I've taken a few days, watched more of the drama over the Season 8 finale play out over social media than I should have, and revisited some aspects of previous seasons. I don't typically use this blog for the purpose of analyzing television shows, but I feel like I need to say this, and since this site rarely gets any traffic, it feels a safe enough place to do so.
SPOILER ALERT - If you haven't seen the Season 8 finale of When Calls the Heart, stop here.
So, Elizabeth chose Lucas. I will state up front that I was Team Lucas, but not so much for the character himself (though I do love Chris McNally). I was team "tell a better story" and it seems that I was on the same page as the writers and the showrunner based on the interviews I've read/listened to. I liked Nathan, and I think he's got a bright future in Hope Valley, but I did not want to watch Elizabeth fall for another Mountie. I've seen a lot of arguments about the original story being about a teacher and a Mountie, but let's be real here. The original story was about a teacher named Elizabeth and a Mountie named Wynn. Not Jack. Not Nathan. Janette Oke eventually wrote a companion series for the show featuring the original Elizabeth's niece and a Mountie named Jarrick (Jack for short), but if you're going to complain about Hallmark going off book, you probably shouldn't have watched at all because the entire series is off book. The original Elizabeth spends much of her life with Wynn in the northern territories, not in a small town like Hope Valley, and the last couple of books in the series are focused on their children.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let's delve into the show. In season 5, hearties everywhere were devastated when Daniel Lissing chose to leave the show to pursue other opportunities and the decision was made to kill off Jack. We all loved Jack. We waited five seasons for Jack and Elizabeth to really begin their lives together. Because Hallmark had dragged out their courtship for so long, we had a limited experience with that life and I think a lot of us felt cheated. They gave us a beautiful wedding and Elizabeth was revealed to be pregnant with Jack's son at the end, but let's be real again. That wasn't what we wanted. I think most fans that stuck with the show made their peace with that situation as Daniel Lissing's decision left Hallmark with limited options. I don't think we would have liked him recast, but it was hard to see Elizabeth's (and our) hopes and dreams dashed so brutally.
Then in season 6, we were dealt another blow. I'll be 100% honest here, I feel like the situation with Lori Loughlin was handled appropriately and I'm in no hurry to see her return to the show. If they chose to recast Abigail, that would be one thing, but I also will not pledge to leave the show if they do bring her back. I question how difficult that would be since she is a convicted felon and Canada has laws against allowing felons into the country within a certain timeframe of their sentencing, but that's Canada's and Hallmark's decision to make, not mine.
We were warned early on that Elizabeth would not be paired with someone immediately and I think it was wise that the showrunners gave both her and the viewers a chance to truly grieve. We were also warned of the love triangle. This is not the first love triangle of the show, though it was truly the most played up. We had Elizabeth, Rosemary, and Jack. We had Elizabeth, Jack, and Billy Hamilton. We also had Elizabeth, Jack, and Charles. I know nobody really thought any of those other triangles stood a chance, which is why I think Hallmark thought to up the stakes a bit. Elizabeth has already had one great love of her life, and it would make sense for her to take her time in finding her second great love.
Now, I've watched multiple interviews, and I've read various articles. I know what all of the polls said about who the fans thought Elizabeth should choose. I have two things to say about the polls. First, most of the polls were taken after filming ended. Unless Hallmark had made the decision to film Elizabeth choosing both men separately and then aired the ending of the one most favored by fans, those polls were unlikely to have any impact on the outcome. Second, ask Hilary Clinton how accurate polling is. For every American who has tweeted or posted about the polls, I can't help shaking my head. Clearly, we have learned absolutely nothing from the 2016 election... I will also add that if my daughter's local school system followed their own polls or social media commentary, they would have reopened at full capacity back in September and my daughter probably would have gotten COVID. There's something to be said about a vocal minority, no matter what unscientific polling says (and they are unscientific because on many of the ones I've seen, people can vote multiple times just by refreshing the page).
I want to break this down by the arguments I've seen and my counter points to those arguments. So, let's get to it, shall we?
1. The original story was between a teacher and Mountie.
I've addressed this above, but I will make one final point: the original story is about a teacher. The original books are all written from Elizabeth's point of view (at least until the ones focused on her children). It was her story. I've seen people talking about how they want to move on from Elizabeth's story and focus on other characters in Hope Valley. I think, since Jack's death, Hallmark has done a much better job of incorporating other characters' storylines into the episodes. But if people are going to make the argument for the original premise, then the showrunners can't really delegate Elizabeth to the background. That's why all of the promo pictures show Elizabeth front and center. It's her story.
2. Elizabeth is unrecognizable from the earlier seasons.
I think that was part of the point of season 8. Previously, we saw Elizabeth mourning Jack and trying to come into her own as a single mother. In season 8, she had to confront her growing feelings for two different, honorable men. Nathan dropped multiple bombshells on her. First, that he loves her, and second, that he was supposed to be on that training mission, but Jack went in his place. I think we saw a lot of Elizabeth in the anger stage of grief. She was angry at Nathan for what she initially saw as his part in Jack's death. She lashed out at Rosemary for telling her, truthfully, that it wasn't Nathan's fault. She's already confused about her feelings for Nathan, and now she probably can't help wondering if she would have kept her distance from him if he had revealed this devastating news to her sooner. Hurt people hurt people. She's also depressed, she states she feels so lost. With Jack, she had a clear choice, her heart was 100% his, even when they faltered in season 2, we all knew they belonged together. If Elizabeth's own words and actions don't demonstrate that she had a tough choice, the divided fanbase certainly should. We watched her go from that anger and depression to acceptance. Jack is gone. He was, as one fan eloquently put it, "called home" and that was why he was her season. I saw someone complain about how this was portrayed, that they would be really upset if someone called their late spouse a season. I don't think the writers meant disrespect with this wording. She wanted Jack to be her lifetime. Hell, we ALL wanted Jack to be her lifetime, but it wasn't meant to be. Elizabeth finally came to terms with this and we see that when she removes her rings. Her heart is ready, she is ready, to let go of Jack and all of the hopes and dreams she held for their future.
3. The writers dragged Team Nathan on for ratings.
First of all, everything the show does is for ratings. The cliffhangers in earlier seasons? For ratings. Ratings are how the show survives. If they don't boost their ratings, they get cancelled. Welcome to television economics 101.
Secondly, they really didn't. Elizabeth told Nathan in episode 2 that she couldn't give him what he wanted. Now, clearly, many fans have analyzed this as Elizabeth running away from the pain of losing Nathan like she lost Jack. But hear me out. Nathan promises he won't let anything happen to himself and swears he'll quit the Mounties. Elizabeth would never want that for him. She wouldn't want him to sacrifice his career, his livelihood, or any dreams for her. She's not that type of person, and for all the people who say she's "unrecognizable," she clearly learned this lesson from Jack in season 2. Her father offered Jack a position, she encourages him to consider it, but he tells her that that is not him. She accepts this for Jack, why would she now do a 180 for Nathan? Not to mention, if Nathan gives up the Mounties, then the argument from #1 is null and void because either way she chooses, she ends up with not-a-Mountie.
Going back to my original point. Elizabeth told Nathan she could not give him what he wanted. Nathan (and apparently Team Nathan) took this as a challenge to "fight for love." In the words of the amazing Captain Awkward, if someone tells you they can't or don't want to be with you, believe them. Take them at their word. If Elizabeth were to change her mind in the future and come back to Nathan, then that's fine because then it's HER choice. And she would have to deal with any consequences of Nathan moving on from her at that point. Lucas understood this. In episode 11, we see him let Elizabeth go so she can find her own way. That wonderful saying people quote all the time "if you love something, set it free," that is what Lucas did. Nathan got there in episode 12, but I feel like he might have had a better chance if he had let her go in episode 2. He didn't. He also insisted to Rosemary that he wasn't ready to do that yet. I get it, he loves her, it's hard to walk away from someone you love. But this isn't a fairytale. It's fictional, but that's different from a fairytale, and I think there's something to be said about giving someone the space to determine their own feelings about you and not trying to "fight" your way into their heart.
Now, I'm going to take moment to get personal. I have been in a few love triangles in my time. Some of them were true triangles where I was torn between two men, but most of them have been forced triangles in that, I had already made a choice, and the potential suitor who wasn't that choice wouldn't let go. So for me, this situation after episode 2 started to feel like the second scenario, but then later proved to be the first. Elizabeth told Nathan she couldn't give him what he wanted, she went to Lucas and told him what she had told Nathan, and then she and Lucas started clearly courting. I once switched public transportation stations and took a completely different train to avoid one of the men who wouldn't let go. Elizabeth doesn't have much option in avoiding Nathan and I think, since she wants to be his friend (in my situation, by the time I switched stations, I was done), she wouldn't want to avoid him anyway.
My point here is: the signs were there. Yes, in later episodes it seemed like Elizabeth was faltering or wavering in her choice, which is what led Lucas to let her go in episode 11. And I think that's completely natural in a true love triangle because she truly does love both men. But I think there were even signs in those episodes that Elizabeth was coming to terms with her projection of Jack onto Nathan. The scene with the serge by the fire? The look in her eyes told me she was thinking of Jack, and I feel like at that moment, it started to dawn on her what she was doing.
The other thing that drives me crazy about this argument is that many fans seem to want to have their cake and eat it too. I've seen the same people saying that "Nathan never had a shot" while cursing the show for not choosing him. If you feel that Nathan never had a shot (which I honestly agree with), then why on earth would you expect him to be the winner at the end? He and Elizabeth never even had one date. The one time they were supposed to go to dinner, she cancelled to see Lucas' mother. And when Allie invited her to go to dinner at their house, she turned her down flat. Besides, a lot of the scenes that led Lucas to let her go were a misinterpretation on his part in my opinion. Elizabeth told him that Nathan told her he loves her, but didn't really have an answer when Lucas asked her what she said in response. Then he saw Nathan's horse in front of Elizabeth's house, but didn't know the purpose of the visit, which leads me to...
4. Lucas wasn't fighting for love, he just left.
I don't disagree with this argument, but I have a different interpretation. Lucas has never had a reason to stay in one place for a long period. In season 7, he tells Elizabeth that he came to Hope Valley in the hopes of one day settling down and having a family. But he acknowledges that he's traveled a lot and moved around in his youth. So, here he thinks he's found the woman of his dreams, and it looks like he's about to lose her to another guy. He's heartbroken, and he's trying to protect himself. We saw a lot of Lucas protecting himself in his first season: answering Bill's questions very vaguely. Team Nathan fans have said he has something to hide (despite evidence that his deep dark secret was revealed in Season 6 and, ironically, it was NATHAN who had the big dark secret this season, but I digress), but I think that's just how he's learned to be. I compare him to Allie in this way. The constant movement, the lack of roots, it's similar. Allie protected her heart when she first got to Hope Valley, too. Lucas has never been as fully embraced and welcomed to Hope Valley as Allie has (nor by the fan base based on comments I've seen on social media). I expect that next season we will start to peel back more layers of Lucas' background and character. But as long as it was clear that Elizabeth was unsure of her feelings for him, I don't blame him for not putting it all out there. He was not only vulnerable, he was respectful of Elizabeth's feelings and wanted her to come to him on her own. Again, from my own personal experience, Elizabeth's comment of Nathan making the situation harder is spot on. She's confused, and having someone declare their love for you is overwhelming, especially if you just told them you can't be with them.
This is also one of the many reasons I support the writers in choosing Lucas. I'm not sure what else would have kept him in Hope Valley beyond Elizabeth. He was ready to sell the saloon at the end of season 8, so I don't know that he'd have any qualms about moving on if she had chosen Nathan instead. But Nathan has Allie and he already gave up a promotion to stay, for her. That said, I do have some annoyance at the storyline that Nathan came to HV to protect Elizabeth because in season 6, he was offered a promotion and almost left. So, it seems odd that he would even consider the promotion if he came to HV to protect Elizabeth.
5. Elizabeth is reverting back to her "spoiled" Hamilton self.
I had a really hard time with this argument because in season 2, Elizabeth, very clearly, tells Jack that Hamilton and HV are both huge parts of her. She states that she likes living in a big house in Hamilton when she's there, but she also loved being on the homestead. I think we're seeing a revisit to her former life in Hamilton with Lucas and I think it's a good thing to remember that she still appreciates both aspects of herself. Before season 7, we hadn't really seen her Hamilton life so much since season 2 as Julie came to see her in HV and we haven't seen much of her family otherwise. So, it was nice to see her revisit her roots. I think this is another positive thing for the Lucas choice. They have a common background, but they both seem to prefer the small town life offered in HV. I will never understand what is wrong with Elizabeth loving both the life she left in Hamilton and the life she has built in HV. Does everyone making this argument also hate their home town if they left it?
6. Lucas is not a family man/cannot cut firewood
I cannot even believe I have to dignify this argument with a response. Is Nathan the ONLY man in HV who can cut wood? Besides, Jack cut wood first, so doesn't that mean Nathan is just a copycat? See how ridiculous that sounds? And Lucas told her in season 7 that he was looking at HV as a place to settle down and start a family. If Nathan is the only "Family Man TM" allowed in HV, then what does that make Lee and Jesse?
7. Lucas is a saloon owner and that is the worst profession for that time period.
What about HV reminds people of Old West movies? Seriously, what about it? Sure, there's been some criminals who have come to town a few times, but the saloon doesn't also have a brothel or cancan girls dancing in the background. I saw one comment say that a teacher would be fired if they stepped foot in a saloon back then and it took a large degree of willpower not to respond sarcastically with "then I guess Elizabeth should have been fired in season 1 since she literally taught school there." Some of these arguments...I just can't even.
Besides, Lucas is not only a saloon owner, is he? While I would argue that the "saloon" is really more of a restaurant/bar/hotel, he also has stake in the oil business. So, he could, at some point, sell the saloon and take more of an interest there.
8. The storylines are already similar between Lucas and Elizabeth to Elizabeth and Jack.
I think we need to have a conversation about what is an actual "storyline" and what is a similar background or action in a scene. A storyline has a plot, it's not just a gesture or a similar background. For example, the storyline of Jesse being lost on a mountain in the woods, THAT is a repeated storyline. But I've seen some really ridiculous comparisons as "storylines." For instance, I saw someone comparing Elizabeth and Jack watching fireworks to Lucas and Elizabeth watching the lanterns just because they were both looking up at the sky. Completely different holidays (E&J were at New Year's, E&L were at Christmas) and circumstances, but because they were standing together watching something in the sky, it was the same. Just...what?
The candles in the final scene were also compared to past scenes with Elizabeth and Jack. I think that's more a question of Hallmark's choice of background than a storyline.
That's it for arguments, so let me take a minute to talk about the storyline itself.
A fellow Team Lucas fan stated that they felt like we watched a different show from Team Nathan. I know a few TN fans who said they fast-forwarded through the TL scenes, but I don't think the vast majority did this. I think some of it was misinterpretation. I've seen others say that the story wasn't told right and I can agree that's a valid criticism. There were parts of the finale that even I felt were rushed. But I think the reason the season worked for me was because I understand how easy it is to falter when you are in a true love triangle. There's even a musical that addresses the different paths our lives could lead based on the choices we make: If/Then. I've never seen the full musical, but I've read the premise and listened to the soundtrack enough to know that we follow the protagonist down two different paths she could take.
I think the story could have been told better, and I agree with fans who have said it would have been a better story if they had known the character arcs going into it. But I think that's the difference between a movie or a novel in that a writer can plan for a character arc. With television, you're limited to your season and, for whatever reason, Hallmark chose not to really pursue either guy in season 7, they focused more on building up the triangle itself. I think if they had gone into this with a clear choice in mind, it would have been a better story. As I said, this is a valid criticism I have seen from TN fans, that it didn't seem like the writers had a clear end goal. I do think some of the wavering Elizabeth had later in the season was to up the ante and boost ratings, but I also think there were some things TN is in denial about. I'm currently rewatching seasons 6-8, so I may do a follow-up post on this. I am currently working on a novel that will include a love triangle and I have a clear winner in mind, so I'm hoping my story will receive a better reception (should I ever get published) than this story did, but I have the benefit of writing a full length novel and not just a seasonal show.
Erin said in interviews that they couldn't go wrong with either guy and I think, if the majority of TN fans I've seen being vocal on social media (note this is not inclusive of all TN. Let me rephrase in a way that makes sense in this day and age: #NotAllTeamNathan) had given Lucas even a hint of a chance, they wouldn't have been so blindsided. Based on the comments I've seen, a lot of people see him as a "sleazy" "saloon-owner" who is "clearly hiding something." This has amused me to no end because at the same time people are tearing down Lucas, they are raising up Henry in his ongoing redemption story. I guess HV only has room for one redemption at a time?
Personally, I expected that she would pick Nathan because of the predictable storyline. I stopped watching the show live and would watch it later in the week for two reasons: 1) the 9 p.m. time went too late for me and 2) the fanbase had become a rabid cesspool of its former self. For everyone saying Elizabeth was unrecognizable, look at the tweets of the so-called "hearties" even before Lucas was revealed as the choice. Now, somehow, it has denigrated even further.
I think I've beat the love triangle to death, but I do want to talk about one other aspect of the finale and a storyline as a whole: Elizabeth's journey as a writer. We saw her write her short stories and try and fail to publish them. Jack created a book of them for her with his illustrations, which was beautiful. We see her share her dream with Lucas and his encouragement. She falters, it impacts their developing relationship, but ultimately she decides to embrace a bigger challenge: writing a novel. She meets his mother, they argue over changes, but it culminates beautifully in a finished manuscript in the finale.
This has been my favorite storyline. I'm a writer (if this blog post doesn't prove it) and I was so inspired by Elizabeth's journey that last summer I enrolled in a MFA program in fiction writing. I've finished a novel and am working on a second while editing that novel. If things work out, I might be a published author at Hallmark itself. That would be a dream come true! So, if any of the WCTH writers are reading this, know that this storyline was truly inspiring! As happy as I am that Lucas was the choice in the end, the love triangle does not compare in my heart to seeing Elizabeth come into her own as a writer. It was just what this writer needed to relight a fire of my own.
I am looking forward to season 9. I hope the fallout from the love triangle heals with time and cooler heads prevail above the more vocal fans, but even if this does become the last season for this show, I'm amazed at how much it has grown in the last 8 years. Kudos to the cast and crew! #heartieforlife
No comments:
Post a Comment