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Erica Galindo
Celebrating Food, Faith and Family
Last edited on: April 4, 2016.

The TV series, When Calls the Heart, continues with captivating storytelling and engaging performances that have the following: substance, heart, suspense, surprise, action, intrigue, unexpected twists, universal themes and more. On March 30, Parade sneak peeks at what is ahead for the next episode of When Calls the Heart.  Airing April 3 at 9 p.m. on the Hallmark Channel, Brooke Shields rides into town as Constable Jack Thornton’s mother, Charlotte Thornton. She is an Annie Oakley-type frontier woman who is skilled in sharpshooting, horsemanship, and Western ways. Charlotte surprises her son and shows up on his doorstep unannounced. Elizabeth attempts to get to know Charlotte but quickly learns she has little in common with her.

Abigail and Mark make their courtship official and Rosemary is planning her dream wedding to Lee. Bill gets tipped off about misuse of city funds and begins to quietly investigate, while nervous Mayor Gowen convinces Nora to leave town in to start anew. The Futon Critic reports that When Calls the Heart is going strong in its third season on the Hallmark Channel. Hallmark.com provides the latest updates for this series with many extra videos of interviews, behind-the-scenes and more. Season One and Two are available on streaming and DVDs.

When Calls the Heart is one of the top family series on television today. It concerns the life and relationships of Elizabeth Thatcher, a young school teacher from a well-to-do Eastern family, after she moves from a big city to teach school in a small coal mining town in the west. Michael Landon Jr., along with Brian Bird et al produces this outstanding family series. Like Michael Landon Jr.’s father before him, this current team produces wonderful family TV programming.

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Elizabeth Thatcher talks with one of the children in ‘When Calls the Heart’ season three : photo courtesy The Hallmark Channel.

Their shows deal with timeless, universal themes: faith in the midst of tragedy, hope despite loss, community that heals the broken hearted, and the power of inner strength to overcome obstacles. The When Calls the Heart series is based on the work of Janette Oke (also the writer of the popular Love Comes Softly series). 

Season Three of When Calls the Heart  has started on television on February 21. The series continues to trace the development of Elizabeth Thatcher, of other characters, and of their relationships. They all keep learning more as to how to cope with hardships. They all continue to develop inner strength of character in and among themselves. In Season Two the town is renamed Hope Valley because of the hope of new beginnings. Throughout each season characters are introduced as new threads in the growing storylines and fabric of the development of relationships in the town. 

At the beginning of the series, Elizabeth Thatcher (Eric Krakow), a young teacher used to affluent, high-society life, receives her first teaching assignment in Coal Valley. It is a small coal-mining town in Western Canada with no modern conveniences. Elizabeth learns adjusts to this little pioneer town. She develops friendships and earns respect from most everyone in Coal Valley, except at first from the Royal North West Mounted Police Constable, Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing). He thinks initially that Thatcher’s wealthy father has assigned him to the town to protect his daughter and is not happy about that.

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From left to right Jack Thornton, Elizabeth Thatcher, and Abigail Stanton : photo courtesy The Hallmark Channel.

Living in this coal town on the Canadian frontier in 1910, Elizabeth learns to survive and to serve with others in the community. Lori Loughlin beautifully plays Abigail Stanton, who is the strong hub of the town. Along with other mining families, Abigail has lost her husband, who was the foreman of the mine, as well as her only son in mine explosion. A looming question in the town concerns who is responsible for the tragedy. Individually and collectively, the widowed women grow in faith and strength of character. Initially, they go to work in the mine to provide for their families and for wages for the town’s teacher. Not only do the women grow in character but so do their sons and daughters, as well as the surviving men in the community.

In an exclusive interview with Austin Movie Examiner, Erin Krakow expresses the kind of grace, strength and respect which she displays in her character Elizabeth throughout the series. In the charming interview, Erin is enthusiastic about her ongoing portrayal of the leading female character in the series. Erin expresses gratitude for the supporters called “Hearties,” directors, cast, as well as crew, who have motivated her to joyfully continue with the third season. Erin reflects that part of what motivates the Hearties’ enthusiasm for the series it is that it is appropriate, safe, inspirational programming that they can safely watch with their whole families.

Erin tells of her admiration for the female characters in the series. She says that after women lose their husbands, they learn how to stand up for themselves, to support each other, and to build a strong community. Erin shares how the other women help Elizabeth (the school teacher that Erin plays) to mature, find self-respect, and to develop humility. Throughout the series, Elizabeth Thatcher and the other women demonstrate grace, inner strength, and dignity, as well as grow in friendships in the midst of severe challenges. Erin, as the school teacher, thinks that her character and the other women in the series are role models for young women. Erin states that they are women who display both physical strength and inner character.

In another exclusive interview with Austin Movie Examiner, Pascalle Hutton, who in the series is charming as Rosemary, gives another warm interview. Pascalle Hutton plays the perky, delightful former fiancée to Mountie, Jack Thornton. In Season One, viewers are introduced to Rosemary who immediately and often takes center stage. Pascalle, in the exclusive interview with Austin Movie Examiner, shares how Rosemary develops in the series. Pascalle says that Rosemary, like the others, grow in character and relationships. Rosemary has come from a stage background to the coal mining community in pursuit of Jack Thornton, but she becomes more grounded and learns to value community.

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‘When Calls the Heart’ is a TV series the whole family can watch together : photo courtesy The Hallmark Channel.

Like Krakow, Hutton observes that this series is worthwhile for whole families, who can all enjoy it together without inappropriate content. Pascalle Hutton thinks the series is not only important as family entertainment but that it displays how families can get through hardships and suffering with the strength of relationships in a community. Pascalle also shares respect for the strong women in this series.

In a further exclusive interview with Austin Movie Examiner, Martin Cummins, who performs Henry Gowen, the difficult coal mining manager and later mayor in When Calls the Heart, also presents insights as to how his adversarial character develops in Season Three. Martin reveals that his character will become more humanized. He shares how he has been thankful to play the role of Henry Gowen for the When Calls the Heart series.

Martin shares how he has personally been refreshed by the intergenerational stories and history of developing relationships in this series. He is also thankful that this family series is one that whole families can watch together. He, like Erin and Pascalle, believes that this series deals with tough realities but processes them in ways that are constructive and positive. He thinks that this series is significant because it fills the vacuum for good, family programming.

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