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.

Last week, it was animals that made an impact on Heartland. That was certainly the case again on Sunday, though a human dropped by and made a splash too.

“New Kid in Town” was as much about a horse named Hellion as it was a cocky cowboy who was a bit of a hellion himself. Clay McMurtry (played by Eric Gustafsson) is Casey’s nephew, and got under both Jade and Tim’s skin for the same reason: he’s insufferably arrogant. That, of course, led to lots of back and forth dialogue between all three. I’m a big fan of Jade (Madison Cheeatow) because she injects feistiness to storylines and that was certainly the case with Ken Craw’s script; an ultimate showdown between Jade and Clay took place to see who could stay on recovering bronco host Hellion the longest.

Clay stayed on longer, but it was obvious Hellion was bucking a lot harder when Jade was riding, so let’s give her the victory, shall we? Speaking of victories, it was a big one for Tim when he and Casey finally faced each other after months apart. The two made peace with their differences and sealed it with a kiss. I’m glad they’re reunited, but I hope that doesn’t dull the abrasive Tim I enjoy so much, especially when he’s needling Jack.

Jack, meanwhile, had his hands full helping Amy bring Hellion back to his bucking days after rehabbing from back surgery. They successfully pulled it off and I was happy to see Jack off his feet, on a horse and riding again.

Finally, Ty and Amy are prepping for parenthood. She built herself a super-cute changing table, unaware Ty was struggling with a decision. After seeing a trophy hunter standing over the carcass of a Gobi bear, he and Bob plotted a trip to Mongolia to help protect them. But Ty, recognizing the importance of staying with his wife, chose to stay put. The last we saw, Bob was off … and I can’t help but wonder if Georgie may decide Mongolia is on her bucket list. She sure looked like she was thinking about it.

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

Images courtesy of CBC.

I don’t like to see Amy stressed out, but that’s the way life’s been for her in these first two episodes of Heartland in Season 10. Last week, things were looking grim for Minnie when she delivered two foals, putting her health in danger. This week, she suffered from colic, necessitating emergency surgery and all hands on deck at Heartland to feed the foals, named Theo and Boone, until Minnie was well enough to return.

In fact, Heartland‘s animal co-stars almost outshone the human ones, as the horses and Bubbles the Goldfish 1 and 2 commanded plenty of screen time during “You Just Know,” written by Mark Haroun. There was an ever-so-brief moment when Ty and Amy were considering baby names until Jack called to say Minnie wasn’t doing so well. Her health, and those of the foals, hung over Amy all episode until the three horses were reunited. I can’t help but think Amy is seeing herself when she looks at Minnie, and that’s causing her angst.

Katie, Tim and Jack all learned a valuable lesson about life and death on the ranch thanks to two goldfish named Bubbles. Tim bought the shiny dude for Katie, and quickly incurred criticism from Jack.

“What kind of world do we live in where a man can’t buy a goldfish for his granddaughter?” Tim wondered. He found out just what kind of world when Bubbles expired. Katie may have said her new pet was sleeping, but we all knew better. The storyline led to some very funny moments between Tim and Jack, first when the former tried to avoid letting the latter discover he’d replaced the dead fish with another one, and then both stammering while telling Katie the original Bubbles was deceased. Their worry was for nought; Katie wanted to flush Bubbles 1.0 like she did the dead ones at school.

The hot and cold between Lou and Mitch reached a fever temperature out on the trail when they shared a passionate kiss … and then went stone cold when she announced she was headed to New York City for Maggie meetings, effectively putting anything they might have together on ice.

Meanwhile, Georgie may have made a new enemy in Sam. It’s one thing for Georgie to want Olivia put in her place, but there was no way she’d stand for Sam’s plot to unseat Olivia via injury. It was a classy move to stand up to Sam, but I worry that decision is going to haunt her later this season. As for her “Most Memorable Moment” essay topic? I give it an A+.

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

Images courtesy of CBC.

I can’t believe it’s been seven months since Heartland signed off. And yet here we are, discussing the Season 10 return episode, “There Will be Changes.”

When we last left the folks at Heartland ranch, Lou had rebuffed Peter’s desire to get back together, Adam and Georgie were officially a couple, and Casey and Tim were on a break.

Sunday’s episode began with Amy having a bad dream and Ty waking her up. Amy turned away from the camera as she sat up, effectively hiding her belly and holding off on how much time has passed since the Season 9 finale. We also discovered Georgie had bought a horse, Tim was in a mood (and has been for some time) and Lou refused to wave to Jack and Mitch as she drove by the paddock.

What the heck has been going on at Heartland? It wasn’t until Adam announced it was he and Georgie’s anniversary—over five minutes in—that it was revealed three months had gone by between the Season 9 finale and Sunday night. The episode title didn’t lie: there have been a lot of changes since then. The biggest? Minnie the horse was having twins. In a brilliant bit of a head fake by showrunner Heather Conkie, it was the newest addition to the dude ranch that’s having two babies and not Amy. I admit, I totally fell for it, though I did wonder why Ty and Amy would rely on a DVD to find out what was going on with their baby.

To Tim that meant a worst-case scenario—the loss of one or both foals—but Ty had a more confident outlook. Amy, meanwhile, took the news hard and ran off to the barn. Clearly, it’s finally dawning on her how the coming human addition is going to affect everyone’s lives forever. That revelation went a long way to explaining why Amy was having those dreams about Spartan. Being pregnant means she can’t ride client horses or her favourite equine buddy; she worries she’ll “lose” the connection she has with Spartan. By episode end, the birth of Minnie’s foals had brightened Amy’s outlook and that only improved when Jack and Tim presented she and Ty with the cradle that’s been in the Bartlett family since … well, forever.

Meanwhile, Lou got some pretty amazing news; some New York City investors want to open a Maggie’s in Brooklyn. However, the one-off restaurant could very well cause her to choose between life on the ranch or in The Big Apple.

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

Images courtesy of CBC.