.
And if the number of people inside the cafe didn't clue you in on the level of concern from townsfolk, then the group that greeted Lee upon his release from the infirmary sure did.
There is so much love that they encounter every day, but nothing brings it out as much as a celebration or a close call.
What happens next with Rosemary and Lee is what I want to know.
The incident had a profound effect on everyone in town, but on Lee, in particular. And it was enough to knock the truth out of him -- the truth about something he's even kept from Rosemary all of these years.
Lee had a rough childhood. His mother died young, and when his father passed, Lee said goodbye to his childhood and a sister named Susanna that he's kept to himself.
But there is nothing like a near-death experience to make you think about all that you have and have lost.
After Patrick died, things were just never the same again. And then my mother passed. Things got so much worse. So much pain and so much anger. As soon as I turned 18, I left. I found out a couple of years later than my father had died. I missed my father's funeral.
Lee
And while Rosemary and Lee are beloved by the town, they don't have a lot of family. Their efforts to create one haven't come to fruition, but now we know there is another avenue to see what more family might mean to the couple.
It seems like there should be more to the story than distance and time, and hopefully, we'll find out what it is. Susanna is skittish on reconnecting with her brother, but isn't everyone when they believe they might get hurt?
Jesse: I'm sorry, Lee. The only reason you were up on that mountain is because you were looking for me.
Lee: The only reason you were up on that mountain was because I sent you there. Nobody blames you, Jesse. Least of all, me.
Jesse: You're like a brother to me, Lee.
Lee: Thank you. That means more than you can possibly know. Now, as your brother, there is something I need you to do for me.
Jesse: Anything.
Lee: Let it go!
At least he has Jesse, who has become like a brother to him. At a time he needed it the most, Jesse returned that sentiment, and it was hard not to want to reach in there for group hug.
And I can't help but wonder if all of this talk of family might help Lee realize that there are even more ways for he and Rosemary to have children, too.
They have so much love to give, and there are so many children without parents. Am I wrong to hope?
Rosemary was also an ear for her best friend Elizabeth whose two suitors went from eligible to questionable in very short order.
Always a gentleman, Lucas overstepped by sending a couple of Elizabeth's chapters to his mother.
He admitted he was afraid that if he asked, Elizabeth would have said no. And that made her even more concerned because if he knows what's right and still goes in the other direction, what does that say about him?
To Lucas, his mother is just his mother. She's accomplished, but he loves and respects her. He thought he was being helpful bridging the divide between Elizabeth and his mother creatively.
But to Elizabeth, she's a someone to be respected and whose opinion could change the way she perceives her work.
What allowed Elizabeth to forgive Lucas and even appreciate his efforts was how she was getting perceived by Nathan.
While Elizabeth was losing trust in Lucas, Nathan was losing trust in her. It's been a situation that has played out throughout When Calls the Heart Season 7. Lucas reaches for Elizabeth while she reaches for Nathan. It's an interesting dynamic between the three of them.
Nathan: So what can I help you with?
Elizabeth: I think we should talk. About yesterday.
Nathan: I don't really think there's much to talk about.
Elizabeth: Well, I do. What was that?
Nathan: A lot of stuff happened up there, and if you don't mind, that's just where I'd like to leave it.
Elizabeth: That's not what I want.
Nathan: I have to get to the train station.
Elizabeth: You're entitled to whatever it is you are feeling, but please stop shutting me out.
Nathan: I'm not shutting you out.
Elizabeth: Really? This is clearly about so much more than me running after Emily.
Nathan: I really have to get going, OK? I don't...
Elizabeth: Nathan. Do you want to know how I ended up in Union City with Lucas?
Nathan: How?
Elizabeth: He asked. Be safe.
But Nathan finally admitted something, too. His disposition at Elizabeth running into the woods after Emily wasn't only professional. He wants her to be safe because he cares about her.
Elizabeth, I just want you to be safe because, because you matter to me. Good night.
Nathan
And now she knows that. And interestingly, Elizabeth was also working with Opal who has been afraid to go outside after the windstorm.
Elizabeth's advice to Opal was the same advice she needs to take herself. You cannot sit back and let life pass you by because you're afraid of what could happen.
Elizabeth has now decided to examine her professional life. What will she decide about her personal one?
Another situation that felt similar to hers with Lucas and Nathan's with her regarding trust was Lucas' situation with Henry and the Gowan Petroleum financials.
Elizabeth: You don't have to face this alone.
Henry: This is on me, and I will find a way out of it.
Elizabeth: Why are you making this so personal?
Henry: In my life, people have feared me, hated me, scorned me. Not without reason. Now, since I discovered oil, they've respected me. Gowan Petroleum is the only thing I've done in my life that I've ever been proud of.
Elizabeth: Henry, you have so much more to be proud of. You have friends, including Lucas. Why don't you just tell him what you told me?
Henry: It's my mess.
Elizabeth: Maybe he could help you clean it up, then.
Elizabeth inserted herself into that situation by wondering why Lucas couldn't trust Henry. When he said it was because the more you try to hide something, the easier it is to believe someone is up to no good, she visited Henry to share some advice.
Trust is a two-way street. You cannot expect someone to trust you if you don't trust them, and Lucas and Henry were caught in a loop.
Lucas: Just don't do anything stupid, Henry.
Henry: Such as?
Lucas: Such as covering your tracks. Right now, this is just a disagreement between partners. I don't think we want it to become anything more than that.
Now that Lucas has the financials, maybe he'll be able to come up with a solution to whatever burden Henry has been carrying on his own. What else are partners for?
Nathan was also out and about trying to find a bad guy. He caught his man, but in the process, a woman entered the fray that seems rather sketchy.
Fiona was on the train with some pretty shady characters. Not only was the bad guy right off of her train, but so was a woman who got awfully skittish at the terms constable and judge.
If she hadn't seemed so ruffled at those terms, I might have thought that she was Fiona's replacement sent by the telephone company. But there's no reason for an operator to be worried about the law.
Something tells me that there is trouble coming to town with that woman. Who do you think she is?
And what the heck is up with Fiona's transfer? I want her to have more stories, not less.
Do you think she's really going to leave, or might there be another reason for her to remain in Hope Valley?
What is going to happen on the finale? And what has to happen to keep you sane while waiting for more?
Remember that you can watch When Calls the Heart online for more of the beautiful series, and I really hope you'll drop me a line below to share your thoughts on this installment!
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
