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.
