Heartland Season 15 Episode 5 Review

We’re officially halfway through this season of Heartland and this episode showcased one of the big events that we’re used to seeing on most seasons of Heartland – the cattle drive. And it definitely ended up bringing some growing pains to the forefront for multiple characters.

Want to know what I’m talking about? Then keep on reading this Heartland season 15 episode 5 recap!

A spoiler warning is in effect so read this article at your own discretion.

The cattle drive

The main event of this episode was the annual cattle drive that saw the family come together for Heartland Beef.

At the top of the episode, we saw Jack announce that the people he hired to help him with the cattle drive backed out at the last minute, so he was left in a lurch. Luckily, the whole family stepped up and offered to help.

As an experienced horsewoman, Amy, of course, was the first one to offer her help. Followed by Lou, who although didn’t have much experience in the area had done a cattle drive before. And to everyone’s surprise, even Jessica and Fred Garland decided to jump on the chance.

Why was Fred at the ranch, you ask?

Well, before Jack announced that he needed help with the cattle drive, Jessica was pitching Fred a new ad campaign for Heartland Beef. A campaign that would feature the whole Bartlett-Fleming clan, not just Jack, and that would have the slogan – from our family to yours, Heartland Beef.

So, seeing that the cattle drive would be the perfect opportunity for Jessica to get some authentic shots of the family, she decided to tag along. Inviting Fred, too, so he could see if she got the shots that he wanted for the new campaign.

Jack, of course, wasn’t very excited to have so many newbies on the drive with them. But the plan was set, so he just had to go along with it.

Let’s head them up and move them out

The next morning, everybody saddled up and moved out. But things were not going smoothly from the get-go.

Tim and Jack were bickering as always. Fred even had trouble getting on his horse, so he really was struggling on the drive. Jessica was constantly taking photos which irritated everyone and slowed them down. While Lou was not happy that Jessica even was on the cattle drive with them. And Amy was feeling anxious about being so far away from Lyndy for two days for the first time ever.

Fortunately, they somehow made it to the halfway point intact, where they were planning to set up camp for the night. But, to everyone’s (but Jessica’s) surprise, the camp was already set up for them.

Earlier in the episode, Jack asked why Fred needed the exact coordinates for where they’re going to camp. Jessica answered instead, that it’s a surprise. And it was, indeed.

Instead of just a simple campfire and some tents, there was a lavishly decorated table set up complete with chairs, plates, candles, you name it in addition to a campfire and some fancier-than-usual tents for the family to sleep in.

It was for the photoshoot, of course, to show the family enjoying a meal after a day on the ranch. It was more inspirational than authentic but everyone just decided to go along with it because it was already there and they were tired and hungry.

So, Jack grilled the steaks that were left for them by Fred’s team who set up the camp. And the family enjoyed dinner and wine sitting around the beautifully-decorated table. Until Fred brought up the future of Heartland Beef and tensions rose among the family members.

Looking at the future

In hindsight, Fred had a good point. As the guy who is in business with Heartland Beef, he wanted to know what will happen once Jack decides to retire. Although, Fred definitely could have asked it at a different time.

But he didn’t so everybody was put on the spot.

Tim wasn’t sure if he’s the future of Heartland Beef now that he’s married to someone who likes to travel and he also still had the rodeo school. So, Jack’s only solution was that Amy probably would take over.

However, with Ty gone, Amy wasn’t sure that it was in the cards for her now. And since Jack didn’t even consider Lou as a possible successor to the Heartland Beef business, Lou took offense.

Luckily, at the end of the episode, Jack explained why he was acting the way he did when Fred asked what would become of Heartland Beef once Jack decided to take a step back.

So, really it wasn’t about choosing Amy over Lou or overlooking one granddaughter for the other. It was more about not wanting to force any of them to take over if they don’t want to.

And Lou, despite being hurt by Jack picking Amy as his successor earlier, understood where he is coming from. The two made up and it looks like the decision as to who’s taking over Heartland Beef will be made when they come to that bridge.

Up and at’em

But back to the cattle drive.

After a tense dinner, the family had a nicer time sitting around the campfire and razzing Tim about getting married to Jessica in a silk robe (more on that later). So, they went to bed in better spirits and the next morning rose to finish the cattle drive.

And everything was going great until it wasn’t.

Some time into the second day of the cattle drive Jack heard a calf bawling. They had a stray so Tim decided to keep pushing the herd forward while Amy and Jack went to get the stray.

Amy was the one to find the calf and, unfortunately, it was dead – killed by a bear that soon made itself known to Amy.

When Amy went to inspect the calf to figure out what happened to it, she dismounted her horse. Therefore, when the bear showed itself, Shadow, frightened by the wild animal, ran off.

Jack chose that exact moment to arrive, so when the bear growled at Amy, Jack fired a warning shot at the animal. However, the Grizzly didn’t back down. As luck would have it, the second warning shot chased the animal off and Amy was safe.

But their problems didn’t end there. A storm was coming so the herd was getting anxious. And Amy and Jack still had to find Shadow.

When they finally tracked the horse down, Shadow was bleeding. It looked like he had been accidentally stabbed by a branch when he ran off.

Amy bandaged Shadow’s leg but the cut was pretty deep, which meant that it would be best to double back and get Shadow home via the horse trailer. So, they decided that the best course of action here was for Amy and Jack to go back to the trailer and Tim push on with Lou, Jessica, and Fred as his crew.

But, when Tim rode back to the river crossing where he left Jessica, Lou, and Fred, the herd of cattle along with the three of them were gone.

Lou, Fred, and Jessica had decided to cross the river on their own. Therefore, Tim decided to let the trio of newbie ranchers continue on their own, while he rode ahead, grabbed the horse trailer, and drove it closer since Amy and Jack were making slow progress, the storm was coming and the bear was still around as well.

In the end, Amy, Jack, and Tim managed to get home safe and sound. Now all that was left to do was for Tim and Jack to go after the herd.

Lou’s big moment

When Tim rode off to find Amy and Jack after they heard gunshots, Lou, Jessica, and Fred were left with the herd at the river crossing with Tim instructing them to stay put. But, Lou, seeing that the storm was fast-approaching, decided to make an executive decision and continue on without Tim, Jack, or Amy.

Fred and Jessica were reluctant to continue the drive without the others, however, Lou was certain that it was the right decision, so they pushed on. But first, they had to cross the river which was the hardest part of the cattle drive.

Since Lou and Jessica were more comfortable with horses, they jumped right into the task and started steering the herd through the river to the other river bank. But Fred was struggling to get his horse to cross the river.

When he finally did manage to get his horse to go down to the river, the horse did so in a less than graceful way which led to Fred losing his balance and falling off his horse into the river.

Fortunately, Lou was there to save Fred from the river. She tossed him her rope and helped Fred back to the shore. And it was smooth sailing from there.

So, when Tim and Jack found Lou, Jessica, and Fred, Lou was confidently leading the herd towards Heartland with Jessica as her right-hand woman and Fred trailing somewhere behind them. The five of them managed to get home before the storm hit and everyone could be proud of a job well done.

The wine talking

Speaking of Lou, back in episode 1 of this season we saw Lou agonize about Peter not bringing up the late-night video call they had where Peter confessed that he still had feelings for Lou. And ever since then there have been subtle hints of Lou trying to coax Peter into talking about it.

Well, in this episode, Lou finally had enough of Peter’s silence and thanks to a little wine courage, she texted Peter that she lied previously and that he was the reason she canceled her wedding to Mitch.

Due to there being no service the message didn’t send, of course. So, the next morning, a sober Lou went to delete it before they got back home and the message had a chance to go through. But, when she opened up her texts Lou saw that at some point during the night she had had cell service and the message was sent.

That led Lou to be distracted the rest of the day because she was eager to get back into range, call Peter and explain her late-night text. However, then the cattle drive took precedent, and once Lou did get home Peter wasn’t answering his phone.

The reason why Peter wasn’t answering his phone was that he was on his way to Heartland. And he surprised Lou by arriving at Heartland later that evening ready to talk.

The two went on a stroll along the pond and Lou admitted to Peter that although she sent the text while drunk, she really did mean it.

And apparently, the only thing left to do was to kiss.

Does that mean that Lou and Peter are officially back together? Probably. But I bet it won’t be without its hurdles. So, I’m excited to see where the season takes the exes and if they really will be giving their marriage another shot.

Celebrating with the family

Previously, I already mentioned that Jack, Lou, and Amy were ribbing Tim when Jessica told them that they got married in Peru in a traditional celebration completed with a Shaman, sacred chants, and silk robes.

So, when the newlyweds got back to the ranch after the cattle drive they got to talking and Tim was concerned that beneath all the laughter and the teasing the family actually felt left out.

Tim’s solution to that was to throw a small wedding reception for the family so they would feel like they were part of Tim’s nuptials.

At first, Jessica was against that idea. But when Lou told Jessica that she felt pretty thrown after Jessica and Tim came back from their trip married, Jessica had a change of heart.

She agreed to plan a small and simple get-together just for the family.

Which means that in the next episode we will most likely see the party and if it really will be small and simple.

My bet? Probably not given how these types of things usually tend to get out of hand for the Bartlett-Fleming clan.

Babysitting duty

While most of the family were on the cattle drive on Heartland season 15 episode 5, Lisa stayed back with Lyndy and Katie. And since Parker came over, too, Katie and Parker hatched a plan to finally get Lou and Amy to let them babysit Lyndy.

Step one was to get Lisa to agree to them making dinner that night. Which was an easy sell. And although the lasagna they made didn’t quite turn out as expected given that they swapped tomato sauce for ketchup, it was a solid attempt.

Step two was for Lisa to let Katie and Parker babysit Lyndy while she was meeting a reputable horse breeder for lunch. It took some doing, especially since Lisa wanted to run the idea by Amy or Lou first. However, since the Fleming sisters were out of range for the cattle drive, Parker and Katie managed to convince Lisa to let them babysit.

But while doing so Katie and Parker quickly learned that babysitting isn’t as easy as it seems.

Lyndy had way more energy than Katie and Parker, so when Lyndy asked to play hide and seek, they agreed thinking that it would be an easy game to occupy Lyndy until Lisa gets back. However, Lyndy was much better at the game than the two girls anticipated.

When Lisa came back from her meeting, she found Katie and Parker looking for Lyndy. Apparently, the little girl had been hiding for an hour now, so understandably Parker, Katie, and now Lisa were concerned.

They ended up finding Lyndy hiding in the cellar and just in time, too, since a while after Amy, Tim, and Jack returned to the ranch from the drive.

All that mattered was that Lyndy had a good time and Katie and Parker get their first babysitting lesson. Even if there were a few hiccups along the way. Now we just have to wait and see if Lou and Amy will be game for the two teens babysitting Lyndy more down the line.

Last thoughts on Heartland season 15 episode 5

I really love when there is a cattle drive episode during the season because it always is so exciting and brings new and unexpected stories to the show. Like the photoshoot and bear in this episode. And it’s also a nice change of pace for having scenes set mainly at the Heartland ranch.

READ NEXT: Heartland season 15 episode 6 review

I also loved how Lou finally told Jessica that she was blindsided by Jessica and Tim returning from their travels married. Ever since the newlyweds got back Lou hasn’t really been comfortable with Jessica being around all the time. So, hopefully, that will change from here on out now that they know where they stand with each other.

And lastly, for those who are wondering if Shadow will be alright after his injury this episode. I’m here to tell you that he definitely will. Already at the end of this episode, Amy told Lisa that after a bit of rest the horse should make a full recovery. Which means that soon enough Shadow should be back to his healthy self.

Promo for Heartland season 15 episode 6

And here is the promo for the next episode of Heartland.

Heartland episode 1506, which is titled “Happy Ever After”, will see Jessica and Tim host their wedding party which might not end up being as small as they hoped. Lou will attempt to hide her revived relationship with Peter. While Amy and Logan will continue their work with Jessica’s wild horse.