When Calls The Heart’s Season 8 finale was the culmination of multiple seasons of romantic angst for one Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow). The Hallmark show lost main character Jack Thornton back in 2018 and has spent the last few seasons having Elizabeth raise Jack’s son, keeping Jack's memory alive while, of course, choosing between two handsome new love interests: Nathan and Lucas.
A hallmark of the Hallmark series, if you will, over the last few seasons has been pitting both Nathan and Lucas opposite one another (in a friendly-yet-competitive manner) while showing why both might be worthwhile of Elizabeth’s affections. More recently, Lucas and Elizabeth had begun a tentative courtship, but that was cut a little short once Elizabeth seemingly still showed interest in what Nathan had to offer. Both men have merits, or as Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) noted:
Jack was a season and it was glorious. Now it’s up to you to decide who might be here for a season, or even a lifetime.
What Elizabeth Said To Nathan
It didn’t take Elizabeth long to make at least one decision. We were only about halfway through the episode when Elizabeth took charge of her future and went to speak to Nathan. During the finale, Elizabeth first expressed that she was thankful that such a “courageous, selfless” man was watching over her since Jack’s death. She let him down gently, saying, “Nathan, I do love you, it would be impossible not to, but I’m not in love with you.”
I know some of you Hearties who have been voting for Team Nathan for weeks are going to be disappointed and I get it. Nathan is a stand-up guy. He also already has experience with children, having taken on the care of Allie. He’s a mountie and Elizabeth already understands what life as the wife of a mountie entails. But as she noted, he’s not her future. He’s more like a tie to her past.
What Nathan Said To Lucas
Weirdly, it wasn’t Elizabeth who first shared the good news with Lucas. Instead, Nathan and Lucas shared a drink and talked about the Pinkertons in Hope Valley before Nathan got to the point. Elizabeth is not in love with him, as we’ve already established. Unfortunately, Lucas is still a little sour grapes and mentions to Nathan he’s thinking of just giving up and selling the saloon. Nathan, who knows a good thing when he sees it, advises Lucas to do no such thing.
What Lucas Said To Elizabeth To End Season 8
Near the end of the episode, the saloon was shut down and Lee admitted he'd seen Lucas leaving in his vehicle. She frantically ran down the road, but it was seemingly too late. That moment we'd seen in the trailer and more of Elizabeth looking upset was just that. I honestly thought for a minute the show would leave us on a cliffhanger once more. The good news? Lucas came back later and the two made out on a charming bridge. Elizabeth thought he had left, but Lucas said he hadn't and told Elizabeth she was "all that matters" and "all that's important."
The episode ended with Elizabeth in a sparkly outfit showing off the "galley form" of her new book. The two indulged in some champagne and he called her "true," "selfless," "sweet," and "beautiful." Y'all, how were you not swooning for this guy all season? The When Calls The Heart finale solved one problem, but it created another. What's next for Nathan? He and Faith shared a nice commiserating moment at the very end of the episode, but we'll have to wait and see where that storyline goes when the show goes back. Now that When Calls The Heart was renewed for Season 9 I have to hope that "problem" is something the show will choose to explore and conclude in the next set of episodes. After losing a couple of characters at the end of Season 8, I'd like Nathan and Allie to stick around.
Elsewhere in the episode, a newspaper was born, Carson said goodbye, Jesse was found and Bill and Henry Gowan inexplicably came to a sort of truce and shook hands before Henry left Hope Valley himself. The school issue surrounding the school board and the Canfields' blind daughter was also resolved when the town rallied as a community. Basically, a lot of stuff happened in one short episode, tying up some major storylines but also serving as a segue into Season 9. Hearties, we'll keep you updated when we know more about what's on the way. For now, are you happy the love triangle seems to be over?
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