What's Going on With Nathan and Faith?
Two very special visitors returned to Hope Valley for When Calls the Heart’s landmark 100th episode. In “Hope Springs,” Elizabeth’s sister Julie and aunt Agatha paid her a visit – and delivered a proposal that had her and Lucas questioning their future. Plus, we got a little more insight into what’s going on with Faith and Nathan and why the vibe between them is suddenly so off.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 10 Episode 2.]
Elizabeth’s relatives visit in ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 10 Episode 2
Much of the August 6 episode of When Calls the Heart revolves around Julie (Charlotte Hegele) and Agatha’s (Karin Konval) visit to Hope Valley. Officially, they’re there to see little Jack (Hyland Goodrich) and help Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) plan her wedding. Unofficially, they’re on a mission to convince Elizabeth to move back to Hamilton.
It doesn’t take long for Julie to spill the beans about the real motivation for their visit. Elizabeth’s mother wants her daughter to get married back in Hamilton. (She’s even reserved the church!) Mama Thatcher hopes that a taste of big-city life will convince Elizabeth and Lucas to give up their frontier adventure. To sweeten the pot, Elizabeth’s father has ensured Lucas will have a job at his company if he wants it.
Elizabeth isn’t pleased with her family’s interference, to put it mildly.
“You would think after all these years they would understand this is where I belong,” she vents to Rosemary. “They’re treating me like I’m a little girl who doesn’t know what she wants.”
Elizabeth has no doubt she belongs in Hope Valley. But does Lucas feel the same way? She thinks they’re on the same page. But then she starts to worry he could be tempted by the job offer.
For his part, Lucas plays it cool during a poker game with Agatha, even letting her win the game as a way to get on her good side. (He folds, even though he’s holding four aces.) At first, it seems he might be seriously considering the officer. He’s talented and ambitious, after all, and Hope Valley is a small place. But in the end, there’s no real question. He makes it clear that while he and Elizabeth are looking forward to visiting Hamilton, their home is in Hope Valley.
Nathan rescues Faith from a bandit
In the When Calls the Heart Season 10 premiere, we got some hints that something went down between Faith (Andrea Brooks) and Nathan (Kevin McGarry) in the gap between seasons. But what exactly is going on between them isn’t clear. They have a tense conversation in this episode that doesn’t really clear things up, either for them or the viewers.
“We haven’t spoken since…,” she says when she bumps into him at the saloon. (Since what, Faith? Spit it out!) She then goes on to tell him that avoiding things never helped anything.
Nathan says he’s not avoiding her, since she “ended things.”
“For the record, I didn’t end anything. Because there was nothing to end,” Faith replies.
“That’s not true,” Nathan says.
We know Faith was developing feelings for Nathan at the end of season 9. But she felt she couldn’t act on them because she was his doctor and he was her patient. Based on this conversation, it sounds like something romantic happened (or was about to happen) between them. But Faith might have put the brakes on it, perhaps bruising Nathan’s ego a bit in the process.
Things get even more awkward between them when Faith is accosted by the world’s least threatening bandit later in this episode. Mountie Nathan arrives to save the day, even though it’s clear Faith wasn’t in any real danger. But the situation does create an opportunity for Hope Valley’s doctor to literally fall into Nathan’s arms when she tumbles from her wagon.
Later, everyone’s enjoying a picnic at the hot springs when Florence (Loretta Walsh) not-so-subtly arranges things so that Nathan will accompany her on her future rounds out of town, guaranteeing that they’ll get some more one-on-one time. But poor Hickam (Ben Rosenbaum). He was just about to offer up his own services as Faith’s escort when Florence swooped in. And Mei (Amanda Wong) doesn’t look thrilled about the idea either.
Henry Gowen pleads guilty
“Hope Springs” also featured some developments in Henry Gowen’s (Martin Cummins) ongoing legal case. He’s facing six years in prison for blowing up the mine at the end of season 9. Bill (Jack Wagner) thinks he can get a sympathetic judge to drop or reduce the charges if he understands that Henry was acting out of genuine concern for people’s safety. But Henry isn’t making his job any easier. He doesn’t show up for meetings and is completely checked out during his pre-trial hearing with the judge. When Henry finally responds when the judge asks for his plea, he shocks everyone by pleading guilty.
At this point, everyone in town has forgiven Henry for his role in the deadly mine collapse back in season 1. Everyone except Henry himself, that is. His lingering guilt over that disaster means he’s not willing to fight these latest charges. He believes he deserves to end up behind bars, and it seems he’s going to do what he can to help the process along.
Other observations from this episode of When Calls the Heart:
- Jack’s enjoyed having the hot springs to himself, and he’s not thrilled about the idea of turning it into a tourist attraction. But at least his daily dips in the pool appear to have improved his health – he’s positively spry this episode.
- Lee (Kavan Smith) lands a big contract for the mill thanks to a clever intervention from Rosemary (Pascale Hutton).
- Both the cafe and the general store are feeling the pinch from the town’s economic troubles – let’s hope Minnie (Natasha Burnett), Ned (Hrothgar Mathews), and Florence can make the numbers work.
New episodes of When Calls the Heart Season 10 air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.
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