When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 5, “Mom’s the Word” Spoilers Ahead
When Calls the Heart delivers a wholesome message while simultaneously setting up a few more storylines in “Mom’s the Word.” The episode is far more riveting than last week’s “Dancing Teens,” mostly because it provides a more balanced storylines that bring both the kids and the adults onto the same page.
Nathan goes undercover to help out with Rosemary and Bill’s case with the coins while Allie experiences her first heartbreak. A seemingly harmless newcomer raises a number of red flags. Lucas and Lee finally talk things through. Fiona returns, only to voice that she’s maybe leaving for good, and the kids continue new ways of learning.
When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 5 Is a Reminder That This Too Shall Pass
By finally patching up the rift between Lucas and Lee while also allowing Elizabeth to be a source of comfort during Allie’s first heartbreak, “Mom’s the Word” acts as a sweet reminder that pain is often temporary. The message isn’t sugar-coated either, but Elizabeth delivers it to Allie in a way that’s both raw, honest, and vulnerable at the same time. She reminds her that we don’t forget our first heartaches, but when we do eventually move forward from them, there’s a lesson that comes out of it. (In most cases, a very millennial way of saying we dodged a bullet.) And that’s certainly the truth because Earl Wyatt calling her pigtails gave me a horrific ick.
More importantly, what this moment does so beautifully is that it allows Elizabeth and Allie’s bond to grow. They began as a teacher and a student, but they’re a family now. As I mentioned in my review of “The Mountie Way,” when we look into Nathan’s guilt about the circumstances surrounding Jack’s death, we often forget how that’d impact Allie’s grief and profound loneliness. She has good friends, yes, but at this very moment, what she needed more than anything was the advice of a mother. And while I imagine it’ll take a bit longer for us to get to the specific development, this scene on the steps is the type of further proof Allie needs to remember that Elizabeth doesn’t just care for her because she’s her student, and it’s her job, but because she loves her for who she is.
Jaeda Lily Miller is so lovely in this episode. She holds her own incredibly with Erin Krakow, breaking my heart into a million little pieces during the scene where she says, “If I were little Jack, I’d call you mom all the time,” Because of how special and vulnerable this scene is, it’s easy to appreciate the fact that Elizabeth takes this moment to not only say that she can be whatever Allie would like her to be, but she also gives her the option to call her Elizabeth when they aren’t in school. It makes for such a tender and sincere moment between two people who care for each other, but more than anything, it’s a beat where a teenage girl gets to see that even while she doesn’t have a mom, she certainly has someone who comes close. And one day, that’ll be the case in more official circumstances. But time. All of this takes time and I appreciate how organically When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 5, “Mom’s the Word,” explores this.
The episode also continues to underscore how right for each other Nathan and Elizabeth are. The season is taking matters slowly thus far, yet it’s doing an enamoring job of showcasing how they’re present for each other in all the little ways. This matters because these little things are often more vital than the big things because it’s what grows to become the binding elements that ensure a couple can last. He’ll absolutely sit through any of her lessons (and use any excuse to kiss her!) but it’s how he continues to believe in her as a teacher that floors me. Elizabeth Thornton is, in many ways, the heart of Hope Valley, and how Nathan sees this fact is a beautiful thing.
Can We Trust Ava?
There are a few new faces in Hope Valley this season, but none are making me side-eye the way that Ava is. Who is this heiress? Where did she come from? (I know it’s Baltimore; that’s not what I’m asking.) What’s her deal? Everything about her feels fabricated in a way that’s rubbing me the wrong way, and it’s also so bizarre that she came here after reading Elizabeth’s book.
In an episode that’s taking its time to solve a decades-long case, there’s something incredibly odd about the circumstances of her entrance. And how she’s so okay with just not being self aware? I’m already exhausted and we just met her.
Lucas and Lee Put Aside Their Animosity
I was going to be super frustrated with the show if it kept pulling Lucas and Lee further down this childish rabbit hole. However, When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 5, “Mom’s the Word,” thankfully puts an end to it when Pastor Joseph decides he’s had enough and places the men in a forced proximity situation. Alone in the woods and trying to get back home, the men allow themselves an honest beat to talk things through. Lucas voices how he felt abandoned, while Lee admits to being hurt.
It makes for a great scene that brings their friendship to a place of better understanding and reminds them why they went on this endeavor in the first place. Most importantly, what’s easy to appreciate is that they’re both justified in their feelings, further allowing character complexities to rise to the center. This temporary rift ending will now hopefully allow them to be better partners and give them the means to communicate that can help in more areas outside of the park. Lucas is right about one thing—he can’t help everyone. That’s impossible, so I do hope we continue exploring this as he goes deeper into the election process. It’s now comforting again that Lee will be standing by him through it because I adore their friendship a whole lot.
An overall solid episode, “Mom’s the Word” doesn’t miss a beat in ensuring that the necessary conversations happen while simultaneously including entertaining bits throughout. You just know that Rosemary had a blast giving Nathan a makeover, and it’s always so great when we get Fiona back.
Stray Thoughts
- I do love the reminder of how Elizabeth was once scared of wolves and how she’s learning about them alongside Allie. It makes for such a lovely beat of growth for both characters.
- There are only so many adorable Nathan and Elizabeth moments a girl can handle! They’re so stinkin’ precious in this episode. Send help! Like, he made her a sandwich!!?! HELLO!?? I’m emotional.
- I love love love that Lucas goes to see Rosemary first, and she realizes how much he misses Lee. It’s also incredibly important for her to understand his motivations, too, and know that nothing he’s done was personal.
- “Sounds like they stole everything but her appetite” is absolutely not something a kid Jack’s age would say, but okay!
- “At home, we call her mom.” 😭 Okay, little Jack. Break my heart, why don’t you.
- So glad Wyatt and that godawful pigtails nickname are part of the past.
Now streaming on Hallmark+: What are your thoughts on When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 5, “Mom’s the Word?” Let us know in the comments below.
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