We’re almost at the end of the season once again since only one more episode is left in season 14. However, before the season finale next week, we had this heartfelt episode to enjoy that was directed by Heartland’s own Michelle Morgan.
The episode saw the arrival of an unexpected guest that had consequences for more than one character. As well as a grand gesture that didn’t work out so well, and a surprise that brought the family even closer together.
Want to know what I’m talking about? Then keep on reading this recap of Heartland season 14 episode 9.
As per usual, read at your own discretion because there will be spoilers!
While usually, I start these reviews with Amy’s storyline, this time I feel like it would be more beneficial to begin with Quinn’s. Because his storyline directly tied into Amy’s and you can’t really have one without the other.
What I am blabbering about here? Well, that at the very beginning of this episode we saw Quinn’s dad, Clyde McGregor, suddenly show up at Heartland surprising everybody but especially his son. And judging by the suspicious look on Quinn’s face, it looked like the reason for Clyde’s might be more than just to meet Georgie’s family.
After Clyde arrived and met Quinn, Georgie, and Amy in front of the barn, Georgie offered to give Clyde a tour of the ranch. And the tour ended at the ranch house where Clyde met Lou and Mitch. Pleasantries were exchanged and Clyde even mistook Mitch for Georgie’s father. But once the introductions were made, Lou asked Clyde to stay for dinner. However, he declined saying that he has to fly to Vancouver that night even despite the fast-approaching snowstorm that stranded Peter in Vancouver.
That made Quinn suspicious, so after coffee at the ranch house, Quinn asked his dad why he’s really at Heartland. Because it obviously wasn’t just to meet Georgie’s family. And Clyde admitted that the real reason he was here was to get Quinn to attend an investor meeting in Vancouver with him. After all, Quinn is the future of Magnolia Glades. And what better way to convince investors to part with large sums of money than to show that that future is bright?
But Quinn had other ideas. He didn’t want to sit in meetings and entertain possible investors all his life. His true passion was coaching. So he told his dad that he couldn’t go because Georgie had a show in a few days and they had to train.
Georgie, however, didn’t appreciate Quinn putting her in the middle of their family business. And told as much to her boyfriend. But Quinn assured her that it was his choice not to go with his dad to Vancouver. However, that quickly changed when Clyde’s flight got canceled and he joined the family for dinner, even ending up staying the night at the ranch house. Sharing the attic room with Quinn no less, courtesy of Jack.
While getting ready for bed the two got into an argument about Quinn joining Clyde on his trip to Vancouver. Clyde was trying to convince his son to go with him once more but Quinn wasn’t budging. He and Georgie needed to train for the upcoming horse show. So, Clyde decided to force Quinn’s hand by saying that if Quinn didn’t start contributing to the family business he will replace Quinn as his partner. Which would mean essentially cutting Quinn out of the business and making him pay for using the Magnolia Glade facilities for Georgie’s training.
A threat like that left Quinn with no choice but to go on the trip with his dad. And it also made Quinn realize that his coaching days might be over. He knew his dad and that there will always be more meetings leaving no room for coaching. So, right before leaving for the airport, Quinn shocked Georgie by announcing that it might be time for her to look for a new coach.
But while in a car on their way to the airport Quinn changed his mind. Hearing his dad talk about what’s on the agenda for them when they get to Vancouver, Quinn realized that Clyde expects him to do as he says instead of think for himself. And that’s something Quinn couldn’t stand for. So, Quinn asked to stop the car, jumped out, and started walking back to Heartland.
Upset by Quinn’s sudden change of heart, Clyde confronted his son about it. And that’s when Quinn finally stood up to his dad.
He told Clyde that he’s not about to be his glorified assistant and that if he doesn’t realize how much of an asset he is to Magnolia Glades as a coach to a future Olympic jumper then maybe Clyde cutting him out of the business is better for everyone. And Quinn also finally admitted that he wished Clyde showing up actually meant him wanting to meet Georgie’s family rather than being there because he had an agenda to fulfill.
When it was all said and done Quinn returned to Heartland where he was greeted by Georgie who only affirmed that he did the right thing. And told him that, despite what he might think, his future isn’t uncertain because he is a great coach and together they will get to their goal of competing in the Olympics.
And later that night Clyde even showed up at Heartland to actually spend some time with Georgie’s family. Meaning that the relationship between the father and the son might be on the mend.
I really loved seeing the show introduce some of Quinn’s family as well because we don’t see the families of other characters on the show often. And it also means that Quinn is probably here to stay, which I am also happy about because he and Georgie not only make a beautiful couple but also a great team.
Speaking of Clyde, while he was at the ranch, meeting Georgie’s family and getting Quinn to go to Vancouver with him weren’t the only thing’s on Clyde’s agenda. He also offered Amy a job at Magnolia Glades.
As soon as Clyde met Amy upon arrival he gushed about finally meeting the Miracle Girl. So, when he saw Amy working with Shadow in the round pen before leaving for the arena to watch Georgie and Quinn practice, he decided to make his move.
He first complimented Amy on what a great job she has done with Shadow. And then asked if she would ever consider coming to Florida to work at Magnolia Glades. Not just to train horses there but to train other horse trainers, to pass down her knowledge and techniques to others. And that is something that got Amy to really consider Clyde’s offer. After all, it would be an opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to help a lot of horses and make a good living while doing it.
But before Amy made any decisions, she decided to first talk to Lou about it. And then confided in her grandfather about the possibilities that an opportunity like that would bring but also the fears that come along with having to move so far away. And a few good conversations with her family seemed to put things in perspective for Amy.
Although Clyde’s offer was compelling, Amy decided to decline it. Because ultimately Amy realized that Heartland is where she wants Lyndy to grow up with all the people and memories that come with it.
So, Amy is staying in Heartland, after all. Which hopefully for us, the fans, means more seasons of this great show.
To sell or not to sell
But a job offer wasn’t the only thing Amy was dealing with this season. Because, as promised in episode 5, she was finally teaching Parker how to ride.
Although Parker was doing really well on Mickey in the round pen, she refused to go on a trail ride when Amy asked. And it turns out there was a good reason for it.
Parker’s mom was back from her book tour, so Parker was moving back to Toronto to live with her as soon as next week. Which meant selling Mickey since Parker didn’t want to ship the horse all the way across the country due to the carbon footprint that would cause or board Mickey at Heartland since that would mean that the horse would be alone most of the time.
So, Amy decided to help Parker find a new family for Mickey. But it was easier said than done. Because both of the families that actually wanted to buy the horse weren’t good enough for Parker.
According to Parker, the daughter of the first family had a lot of unresolved issues with her mother which would lead to teenage rebellion soo enough. While the daughter or the second family was holding a plastic bottle in the photo Parker saw online, which automatically disqualified her as a candidate since that apparently meant that she had no problem adding to the already large amount of plastic waste being dumped into the ocean each year.
That’s when Amy realized that something else was going on with Parker. So, she told Parker to tack up Mickey because they were going on a trail ride. And during the ride, Parker admitted that she didn’t want to move to Toronto. But she also didn’t want to hurt her mom’s feelings by staying with her dad in Hudson, so she felt like she had no choice but to go back to Toronto.
Fortunately, Amy was there to let Parker know what she has to tell her parents that. Because, even if that doesn’t change the outcome, at least they will know what Parker wants and what makes her happy.
Parker took Amy’s advice to heart and thankfully her mom listened. So, Parker is staying in Hudson at least till the end of the school year. Which means that we might be seeing more of the little eco-warrior next episode and maybe even (fingers crossed) next season!
Being on the same page
Heartland season 14 episode 9 also brought us one step closer to Lou and Mitch’s wedding as in this episode we saw the couple not only iron out some details for their upcoming nuptials but also talk about some important topics.
At the start of the episode, we saw Mitch being surprised by Lou wanting a small wedding. However, since Mitch wants his fiancée to be happy, he went along with it. And instead focused on something else – a surprise gift for Katie’s birthday.
Mitch overheard Katie asking Lou to sign a permission slip so she could try out for the school hockey team. Which gave him an idea to build an ice rink for Katie for her birthday.
And it also seemed that all this effort for Katie, memories of him and his cousin playing hockey in their backyard when they were Katie’s age and maybe even holding Caleb’s son Carson in episode 6 had stirred up some feelings. Because later that night, while getting ready for bed with Lou, Mitch brought up the subject of kids.
That caught Lou off-guard. They had talked about this before and decided that it wasn’t really in the cards for them. So, Lou was surprised that Mitch had changed his mind and suddenly wanted kids of his own. And since Lou already had two daughters, she hadn’t really entertained the idea of having more kids.
Mitch, however, felt differently. Especially, since Peter was still very much in the picture when it comes to being a dad to Katie and Georgie.
Lou, of course, understood where Mitch was coming from. Yet it seemed as though she wasn’t sure that she will ever want more kids. And despite what Mitch said about it not being a deal-breaker, I’m not so sure. Especially after seeing Mitch’s face after their conversation and seeing him interacting with Katie and Lyndy later in the episode.
I guess we will just have to wait and see how this plays out next episode. Because at this point, it’s really hard to predict if the two will end up married or not.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
A bright idea for a grand gesture
Last but definitely not least, in this episode, we also saw Tim taking big steps when it comes to his relationship with Jessica.
Last episode we saw them get into a fight and then make up over a thermos of coffee and a kiss. So, in this episode, it seemed that things between the two were going better than ever. Tim was happy, annoyingly so for Jack, and he even ditched work to hang out with Jessica.
But, when he walked into the cabin Jessica was staying in while she was developing film and accidentally ruined some of it, an idea came to Tim. One that ultimately bought their downfall.
Hearing that Jessica had her own darkroom at home gave Tim the idea to set up one for her here as well. And what better place for a darkroom than Heartland’s root cellar. But first, he had to get permission from Jack. And for that, he asked Lisa for help.
Tim knew how much the cellar meant to Jack. So, he asked Lisa to talk to Jack about it because he didn’t want Jack to outright say no. And we all know that Jack has a soft spot for his wife.
So, after a talk with Lisa and some careful consideration, Jack allowed Tim to use the cellar for the darkroom. Now, all that left to do was to set it up and surprise Jessica with it. Yet, once Tim actually brought Jessica to the cellar and showed her what he had done for her, it spooked her.
Not because it was a bad idea or execution. Quite the opposite, because it was so thoughtful of Tim. So, Jessica ran off. Tim found her at her cabin packing up her stuff and when he confronted her about her reaction Jessica admitted that it’s the nicest thing anyone has done for her. Which is why she had to leave.
And so, Jessica broke up with Tim and drove off, leaving Tim questioning what had gone wrong.
I really hope that the season finale will bring some resolution to this story because Jessica leaving so suddenly after Tim seemed so happy and frankly so in love was quite devastating.
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Besides, I really liked Jessica and the fun storylines she brought. It gave us the opportunity to see Tim in a different light and I wouldn’t mind that continuing.
Last thoughts on Heartland season 14 episode 9
How cool was it to watch an episode that was directed by Michelle Morgan (who plays Lou on the show)? I think she did an amazing job. It couldn’t have been easy to not only direct but also act in the same episode. But I think Michelle succeeded in doing both and I’d love to watch more episodes directed by her should we get more seasons.
Speaking of which, when the current season is drawing to a close I always start to get jittery about if there will be more seasons or not. Last season we had to wait until the end of May to find out. Before that, we already knew at the end of March. So, I’m hoping we will find out sooner rather than later.
Promo for Heartland season 14 episode 10
And here’s the promo for the Heartland season 14 finale episode, episode 1410 that’s titled “Staying the Course” and airing on March 21st:
During this episode, we will see Amy helping a challenging horse that’s owned by Clint’s friend. As well as thinking of reviving the jumping course that Ty built for her in season 1. While Lou will be having some revelations about her relationship ahead of her wedding to Mitch. And Georgie will be preparing to take part in a show that has the chance to further her Olympic dreams.