We just finished another season in Hope Valley.
When Calls the Heart is Hallmark’s longest-running series, and when dramas last that long, they often run into issues with creativity slumps and extensively massive casts.
When Calls the Heart Season 11 felt lackluster. The wrong arcs led the story, with only a few bright spots sprinkled in.
While the dual strikes didn’t affect the series, they still crammed too much content into 12 episodes. The cast has grown and evolved, and it’s challenging to cover everyone’s stories accordingly.
The rotating arcs became tiresome, mainly when some characters were prominently featured one week but might only appear for a few minutes in the next few episodes.
Related: When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 10 Review: What Goes Around
It also had to deal with the aftermath of Lucas’s shooting, Lucas and Elizabeth’s break-up, and bringing Elizabeth and Natan together respectfully.
Let’s discuss the best and worst of When Calls the Heart Season 11.
Best Episode — When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 10 — What Goes Around
This was the best episode of the season because it focused on the things that matter — family and friends.
Nathan and Allie’s relationship was center stage, as she realized who her “dad” really was after her birthfather, Dylan, rejected her. Those teenage years are challenging enough, but they’re even more complex for adoptees who struggle with their identity.
Allie felt Nathan kept vital information from her when he only wanted to protect her from someone who didn’t cherish her. As they worked together, Nathan and Elizabeth realized how much they relied on each other.
Everyone discussed how Faith would miss Lily, but no one expected Lily’s pain since she adored her grandmother. But young children have difficulty adapting to change, and she’d grown accustomed to Hope Valley.
I appreciated how conflicted the little girl was and that she didn’t want to leave Faith. It was heartwarming that Faith and Mrs. Watson came together for her interest.
While Lucas’s storyline didn’t mesh with the others, he realized how much he valued Henry, Lee, and Rosemary as friends once his memories returned.
This was the Lucas we’d all missed. This man valued his friends and their opinions while helping others.
Honorable Mention Best Episode –When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 8 — Brother’s Keeper
Tom Thornton bringing a music festival to Hope Valley was a blessing. Besides bringing entertainment, it brought Jacob Canfield to town to reconcile to reconcile with his estranged brother.
Initially, Jacob felt so betrayed he wouldn’t tell Joseph why he was hurt and angry, but Minnie and the kids were just as determined to get them to talk.
It was nice to see the Canfields have a family arc, and it was essential to see that sometimes old resentments run deep, and you don’t always know why you hurt someone.
Music influenced the Canfield family, but Joseph stopped singing with Jacob after meeting Minnie. It was so heartwarming seeing them all sing “Amazing Grace together at the festival.
Worst Episode — When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 3 — Steps Forward
The first few episodes of this season were the weakest, but this one grated on my nerves. Everyone butted in about Lucas, Nathan, and Elizabeth, which in small towns is often the case.
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It was just tedious that Elizabeth’s love life and solving Lucas’s shooting were the talk of the town. It was initially the beginning of the Rosemary and Bill investigative team-up, which was initially entertaining.
However, Rosemary seemed to need something to do since she felt ignored with Lee working more. She often seemed more demanding, while I wished they would use her investigative skills better at others.
Most Overused Storyline — Nathan and Elizabeth’s Courtship
I’ve complained about this before, but the writers don’t know how to write for Nathan and Elizabeth correctly. They alternated between having them flirt awkwardly or supporting each other through crises.
It was cringeworthy that they couldn’t ask each other out on a date or that every fraught moment was interrupted by something related to Lucas, whether it was an announcement or his being in danger.
Nathan and Elizabeth are both adults. Going on a date shouldn’t have been that difficult. It’s supposed to be their second chance, and in some ways, they seem like a family with Allie and Jack.
In other ways, it seemed like they passed over the courtship and went on to become a family.
Couple Who Got Shafted — Mike Hickam and Mei Sou
Mike and Mei didn’t seem like the characters to get married in the season finale. It was a lovely wedding, and we loved seeing its cultural aspects. Still, the series needed to explore their relationship, families, and Me’s cultural background more so viewers could invest in them.
They only briefly touched on Mei’s fear of serious relationships due to her ex, Geoffrey. It would have brought more angst to the relationship if they showed her fear instead of having her discuss it with Faith as much as we enjoy their friendship.
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The series treated them like an afterthought. I had thought things might change when Mike’s sister, Maisy, was introduced. She was feisty, yet she and Mei hit it off beautifully.
Ben Rosenbaum had teased that the rest of the Hickams were coming, but the family dinner was a let-down with another two-minute scene.
Hopefully, in Season 12, we’ll see some comedic and heartwarming family dinners between them and Mei’s brother. It would be entertaining and full of family stories.
Character That Got Misused –Lucas Bouchard
Season 11 did not use Chris McNally’s talents. Lucas is a layered character, and while he’s always had big dreams for Hope Valley, planning a resort without listening to others’ opinions seemed a little off.
So many deal with politics elsewhere and don’t want to watch politics on their television shows. It’s not that Lucas doesn’t make an excellent governor, but where did the man who enjoyed small-town living go?
The writers completely rewrote his character. Thankfully, Lucas’s morals remained intact, as he almost sold his soul to multiple devils to get his resort.
It wasn’t until Jeanette wanted Lucas to look the other way and help commit a crime that he realized he was a good and honorable man. It was a long and painful man to get back to the man we knew he was.
We don’t want to watch Lucas finalize plans for the new National Park. If he can’t end up with Elizabeth, he needs a new love interest, and hopefully, next season, he’ll find one.
Related: How Much Should Showrunners Rely on Audience Reaction For Their Storytelling?
Most Improved Character — Faith Carter
Faith hasn’t had much of a storyline since Carson left at the end of Season 8. That’s mainly because everyone values romance over everything else.
Faith felt aimless as she watched Mei find new love with Mike and Fiona find a new purpose in Nashville with the Suffragettes.
That’s why my favorite story this season was watching Faith bond with Lily and realize “motherhood” was her calling. She never realized how much caring for a child would mean to her until Lily almost returned to her grandmother.
“Found” families are an essential part of life since we’re not always given the family we want. Sometimes, we develop other bonds. Lily was everyone’s darling in Hope Valley, and watching her with her Auntie Faith was a delight.
Best Return –Tom Thornton
We loved how many old friends the series brought back, but Tom’s return was exceptional. Having him arrive on Jack’s birthday and pay homage to his late brother was essential since he hadn’t been back since Elizabeth and Jack were married.
Tom often felt like he lived in Jack’s shadow and longed to prove his worth. That became even more difficult when Tom’s boss, Mr. Sweeney, swindled his friends out of their money.
Elizabeth, Nathan, and the rest of Hope Valley were determined to help Tom raise the money to pay back the neighboring towns and host their choir festival.
It highlighted the entertaining community events the series used to host.
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Wasted Return — Anna Hayford
When Anna first returned, it seemed like the ideal time to check in and learn what she learned at Teacher’s College.
Anna’s return didn’t revolve much about her, though. It seemed more about Elizabeth’s journey since she caught Thomas Higgins flirting with Anna.
It was an important lesson, but we wanted to see Elizabeth mentoring Anna or teaching the students.
It would have been lovely to see Anna reunite wi
Overall Grade — C
This wasn’t the strongest season for When Calls the Heart. The lack of the Lucas, Elizabeth, and Nathan love triangle and fan engagement hurt the series.
The series suffered greatly since Lucas only had a political storyline, and it seemed like the writers changed his character’s motivations for much of the season.
It didn’t help that in the first few episodes, he appeared to make announcements as Elizabeth and Nathan shared fraught moments.
Elizabeth needed to decide and be at peace with it no matter who you shipped. It felt like too much time was devoted to her love life when there was an entire ensemble of characters to play with, and some we barely saw.
Related: Can When Calls the Heart Maintain the Magic Without Opposing ’Ships?
The Canfields, Faith, or Mike and Mei would get a centric episode every few episodes but not be seen for several episodes. That’s not the way to please your fans.
Bill barely had a storyline except to assist Rosemary in solving the mystery of who shot Lucas. The writers must do a balancing act before When Calls the Heart returns for Season 12.
The best part of the season was the family arcs. Let’s see more of Allie’s teenage angst or Faithy adapting to being a mom.
Over to you, Hearties. What were your favorite parts? How would you grade the season?
Please share your thoughts with us below.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.
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