‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 10 Finale Recap: An Election and a Cliffhanger
The drama doesn’t stop in Hope Valley. After a heartbreaking breakup at the end of the last episode of When Calls the Heart, the season 10 finale delivers more unexpected twists that set things up for a very interesting season 11. But first, there’s that big election that could change the town’s future, as well as Goldie’s baptism, which gives one of the show’s most enduring characters a chance to shine.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 10 Episode 12.]
Election Day in Hope Valley
When “Starry Nights” opens, it’s been three weeks since Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) and Lucas’s (Chris McNally) train platform breakup. He’s been away from town since then, campaigning hard to save Hope Valley and defeat the corrupt governor Bixby Balfour. But there are memories – and campaign posters – of him everywhere.
By now, word of Lucas and Elizabeth’s canceled engagement is out, and everyone is tiptoeing around Elizabeth, worrying that any mention of her former fiancé will cause her pain. But she insists to Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) that she’s fine. Yes, Election Day happens to coincide with what would have been her wedding day. But she’s focused on making sure Lucas is elected, not dwelling on what might have been. And she’s at peace with her decision to end the relationship (and also gazing meaningfully at the Mountie office).
Naturally, Rosemary is taking the lead in the get-out-the-vote effort on Lucas’s behalf. She and Elizabeth are running the polls on Election Day, and turnout is high. But when Rosemary discovers 20 people haven’t done their civic duty, she springs into action, tracking down the slackers and urging them to vote. That turns out to be a smart move. Once the election results come in, Lucas wins, but by a margin of just 21 votes.
Lucas — who gets oddly little screen time in this episode — is now governor-elect. But despite his victory, more trouble may be on the horizon. When he steps out of his campaign office, someone confronts him. “What are you doing here?” Lucas asks. The person’s identity isn’t revealed, but we have a feeling they’re up to no good.
Henry steps up as godfather, then reaches out to an old friend
With Rosemary on election duty, it falls to Lee (Kavan Smith) to organize their daughter Goldie’s baptism. They’ve already selected Elizabeth as godmother. But the choice of godfather is less obvious, until Lee makes a surprising suggestion. He thinks Henry Gowen (Martin Cummins) is the perfect choice. Rosemary’s skeptical, but as Lee points out, his many troubles have made him wiser. Plus, we know kids – and Goldie in particular – bring out Henry’s gentler side. “Maybe he needs Goldie just as much as she needs him,” Rosemary says.
However, convincing Henry to be their daughter’s godfather won’t be easy. He’s spent so long beating himself up for his mistakes that the idea of helping raise someone else’s child is hard to fathom. Plus, as he tells Lee, he doesn’t know much about either God or being a father. It’s only after a conversation with Elizabeth, where she reminds him of the power of forgiveness, that he decides to step up (though he’s a few minutes late to the church for the big event).
Once Hope Valley’s biggest villain, Henry’s seasons-long redemption arc is reaching its end. So, it’s entirely appropriate that he finishes this episode by reaching out to one of the first people who saw him as more than just a bad guy. Abigail Stanton helped Henry see beauty again after years in the darkness, he tells Elizabeth. She says that Abigail would really appreciate who he is right now. Henry decides to go to her to find out, as we see him walking up to her house and greeting the unseen character when she answers the door.
Long-time When Calls the Heart fans have long hoped that they’d see Lori Loughlin’s Abigail character back in Hope Valley. This scene doesn’t guarantee she’s returning to the show. (Hallmark has previously said they won’t work with Loughlin again.) However, it’s another reminder she’s still very much alive in the show’s universe.
Mike makes a move, Madeline returns
Also in this episode, Mike (Ben Rosenbaum) and Mei’s (Amanda Wong) new romance hits a major speedbump when the chaos of Election Day causes him to inadvertently stand her up for their date. She’s understandably upset and is “sick of mixed messages.” But Faith (Andrea Brooks) and Fiona (Kayla Wallace) urge her to give him another chance – and tell Mike how she really feels. Fiona has the same advice for Mike, and the end result is that both simultaneously declare that they really like each other.
Meanwhile, Bill (Jack Wagner) gets some resolution in his almost-romance with Madeline (Stefanie von Pfetten). During a chat with Nathan (Kevin McGarry), he tells the Mountie that it’s “the life of a bachelor” for him. “It’s the life of father for me,” Nathan replies. But then Madeline shows up on election night.
“I know I can’t expect you to forgive me for what I did,” she says. But she wants him to know how much Hope Valley means to her. And what he’s meant to her. We don’t see Bill’s response, but we suspect he might not be as committed to the bachelor life as he claims, especially now that Madeline has held out an olive branch.
Nathan avoids Elizabeth
With Lucas out of the picture and Elizabeth a single woman again, the focus now turns to the other point of When Calls the Heart’s controversial love triangle: Nathan. When it seemed like Elizabeth might be leaving Hope Valley behind last week, Nathan boldly confronted her, asking her what she wanted. She brushed him off. But it was one of several conversations that forced her to consider what her heart was telling her, leading her to end things with Lucas.
However, just because Elizabeth is unattached doesn’t mean she’s running straight into the arms of Nathan, even though he may well still have feelings for the woman who rejected him back in season 8. For one, the dust needs to settle from the canceled engagement. Plus, there’s the election to think of. But Nathan is also steering clear of Elizabeth, making himself busy with Mountie business that conveniently takes him out of Hope Valley.
When Nathan and Elizabeth finally meet in “Starry Nights,” it’s not exactly comfortable. Just before the polls close, he arrives to vote. Elizabeth is alone at the polling station. With Nathan in the voting booth and her on the other side of the curtain, she calls him out on avoiding her. He apologizes for overstepping during that intense conversation at the school, but she acknowledges he was trying to help. That gets a small, half-smile from Nathan. He steps out of the voting booth. Elizabeth is clearly hoping for something more, but Nathan simply wishes her goodnight.
Elizabeth opens up to Jack
Elizabeth might have realized she wasn’t meant to be with Lucas. But she still has a lot to unpack regarding why she was drawn to him in the first place and what that means for her in the future. (If only there were therapists in Hope Valley.) We get the clearest insight into how she’s feeling when she visits her late husband Jack’s grave.
“You were my great love,” she says. “But when I lost you, something inside me just broke. The thought of going through that again… I loved Lucas, but I think I was looking for something safe so I couldn’t get hurt again.”
“That wasn’t fair to Lucas,” she adds. “We deserve to have a great love. We both do.”
If Elizabeth wants to find love again, whether it’s with Nathan or with someone else, she’ll need to accept the possibility that she might get hurt. Opening her heart means accepting the risk that she could suffer another loss.
Lucas has won the election, but has he made a dangerous enemy?
The When Calls the Heart Season 10 finale ends with another Elizabeth-Nathan scene, which eagle-eyed viewers will notice takes place in the same spot where the Mountie declared his love for her in season 8. She’s sitting by herself on a log when Nathan rides up.
“What are you doing here?” she asks.
“I don’t know,” he replies. “What are you doing here?”
All signs point to Elizabeth being on the verge of telling Nathan that she loves him. Could this episode end with a kiss? Alas, for viewers on Team Nathan, the answer is no. Before Elizabeth can say whatever is on her mind, Bill rides up.
“It’s Lucas,” he says. “I need you both. Now.”
We knew that Balfour had some powerful (and unscrupulous) people in his corner. And last week, Montague hinted that Lucas was taking a bigger risk than he realized by challenging the governor. Our guess is that it was Montague or one of his henchmen who confronted Lucas outside of the campaign office. Now, it seems Lucas might be in serious danger.
In an unusual move for When Calls the Heart, the episode ends on a cliffhanger. Not only are we left hanging when it comes to Elizabeth and Nathan, but the situation with Lucas is not fully explained. When the show returns for season 11, it will be interesting to see how Elizabeth reacts to her former fiance possibly being in danger. Could it stir up some old feelings? And might it change her ideas about “safe” choices when it comes to love? That seems unlikely considering the vibes we’re getting between Elizabeth and Nathan. But given some of the unexpected developments in season 10, anything seems possible.
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