Sometimes, it takes fresh eyes to help us decipher the root or the heart of the problem.
On When Calls the Heart Season 10 Episode 6, Lucas and Elizabeth taught the children the fine art of negotiation and compromise. When the children became upset, the tourists had overtaken the hot springs. Rosemary struggled with grieving her mom now that she was a new mom.
While these storylines differed, the characters had to find the central issue before moving on. Let’s begin.
Since Cooper discovered the hot springs, they’ve become a bustling tourist attraction. While Angela admitted having more tourists meant more business for their parents, the younger children only cared that their swimming hole had been overtaken.
Cooper: All everybody talks about is how the tourists have a right to be up there.
Angela: But a lot of people have benefitted from the tourists, including our parents.
That was tough because improving the economy was essential, but Allie, Cooper, Angela, and Toby felt their needs weren’t being heard either.
Lucas’s first reaction was to defend the changing economy, but he loves to keep people happy, so he offered to help the children find a compromise. Over time, Lucas has grown more comfortable interacting with children.
While we’ve seen him with Little Jack the most, Elizabeth’s students enjoy him. As Elizabeth taught the children to find a fair compromise, Lucas taught them the art of negotiation.
Lucas is a wonderful bluffer at poker and the mediator between the children and the tourists, especially an uncooperative one named Mr. Mitchell, who refused to cooperate when Allie suggested the tourists use one swimming one and the kids use another and threatened to leave.
Lucas excelled at this, keeping everyone calm, though it appeared he sided with the children since he taught them how to bluff, something Nathan wasn’t thrilled about.
Lucas: Compromise is just a negotiation. Each side needs to feel like they’re getting what they want. You want time at the hot springs. How much time will you settle for?
Toby: A few hours a day and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Allie: Toby, the tourists won’t agree to that!
Lucas: You don’t know what they’ll agree to, but don’t show them your cards. Find out what the tourists will agree to before you tell them what you will agree to. That way, they can’t lowball you.
The tourists still won’t compromise since the hot springs are the best thing in Hope Valley. Lucas realizes they are bored, and Mike suggests a calisthenics class, but he wonders if the tourists would enjoy an exercise class.
That was just the thing since Mr. Mitchell heard those classes were popular, and he agreed to consider sharing the hot springs if there were other activities.
Generally, hot springs are for healing and relaxing, so I understand why Mr. Mitchell wouldn’t want children around, but Hope Valley is a family-family community. Perhaps Mei and Fiona could offer some spa deals combined with the hot springs for relaxation and rejuvenation to appeal to the tourists.
While I enjoyed Lucas and Elizabeth working together, they seem like an old married couple instead of a newly engaged couple. Hopefully, we’ll return to the wedding planning and more romantic scenes soon.
The Coulters still hadn’t selected a name for their baby girl. Nothing resonated with Rosemary or sounded right because of the issues with her family.
Until When Calls the Heart Season 10 and her pregnancy, Rosemary hadn’t talked about her mom much. Becoming a new mom brought back those insecurities about why her mom left and if something was wrong with her.
Little things reminded Rosemary of her mom, beginning with that picture Little Jack gave her in When Calls the Heart Season 10 Episode 5. She seemed so sad she couldn’t share little moments like that. Hearing the song her mom used to sing only triggered her more.
We haven’t seen many Rosemary and Faith one-on-one scenes, so this emotional talk opened up a new side to their relationship. Rosemary tried so hard to be strong, so it helped to know someone else struggled growing up without a mom.
Faith: When I did my residency on the maternity ward, I came to realize that one of the hardest roles to play is a motherless mother.
Rosemary: I never heard that term before. I’ve never had this much love inside me, but I’ve never felt this afraid.
Even though Rosemary hadn’t seen her mother since she was a young girl, Faith suspected that motherhood had brought a new wave of grief for her mom.
Faith: Grief is unusual. It doesn’t know the time.
Rosemary: Grief?
Faith: Rosemary, I think you might be grieving the loss of your mother.
Rosemary: I miss her.
Rosemary had so many questions; the person who could answer them had been gone for years.
Lee and Elizabeth have always supported her, but they were unsure how to help until Elizabeth wondered if they had keepsakes of Rosemary’s mom to give her peace.
Initially, Rosemary never wanted memories of her mother since she believed her mom abandoned her, but now she craved the truth for her peace of mind.
It’s not just me who will want answers. Our daughter deserves to know her grandmother is as well.
Rosemary
Custody battles were different back then, so Rosemary’s mom may have been seen as a deserter for walking out on her family and never allowed access to her daughter.
Imagine Rosemary’s shock that her mom wrote over a dozen letters declaring her love. Rosemary finally connected with her mom after all these years.
She honored her late mother by naming her daughter Marigold and reading her the fairytale that her mom wrote.
Rosemary finally looked confident in her mothering skills, and it was a joy to see.
I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t trust Madeline St. John.
I want to be wrong because Jamie has made friends in Hope Valley and wants to stay, and Bill lights up when he’s around both of them.
They all deserve some happiness, but I suspect she’s behind the land parcels bought in the valley and the well going dry.
After what happened to Harry and his community, I’d hate her to bring the same effect to Hope Valley.
Joseph and Minnie Canfield have become the pillars of Hope Valley. Their marriage is so charming, how they help each other and compete with who’s BBQ sauce tastes the best.
They are the best at getting the entire town together, including reluctant guests.
Times are changing in Hope Valley as couples mix it up. Nathan finally asked Faith to dance.
Will this be the next step in their relationship, or are they destined to be friends?
If you watch When Calls the Heart online, you know Hope Valley has one of the best communities, and the community BBQ proved that yet again.
What about you?
Are you relieved that Baby Coulter finally has a name? What do you think of the tourists overtaking the hot springs?
Share your thoughts below. Carissa Pavlica will return next week, but filling in for her on this series was fun.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.