A believable redemption arc is one of the most challenging narrative evolutions in any form of media. Sometimes, showrunners rush it; other times, it comes out of the blue after spending too much time going in a completely different direction. At times, it also occurs when viewers are long past caring about the character in any capacity. Yet, that’s not the case with When Calls the Heart and the show’s genuinely incredible way of writing in Henry Gowen’s redemption arc.
In the first season, he was so revolting that merely looking at him made me want to throw something. (This is also a testament to Martin Cummins for playing him so well.) Today, Henry Gowen is the character who makes me cry the most because his story is both compelling and hopeful. It’s an honest depiction of the fact that sometimes, people not only deserve forgiveness, but they could be the very reason why others would believe in the idea of change in the first place. None of this would’ve happened if the show hadn’t dealt with his journey as carefully as they did. The road to redemption isn’t linear, and it’s seldom perfect, but all the formidable factors make it feel earned.Â
Henry Gowen’s Redemption Arc Relies on ActionsÂ
A significant reason why Henry’s redemption arc holds merit is because it’s based on actions, not words. We spend a suitable fragment of time with the character during the show’s eleven seasons, and during that time, we get tangible proof of his changing ways even when he fumbles. Further, much of Henry’s backpedaling is a direct result of his inability to forgive himself, which then leads him toward a more humbling journey.Â
The reality is that it’s indeed more challenging for people to forgive themselves than to forgive others. Guilt paralyzes people in detrimental ways, which then clouds their judgment, forcing them to continually second-guess everything. For a period of time, Henry doesn’t believe he’s worthy of forgiveness. He carries the lives of every man who died in the mines with him, and we know that’s something he’ll likely do until his final breath. It’s a pain he’ll never fully let go of, which ultimately shows us so much of his heart because it wouldn’t be his cross if he didn’t care as deeply as he does.Â
Additionally, losing so much of his money on top of the trust people instilled in him further feeds Henry’s demons, forcing him not to trust himself in the process of all matters. We see it through various narratives in the earlier days and during the business ventures with Lucas Bouchard when everything becomes muddied and more convoluted. Can he be fully transparent? Can he rely on himself to make decisions that will improve the lives of every single person living in Hope Valley? These are all questions Henry Gowen internally asks himself, and we see them come to life throughout the show’s narrative choices to demonstrate how guilt forces him to see-saw.
However, plenty locks into place in Season 10 when Rosaleen returns to Hope Valley and realizes that the man plaguing her nightmares has been forgiven by an entire town she thought would back her. (I can’t even bear to write about her decision to confront him at the barn without crying about it every time.) Through Rosaleen, everything comes to the surface for Henry again. In her return, the lives of every man who died return to haunt him in full force.
He fully understands why she has trouble forgiving him because he can’t do it either. He understands why she wouldn’t want the scholarship money if she knew he was the anonymous donator, but he also knows that nothing matters more to him than ensuring that she gets the education she deserves. When Rosaleen finally tells him that the man she was scared of is no longer here, it brings Henry Gowen’s arc to completion because her forgiveness matters tremendously. Her belief that he is a truly changed man also shows Henry that the promises he made himself have grown to fruition. The parallels of him teaching the students gardening and tending to the soil and the leaves act as a great metaphor to showcase that redemption comes from the root.
Henry needed to work on himself deeply and dig into all the pain he fostered from when he was a kid. He needed to sit with the losses and the failures in order to grow. When a tree’s branches spoil, you cut them off, care for the soil, and then watch it prosper again. A man like Henry Gowen will constantly be in an internal battle with himself because the cards he was dealt and the ones he distributed weren’t always fair. His choices weren’t always honorable, and his belief in humanity was fractured because of his own pain. But he’s done the work to keep moving forward, and he continues to. He’s going to fumble, he’s going to misstep, and he’s going to make the wrong decisions sometimes. Yet, the series repeatedly shows us that his heart is in the right place, and sometimes, that’s the most significant showcase of redemption we have.Â
What are your thoughts on Henry Gowen’s redemption arc in When Calls the Heart? Let us know in the comments below.
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