‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 9 Episode 9 Recap: A Villain Returns and [Spoiler] Says Goodbye
Lucas and Bill team up when a sinister character returns to Hope Valley in the latest episode of When Calls the Heart Season 9. Plus, Nathan gets a chance to show off his skills as a Mountie and another character says goodbye in the May 1 episode of the Hallmark Channel series.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 9 Episode 9, “Recent Memory.”]
Wyman Walden returns in ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 9 Episode 9
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Lucas (Chris McNally) may have thought Wyman Walden (Wesley Salter) was gone for good, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. The shady businessman makes an unwelcome return to Hope Valley in “Recent Memory.”
Walden still wants to get his hands on the saloon, and he’s isn’t willing to take no for an answer. Lucas has been working with a contact in the Treasury Department to set up a sting that would entrap Walden (remember that mysterious phone conversation in French a few episodes back?). But his contact has gone cold, and Lucas has to turn to Bill (Jack Wagner) for help dealing with his Walden problem.
Together, they cook up a plan. Bill pretends to be on Walden’s side and offers to use his legal expertise to swindle Lucas out of his property. But he wants some assurances from Walden that he’ll get something in return: a chance to be mayor again, plus Lucas’s shares of the oil business. Walden’s initially suspicious, but his greed gets the better of him, and he agrees to go along with Bill’s plan.
Nathan gets the best of Spurlock
Bill’s plot to ensnare Walden is a little convoluted — “it’s kind of like a mystery novel,” as Lee (Kavan Smith) puts it. Suffice to say, it ends with Walden’s arrest, in a dramatic scene outside the Valley Voice office.
Walden and his henchman, Julius Spurlock (Paul Lazenby) show up for the payoff. Bill grabs Walden, while Nathan (Kevin McGarry) holds Spurlock at gunpoint. But Spurlock isn’t going down without a fight. When Nathan is briefly distracted, he fires a shot at the Mountie. Fortunately, his aim is off, and he only hits his hat.
Spurlock takes off in his car, while Nathan pursues him on horseback. There’s a brief chase, but Nathan – showing off some fancy gunslinging skills – quickly captures Spurlock. Meanwhile, Bill’s retrieved Walden’s supposedly missing gun, which links him to the attempted murder in Brookfield.
That’s not an end to the Walden drama, though. He makes a last-ditch attempt to shift the blame to Lucas, accusing him of being involved in an illegal gambling ring. Lucas insists he’s only been trying to catch Walden, but things don’t look good for him when Nathan finds some incriminating evidence in his office. Did Walden plant that evidence? And how can Lucas prove it? Hopefully, we get some answers next week.
Mei Sou returns to Chicago
Nathan’s big Mountie moment sort of makes up for the fact that he also has to say goodbye to Mei Sou (Amanda Wong) in this episode. While it seemed that her troubles with Geoffrey were behind her, he’s still pursuing the false charges against her. She needs to return to Chicago for a court appearance. It’s not clear when – or if – she’ll return to Hope Valley. Nathan sweetly offers to go with her, but she reminds him that he can’t leave Allie.
Nathan seemed to be developing romantic feelings for Mei, and her unexpected departure leaves him at a loss. He finds a sympathetic ear in Faith (Andrea Brooks), who admits that she wasn’t ready to get married, even if Carson was.
“I can tell you, it’s not on the top of my to-do list right now,” Nathan replies, before they sneak into the pharmacy to enjoy some ice cream.
Could this be the start of something more serious between Faith and Nathan? There have been hints since the beginning of the season that Hope Valley’s doctor has a crush on the Mountie, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I’m of the opinion that Faith is carrying a torch for Nathan,” Molly (Johanna Newmarch) tells Florence (Loretta Walsh).
Lucas and Elizabeth spend a romantic evening together
Walden’s presence weighs heavily on Lucas in this episode of When Calls the Heart, and on Elizabeth, once he confesses what’s going on. But it doesn’t get in the way of his plans to celebrate her birthday. His need to stay out of sight for a time actually works out for the best, since it allows them to spend a quiet evening at home with Little Jack (Hyland Goodrich). It’s a romantic sleepover, but definitely a chaste one. Lucas spends the night on an uncomfortable-looking couch and is woken up when Jack launches himself onto his chest.
Meanwhile, Joseph (Viv Leacock) discovers that Lee co-signed his and Minnie’s loan for the cafe. He takes the news about as well as to be expected. Lee meant well, but he overstepped in his attempt to help his friend. They’ll likely get past this, but in the meantime, Lee gets another lesson in the importance of thinking through the consequences of his actions.
How Minnie feels about Lee’s intervention is a mystery, as she and Angela are out of town. However, their absence does mean Joseph gets lots of quality father-son time with Cooper (Elias Leacock), including a heart-to-heart about whether he thinks he’ll ever come back to church. Joseph’s faith is strong, but he’s taking a gentle approach with his son’s questioning, which is nice to see.
What else happened in this episode of ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 9
Elsewhere in this episode of When Calls the Heart:
- Molly and Bill’s flirtation has cooled off a bit since season 8, but how cute was her steadfast refusal to believe that he was in league with Walden?
- Mr. Gilchrist, an investor in the oil company, is planning a visit to Hope Valley, which has Fiona (Kayla Wallace) in quite a stir.
- Molly and Florence haven’t quite got the hand of the new-fangled electric washer, resulting in a huge mess in the Mercantile.
- Hickam (Ben Rosenbaum) is considering stepping down as mayor, but Bill urges him to reconsider.
The next episode of When Calls the Heart Season 9 airs Sunday, May 8 at 8 p.m. ET on Hallmark Channel.
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