This episode of Heartland was just as explosive as it promised to be, filled with uncertainty, panic, and a possible disaster. However, despite all that, it also had a lot of heartfelt moments. And visually it definitely felt more like a mini-movie rather than just one Heartland episode.
Want to know what happened on this episode? Then keep on reading this recap of Heartland season 14 episode 4.
Warning, this article does contain spoilers so read at your own will!
Situation assessment
As we saw at the very end of episode 1403, there was an explosion near the Heartland ranch. And this episode didn’t waste any time letting us know what exactly that explosion was.
The opening shots of the episode showed a train off its tracks and a fire burning all around it. So we quickly realized just how serious the situation is.
Tim was the first one on the scene since he was driving to Hudson and the explosion happened right in front of his eyes. He called the accident in and then quickly informed his family as to what had happened. And it got everyone moving real fast!
Lou went to her office to figure out how to deal with the disaster and Peter was with her for moral support. Amy went to the rodeo grounds to get Howler and the rest of the horses stabled there out. While Jack went to find Parker. And Lisa held down the fort with Katie and Lyndy at the ranch.
Raising to the occasion
As Hudson’s mayor, Lou had one of the most important jobs in this type of situation – to inform the public about what is happening and do so in a manner that won’t panic them. Luckily, Rick and Peter were by her side to help her through this crazy situation. After all, this was Lou’s first big disaster since becoming mayor and she could use the advice and help.
Rick, having spent over a decade serving different mayors, knew just what to do and quickly let Lou know how to proceed. So they called in the town’s council and set up at Maggie’s to monitor everything from there since it would give them a chance to be close to the community and reassure them that everything’s going to be fine.
However, once at Maggie’s, Lou and Rick’s opinions as to how to handle the situation varied. Especially when it came to asking for help from private emergency services and just what to tell Hudson’s residents about the severity of the accident.
After Lou, Rick and Peter arrived at Maggie’s, Peter offered to call his friends at a nearby oil company, Middleton Oil, who have their own fire crew, to see if they could lend a hand. But, Rick advised Lou against it, since calling a big oil company for help would cost Hudson a fortune. Yet once it became clear that this disaster is more than just a wildfire – they found out that there was chlorine in one of the tankers, and if the fire reached that tank, it would blow and release a lethal cloud of gas in the air – Lou threw all the caution to the wind and decided to call Middleton. After all, people’s lives were more important than money.
Similarly, at first, Rick cautioned Lou to be gentle when telling the town’s residents about the evacuation order that was in effect during her live address. However, when she saw that people weren’t evacuating since, as per Rick’s advice, she referred to the evacuation order as just a precautionary measure, she decided that a little bluntness was in order.
Rick meant well, but even veterans of the craft sometimes make mistakes. So, in her second address, Lou let the people of Hudson know just how serious the situation is, and finally, they listened. Hudson was quickly emptying out and people were well on their way out of the 10-mile radius around the disaster site.
Fortunately, by the time Lou and Peter were on the road to Okotoks, the additional emergency crews from neighboring towns and three oil companies had arrived and they managed to put out the fire near the tanker. Which meant that the threat was neutralized and everyone could return to their homes safe and sound.
I really hope that this will finally give Lou some good publicity and help show the people of Hudson that she’s a great mayor. Because, to be frank, Lou really needs a win. And what better win there is than helping avert a major disaster and save their town?
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Getting them out
While Lou was dealing with the situation on her end, Amy was at the rodeo grounds trying to save the horses trapped there. And that included Howler.
Upon arriving at the rodeo grounds Amy met Lily, who was there to get Howler out of there. However, Amy quickly realized that the only way to get Howler and the rest of the horses out is to let them free and lead them to the nearby river since she didn’t have a horse trailer with her.
So that’s what Amy decided to do. She asked Lily to drive away in her car, so Amy could tack up one of the pony horses and push the rest of them towards the creak. And, although at first, it seemed like Lily was listening to her daughter-in-law, halfway out of the rodeo grounds Lily turned back around and went back. Amy was in danger and Lily wanted to help.
So, Lily lied to Amy about the fire having reached the entrance of the rodeo grounds already, since she knew that that was the only way Amy would let Lily help with the horses, the two tacked up and started their journey to the creek. And it wasn’t easy.
They had to not only wrangle a herd of frightened horses but also work through thick smoke and do it quickly because the fire was getting closer and closer. And then, once they got near to the river there was a gate that the horses had to go through which spooked Howler and he took off towards the fire.
Amy went after Howler after asking Lily to stay with the other horses. But Lily didn’t listen again and went after Amy. The two worked together and got a loop around Howler so Amy could lead him back to the rest of the horses. However, Lily, being a less experienced rider, got turned around in the thick smoke and accidentally rode into a tree branch that landed her on the ground.
Luckily, the horse Lily was riding ran back to the rest of the herd once Lily got knocked off, so Amy knew something was wrong. And then she saw Ty in the smoke who led her to Lily lying on the ground, struggling to breathe.
At first, it looked like Lily was giving up because she wanted Amy to save herself. However, Amy wasn’t giving up on her mother-in-law. So, Amy managed to get Lily upright and walk her back to the rest of the horses.
And just as Amy and Lily were preparing to get back on their horses and go towards the river, Tim came out of the smoke.
He went back to the rodeo grounds to find Amy after helping the firefighters figure out what was in that tanker. But once he saw that all of the horses were gone and heard them in the distance, he followed the sound which led him to Amy and Lily.
In the end, the three of them managed to get all the horses to the river. And Tim even managed to arrange for a transport to come pick them up. So, both the horses and Amy, Lily, and Tim were safe and unharmed.
Mending fences
After arriving back at the ranch, Amy and Lily even had a much-needed and overdue conversation.
Although Amy told Lily that she knew that Lily lied about the fire being at the entrance of the rodeo grounds, since otherwise, Tim couldn’t have gotten in, she still thanked Lily for her help. And even apologized for being so angry at Lily for not being there for Amy and Lyndy.
The two hugged it out and promised each other to stick together from now on. After all, the only way to get through the pain of losing Ty so suddenly is together.
Lily: “I know. We’re going to get through that together, too.”
So, thankfully, the episode ended with Amy and Lily on good terms. Being there for each other and supporting each other through their shared loss. And I hope that this means that we will be seeing more of Lily if not this season then in the next one (knock on wood that there is one!).
Speaking of mending fences, Amy and Lily weren’t the only ones who ended the episode in a good place. Because at the end of it Lou and Amy had a talk, too, during which Lou admitted that she hasn’t been a good sister to Amy.
And since Amy forgave Lou, she finally told Amy that Mitch asked her to marry him. Which has been a huge burden for Lou – not being able to tell Amy the good news. Amy, of course, took the news like a champ, telling Lou how happy she is for Lou and Mitch. But you could see that it hurt her, too. So, hopefully, now that they talked, Lou will be able to see the moments when Amy needs her support.
Spooked
Finally, while Lou was dealing with her mayoral duties and Amy and Lily were saving horses from the rodeo grounds, Jack was on a search of his own. Search for Parker who ran off to walk Mickey in the woods shortly before the explosion.
As it turns out the loud noise from the explosion spooked Mickey and the horse ran off, leaving Parker wandering through the woods and searching for him. And since Lisa realized that Parker wasn’t at the ranch right after they found out about the explosion, Jack knew he had to go find Parker. Even more so after Jack got the call from Lisa about chlorine being in one of the tanks.
So, while Lisa got Katie and Lyndy ready and drove them towards Okotoks. Jack was still searching for Parker. Fortunately, he managed to find her and convince her to get on his horse so they could ride back to the ranch and get out of there. But it wasn’t easy.
Parker didn’t want to leave Mickey in the woods. But she reluctantly agreed after Jack explained the situation to Parker. Yet, once they got to the ranch and Jack was about to get into the truck to leave, Parker wasn’t budging again. Apparently, she had googled what will happen if the chlorine explodes so she begged Jack to take the Heartland horses with them.
Jack just wanted to get on the road and get Parker as far away from the accident site as possible. However, Parker wasn’t having it.
So, Jack finally agreed to get the trailer and take all of their own horses with them as well. Once that was done and Jack reassured Parker that there isn’t anything that drives people or horses away from her, the two were on the road to Okotoks.
But just as they were leaving Heartland they saw Mickey running towards them. So, they stopped, got Mickey loaded up in the trailer with the rest of the horses, and were on their way to safety.
And later, when they were back at the ranch, Jack even apologized to Parker for yelling at her when they were installing the solar panels in the previous episode. While Parker said sorry for not listening to Jack earlier as well. So, the two were on good terms again.
I really liked how they paired Parker with Jack together. The two characters have a great dynamic and also had a lot to give to each other. Jack got Parker to realize that she should talk to her parents about how she feels about them leaving her at the ranch. While Parker helped Jack get a better handle of his own emotions as well. So, I hope that this isn’t the last time we see Parker. Because I would miss her interacting with Jack and the rest of the family.
Last thoughts on Heartland season 14 episode 4
I loved the real, honest conversation that Lily and Tim had at the end of the episode. The two of them have both experienced what addiction means and what it can do to you and those around you. So, seeing them talk about it openly and seeing Lily ask for Tim’s advice since he has gone through what she’s going through now was so refreshing.
It also showed how Heartland isn’t shying away from such heavy topics. Rather they are embracing them and destigmatizing them by showing first Tim struggling with addiction and overcoming it in the early seasons and now Lily doing the same.
And I was also happy to hear that Lily finally realized that she needs to leave Wade. It was definitely a long time coming. And hopefully, it will help her stay sober and keep in touch with Amy and Lyndy.
P.S. For those in the US, Heartland seasons 12 and 13 are finally on Netflix, so after reading this recap feel free to head to Netflix and enjoy the previous seasons of Heartland!
Promo for Heartland season 14 episode 5
And here’s the promo for the next episode of Heartland titled “Outsiders” that is airing on CBC in two weeks, on Valentine’s Day, February 14th, since the Super Bowl is next Sunday: