Political Prowess & Budding Businesses

Season 12 is amping up the politics problems and new business ventures are at the heart of Hope Valley.

My Season 12 Episode 2 Recap hardly seemed like the appropriate forum to share & discuss in length all the political drama, hazelnut business, and radio shows. I have lots of thoughts, feelings, and predictions on these topics. Let’s dive in!

Political Prowess - Lucas Bouchard & Edie Martel

This episode was centered around politics which has historically been my least favorite type of episode. Admittedly, I am not fond of Edwin and his involvement in the political aspect of the show. I am frustrated Lucas let him slither his way back into being his right-hand man. For the sake of this review, I think of Edwin as the “bad angel” and Lee as the “good angel” in terms of their involvement in politics, especially where Lucas is concerned. Edwin serves to counter the right choice to challenge Lucas’s morality.

Edwin is already stirring up drama and creating a divide between Lucas & Lee. Lucas is similar to a neutral party and is easily swayed because he is a people pleaser. (Me too, Lucas! I don’t fault him one bit!) However, politics is not the place for people pleasing. Edwin has unconventional and manipulative methods to gain the most positive political outlook or result. This seems to go against Lucas’s morals as a person but is on par with his political persona. However, I think Lucas is reformed in the sense he does not want to be manipulative in his political tactics. I believe this will be an internal battle for Lucas this season.

Later in the episode Edie Martel, attorney for the ranchers, meets with Lucas to discuss an issue with the land for the National Park. Admittedly, I am confused about which part of the land she is asking Lucas to reconsider. Is it the small area in purple or the big area in red? Based on Lucas’s reaction, I assume the cattle ranchers want to keep the area in red leaving only the purple area, or pile of rocks as Lucas said, for the National Park. Either way, I have rewatched this scene countless times to figure it out. A pile of rocks is not a National Park. I have some questions about the logistics of the National Park and the cattle ranchers.

Remember in Season 11 when Lee sold his land for the resort? The land for the National Park is the same as the resort. There seems to be a gap in storytelling leaving me with a few questions. Did Lee know his land was used as a summer pasture? If so, wouldn’t the loss of land for the cattle ranchers due to a National Park designation make sense to him? The resort was not a problem because of its location on the land which leads me to my next question. If the location of the resort was not a problem can they carve out that part as the National Park? It would downsize the National Park but that seems like a good compromise to me. Of course, if it were that simple there would not be any drama or intrigue to the storyline!

Lucas & Lee’s argument is interesting and I find myself stuck between a rock and a hard place. I agree with both of them.

Lucas is a politician. He has to make tough decisions while thinking about the future and longevity of his initiatives. Lucas is correct that Edie made some good points. If the cattle ranches experience a loss of profit or produce due to the National Park it could result in poor economics. If Lucas knowingly introduces poor economics to the valley he will likely lose the votes of his party and may not get re-elected. These are things he has to think about with the National Park and his other initiatives. Poor economics does not equate to good politics. This is something I think will be carried throughout Season 12 regarding the National Park.

Lee is a family man. As a family man, Lee is focused on the future of his family. He is taking time away from his family to jump-start the National Park, so any delays mean more time away from his family. I understand Lee’s frustration and I think he is right about Edwin wanting him out of the way. However, he fails to see it from Lucas’s point of view or the future of Hope Valley. It would not benefit Hope Valley for the cost of living and food to increase.

Enough of my rambling! I think Lucas and Lee have similar goals but their path to the finish line is different. The difference in paths is where Lucas and Lee have their falling out. Lee is right about Lucas trying to please everyone which is no way to run a political office. Lucas is right to pause and consider the points Edie Martel made about the cattle ranchers. Hopefully, Lee and Lucas can come together later and resolve their issues.

Rosemary’s Ramblings

Rosemary’s Ramblings. Can this be a segment on the radio talk show? This episode focused on the launch of Rosemary’s radio show. She struggled to find a topic to discuss which caused her to panic. After frantically running around she decides the comic book frenzy is newsworthy. She interviews Faith, the Canfields, Little Jack, and Lily all of whom are happy with the comic books. However, she is still unhappy because there is no opposing view. Without opposing views, there is no room for debate or interest. Florence provides the opposing view and Rosemary is beaming with joy. The first radio show by Rosemary was a success!

Comic Book Frenzy & Teaching in Nature

The kids are still obsessed with the comic books and it is starting to disrupt Elizabeth’s classroom. To combat this newfound obsession, Elizabeth takes the class outside to learn about nature. I thought this was interesting but I think it served to provide clarity to Allie about what she wanted to do. Zoology. I don’t how I feel about her liking zoology as a potential career. I feel poetry and math have been shown as her strengths over the past seasons. It would be great to build upon those already established strengths as a potential career. Perhaps even a teacher or a writer would be more reflective of what we know about Allie so far.

I have been asked numerous times what I thought about Rosemary’s antics in this episode. Truthfully, I think it serves as comedic relief and Rosemary is known for her flair for dramatics. I have no qualms with it this episode even though It was over the top.

Budding Businesses

Hometown Hazelnuts or Hope Valley Hazelnuts. I cannot decide which name I like the best! Henry recruits the kids to help with the hazelnuts and pays them in comic book money. I am thrilled we are finally seeing Henry explore business options again. He has a good heart and has been redeemed so it is time to see him thrive. Henry and Joseph go into the hazelnut business together. Upon hearing this news I jumped for joy! Joseph and Henry have been underutilized for quite some time now. Joseph is the pastor but that does not mean he cannot run a business. I am excited to see what new challenges and joy this business brings!

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings about Season 12 Episode 2! I cannot wait for Episode 3 TONIGHT on Hallmark Channel.

Here is my recap of Episode 2. I go into detail about Nathan & Elizabeth’s story in this post.

Season 12 Episode 2: You Get What You Give