January might as well be called the month of Heartland, because each Sunday of this month, there will be a new Heartland episode. And the latest one brought back some old-school Heartland vibes, while also was very emotional. Want to know more? Then keep on reading my recap of Heartland season 11 episode 11.
Warning, spoilers ahead!
Back to normalcy
One of the main storylines of Heartland season 11 episode 11 was all about Ty and Amy getting back to their everyday routine. But if we know something about the couple, then it is that they are hardly routine. And this episode only proved that. Because while Ty was dealing with an emergency, Amy was participating in a Hudson Hunt Club event.
That’s right. Although the episode did start off with Amy working with a client horse and trying to make the off-the-track racehorse into a trail riding horse. She soon realized that Oliver is better suited for jumping. So Amy decided to take part in the hunt so she could show Oliver off and possibly find a new home for him. However, at first, things didn’t go as smoothly as she hoped for.
Oliver, being that he is afraid of trees, started off the hunt a bit uneasy. Yet, once he got into the swing of things, he showed off his true abilities and even impressed Val Stanton in the process. Who promised to pass Amy’s information along to a few friends of hers who might be interested in buying Oliver. So, in the end, all worked out both for Amy and Oliver since the horse found a new home and Amy was able to successfully rehome another horse.
I have to say, I really loved Amy’s plotline this episode. Although it was simple and not even that long, it felt inherently Heartland. Bringing back that happy Heartland feeling after the intensity of the previous episode. And for that, I thank the Heartland writers because they understand that not every episode needs to be filled with drama. Some of them can feature happy scenes and we will still watch and enjoy the show regardless.
Old cowboy in a new saddle
Speaking of the Hunt club ride, another major Heartland couple’s storyline for Heartland season 11 episode 11 revolved around it. And as you probably guessed by the title of this section, it was Jack and Lisa. Because during the episode we saw Jack sacrificing his comfort for his wife and participating in the hunt riding English.
At the beginning of the episode, we found out that Lisa got talked into organizing the hunt with Val. Which is why she was hoping for Jack to join her for the event. But, Jack being Jack, told Lisa that he and Tim had to wean calves, so he won’t be able to make it. Luckily for Lisa, Tim overheard this conversation and talked Jack into going with Lisa by saying that it must be important to Lisa or otherwise she wouldn’t have asked Jack to join her.
And one English saddle riding lesson from Amy later, Jack surprised Lisa in full on English riding apparel, ready to play the supportive husband role and participate in the event. Even after he found out that Lisa’s ex-husband Dan will be there, and will be in charge of the event.
By the end of the event, Lisa managed to confront Val about dating Dan and then apologized Jack for dragging him into the hunt and the Dan and Val drama. And Jack accepted her apology in the best way possible. By proposing to do something crazy and to actually jump over one of the logs.
Jack and Lisa were definitely some major couple goals in this Heartland episode. Despite them each having their flaws, they dared to admit when they were wrong and still make the best out of the situation. Now that is how a healthy marriage should be.
The pressure is building
And the last person that was involved with the hunt club meet was Georgie because she participated in it alongside Amy, Jack, and Lisa. However, her story arc wasn’t really connected to the other three characters, because Georgie was dealing with her own issues during the event.
With Amy back in Canada, the beginning of Heartland season 11 episode 11 saw she watching Georgie train and complimenting Georgie on her riding. Yet, with Val in Georgie’s ear and with placing only third in the last competition, Georgie wasn’t feeling the most confident about her skills. And it only got worse after Wyatt showed up and told Georgie about the conversation he overheard between Val and Dylan.
Apparently, Val was complaining to Dylan about Georgie’s riding and offered him to ride one of her horses. Which upset Georgie even more. Especially since it came from Wyatt, at who she was still angry. Fortunately, Georgie confronted Dylan about it and Dylan cleared up the misunderstanding by saying that if his horse can’t compete then he is out for the season. Meaning that Dylan won’t take Flame away from Georgie. And later on, Georgie even made up with Wyatt deciding to stay just friend.
But I have to wonder if Georgie isn’t slowly burning out from all the pressure placed on her shoulders. Amy seemed to have that fear too because she told Georgie to also find some time to relax between work and jumping. Yet, as long as Georgie doesn’t find the balance herself, there will always be that danger looming over her. So I hope that by the end of the season we will see Georgie finding that balance and getting more confident about her riding again. Otherwise, her Olympic dreams could stay just that – dreams.
Letting the light in
Finally, the last storyline of Heartland season 11 episode 11 was all about Tim and him finally realizing that he can’t go one hiding his illness from everyone but Jack.
At the end of the last episode, Altan told Tim to let some light into his life. And at the start of this episode, it seemed that Tim was really mulling over this idea. Yet after Casey showed up and demanded to know why Tim broke up with her, since she didn’t believe that he doesn’t love her anymore, it seemed like Tim is going back to the way he was. Hiding everything and suffering alone.
Though in the end, Altan’s advice did leave an impression on Tim after all, because at the rear end of the episode we saw Tim make the decision to tell Casey about the real reason why he broke things off with her. And he did just that. He told Casey that he broke up with her because he didn’t want her to go through the pain of losing someone to an illness for the third time. And Casey did what any true partner would do. Told Tim that she will be by his side no matter what.
So it looks like Tim is finally realizing that going through this alone isn’t the best course of action. And hopefully, by the end of next episode, Amy, Lou and the rest of the family will know about the shadow on his brain too. Because I could see those scene being heart-wrenching yet also extremely beautiful. And it would also finally move this storyline along towards us finding out if Tim indeed has a brain tumor, or if it is just a shadow.
Last thoughts on Heartland season 11 episode 11
One of the things I loved about Heartland season 11 episode 11 is that the show didn’t just end the whole Ty getting kidnapped in Mongolia storyline with episode 10.
Rather they did a scene at the start of this episode with Amy having a nightmare of Ty still being missing. And I think it is a brilliant way to highlight that any traumatic experience usually doesn’t just end when it’s over. It can continue to haunt you even after you and your loved ones are safe and sound back home. Now I’m just wondering if Amy will have any more residual fears about Ty’s safety going forward? That could definitely be an interesting storyline to play out on the show.
Episode highlights:
• Ty comforting Amy after her nightmare
• Amy being a protective trainer and wanting to talk to Val about Georgie
• Amy and Ty dogsitting for Cass and Caleb
• Wyatt wanting to make amends
• Jack trying to knock some sense into Tim about telling his daughters about his health
• and then Tim knocking some sense into Jack about him joining Lisa at the hunt
• Amy teaching Jack to ride English
• Lisa being amazed by Jack in English riding gear
• Tim babysitting Lyndy
• Tim’s fairytale about Amy, Lou, and their mother
• Casey not believing Tim that the reason for him breaking things off with her was that he doesn’t love her anymore
• Tim telling Casey about the shadow on his brain
• Casey telling Tim that she isn’t going anywhere
• Jack and Lisa jumping over that jump
• Lyndy saying dada again
• Georgie and Wyatt becoming friends again
• Tm visiting Marion’s grave
Episode low points:
• Val trying to recruit Dylan to ride one of her horses
• Tim telling Casey that the reason he broke up with her was that he doesn’t love her anymore
• Lisa meddling in the relationship between Val and Dan
Quote of the episode:
Jack: “What am I missing here? Why aren’t you busting my chops right about now? There must be a dozen jokes you could make about an old cowboy wearing leotard pants. What?”
Tim: “I pictured it. It’s not pretty.”