This might surprise the die-hard fans of “When Calls The Heart“, but I only discovered the show in late 2020. But it has become one of my favorite programs in just a few episodes. Stuck at home, I clearly owe my viewing and new passion to the pandemic.
A Hallmark Channel fan first
Even though I have only recently watched “When Calls The Heart”, I have always been a huge fan of the Hallmark Channel movies. It all began years ago with their Christmas movies, my true love. When I moved to Canada, I realized how big the movie industry was in Vancouver. And I found out that all these rom-coms I like so much were all shot in Canada. In 2018, I also started to be very disciplined and not miss any new movie released on Saturday nights. I knew that the network also produces TV shows like “The Good Witch“, “Cedar Cove” and even “When Calls The Heart”. But I had no desire to start watching them. However, I have to say that the banner ads for the “When Calls The Heart” new episodes appearing during the Saturday movies caught my interest. I understood that it is a period show from the promotional images, but I had never seen a mountie before. I was intrigued by the red uniform, and especially captured by the handsomeness of Chris McNally (whom I had noticed in a few movies before). Yes, I am a very new fan, remember ?
Thank you Netflix and Lori Loughlin
When the pandemic hit, Netflix was my only occupation. I first rewatched all the seasons of “Full House” (because I had just finished F.R.I.E.N.D.S). I always saw a couple of episodes when I was younger on TV but I never followed the whole serie. It was vintage, light and funny, everything I needed during that time. Plus starring a young Candace Cameron whom I knew from Christmas movies. At the end of this rewatch, which lasted a few weeks, Netflix suggested me “When Calls The Heart” with a cover picture of Lori Loughlin and assured me of a 98% match. Without really making the connection with the banners I have been seeing for months, I start watching this new TV show.
Love at first sight and many spoilers !
Within a few episodes, I was already hooked. I remember watching the first season in one day. It was not my kind of show at all, the 1910’s atmosphere and the frontier town in general. Let’s face it, I knew it was a show probably beloved by an older crowd, like “The Young and the Restless” and “Little House on the Prairie”. I was attracted by the modern Hallmark touch though, and I loved all the cameos from the network’s actors throughout the episodes. I felt close to the cast who has around the same age as me. So I did what I always do when I’m interested in something: I look it up and read everything I can find about it. I studied the Canadian Mounties and I read about life in Western Canada and at the frontier in the beginning of the 21st century. I mapped out all the locations to better understand the routes from Hope Valley to Hamilton. I was also fascinated to learn about the History of the country in which I had decided to live. I quickly became obsessed with visiting the set when I knew it was open to the public near Vancouver. Then I start reading about the show itself, I learned that it was adapted from a book, that Daniel Lissing had left so that Jack died. Not to mention all the images of the wedding and Little Jack. Well, I had it coming… Plus it was June 2020, season 7 had just ended and the #Hearties were fighting about Lucas and Nathan (not the Scott Brothers). The internet was buzzing and I was ready to be a part of it!
Are you really a fan of When Calls the Heart if you don’t like Jack or Elizabeth ?
So I went through all the seasons in a few weeks, watching episodes day after day until the end of season 7. I was 100% Team Lucas without a doubt. To be honest, it was easy because I never really liked Jack. Could it be because I didn’t keep up with the series from the beginning? Or because I knew he was going to die? Perhaps. Elizabeth is also far from being my favorite. I know, I know… Given that I’ve never read the book, I’m probably not a real fan for the purists. I have no expectation that the show be identical to the original novel. I don’t mind the anachronisms or the modern clothes and hairstyles for women in the 1910s. But I can promise you that I deeply love When Calls The Heart anyway. In two years, I have seen and re-watched all nine seasons three times. I love the values of community, solidarity, self-improvement, redemption, and acceptance that the show carries. I love the secondary characters, adults and children, who add depth to the story. Don’t get me wrong, I also disliked many scenes, and some characters got on my nerves sometimes especially during season 2. But if I had to choose a favorite, I would probably go with Fiona (because Abigail is no longer here !). She’s a hard worker, independant woman and doesn’t care what other people think of her. I sometimes regret having waited so long to jump in but I’m grateful it is still in production. It allows me to watch new episodes every week, to wait nervously for a new announcement, a new video, a wedding! Seriously, I’ve never been so stressed by a show worrying about Lucas possibly not being chosen by Elizabeth. I had no idea until the very end!
I still can’t explain why I love “When Calls The Heart” so much, but maybe that’s the beauty of it. I’m amazed to discover an international community of passionate (and a bit intense) #Hearties like I have rarely seen. One thing is for sure, I couldn’t have imagined all this when I watched the pilot one sunday afternoon in June 2020.
