Reviewer Rating: 4.2/5.0
4.2
When Calls the Heart returns to basics this season, focusing on a younger generation that is integrated into the story and character-rich storylines.
Children’s fascination with comics is at the center of When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2, as Elizabeth tries to find other lessons to pique her students’ interest. On her radio show, Rosemary discusses how comics influence today’s youth.
Lucas was in trouble over national parks elsewhere as Edwin and Lee disagreed over plans. Worse still, a mysterious visitor brings news that could completely change plans.
Once Rosemary found a topic, she became an excellent radio host
Rosemary is hilarious when she’s nervous. She thought she would fail and everyone would laugh at her. We’ve all been there, but Rosemary tends to go to extremes.
She was wise to discuss comics on the show because comics were a new craze, but she was frustrated that, in the beginning, all the adults seemed to agree that kids were obsessed with comics.
Florence is the only one who opposes them, and it’s fun to see her so animated and opinionated. She doesn’t get enough attention.
Florence hated the way these comics corrupted young minds and considered them a waste of money. The more she complained, however, the more Rosemary guessed that Florence had read a few of them herself.
This is priceless! Rosemary has developed a knack for leaking information from her guests.
Elizabeth gets her class excited about nature
The comics craze also annoyed Elizabeth, who couldn’t even focus in class.
Looking for a new way to pique their interest, she took them to the forest and gave them magnifying glasses and insect jars to explore.
She reiterated that Lucas National Park is vital so that other children can experience the wonder and beauty of nature. Someone needs to tell Lucas this so he doesn’t give up.
The field trip was helpful because they found a paw print, which sparked Ellie’s interest because she wasn’t sure if she would be called after school, so she felt neglected. However, she had always loved animals and research, and decided it was a timber wolf.
Ellie might be a great park ranger or research assistant. I’m not sure how many jobs there were in the 1920s, but hopefully she’ll find some.
Is Lucas National Park in danger?
Oh, Lucas. Why would he involve Edwin again? This undermined his last campaign. Edwin only cares about numbers and winning, while Lucas wants to fulfill his promise to Lee and Rosemary.
Edwin’s answer is to remove Lee from important meetings, such as the one with Edie Martell (Miranda McDougall) of the Cattlemen’s Association.
Edwin had hoped she would come and offer support, but something was wrong at the park. Her late uncle owned a ranch adjacent to his potential park.
If the plan went as planned, they would lose their summer pasture, but if he cut the amount she wanted, he would just use a pile of rocks.
This is difficult for Lucas because he cares about people losing their jobs. It’s not just about people-pleasing politics, and as Lee warned him, he fell into that trap again.
While I’m excited to see Lee return to Hope Valley with his wife and friends, part of me wishes I could have seen more of him and Lucas. Like Jiminy Cricket, he allowed Lucas to mature and become a man with a clear conscience.
Henry’s character evolution continues
Henry is no longer the town loner. Previously, Elizabeth had engaged him in helping with other school projects, and now Henry volunteered to work with the children. Boy, times have changed.
Henry had so many hazelnuts that he offered to pay the children to help him grow his crops. I love this subplot because it gives Henry something to do and shows Emily’s love for business.
We never learn about Emily’s interests, and even Henry thinks she’ll spend the money on women’s magazines rather than business magazines. Her statistics impress everyone and make the work environment fun.
I enjoyed seeing Henry and Joseph run the hazelnut business together, and I’m glad they included Emily in it. This was a fun surprise.
Nathan wants to know why Oliver is so nervous
As mentioned in When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 1, Oliver seemed focused, but also scared.
His nerves often get the better of him when he makes a mistake and fears harsh consequences. It makes me wonder if he was mistreated, or if he just received harsh criticism.
Oliver needed a win, and he thrived under Nathan’s guidance. Because of his love for forensic science, he has a knack for finding similarities between cases.
In many ways, he craves recognition like a child, but he tries not to show it because he’s supposed to be mature.
Nathan senses that Oliver needs community and decides to take him to a family dinner at Elizabeth’s. Although Oliver is shy at first, he eventually relaxes and starts joking and playing with Ellie and little Jack.
He himself was finally acting like a child. He looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. What is this poor kid carrying?
Mike and May return to deal with unfortunate events
Why do Mike and May get comedy and disaster storylines? Why can’t they experience a wonderful honeymoon and happy return?
The When Calls the Heart trailer teases that they’ll also experience romance, but after he carries her across the threshold, they find Mac’s apartment destroyed by water and critters.
Their relationship was rushed, so no real conflict was experienced. Neither admitted they had left the window closed, blaming their partners. May even moved back into her old room.
It’s a battle where you have to adapt and keep moving forward. There are no winners.
My grandmother always said that in a marriage, you can be right or you can be happy.
– Belief
As someone who has been married for nearly 20 years, this sentence is worth abiding by. It was a relief that both Mike and May realized their stubbornness, and it was so cute that they wanted to reconcile in the garden where he proposed.
While better communication is crucial for them, hopefully they’ll get better storylines throughout the season.
Over to you, Hatice. What’s your favorite part of “You Get What You Give”? Would you like the increased air time for Rosemary? Are you happy to see Mike and May back?
Let us know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
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