Well, we are down to the last two episodes of Heartland season 10. But it doesn’t feel real since the story these last couple of episodes has been so intense. And this episode also featured not one, not two but three intense story lines mixed with some good old drama. So without further ado, let’s see what happened on Heartland season 10 episode 16.
Warning, spoilers ahead!
Horses and paintball guns
From the episode previews, we already knew that this episode will have something to do with paintball guns. And it did since at the very beginning of Heartland season 10 episode 16 we saw a teenager shoot paintballs at Heartland horses. Which kicked off one of the main storylines of the episode.
This shooting incident sent Heartland into a frenzy because everyone was trying to rein in the horses and calm them down, so they could be checked for injury. Luckily, the paintballs didn’t do any real harm, just spooked all of the horses. But there was one casualty. Georgie’s horse Phoenix, being the jumper he is, hoped over the fence and ran away after the paintball shooting. So Georgie and Jack set out to find Phoenix, but when they had no luck with that and they realized that this incident wasn’t the police’s priority, Georgie enlisted Adam to help her.
Adam contacted his dad, the police officer, who promised to look into it, as well as made use of the power of social media to help find Phoenix. Which yielded great results, because within moments somebody has spotted the horse, so Adam and Georgie went after him. They managed to find him and bring him back home. But that wasn’t the only good dead they did together because they managed to repair their relationship as well. Of course, they aren’t dating again, but it seems like things are heading in that direction.
It was great how the writers used this plot line to bring Georgie and Adam together. It didn’t feel forced or too quick. And it brought a result that is very close to what probably would happen in this situation in real life. The two decided to be friends again and see where it goes.
Jack’s past
While Georgie and Adam were trying to find Phoenix, Jack had another problem on his hands in Heartland season 10 episode 16. Just after the shooting, a woman named Claire Wallace turned up in Heartland, claiming that somebody in town recommended Amy to her. But it wasn’t that simple, as it turned out she shared a past with Jack.
As Amy was helping her tack up the horse, she saw an article about Jack in Claire’s trailed. So when Amy went to confront Claire about it, she said that she knew Jack when she was a kid and that Jack and Claire’s mother go way back. But that didn’t really help with Amy’s suspicion because she later saw Claire giving Jack a check.
The storyline culminated in Claire telling Amy that Jack might be her real father and then Amy asking Jack if he is Claire’s father. It was a real eye-opening moment for me as a fan of Heartland, because, although we have been with Jack’s character for 10 years now, we really don’t know that much about his past and his rodeo days. And it also really felt like a moment that could change everything in Heartland.
Luckily, it didn’t, because Jack told both Claire and Amy that he isn’t Claire’s father, but that he and her father were good friends, which is why he sent money to Claire’s mom. And Jack also told the story of how Claire’s father died and that he thinks that he is partly responsible for it. It was a great moment between Jack, Claire, and Amy. And it seems that Amy and Jack made another lifelong friend out of Claire.
Ty’s health
The third dramatic storyline of Heartland season 10 episode 16 happened in Mongolia, where Ty was getting sicker and sicker.
As Ty and Bob left their yurt to catch a plane back home, Ty got so sick that Bob turned the car around and drove them back to camp, so Ty could rest. And after examining Ty he found that a tick had bitten Ty, which most likely is the cause of Ty’s sickness. So now not only they were staying in Mongolia longer than anticipating, which could lead to Ty not being there for the birth of his child, but Ty was also battling a serious illness because ticks carry multiple diseases that can be deadly if not treated.
On top of that, Bob finally came clean to Amy about Ty’s condition, after Ty pretended to be healthy on episode 15, which got Amy really worried. And from the looks of next week’s promo, Ty will indeed be hospitalized, because of his condition. Let’s just hope, that Ty’s condition isn’t life threatening and that he will be able to meet his son or daughter when the time comes.
Last thoughts on Heartland season 10 episode 16
Finally, humor in this episode was provided by Tim grilling Mitch about dating Lou. I really liked the Tim and Mitch scenes. They not only showed how protective Tim is of his daughter, but also that he regrets not being there for them. This concern laced regret really shone in Tim’s dialogue with Mitch. And I also loved how Mitch stood up to Tim, which earned him a new nickname from Tim – Trooper. And as it turned out, this nickname might not be such a bad thing after all, since, according to Jack, that nickname means that Tim respects Mitch.
Episode highlights:
• Bob taking care of Ty
• Tim sabotaging the tractor so he could test Mitch just as Jack had done to Tim
• Georgie and Jack’s ride to find Phoenix
• Amy being protective of Jack
• finding out that Jack is not Claire’s father
• Jack telling Claire and Amy about Claire’s father
• Amy helping Claire with her horse
• Ty trying to tough out the trip back home to be with Amy
• Adam and Georgie working together to find Phoenix and becoming friends again
• Jack telling Mitch that Tim’s new nickname for him means that Tim respects Mitch
• Bob finally telling Amy that something is wrong with Ty
Episode let-downs:
• the police officer not doing anything about the paintball shooting
• Ty getting too sick to travel home
Quote of the episode:
Mitch: “He has a new nickname for me, just like Peter. Calls me Trooper.”
Jack: “Sure he said Trooper?”
Mitch: “Yeah, I heard it enough today. Why?”
Jack: “Trooper was a mean old bronco used to be on the circuit. Tim rode him lots of times.”
Mitch: “Great!”
Jack: “Here’s the thing. Tim respected that horse. Said it was tough, said he never gave up. Sure hated him, though.”
Promo for Heartland season 10 episode 17:
I found this lying around and thought you all may want to see this preview of Sunday’s new episode! #iloveheartland What do you think? pic.twitter.com/rD7HaAInDy
— Heartland (@HeartlandOnCBC) March 13, 2017