Overview: When Hope Calls S1

Image Credit: Parade  

    

    Happy Friday everyone and welcome to the month of November! Oh my goodness, we are getting closer everyday to WCTH's new Christmas Special! Only 54 more days to go!

    Well as most people know by now, When Hope Calls' first season came to an end this past week. It hasn't been renewed as far as I know, but there is an article that says,

    North Bay Nipissing reported that they were looking at a five-year run for filming in the town.

  

    FIVE YEARS?!? That's a pretty good indication of a second season if you ask me. You can read it for yourself here.  https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/09/hallmark-when-hope-calls/

    Anyhow, I thought for today's post I would give a quick overview of the entire show so far, and my thoughts on it!

    (And yes the final episode review for WCTH S6 is still coming. Don't worry I haven't forgot! Maybe with Kevin McGarry's Christmas movie airing this weekend, I can review his movie and the first episode his character appeared in. It could be McGarry week! We'll see!)

Characters

    

This department definitely gets a thumbs up from me! All the main characters are well developed, and colorful with their own unique personalities. My favorite characters are obviously Lillian, Grace, Gabriel, and Chuck. As far as 'Teams' go, I would love to see more of team Gillian! I want to watch Gabriel pursue Lillian and the two of them fall in love!

    I'm also going to comment again on Jocelyn Hudon's wonderful acting skills! Her emotions and facial expressions really enhance and enrich the story. That being said I really do enjoy each of the main characters and the roles they play. Their personalities are so different and fun, and it's great to watch them bring the characters to life! (Still working on Tess, but I know she has a good heart underneath those rough edges.)

 

Scenery

Image Credit: Parade

    

    Moving on we come to a center point of the show, the town of Brookefield it's self. Being honest I like Hope Valley better, as it's not only bigger, but I just like the look and feel of it better. Yet even with that, Brookfield still takes you back to another time and place. It feels like a newer town to me, as it is. Like it was only started a decade ago.

Image Credit: Parade

    

    I'm going to say that by far one of  my favorite places is the orphanage. Just the look and feel of the place and the landscape around it makes it feel like it's something out of an old time movie or TV series. It's a beautiful place to live and reminds me of Anne of Green Gables. 

Fun Fact: Did you know that THE Megan Follows, AKA Anne Shirley, actually helped direct the show! Whoa!

 

 

Chemistry

    So far I definitely think that the main characters all have chemistry. Team Gillian, Team Chace, and even Lillian and Sam have chemistry. Now it's definitely not Jack and Elizabeth level, but it's definitely there and that's very, VERY important in a show like this.

Image Credit: Parade

    Chuck and Grace have this very sweet and sort of shy at times romance going on, yet they can turn the heat on when they disagree. This is important to have in a show so that the characters aren't super sweet and unrealistically perfect. Granted I don't want that kind of tension in every episode, through the ENTIRE 42 minutes of the episode, but a nice balance between romance and arguments is good.

Image Credit: Parade

    Lillian and Gabriel are flirty and more witty at times, never actually speaking their attraction, but rather showing it. Their arguments are never quite as heated as Team Chace, but they definitely have their moments.

Image Credit: Parade

    

    Lillian and Sam also have some sparks flying, but I think that she's going to end with Gabriel so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. The two are opposites as Lillian likes to be in control and have things done properly, and Sam is free spirited and spontaneous. Truthfully they seem to balance each other out, but once again I think that Lillian is Gabriel's girl. (Sorry Sam!)

Image Credit: Parade

    I do think that Joe and Maggie would also make a very sweet couple, but I've only seen so much of them together. Hopefully if we get a second season we'll get to see the two become a couple! #TeamMoe

 

Costumes

    

    This is a big part of what made the thought of this series so exciting. The look, feel, and design reminded me of S1 of WCTH, which is pretty much every Hearties favorite season. The clothes feel more country and time appropriate in a way. Some are a bit more fancy than others which is perfectly fine with me. It wouldn't look as pretty if the characters were traipsing around in threadbare home spun dresses that they've been wearing for the past three years. I enjoy the long pretty skirts and the beautifully designed blouses! Good job to everyone who made this happen!

 

Storylines

    

 Image Credit: Parade

    At the start of the show there were a lot of things that happened that were very similar to WCTH if not almost the same. Some people loved it, but for me it was was a bit too similar. That being said, this is a WCTH spin off series after all.

    Anyhow, the show did hold my interest, and I really did enjoy it. Grace's past holds so much emotion and pain, that it's one of the best story lines of the show. In fact Lillian and Grace's whole story is one of the best in this whole series.

    There were also a lot of great and funny moments that made me laugh, which is always a plus. The show itself is very lighthearted and feel good with an element of faith running through it. The fact that there was an actual scene where everyone stood together and prayed is wonderful. Especially in the world of television we live in today.

    The story lines that interest me most are definitely the romantic relationships. With that being said it shouldn't surprise you when I say that two of my favorite moments from this season are when Gabriel saved Lillian from the fire, (And did that cool Mountie kick!) and Chuck and Grace's first kiss.

    

    Overall for me, When Calls the Heart still holds it's place as my #1 favorite show, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy When Hope Calls because I truly did. Each week I eagerly sat down to see what would happen next, and it's sad that it's over. It entertained me, surprised me, and all in all was a fun show.

    I definitely would like to see what's going to happen next, especially with Gabriel and Lillian, and whether or not Joe and Maggie become a couple. I also would like to see Chuck propose to Grace in S2, as I think them as a married couple on the show would be fun. I just don't think it's going to happen that fast. After all, Jack and Elizabeth were perfect for each other and it took them 5 SEASONS to finally tie the knot.

   Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment below or on my Twitter page! (Blog comments will be answered via email.) God Bless!