Ranking Season 10 Episodes (Part 1)
I rank the Season 10 Episodes from 1-12. Part 1 will have #7-12. Enjoy!
My Season 10 rankings were supposed to be published before Season 11 but that didn’t happen. Better late than never right? Here is Part 1 of 2 detailing my Season 10 Episode Rankings.
Disclaimer: This post was written in March and lightly edited before posting. All photos belong to Hallmark Media, LLC.
Number 12: Episode 3 “Oh, Baby”
Synopsis: Tourists start arriving, including the St. Johns, who may prove to be trouble for Bill; Elizabeth rallies all of Rosemary's friends to plan the perfect baby shower.
Aside from the baby shower tourists started arriving to see the newly discovered hot springs. The most notable tourists were Madeline St. John and her son. Immediately she and Bill butted heads over the smallest inconvenience. Faith is hesitant to let Nathan go on rounds with her despite being “attacked” by a bandit last time. Nathan and Faith ended up going on rounds together after all that trouble. Scout chases a squirrel. Lucas uses his poker skills to successfully employ the ultimate bluff to persuade Jerome Smith to drop all charges against Henry Gowan. To which Henry is less than pleased about it. The kids are testing their theories and researching the hot spring! I loved this part of the episode because it showed the kids doing school-related tasks outside school. It also gave them a relevant storyline to the main plot.
My Thoughts:
The baby shower episode was truly the worst part of Season 10. Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for parts of it and in hindsight, it added much-needed levity. However, I feel Episode 3 was a huge filler episode. It missed the mark and focused on a lot of things we didn’t need to see on screen. For example, the baby shower planning, the shower itself, chasing squirrels, bickering with the newcomers, etc. I didn’t need to see the dramatics of planning the baby shower and the ladies running around town hiding from Rosemary. Fiona & Mei hosted a spa day as a distraction for the surprise baby shower. It provided some much-needed levity but didn’t contribute to the progression of any storyline.
Number 11: Episode 6 “The Heart of the Problem”
Synopsis: Rosemary and Lee's baby brings up memories of Rosemary's own mother and questions about her past. Meanwhile, the kids feel left out of the hot springs with all the tourists.
Rosemary & Lee are adjusting to parenthood but the former seems to be overwhelmed by the returning memories of her mother. It was interesting and confusing to learn so much about Rosemary’s mother. We already knew her father was a Mountie and died in the line of duty. However, we learn he raised Rosemary as a single parent because his wife, her mother, left when she was young.
Meanwhile, it’s kids vs. adults regarding the hot springs. This was a great storyline because it taught the kids a lesson on compromise. Even if it was a bit silly at times it provided some much-needed levity to the episode. Along with the lesson of compromise, we see Lucas’s strength as a gambler come into play to help the kids. I know there are some grips about Lucas teaching kids to gamble; however, nothing Lucas said was inherently wrong or done with the intent to harm. I understand gambling with ill intent is wrong and it can become an addiction, but that’s not what is being depicted here. Instead, it is a good example of the saying “With power comes great responsibility.”
Minnie and Joseph gear up to host the 1900s version of Battle of the BBQ. Kansas City vs. St. Louis! At the BBQ there are various games and stations to visit. We see Bill and Nathan be each other’s wingmen. The kids are playing baseball with Nathan. Elizabeth and Lucas play cornhole. And so on.
My Thoughts:
Episode 6 was another filler episode to me but we did get some heartfelt moments. Overall, it felt like the storylines were rushed or did not add to the season’s primary story arc. One example of a rushed storyline is Rosemary’s journey to discover more about her Mother. The Motherless Mother storyline was heartfelt and undoubtedly rang true to many viewers. This story had so much potential but unfortunately, it was diminished by time constraints to fit into a 43-minute episode. The Battle of the BBQ, as I call it, was fun and added levity but it did very little to progress the storylines. This is dissapointing because I desperately wanted the Canfields to have a meaty storyline.
Number 10: Episode 2 “Hope Springs”
Synopsis: Everyone is buzzing with talk of the hot springs and how they will help the town; Elizabeth and Lucas host Aunt Agatha and Julie on an interesting visit to Hope Valley.
The news of the hot springs spread like wildfire much to Bill’s dismay. Then, it’s Cooper vs Bill for who/when can swim in the spring. Bill ultimately makes up a false reason the kids cannot swim in the springs.
Julie and Aunt Agatha make a great surprise appearance! I love both of them. They attempt to help Elizabeth plan her wedding. Aunt Agatha attempts to sway Lucas into moving to Hamilton and accepting a job with Elizabeth’s father. I will admit it was fun watching Lucas play poker. It highlighted Lucas’s strengths which hasn’t been done consistently since S6.
Faith and Nathan are still at odds and ignoring each other. They have a tense meeting in the saloon and nothing is left resolved. More questions arise than answers. We are left guessing if they will enter a will they/won’t they type of scenario. It’s suggested that Nathan went to a different doctor for a prescription to avoid Faith. Rosemary is focused on being the best Matron of Honor and supporting Elizabeth. She’s constantly having to pivot and rescue Elizabeth from her overbearing family’s opinion on her wedding. Of course, this happens when she isn’t spying on Lee’s business meeting with Elizabeth!
Then we have Henry trying to punish himself for the mine accident almost 10 years ago. I understand healing and redemption aren’t linear but I call this a huge regression.
My Thoughts:
Coming off the high of Episode 1 this one fell short for me. Here’s why. The kids vs adult storyline regarding the hot springs was boring. Julie and Aunt Agatha’s visit puts a huge damper on this episode. I found the constant nitpicking and lack of respect for Elizabeth from Aunt Agatha (on behalf of the Thatcher family) off-putting. Julie was supportive of Elizabeth’s choices but she has always dreamed of having the same freedoms. They never stopped to listen to what Elizabeth wanted. It’s not a lavish wedding. It’s a simple wedding. Then we have Aunt Agatha trying to persuade Lucas to take a job with the Thatchers and move to Hamilton. I thought it was disrespectful to Lucas and Elizabeth’s desire to settle in Hope Valley. However, I did enjoy seeing some of the lighter moments and gathering as a community at the springs. I also enjoyed Lucas’s strengths being highlighted throughout the episode.
Number 9: Episode 7 “Best Laid Plans
Synopsis: When a former student visits, Elizabeth thinks she may need her help. Meanwhile, Lucas orders something for all of Hope Valley to enjoy -- if they can get it to work.
Nathan and Faith are on good terms but something is still amiss. We don’t find out until later that Faith knows Nathan is trying to make it work. However, she senses that something (or someone) is holding Nathan back. They agree to be friends again. Madeline is finally getting what she wants…land near the water. Bill’s land to be precise. But it’s not for the reasons she has laid out. It’s because Montague is blackmailing her due to debts owed by her late husband. Montague wants to divert the water but we don’t know that yet!
Rosaleen returns to Hope Valley for a week! She lives in the city as a nanny and wants to be a nurse. Henry’s presence triggers her and doesn’t understand why Molly and the others have forgiven him. Lee and Rosemary struggle with delegating work assignments and tending to Goldie. Joseph wonders if he is meant to do more than just pastor Hope Valley. The pastor role is open in Eagle Creek, in a nearby valley, and he’s considering it.
Lucas purchased a radio but it is not working. Fiona is the perfect person to fix the radio with an engineering background! Meanwhile, Nathan is on rounds but comes across an unresponsive man in a wagon. He is dehydrated so he brings Witt to Faith. Witt is belligerent and sexist but Faith learns to stand her ground with him.
My Thoughts:
This episode was a turning point for me. I realized with the failure of Faith and Nathan’s attempt at romance there was only one option left. Elizabeth. The water diversion storyline was finally making some sense and started to progress. Rosaleen returning was a great choice to progress Henry’s redemption storyline and give Molly a new storyline. I also loved seeing Fiona utilize her strengths as an engineer and stand her ground when the men seemingly dismissed her. Overall, I enjoyed this episode!
Number 8: Episode 5 “Life is But a Dream”
Synopsis: Rosemary and Lee are still adjusting to parenthood; Lucas reveals the surprise he has been working on to Elizabeth; Nathan has a camping trip planned for himself and Allie.
My Thoughts:
This was a personal favorite of mine because it focused on Nathan and Allie. It has been a while since we saw Nathan & Allie bond with one another. Initially, I was frustrated that Joseph and Angela came along but this added a new layer to the series and Nathan’s story. He was able to advise Joseph, which is something new this season. Meanwhile, Angela and Allie strengthen their friendship and give us a lesson in encouragement. It was refreshing to see Nathan make a friend too! Lucas was full of surprises as always so it was not shocking or enjoyable to watch as a viewer.
Number 7: Episode 1 “Carpe Diem”
Synopsis: Hope Valley faces an economic downturn together; Elizabeth and Bill learn that the children of Hope Valley have made a discovery that could change the future of the town.
My Thoughts:
Episode 1 was one of the best premiere episodes in a while. It had the themes of community and friendship. We saw some struggles and people coming together to solve or lessen the impact. We saw friends and the community combine resources to make ends meet. We also saw the community dinners which provided a place of solace and gathering for the Hope Valley citizens.
Thank you for reading this late posting of my Season 10 rankings! Stay tuned for Part 2!
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