YouTube/Hallmark When Calls the Heart
The creator and executive producer of Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart, Brian Bird, revealed that Elizabeth’s horse ride at the end of Season 8 Episode 2 had a deeper meaning that some fans might have missed.
This article will have spoilers for Season 8 Episode 2 of When Calls the Heart.
Her Horse Ride Was a Callback to What She Did After Jack Died
After Season 8 Episode 2 aired, Bird revealed the deeper meaning behind her horse ride after Nathan proclaimed his love.
On Twitter, he wrote: “That horse ride took her right back to where she was in the moments after Jack’s death. This is hard TV, but good TV. #Hearties
@hallmarkchannel @SCHeartHome”
This is likely a reference to Season 5 when Elizabeth learned about Jack’s death. She took his horse for a ride as she sorted through their memories and dealt with her new grief.
He also warned that more surprises are coming in future episodes.
Okay, #Hearties… hang in there… life is a journey in Hope Valley and in your life. Thank you for watching and for supporting @WCTH_TV. We will see you for more gasps next week! #Hearties @hallmarkchannel @SCHeartHome
He wrote: “Okay, #Hearties… hang in there… life is a journey in Hope Valley and in your life. Thank you for watching and for supporting @WCTH_TV. We will see you for more gasps next week! #Hearties @hallmarkchannel @SCHeartHome”
He emphasized that she’s still nursing a broken heart over Jack’s death.
Everybody in Hope Valley needs Carson this episode… Lee, Mike, Henry… and now Elizabeth nursing a broken heart. #Hearties @hallmarkchannel @SCHeartHome
As Elizabeth deals with her broken heart, fans can be assured that Lucas hasn’t given up on her yet either.
In an interview with ET, Chris McNally said: “I think the stakes are a lot higher in season 8, rather than flowers being the biggest gesture that we saw in season 7, it moves to a date or physical contact: a hand on a hand, something like that. There’s a few moments, a few events that Lucas tries to orchestrate and … you see Lucas open up a little bit and show a bit of a sense of vulnerability that you maybe haven’t seen before”
Erin Krakow also talked to ET about what was going through Elizabeth’s mind when Nathan made his big confession. She said:
There’s a line in the scene, something like, ‘If I stay, it’ll only make things harder.’ And I think that was probably the mantra that was running through her head, that sense of, like, ‘This is an impossible situation. I’m just trying to follow my heart, my gut here, and make a decision. And you are making it impossible.’ So I think the goal there was really to just extricate herself. And even when by sitting up on that horse and Kevin cried out the way he did… It was just, it’s heartbreaking. I mean, he did such a great job…
Bird Corrected Someone Who Said Elizabeth’s Heart Was ‘Bursting’ from Nathan’s Proclamation
A fan said that Elizabeth’s heart was “bursting” when Nathan proclaimed his love because she just wasn’t ready to answer his proclamation yet. But Bird had a different take.
He replied: “But her heart was bursting in not a good way.”
Some fans responded that this didn’t dampen their hope for Team Lucas. One fan wrote: “True… but she wouldn’t be so emotional if there weren’t strong feelings there.”
Another fan wrote back: “It’s hard when it becomes real and you have to face your fears!”
But another fan had a different take, writing: “That poor woman. He is continually bringing up past trauma of losing her husband. I want him to leave her alone.”