Jack’s been getting a lot of screen time over the past few weeks of Heartland and I, for one, am loving it. Sunday’s new instalment, “Here and Now,” written by Ken Craw and directed by Chris Potter (that’s two in a row), served to celebrate Jack’s accomplishments in the rodeo with old pal Will Vernon extolling his buddies’ virtues and welcoming him into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

The whole rodeo dinner scene was enjoyable, from Tim realizing Jack was being given the award, to Will’s talk and Jack’s heartfelt thank you speech. It also caused me to wonder if Heartland could do a spinoff of Jack and Will’s adventures in their early days? A Heartland prequel series where they travelled the circuit, racking up wins and breaking hearts. I’d watch that, wouldn’t you? Anyway, back to the episode, and Tim setting Jade straight about her latest actions.

Social media once again wormed its way into a Heartland story, as Jade had her sponsorship pulled after she was captured one-upping Clay in a beer funnel contest. I think Jade was dead-on to suspect Clay plotted to unseat Jade as the face of Chuck Wagon soup and I’m glad there was enough feedback about Jade from Chuck Wagon fans that she was reinstated. I’m not sure about you, but the whole Clay-Jade dynamic is starting to grate on my nerves. It’s obvious they both like each other, so what not put them together already?

Meanwhile, Georgie and Olivia have found themselves as the co-backups on the Extreme Team. I had expected the Heartland writers to automatically award top spot of Georgie—she’s one of the main characters after all—to I tip of the cowboy hat to them for giving the captainship to Sam, who is the better rider, and giving Olivia and Georgie spots as her supporter. And kudos to Georgie—and the rest of the team—for standing up to Natalie over the dangerousness of the single-rider tail drag.

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

Mitch has, like, the worst timing in the world, doesn’t he? Last week he snapped at Lou down by the river and she backed off from telling her how she felt about him. And leading off Sunday’s episode, he showed off a horse he got her … just as Peter rolled up in a cab. Awkward.

“Riding Shotgun” was both literal and figurative in the script written by Pamela Pinch and directed by Chris Potter, as Petunia the sick pig (and Adam) sat next to Georgie in Bob’s truck on the way to the clinic and a shotgun was handy at Mitch’s side when wolves threatened to make a sinewy snack out of Jack.

For Mitch, being unable to pull the trigger when a toothsome predator was mere inches from Jack’s throat was a call back to his time in Afghanistan, where he lost his cousin, Zach (the dog tags Mitch was holding last Sunday). But Zach didn’t die over there, he committed suicide back in Canada. It was a sobering revelation that not only brought real life back to Heartland but added another layer to Mitch the character. The wise-cracking, good-looking ranch hand has stuff going on below that tough exterior.

It was nice Mitch apologized to Lou for snapping at her, but his admission he didn’t gift Venus to her means he thinks their relationship is over, and Lou hopes it’s just begun.

(Speaking of tough guys, it was great to see Peter not only agree to help out at Heartland more if Lou ends up spending more time away with Maggie’s expansion and telling Georgie the key to a successful relationship is talking. He smartly took his own advice.)

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

It’s not often that an episode of Heartland goes by without some closure. A problem or issue arises and by the end of the hour things are almost always settled and Sunday concludes with some great song as the credits roll.

Alas, though we got a fantastic closing tune by Reuben and the Dark called “Heart in Two,” there were strings left hanging. “The Green-Eyed Monster,” written by Bonnie Fairweather, was—as expected given the episode title—dealt with jealousy between horse and human and human and human.

For Amy, it meant realizing she’s spent so much time focusing on keeping busy while Ty has been away that Spartan went neglected. The result was an irritated horse that stumped Jack and Amy. It wasn’t until Amy began working with mounted archer Norah and her horse, Doc, that she understood: Doc was jealous of Norah’s infant son and Spartan was upset with Amy because she was neglecting him. Her solution was to take Spartan into the woods and work on liberty training; paired with “Heart in Two” it made for a stunning and emotional final scene as they reconnected.

Sadly for Georgie and Adam, there was no happiness for them. Adam, who has evolved from standoffish genius to an emotional boyfriend, assumed Georgie was seeing Clay and jealously spurned her. As much as I want to be angry at Adam for his actions, I totally get it. Being in a relationship at that age is an all-consuming thing and you want to be with them 24/7. But smothering the person you love isn’t the answer and these two are going to have to figure out the right mix or things will be over.

Speaking of over, Mitch and Lou certainly seem to be. One of the frustrating things about some of the Heartland characters is their stubbornness and unwillingness to let the other person speak. That was certainly the case with Lou, who assumed Mitch’s coldness while fly fishing meant he doesn’t like her. Of course, that’s not the case—the dog tags mean Mitch was remembering fishing with a friend who’s no longer alive—but she wouldn’t let him explain and, honestly, he didn’t try hard enough.

The only person who had anything go right was Jack. After Lisa accidentally chucked his stew jar it was recovered. Well, at least there was that.

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

Story-wise, it was a pretty bold move of Heartland to have Ty go to Mongolia. That’s what immediately what struck me on Sunday night during “Something to Prove.”

At first, I’d assumed Graham Wardle had simply asked for time away from the series so he would work on a feature film or miniseries. Heck, they’d even gone so far as to set up a website, Borden without Borders, as a side story to what’s going on with him. But it looks as though Wardle really did spend time in Mongolia—something he posted about on Instagram—meaning either he wanted to really go there or the producers wrote it into the story. I’ll chase down Wardle in the coming weeks to talk to him about it, but I suspect it’s a bit of both. Regardless, having Ty in Mongolia isn’t just a B-plot for the character but a real-life scenario that’s being worked into Heartland and that’s an interesting way of storytelling.

Of course, his departure from Heartland has thrown everyone into a bit of a tizzy, especially Amy and Cass. After having a bad experience with Lex and some cramping, Amy not only needs to be more careful but needs to lean on her family for support. Cass, upset her workload suddenly gotten a lot heavier, was angling for a partnership from Scott and straining her relationship with Amy. By the end of the episode it had all been worked out—a raise for Cass and some peace of mind for Amy—but I’m betting the Amy-Cass partnership is far from over.

Partnerships tested continued with Adam and Georgie, who were pulled apart to sub in and work with Jade and Clay when she refused to work with him during Tim’s orienteering challenge. I don’t know about you guys, but I think it’s a shame that Jade didn’t stand up to Clay the way Georgie did. By putting him in his place, Georgie immediately showed Clay she won’t put up with his bragging and arrogance, something Jade need to do too. Does anyone else get the feeling Clay and Jade are headed for romance?

The final partnership to be tested was Lisa and Jack when her aunt Evelyn (Kate Trotter) arrived at Heartland. What first appeared to be slight jabs at Jack about his age and the couple’s living arrangements grew into an all-out war at Maggie’s when Evelyn criticized her niece for becoming a “glorified babysitter” and settling for Jack. It was an uncomfortable scene, but I respected Lisa for standing up to her favourite aunt and defending her own decisions. The two made up, and kudos to Heartland‘s writers for giving Jessica Steen a tasty storyline to really sink her teeth into. Like Jack, Lisa isn’t given a ton to do on Heartland and I appreciate it when she’s given the chance to shine.

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.

Heartland has an ensemble cast, and it’s sometimes lost on me just how gifted they are. With so much time per week spent on Amy and Ty (I’m not complaining, I’m stating a fact), the other players don’t get as much screen time. But, like a drummer or bass player in the band, they’re laying the groundwork for the tune. And, in some cases, step into the spotlight for a solo.

I was reminded of just how damned good an actor Shaun Johnston is during Sunday’s new episode, “New Horizons,” written by Heather Conkie. Shaun’s Jack went through awful stuff last year when he said goodbye to Paint, but for the most part, he’s there to calm Tim down or rile Tim up. This season has seen much of the same—he and Tim talking to Katie about death is a standout comedy-wise—until last night’s instalment. That scene between Jack and Ty, discussing regrets, decisions made and moving forward in life, was simply incredible. Johnston’s ruddy face portrays so much emotion (can we nominate his moustache for a Canadian Screen Award?) with so few words; it reminds me that, sometimes, fewer words spoken means so much more. Graham Wardle was just as good as Johnston, and their quiet, even, honest conversation was the heart of the episode. Yes, Ty’s ultimate decision—with Amy’s unwavering support—was the emotional conclusion to the storyline, but the climax for me remains that heartfelt discussion in the muted nighttime light of the barn.

Kudos also to Chris Potter for his playing of Tim this week. His outburst at the dinner table where he called Ty (and Peter) an idiot for abandoning Amy to go and save the Gobi bears was out of line but totally understandable. Where Jack sits back and considers every angle before voicing an opinion, Tim wears his heart on his sleeve and tells you what he thinks at that moment. It can hurt your feelings, but Tim means well. He’s just looking out for Amy and to him, jetting to Mongolia isn’t it. Still, his respect for Ty is there and he let Ty follow his heart.

Almost lost in the shuffle were Georgie and Jade converting up-tight Maggie’s into a cool hangout. Sure, free wifi and fries may attract kids, but you can’t turn your loyal customers away. Finding a happy medium means Maggie’s will be equally popular with everyone in town.

Where does Heartland go from here? With Ty and Lou both away (she may very well return next week), that means everyone left will have to pick up the slack at Heartland. From a hands-on standpoint, they’ll be busy. But from a fan standpoint, I’m looking forward to seeing the supporting cast step to the front of the stage.

Heartland airs Sundays at 7 p.m. on CBC.

Images courtesy of CBC.