It was a choice that divided the Hearties fandom. In the When Calls the HeartSeason 8 finale, Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow) declared her
feelings for Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally), breaking the hearts of viewers who wanted her to end up with Mountie Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry). The conclusion of the love triangle — which had stretched over three seasons of the Hallmark Channel series — didn’t make everyone happy. McNally has even said he dealt with a “wave of hate” after the season-ending episode aired. But the show’s writers had good reason for pairing Lucas and Elizabeth together, When Calls the Heart co-creator Brian Bird recently explained. RELATED:
‘When Calls the Heart’ Star Erin Krakow Thanks Fans for Support Amid Controversial Season 8 Ending Bird was a guest on the June 14 episode of Dr. Steve Greene’s
Greenelinespodcast. He acknowledged that some loyal viewers were bitterly disappointed with the end of season 8. But he said there was a clear logic behind the way things played out. “We wanted to find a new way to do a love story for Elizabeth so we didn’t just repeat the storyline that we had
worked through for five seasons,” Bird explained. Bird was referring to Elizabeth’s romance with Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing). The first five seasons of When Calls the Heart followed Elizabeth’s arrival in the frontier town of Hope Valley and her romance with the local Mountie. The two eventually married mid-way through season 5. Sadly, their time together was short-lived, with Jack dying in an accident at the end of the season. Nathan was introduced as a
possible love interest for Elizabeth in season 6, along with Lucas. But ultimately, the writers decided that if they had Elizabeth fall for another Mountie, the show would be covering well-trod ground. That wasn’t what they wanted to do. RELATED: ‘When Calls the Heart’: Chris McNally Explains Why Lucas Didn’t Spend Much Time With Baby Jack in
Season 8 When Calls the Heart writers were committed to the idea of moving the show in a different direction. But the pushback from fans wasn’t exactly unexpected. The series, which was inspired by a series of novels by Janette Oke, “was [about] a teacher and a mountie, that was always how it was,” Bird admitted. Viewers who loved that aspect of the show were understandably disappointed when Elizabeth decided the next chapter of her life would involve a
saloon owner, not a lawman. But for Bird, a relationship between Lucas and Elizabeth opened up more possibilities for the show. “We believed this choice of Lucas Bouchard would give us more seasons, to be honest,” he said. “Because we had not gone down that road before. We feel this will breathe new life into the show, keep us telling fresh and robust and vibrant stories.” “I really feel a big responsibility to give the Hearties Hope Valley for as many seasons as possible,” he
added. “We believe this decision is going to make that a possibility. We took the harder path.” Though the blowback from some disappointed viewers has been intense, Bird is asking When Calls the Heart fans not to give up on the show just because their favorite guy didn’t get the girl. “We know this decision didn’t sit
well with a lot of Hearties,” he said. “But my request is, and my hope is, that Hearties will trust us to do the right thing.” With When Calls the Heart’s ratings stronger than ever, Bird is confident the controversial choice will only help, not hurt, the series in the long run. But he acknowledged there might be some fans who won’t return to the
show. “If you feel like you can’t watch the show anymore, God bless,” he said. “But we will be waiting for you with open arms when you come back, or if you come back.” ‘When Calls the Heart’ writers didn’t want to repeat past storylines
Many Hearties were committed to the teacher-Mountie romance
Brian Bird asks for ‘trust’ from ‘When Calls the Heart’ fans
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It’s been a few years since Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton lost her husband, Jack Thornton, in a landslide at a Mountie training camp on When Calls the Heart, and the schoolteacher fell smack-dab in the middle of a love triangle on Season 7.
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The young mother found herself developing feelings for both Nathan Grant, a new Mountie in Hope Valley, and Lucas Bouchard, who owns the saloon in town. (Wait… is this actually an episode of The Bachelor?) Based on social media comments, it seemed like fans were ready for Elizabeth to make a choice.
And with the Season 8 finale, Elizabeth has finally given fans what they have been waiting on.
We finally know which suitor Elizabeth picks! Back in the April 5, 2020 episode, Elizabeth took a big step in her relationship with Lucas, which led many fans to believe that he would eventually win her heart. However, some viewers weren't sure if Lucas would be the clear choice, since Elizabeth's feelings for Nathan also played a factor.
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Source: Hallmark Channel
"I’m worried if I say yes to Lucas, he’ll get the wrong idea," Elizabeth admitted to Rosemary, also acknowledging that she was anxious about what Nathan would think. Ultimately, she agreed to go out with Lucas as long as he understood that it wasn’t a date.
But that didn’t stop Lucas from revealing his intentions at dinner, where he told Elizabeth that he had moved to Hope Valley in search of stability and revealed he would also like to start a family.
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Though the events of the episode certainly seemed to indicate that Lucas was the frontrunner for Elizabeth’s affections, a description for the April 19, 2020 episode teased trouble ahead.
"Elizabeth feels betrayed by Lucas, but helps him get the oil company's records from Gowen," a synopsis read. "Elizabeth and Nathan try to resolve their differences."
Source: Hallmark Channel
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Season 8 continued to leave fans in limbo about who Elizabeth would choose, but the May 9, 2020 season finale ultimately put things into perspective. Elizabeth decided to make a life with Lucas!
“I'm very happy and I'm very sad, it’s the truth, people," actress Erin Krakow (Elizabeth Thornton) shared with ET. “I hope that I'm validating what probably many of the hearties are feeling, which is very mixed feelings."
She continued, "We have been blessed with Kevin and Chris, who have done such an incredible job bringing these characters to life, and it's impossible not to, as a viewer, fall in love with the characters they've created, it's just impossible not to. So I'm really excited about this next chapter for Elizabeth, getting to see her happy and free and in love.”
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What happened to Jack on 'When Calls the Heart'?
The attractive police officer was written off the show at the request of the actor who played him. "Circumstances arose for me where I needed to leave When Calls the Heart for reasons that are very personal to me," Daniel Lissing, who had been with the series since Season 1, explained during a Facebook Live in 2018.
Source: Hallmark Channel
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"I went to Hallmark and they were nothing but supportive of me. I went to [co-stars Erin Krakow and Lori Loughlin] and they were nothing but supportive of me," he added, declining to give more details. "To think that I would play a character like Jack on an American TV show is beyond anything I could've ever imagined."
Now that Lucas has become Elizabeth's beau, fans are definitely waiting with bated breath to see what's to come in Hope Valley. And with Season 9 being green-lit for early 2022, viewers will soon be able to continue following the intriguing storyline.