Heartland Season 11 Episode 9 Review

The newest Heartland episode, which just so happens to be the Heartland mid-season finale, was light yet at the same time also dealt with some very serious topics. It had many funny moments. And a scene that long-time Heartland fans will appreciate. But more than that the episode also furthered the story both when it comes to Tim’s illness and Amy’s trip to Mongolia. Got you interested in what happened in Heartland season 11 episode 9? Keep reading this recap to find out!

Warning, spoilers ahead!

The Devil’s lake

One of the main storylines for Heartland season 11 episode 9 dealt with Georgie trying to learn a difficult jump and Amy helping her through it.

The episode began with Georgie and Amy riding to Paula Westfield’s cross-country course so Amy could show Georgie the Devil’s lake – a jump that’s rumored to be a part of the course at Georgie’s next competition. Yet, since Flame had never jumped over water and the previously mentioned obstacle essentially is a jump followed by a basin of water, Georgie’s first attempt at jumping it landed her in the water. Quite literally. And Dylan choose that moment to show up, making the whole ordeal even more embarrassing for Georgie. But more on that later. Back to jumping.

After that first try, it quickly became clear that Georgie and Amy had a lot to do. And since Amy was soon leaving for Mongolia, they didn’t have a lot of time to nail this jump. Luckily, Mitch came to the rescue, because he offered to build a replica of the Devil’s lake for Georgie. And Amy knew just the place for him to do that – the abandoned jumping course that Ty made for Amy in season 1 episode 2. I said there was a treat for all hard-core Heartland fans out there. Okay, back to this episode.

So now that Georgie had somewhere to practice, she and Flame learned the jump in no time. Georgie was officially ready for the upcoming competition. And Amy could go to Mongolia knowing that Georgie is all set.

Mongolia? Mongolia!

Speaking of Amy and Mongolia, the second big storyline of this episode was Amy getting ready to head to Mongolia. Which also nicely tied in with Ty arriving in Mongolia. Because at the end of episode 8 we saw Ty leave for Mongolia ahead of Amy since she was still waiting for her passport to be renewed.

So on Heartland season 11 episode 9, we saw Amy getting everything in order to go to Mongolia. However, the world seemed not to be on her side. Because, on top of an expired passport, Amy had to deal with a whole other slew of problems. Not only Lisa couldn’t make it home on time, meaning that Amy had to find another person to help Jack take care of Lyndy. But Tim also wasn’t happy about Amy going to Mongolia alone and meeting Ty there. And unbeknownst to Amy, things in Mongolia also weren’t going smoothly for Ty.

Moreover, when it seemed like it’s going to work out, after all, everything went sideways once again. Lou couldn’t get back from New York in time for Amy’s departure. Ty won’t be able to pick Amy up from the Mongolian airport because of an emergency. And Tim decided to tag along to make sure Amy is safe in Mongolia.

Of course, in the end, Amy ended up going with her dad in tow. However, since that’s also how the episode ended and this was Heartland winter finale, you can count on things continuing to go wrong for the travelers come episode 10. Unfortunately, we will have to wait until January 7 to see just how bad things will get for Amy, Tim, and Ty.

It’s too dangerous here

While Amy was figuring out her situation at home, Ty was also dealing with his own set of problems in Mongolia on Heartland season 11 episode 9.

As soon as Ty arrived in Mongolia, he went to work on Attila, because the horse’s condition was getting worse and worse. Fortunately, he managed to improve Attila’s health. Yet the horse still seemed depressed, which is why Ty was so excited for Amy to get to Mongolia.

However, then Ty got a call from his friend over at the camp he stayed in the last time he was in Mongolia. It appears that the poachers they reported to the authorities had raided the camp. And they were moving to other camps as well. So Ty quickly realized that it was not safe for his wife to come here. But, since cell service wasn’t the best in Mongolia, Ty didn’t manage to get the message to Amy in time, resulting in Amy and Tim leaving for Mongolia not knowing about the danger they might be putting themselves in.

I hope none of them will have a run in with the poachers. Because I don’t think I can see more of our Heartland characters get hurt. I had enough with that on season 10 with Tim and Amy getting hurt in the mid-season finale and Ty being ill at the end of season 10. Please, Heartland, let all three of them return home safe and healthy!

Tim’s worsening health

And finally, Tim and his health. Last Heartland episode introduced a scary new storyline for Tim – tumor in his brain. And Heartland season 11 episode 9 explored this plot line further, showing Tim slowly coming to terms with it.

At the beginning of the episode, we saw Tim driving home from the hospital, where he got another MRI. And the news of the latest test wasn’t good. The shadow was still there and if nothing changes in a few weeks, they will have to operate. Which means that Tim had to figure out what he wants to do moving forward.

However, since Jack was the only one who knows about his symptoms and now possible illness that was easier said than done. Especially, since everyone else just thought that Tim is in a bad mood 24/7. And in the end, Tim ended up dealing with possibly having cancer in his own way.

Firstly, he tried to get Jade into a college, which focuses on training rodeo stars. This way making sure that if anything happens to him, Jade is taken care of. Then he made the decision to accompany Amy to Mongolia, ensuring that he gets to spend as much time as he can with Amy. And lastly, he broke up with Casey.

Yes, you read that right. Tim broke up with Casey wanting to protect Casey from another heartbreak and not wanting her to go through losing someone else to an illness so soon after her brother’s death. And since Casey had no idea why Tim that, it was even more heartbreaking to watch.

I really hope that once Heartland comes back from their winter hiatus in January, Tim will man up and tell his family what’s going on. Because the Bartlett – Fleming clan is strong, and together they can even overcome cancer.

Last thoughts on Heartland season 11 episode 9

Lastly, I can’t forget to mention that Georgie, Dylan and Wyatt love triangle that is starting to form on Heartland. Because on Heartland season 11 episode 9 we saw Georgie moving further away from Wyatt and closer to Dylan.

So at the beginning of this Heartland season 11 episode 9 recap I mentioned how Dylan showed up just when Georgie was thrown from Flame and into the water. Well, that encounter wasn’t the only one the two had on this episode. Because later one we saw Dylan come by the new Heartland jumping ring. And although all they talked about was jumping and how Dylan will be Georgie’s competition come next show, it still seemed that the writers were trying to set something up between the two teenagers.

Will it work? Or will Georgie end up with Wyatt in the end? It’s hard to say. But it’s nice to see Georgie have a friend of sorts on the jumping circuit. I might come in handy in the future. Especially since she seems to be really serious about jumping right now.

Don’t forget, the next Heartland episode airs on first Sunday of 2018, that is on January 7. And until then I will leave you with a little gifset by Tumblr user golllly18 of Amy reliving that moment from season 1 intercut with scenes from this episode.

Episode highlights:

• Amy being Georgie’s trainer
• Georgie not wanting to go to the Westfield course because she doesn’t want to run into Dylan
• Dylan showing up right after Flame throws Georgie into the water
• Ty helping Attila in Mongolia
• Tim comforting Casey
• seeing Lou on this episode
• Mitch offering to build the Devil’s lake jump for Georgie
• Tim trying to get Jade into a U.S. college with a rodeo program
• the montage of Amy remembering when Ty built the jumping course for her
• Ty proudly talking about Amy
• Jade and Georgie trying to speak in a British accent
• the exchange between Mitch and Georgie while he’s building the jump
• Georgie and Mitch talking Amy into jumping Flame
• Tim tagging along with Amy to Mongolia

Episode low points:

• Tim not telling anyone (except Jack) about his condition
• Ty going towards the danger not away from it
• Tim breaking up with Casey

Quote of the episode:
Mitch: “Is that young love that I smell in the air?”
Georgie: “No, that’s horse crap.”

Promo for Heartlans season 11 episode 10: