When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 10, “Through the Valley” Spoilers Ahead
The last ten minutes of “Through the Valley” make it impossible to focus on anything that’s come before. When Calls the Heart always knows to tug hard on serious matters, and given how this show tends to handle such storylines with grace, I’m not too nervous. Still, it’s going to be so hard to watch the next two episodes without holding our breaths because nothing is worse than when a kid’s life is in danger. Between the music and the final shot of Elizabeth’s stunned face, it’s certainly a gut-wrenching way to leave the audience hanging.
The majority of the episode wraps up the McGinty case opened up in last week’s “Buried Treasure” and brings the Hazelnut Harvest into motion, but where it shines is in the reminder that Hope Valley is a community. In the same way that Edie, a newcomer, now feels safe enough to walk away from her chains because there’s trust in the people she’s met, then it’s surely a reminder that everyone will show up for the little boy in need.
Bad News Comes to Hope Valley in When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 10
The signs that something was wrong had been sprinkled throughout the season. And while there aren’t many things I can say with full confidence about any show, I can say that I fully believe When Calls the Heart won’t ever harm or leave little Jack in a state of perpetual suffering. He’s going to be okay. It’s terrifying at the moment, but insulin became widely accessible in 1923, so I imagine that the series will explore how the medication changes the lives of those diagnosed with diabetes. Still, right now, the fear is at large.
Erin Krakow is always extraordinary, and I frequently sing her praises in my reviews, but how she channels fear, especially for little Jack, is always so hard to watch because it feels real. She doesn’t hold anything back in revealing what we all know, which is the fact that this little boy is her entire world—her everything. From the moment the kids came running about how Jack was missing to the expression on her face when she saw Nathan holding his lethargic body, Krakow delivered a full range of achingly authentic emotions.
For a beat, things were calm again. Still, it’s late at night when Faith comes over, breaking the news to Elizabeth and Nathan that little Jack has diabetes, leaving us with Elizabeth’s painfully broken, “but there’s no cure for diabetes” as Nathan tries to quietly comfort her.
There’s also a need here to talk about Andrea Brooks’ performance because this is a small town, and she’s not just a doctor but a friend. She isn’t someone who’s passing by, but her pain is deep, too. She knows little Jack, she cares about Elizabeth deeply, and we know for a fact that this is the hardest news she’s ever had to break. Her tearfully distressed countenance and everything we get before with Mei shows us just how challenging this moment is. And then, of course, there’s Kevin McGarry and every expression he delivers to display how devastating this is for Nathan.
To have this moment after he gave little Jack a baseball glove the night before and to be the one who finds him passed out in the field can’t be easy. He loves little Jack with everything in him the way he loves Allie, so it’s going to hit so hard when we watch him try to be Elizabeth’s strength in all of this.
Peace Out, McGinty
When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 10, “Through the Valley” also sees the return of Melissa Gilbert’s Georgie and the possible last of McGinty. Though he doesn’t go gently into the night, he first threatens to sue Allie, and it isn’t until they all intervene to find more information on him that leads to the end of it all.
It’s a good thing this storyline is done with because it’s going to be so tough to watch anything else while we’re trying to focus on little Jack and his recovery. It’s lovely, though still, to get a glimpse of Nathan and Lucas fighting against McGinty together and backing each other up through it. It’s also comforting to know that maybe Edie will now be protected, too. (Hopefully.) There’s a lot of good that happens here with quiet and important conversations, but with the awful news at the end, so much of it becomes an afterthought. The focus is on little Jack, as it should be.
Stray Thoughts
- I feel like we should all come prepared with tissues for next week’s episode.
- We all knew Bill had feelings for George, but like will it actually go anywhere?
- Also, Edie and Lucas — now that we’re (maybe) out of the woods with McGinty, can these two go out on a proper date?
- I really adore scenes where Allie opens up to Nathan. There’s something so heartfelt about them.
- Also, Henry’s face as he was searching for little Jack nearly wrecked me. It’s such a small moment, but Martin Cummins packs so much into it.
- This show makes me want hazelnuts more than I should.
- I also sort of need this case to be done and for Rosemary to be involved in something more gripping. But I did adore the bits of her and Bill + Georgie.
- Lucas looked like he was barely holding it together when Edie walked in, and honestly, same, dude.
Now streaming on Hallmark+: What are your thoughts on When Calls the Heart Season 12, Episode 10, “Through the Valley?” Let us know in the comments below.
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