Heartland Season 11 Episode 1 Review

It was amazing to hear the Heartland theme song playing on Sunday night before a brand new episode. And it was even more amazing to finally learn the name Ty and Amy chose for their daughter. This Heartland season 11 opener was an amazing start to the new season. Full of new beginnings and promises of happiness. So without further ado, here is my Heartland season 11 episode 1 recap.

Warning, spoilers ahead!

The overbearing father

It is safe to say that the theme of Heartland season 11 episode 1 was trust issues because on this episode we saw Ty being very much an overbearing father. While Amy was trying to be the intermediary between Ty and, well, everyone else.

The episode started with a little bit of an action sequence that nicely set up the horse-related storyline of this Heartland season 11 premiere. As well as with Amy finally being back on Spartan and enjoying her morning ride. But the best part of the beginning portion of the episode was the reveal of Amy and Ty’s daughter’s name. Because we found out that the new parents had named their daughter after Amy’s grandmother. That’s right, their daughter’s name is Lyndy Marion Borden. Beautiful name for a beautiful little girl.

However, that wasn’t the only thing we found out at the beginning of the episode. Because soon after the reveal of Baby Borden’s name we also realized that Ty might be a little too overprotective of his daughter. But, as it turned out, there was a good reason for his behavior.

After Ty’s mom Lily came for a visit to meet her granddaughter, but Ty didn’t even let Lily watch Lyndy alone, Jack figured that there might be a reason for Ty’s erratic behavior. And that reason was a blast from last season’s past.

Trust issues

Do you remember how at the end of season 10 Ty was sick and he had a fever-induced dream about his dad? Well, in that dream Ty’s dad told him that he is not going to be a good father. And even if Ty didn’t realize it himself, this dream really impacted his behavior. It led Ty to try and control every little detail regarding his daughter. From sleep cycles to people who watch her. And it also led Ty to not trust anyone but himself to take care of little Lyndy.

But luckily, Jack was there to point out this fact to Ty. So by the end of Heartland season 11 episode 1 we saw Ty letting go of his fear of not being a good dad, and just enjoying raising his daughter to the best of his ability. And, by doing so he bettered his relationship with his mom, as well as with Amy. Because during the episode, we saw Amy being quite frustrated with Ty’s control freak ways.
And, the end of the episode saw the Fleming-Borden family of three coming together and seemingly forming a bond that is stronger than ever. Let’s hope it stays that way all through the season! Because it was amazing to see Ty and Amy explore their roles as new parents.

Flame

The horse storyline of Heartland season 11 episode 1 revolved around a champion show jumping horse named Flame, who had lost his wish to jump after a traumatic event.

Remember how I mentioned that the episode started with a bit of an action sequence? Well, the sequence showed us just what scared Flame so much. A truck almost struck the trailer with Flame in it, which really traumatized the horse. And, after no one was able to figure out how to get Flame back on track, Val Stanton, Flame’s owner, turned to Amy for help. Yet, Amy wasn’t the one to bond with Flame. It was actually Georgie.

Amy really tried to work with Flame, but with her new baby and Ty’s mom visiting, she didn’t really have much time or energy to do so. So Georgie stepped up and tried her hand at getting Flame to jump again. And it turned out that Flame connected with Georgie instantly. The horse was back to jumping and showing great results in no time.

But, when Val Stanton brought in Flame’s trainer, it seemed that all progress will be lost. However, Georgie’s connection with Flame was strong, so Georgie showed Val what she’s got, which ended up with Val proposing Georgie to continue training with Flame. And by the end of the episode, Georgie accepted Val’s offer. So it seems that for Georgie season 11 will be all about show jumping and training on a whole new level. And I can’t wait to see how this storyline develops.

The truck and Mitch

Speaking of storylines featured on Heartland season 11 episode 1. I also have to mention the one about the truck. Because with that we also saw the return of Mitch.

Since Ty was away for most of Amy’s pregnancy and was sick just before she gave birth, Ty didn’t quite have time to buy a new truck for them. But in this season 11 opener we saw Ty finally tackling this issue, so he could provide a safe way to transport his precious daughter. Though, of course, purchasing a new truck wasn’t quite a smooth sailing, especially with Tim breathing down Ty’s neck.

At first, Tim dragged Ty to a dealership, where they ended up meeting Mitch and Tim giving Lou’s ex the stink eye. And then Ty made a snap decision to buy a truck from a guy who was selling one in his driveway. Which ended up blowing in Ty’s face, when the truck broke down and Ty wasn’t able to fix it.

Luckily, Tim and Jack came to Ty’s rescue. They managed to not only get Ty’s money back for the truck they bought. But they also managed to find Ty a new one and for a good price, too. Granted the price was probably so low because Mitch was the one selling the truck and Tim was the one to broker the deal. But nonetheless, the Fleming-Borden family had a new truck. And Mitch was in a way back in the Heartland universe as well, after leaving at the end of Heartland season 10 finale.

Now we will just have to see if Mitch will actually return to the ranch and to working for Jack. Because I really liked the Lou and Mitch pairing and wouldn’t mind if it was explored further.

Last thoughts on Heartland season 11 episode 1

I absolutely loved the bonding moment between Tim and Lily. They both have pasts that they aren’t quite proud of, and they both felt like Amy and Ty weren’t trusting them around Lyndy. Which ended up bonding the two grandparents together in a very interesting and unexpected way. And I hope that Lily will be back for more episodes, because I would love to see more interactions between her and Tim, Ty and the rest of Heartland characters.

Episode highlights:

• Amy being back on Spartan
• learning Ty and Amy’s daughter’s name
• seeing the new parents dynamic with each other and their daughter
• Ty being a great dad to Lyndy
• seeing Mitch on Heartland again
• Georgie bonding with Flame and getting him to jump again
• Ty’s mom being back
• Ty’s mom wanting to bond with Lyndy
• Lily and Tim bonding
• Amy jumping Spartan
• Tim and Jack negotiating to get Ty’s money back for the truck
• Jack making Ty realize why he is acting so crazy when it comes to Lyndy
• Mitch selling Ty his dad’s truck
• Ty apologizing to his mom
• Amy not being able to lie to Ty
• Georgie accepting Val’s offer to keep training with Flame
• Amy, Ty and little Lyndy dancing on the bed of their new truck

Episode low points:

• Ty not trusting his mother to be around Lyndy alone
• Tim basically pressuring Ty in making the bad decision about the truck
• Val Stanton not trusting Georgie to ride Flame

Quote of the episode:
Tim: “What are they feeding you? What is that?”
Ty: “Spinach, broccoli, and banana. You want some?”

Promo for Heartland season 11 episode 2:

 

A post shared by Official Heartland Instagram (@official_heartlandoncbc) on Sep 26, 2017 at 8:33am PDT