WCTH Episode Review: An Unexpected Gift

    Can somebody please close my gaping jaw? Yeeeeeeeeeek!!! Oh my goodness! What a time! What an episode! And hello everyone and welcome back to this week's episode review! Can you believe that we're already half way through the season? (At least I think so. I never saw anywhere saying how many episodes this season has. Comment if you know, but please no spoilers. :)

    This time I watched this latest episode the actual night it premiered! Usually I'm a day late, but not this time! (Yippee!) And man, oh, man do I have some things to say! Things are getting hot! I'm not sure just yet, but this could prove to be a long review!

    First off may I just thank the WCTH production team for bringing me this wonderful night of fun. I burst out laughing multiple times! There are scenes in this episode that are just hilarious! SO good! One of the great things about this episode was just watching the characters facial expressions! Finally everyone is fitting in and feeling like they're just apart of the group! (Including Nathan for once!)

The Adventures of Fiona & Kevin

   Well, these two are getting to know each other. It's like I always say. What better way to get acquainted with someone then to help them hide a rich man's car? Lol! Now first off...Wow! Fiona let her hair down!!! Aside from her looking pretty, it gives her a different feel as a character. Here's hoping we get to see more of that look!
 
    Next we come to the whole car situation. First things first, and that is we now know that Fiona has a driver's license, and that you don't need one in Hope Valley! (But that was obvious when Rosemary had her fiasco with Lee's car and nearly ran over some chickens.)
    It was funny when Fiona was able to convince Henry to loan her his car, as it kind of felt like a teenage girl begging her father for his car. And with a little push from Bill it worked! (Even with his selfish reason for helping...Lol!) And after almost killing Rosemary, she was on her way!
    Then came the car trouble, Jeb with his "tow wagon," and Rosemary fleeing the scene of the crime. (Really Rosemary? I mean, I understand about keeping an appointment with the bride, but you didn't even come back later to see if everything worked out okay.)

    Henceforth the adventures of Fiona and Kevin begin. I know I gave Kevin a bad wrap before...and I'm still going to. It's just...he's just too...boring. There's nothing mysterious, or spunky, or anything really to intrigue me with his character. He is, however, a guy who spunky Fiona can wrap around her little finger. Kinda like Hickam and Rosemary from Seasons 2 and 3. One little compliment from her and he's like, "Well, you know I could give it a try." Maybe I'll grow to like them eventually, but for now I'm not super thrilled about the match.
    I will say this, though. Those two showing up late to the party looked super suspicious and scandalous! Back in that time the town gossips would have been chatting up a storm if that happened. (Who knows? Maybe they did!) Kevin and Fiona were so evasive like, "Oh, it was a work thing," and Kevin was flat out nervous around the guys.
    Anyway, it all worked out in the end. I wondered if the car was just out of gas or something and it turns out that the car wasn't even broken. (I was scared Kevin might mess something up when he tried to fix it!)

 

Carson's New Secretary

    My Molly, how you get around. One moment your cleaning Bill's office and the next your Doctor Shepherd's secretary! And boy was that a mess. The poor woman. She really wanted to help, and she's just not had a whole lot of job experience. Carson was funny in actually admitting to Elizabeth that Molly was driving him nuts, and she would have done the same to me. She was pretty bold and pushy in just coming in there and telling Carson how to run his practice. Then she started reading about various diseases and believing that she had each one. (But who hasn't googled about some issue they have and started reading all the terrible things it could be? Kind of a similar thing here.)
    It was a good thing that Carson was honest with Molly, but she really took it the wrong way and became very down about herself. She was miserable, leaving Carson hanging with the guilt. But with some advice from Florence, and Molly eventually getting over Carson's critique of her work everything worked out in the end. I believe that Molly will actually be a help to Carson in his office while Faith is away. So long as she doesn't drive him crazy first. Lol!

 

Wedding

    (Dum, dum, dum, duuuummmm!) Jesse's got the wedding jitters! His poor, sweet little soul! He's so scared that he'll disappoint Clara, and that he's not good enough for her. This has been a reoccurring problem for Jesse, and I totally understand why. With his past as a crook, and him not finishing school and whatever else there may be he has very low self esteem. Yet if he saw himself through Clara's eyes, he'd get a boost in confidence. Clara doesn't care about his past. She just loves him for the good man he is. Thankfully he's got an amazing friend in Lee who can set him straight when needed. We'll have to see where this story goes. Did Lee's talk fix Jesse's jitters, or will they return?

    Moving over to the bride, she's nearing completion on that gown! And of course we don't get to see it until the wedding! But I'm excited to see it! It looked promising from the little bit I could see! I'm interested to see what everything is going to look like, especially since it's an outdoor wedding! The venue, the arbor, and all the dresses! Especially a certain guy's face when he sees a certain girl in her dress. (And I'm not talking about Jesse and Clara, although I want to see that too! I wonder if he'll cry at the sight of her?)

   

Everybody's Party

    How dare that Lee think he could match the party planning skills of his wife? Lol! He's just sitting there desperately trying to convince everyone that they were having a good time, meanwhile they're just staring at the laughing girls wonderful little setup. Boy, Rosemary really put some effort into that! Where on earth did thy get that spinning wheel game? Too bad we didn't get to hear an embarrassing story about Clara, right? :D And how modern we are becoming Hope Valley. A bachelorette party, instead of a bridal shower. (Which kind of doesn't make sense seeing that the party planner isn't a bachelorette anymore. Lol!)

    Well, in the end Lee had to admit defeat. Rosemary's party was more fun, more thought out, and just better than the boys. But you know, I think everyone would agree that having the parties combined was more fun than having them separate. And it certainly set off a chain of events...

 

Let the Games Begin

    Oh, by golly! Can someone open a window or something, because things just got a lot hotter! Oh, but wow this triangle is in full swing! These boys aren't letting their rivalry be a silent one anymore, and each one is now fighting to win. Where do I start? I'm thinking I'll flesh this whole thing out scene by scene and talk about each one. I will title each one, though, and then you can find whatever part you'd like to read about.


Warning! This is going to be a long topic!

Bachelor Party Meeting

    So we have the guys meeting at the saloon. First may I give a congratulatory clap to Nathan. He's FINALLY fitting in and becoming one of the guys. (And it only took, what, a season and a half?) Next we have Lucas admitting to all the guys that he may have double booked the saloon. His face! Lol! Oh, I LOVED the facial expressions in this episode! It was SO good! Before this we had Nathan's great idea to have a baseball game...And then his poor little, "No," as he confesses that he's never been to a bachelor party. Just how Kevin McGarry said it makes me laugh!
    Then the battle began as Nathan began to rant to Lucas how women are simply not allowed at such an event, not knowing Elizabeth was right behind him. Someone tries to stop him, but Lucas is just like, "No. Let him keep talking and dig his own grave." Lol! I literally paused the show, and laughed! The whole thing was so funny!

The Party

    Now we move onto the main event. The party. Oh, my goodness. Elizabeth has got such a problem! Both of them are just staring at her from across the room. She looks at Nathan and gives this sweet smile, to which he gives his little smitten smile back.

    Then she smiles at Lucas, and he gives her this sweet little wave. She waves back...and then so does Nathan. Lol! His face said everything!

    By now Elizabeth is flustered, and goes to get some punch. Lucas and Nathan then get some one on one communication going. And this is where Nathan lost a point for me. Lucas is just like, "It's so great to see Elizabeth this happy," and goes on about how sweet and giving she is, and how someone should do something for her. Then Mr. Nathan gives his smug little statement of, "I like to think I already have." What is he referring to??? His kind comment to Elizabeth earlier in the episode? The plaque he made her a whole season ago? Nathan hasn't done a whole lot for Elizabeth. In fact it's been more of the opposite as she's been there supporting him through all his father issues. What has he done?
    On the other side Lucas should have been the one to say that. He's always doing sweet things for Elizabeth, and yet he was the one to say that someone should do something for her! Of course he may have just said that to figure out if Nathan had been the one to give her flowers but my point still stands!

The Dart Trick
 

Alright, alright, moving on we find that of course Lucas was the first to leave the "super fun" bachelor party and join the girls. (Hey. You snooze you lose.) He then proceeded to preform a neat dart trick! (What can't this guy do? Lol!) He even had Elizabeth clapping and giggling like a school girl.

    Then we come to what Team Nathan may consider a big clue as to who Elizabeth will pick. I've seen the comment twice on Facebook, and they could be right. Then again they may not be. It's the moment Elizabeth decides to give Lucas' trick a try, and ends up bouncing it straight into Nathan's beer mug. (Fun fact: Kevin McGarry said on Twitter that the dart hit him in the arm three times before they got that shot! Thanks Kevin for suffering for us Hearties to bring us the show we love!)
   Alright, does this mean anything? Maybe. After all why make Nathan look like the poor sucker in the background, and have Elizabeth not pick him? But we then come to Nathan's lowest moment.

The Diversion 

    He lied!!! He flat out lied to Lucas! He comes over to a happy Elizabeth and Lucas, and says, "Bill wants to talk to you." Really? And then he gives his whole line of asking Elizabeth to teach him how to play darts. REALLY?!? (Also Bill's response to Lucas is funny and a bit harsh. Lol!)
    Now if I was Team Nathan I would probably let it slide a bit more. (But I'm not. :) And so I can use this as a point for Lucas.
    Either way I do have to give Nathan a point in boldness. Man, this is a change from the tongue tied Mountie in Season 6! And he certainly got Lucas' goat! Yeah, he eventually figured it out, and wasn't the happiest right then.

The Flowers! 

 
    And then...Oh and then we come to the big moment!!! The moment that made me gasp, and my jaw drop! Lucas...gave Elizabeth...flowers!!! (Yeeeeeeeeek!) Yes! Yes! Yes! I was shocked!  And did you notice? He actually kind of lost his cool and was nervous about it! It was sweet! (It also didn't help that Rosemary was watching in the background. Lol!) And Elizabeth is officially terrified! She literally gulped, as she realized that, "This makes it real."

    And then we come to the cliff hanger of the whole thing. Lucas and Nathan pass each other. Nathan is on his way with flowers and Lucas is just leaving having already done what Nathan is about to do. Lucas just smirks. He knows that he was first, and that Nathan is probably going to find that out. And maybe he realized in that moment that Nathan hadn't been the one to give Elizabeth the first bouquet.
    This is the big thing though, the cliffhanger. We didn't get to see Nathan give his flowers, or Elizabeth's reaction. The camera focused on Nathan watching Lucas leave for a good bit, but we never actually saw the moment he gave his flowers. Don't you think if Nathan is the guy that we would have gotten to see this big moment? I mean, it's the first time he ever gave her flowers! That's a big deal, especially for him! I do have a couple of theories.
    Maybe the next episode will pick up right where we left off and we'll get to see Nathan give the flowers. Or maybe Lucas was focused on more just because, as Rosemary said, this makes the situation real. Or...or maybe Lucas got the special moment because he's the one Elizabeth will pick! I really don't know, (As usual) but I'm definitely conflicted over this whole thing!

 

Investigator Bill

    This is just a small little segment, but it's sweet to see how close Bill and Elizabeth have become since Jack died. And it's also sweet to see him just hanging out at her house playing with Baby Jack. He's like this father or uncle figure to her who's getting all interested in her love life, and it's fun to watch! He learns of the mysterious flower delivery and he's like, "Well, there's only two suspects." Lol! Then he so "casually" starts talking to the two "suspects" trying to get some info to report back to Elizabeth. But Elizabeth can bake her own cake Bill! Lol! Thank you WCTH writers for that whole exchange with Elizabeth and Bill! Brings a smile to my face!

 

Team Lucas

    Alrighty Team Lucas fans. Here we go. (Wait, how can we go anywhere when I don't know where we're going!?!) Ugh! Okay. Breathe. Breathe...

This episode had Lucas scenes in abundance! But do they count for something in this whole triangle is the question.

    Once again we had Lucas acknowledging Baby Jack. I just never hear Nathan talk to him the way Lucas does. I mean, after all whoever marries Elizabeth has to realize they're not just getting Elizabeth, but the precious Baby Jack as well. They have to love him too. (Not saying Nathan doesn't, but you get my point.)

    Anyhow, in my opinion Lucas won and lost points during this episode. Then again so did Nathan. Lucas was sweet, and caring to Elizabeth, yet he's fully aware that he's got some competition. He gave a few smirks at Nathan's awkward moments, and even set one or two moments up. I'm sure Team Nathan is already all over it, but let's not forget Nathan wasn't the perfect guy either. It's very easy to use these guy's worst moments against whoever we don't want Elizabeth to pick, (I've already done it in this very post! :) but love makes people do crazy things. Some stuff can be excused.

    I've already listed most of the stuff Lucas did in a previous section, so this section is shorter then normal. However, I will say that I'm getting a bit more scared for Lucas, and I'll tell you why in my next topic.

 

Team Nathan

    Once again I've pretty much already listed everything Nathan did, but I will add a few things.

    First Nathan's acknowledgement of Baby Jack. He shook his hand, and while it wasn't as big in my opinion compared to how Lucas has talked to him, it was still cute.

    Second is Nathan's very bold comment to Elizabeth. "Hey, I'm a parent. Maybe I should do something nice for you sometime." Wow! Not only did he actually refer to himself as a parent, (I don't recall him ever doing that) but he made quite a confident move toward Elizabeth. (Yikes!)

    And third is the fact that he was so scared when Bill brought up the fact that someone had given Elizabeth flowers he dropped his spoon! Now is also a good time to bring up the fact once again that I loved the facial expressions in this episode! Nathan's "Why!" when Bill picked him to help with the food was just funny, and his cooking methods were too. I really could just go on and on about all the great expressions and phrases but we'd be here a long time and this post is already long.

    Anyhow, Nathan is scared. Up until now this whole "battle" had remained mostly silent. Now when both guys think the other made a move toward the girl they like they're like, "Oh, no! I have to do something!"

    Now the reason I'm scared is that Nathan always seems to be the poor awkward guy in the back. People always want to root for guys like that. Everyone laughing at the dart trick gone wrong, and the whole thing with the flowers. It scares me to be honest. But I still believe that Lucas has a chance. Things just feel different with him and Elizabeth, and I just can't ignore everything that has happened with them. To me Nathan hasn't done enough, hasn't tried enough to get to know Elizabeth or show he cares. I know he's shy, and goes about things in a different way, but it's been awhile now. But he also still has a chance, and so for the millionth time I just have to wait and see what happens next.

 

Elizabeth

    It finally happened! Elizabeth has actually admitted that her heart is opened again! This is what Jack wanted for her. He wanted her to be happy and to love again. Having two guys interested in her at the same time probably wasn't his idea, but hey. Life is unpredictable. (Just like this love triangle!)

The other big thing was that Elizabeth also finally admitted that her heart is torn in two different directions! (As are the Hearties.) And now with the battle truly under way, I think Elizabeth's world just got a whole lot more complicated. Now that everything is out in the open, and the guys have begun fighting for her, what in the world is going to happen? And who is it that tears at Elizabeth's heart the hardest? I could go on a lot longer but this post is long enough as it is. But I couldn't post a review for this episode without talking about this important moment!
    Elizabeth's expression though! Have you ever seen her flustered like she was denying her feelings to Rosemary? Lol! Her face spoke louder than her very weak protests. :D I can't wait to see what happens next!

 

The New Pastor

    Look out Hope Valley! Looks like a new pastor is coming to town! Who it will be actor wise I do not know, but it looks like he's coming very soon! I will save most of my comments on this for Friday's post, but it's definitely interesting!

Overall Thoughts

    This was a GREAT episode, and one of my favorites of this whole season so far! It was like everyone broke out of their character molds and just let their personalities shine through. Everyone is finally fitting in and they're all becoming friends. Lucas and Nathan are just one of the guys now, and some people know that they are both possibilities for their beloved school teacher and friend. After all Elizabeth spends a lot of time with Nathan! I mean Lucas. I mean...(Oh, boy...) Hurry up Episode 6!

    Thank you all so much for reading this extra long post! Feel free to comment below or on my Twitter page! (Blog comments will be answered in a separate blog post.) God Bless!