Heartland Season 16 Episode 13 Recap

Although we’re slowly nearing the end of the season (just 2 more episodes left in season 16!), Heartland isn’t slowing down. And this week the show gave us another lovely episode that had some conflict, some new faces, some music, and some sweet family moments.

Want to know what exactly happened?

Then keep on reading this recap of Heartland season 16 episode 13.

Born to race

At the start of the episode, we saw Amy visit Fairfield, Lisa’s stables, to look at Platinum Bow, the horse Lisa bought back in episode 1502.

Throughout this season, we’ve seen Lisa stress about Platinum Bow and his performance since her investors were counting on the horse to be a winner. And after all this stress and traveling started to affect her relationship with Jack, in episode 1608 Lisa was determined to make some changes in her horse business.

And in this episode, we finally saw her take actionable steps toward making her life a little less stressful.

Yet first, Amy had to figure out what’s wrong with Platinum Bow because when Amy got to Fairfield she saw that the horse isn’t sound – he was clearly limping even though the vet had done all kinds of tests and they had all came back clean.

What’s interesting was that Bow was only limping after he was done with his exercises for the day which was very unusual and made the situation all that more frustrating.

So, Lisa and Amy put Platinum Bow on stall rest for the time being.

However, after a misunderstanding with Lisa’s new stable manager Edwin and Bow’s trainer Torrance who didn’t check the schedule and exercised Bow even though he wasn’t supposed to, the situation with Bow got even tenser. Everybody was on edge, to say the least, and Lisa even started to consider selling the horse as a stud as her investors had suggested.

However, Platinum Bow was born to race so Amy wasn’t ready to give up on him yet. And when Amy saw how Bow watched Lisa leave after she was done brushing him, it gave Amy an idea as to what might be the cause of the problem.

Admittedly, it was a bit out there, even Amy seemed to agree with that. But she had a hunch and followed it.

Amber Marshall as Amy and Jessica Steen as Lisa on Heartland season 16 episode 13

Since Lisa used to brush Platinum Bow and give him a pep talk before every race, the two had developed quite a connection. Then Lisa bought more horses and didn’t have the time to pay Bow that much attention.

But when the horse got injured, Lisa got to spend some quality one-on-one time with Bow yet again. Which made Amy suspect that Platinum Bow was limping to get Lisa’s attention. After all, Bow was only limping when Lisa showed up seemingly having learned that if he’s limping then Lisa will spend time with him.

This theory was confirmed when Amy got Lisa to ride Platinum Bow and suddenly the horse was totally sound – no limp, nothing – even though Bow did limp right as Lisa showed up to the arena.

So, they did a few more sessions with Lisa riding Bow to form a new kind of connection between them and reassure the horse that Lisa isn’t going anywhere.

Amy’s Miracle Girl instincts came in clutch once again. And after riding Bow and securing that special connection between them, Lisa got her investors to sell Platinum Bow to her, so Lisa could give the horse all the time he needs to heal up before he’s put back on the track without that added pressure from the investors for Bow to win races.

Not in the mood

Jack, being the wonderful husband to Lisa that he is, supported her and Amy every step of the way and asked about Platinum Bow’s progress constantly. However, he also had his own things to deal with in Heartland season 16 episode 13.

For one, Jack served as emotional support to Caleb as he was dealing with his divorce from Cassandra.

At the beginning portion of the episode, we saw Caleb help Jack out with cleaning tack when Caleb got a call from his mom.

Sensing that something’s up since Caleb lied to his mom about there being a big rodeo the next weekend, Jack asked Caleb if everything’s all right back home. That’s when Caleb admitted that there’s an Odell family reunion happening soon, but that he’s not going because he’s not in the mood for a big event at the moment.

Kerry James as Caleb and Shaun Johnston as Jack on Heartland season 16 episode 13

Clearly, Caleb wasn’t as fine as he was pretending to be, so Jack suggested that they go out for a burger and a beer that night to The Brownstone so Caleb doesn’t have to spend another lonely night by the TV. And Caleb agreed.

It seemed that a night out with some good company, food, and live music was just the thing that Caleb needed. And it brought a surprise for Jack as well.

Don’t make a girl beg

While at the bar, the lead singer of the band that was playing that night recognized Jack. Apparently, her dad Bobby was the drummer in Jack’s late wife Lyndy’s band back in the day. So she asked Jack to join her and her band on stage for a song.

Jack refused, even after both Caleb and the singer encouraged him. But, alas, Jack wouldn’t do it.

Shaun Johnston as Jack and Kerry James as Caleb on Heartland season 16 episode 13

The next morning when Lisa came to hand Jack a cup of coffee before leaving while he and Caleb were working on the tack again, Caleb told Lisa about how the lead singer had asked Jack to play with the band.

Jack admitted to Lisa that he didn’t want to accept the singer’s offer because he didn’t want to look like a has-been up there with a band that was in their groove. But Lisa encouraged Jack that he should have done it since he would have had a chance to do something he loves. And apparently, Lisa’s words stuck with Jack.

Later in the episode, we saw Jack and Katie sing “You Never Saw Me”, the song Jack wrote from Katie’s poem and sang for Katie and Lisa at the cabin in the last episode. And that’s when Jack got an idea.

To celebrate Amy cracking the Platinum Bow mystery, Jack invited the whole family to celebrate over dinner at The Brownstone. But little did they know that Jack had ulterior motives.

When the same band that Jack and Caleb saw the previous evening took the stage and invited Jack to play with them again, this time Jack readily accepted. He even had his guitar with him. And from the stage, he announced that he actually had rehearsed a little something with the band earlier that afternoon.

So, Amy and Katie joined him and the band on the stage, and they sang “The Truth Don’t Lie”, the full version of the song Jack wrote using Katie’s words.

The whole family was there to support Katie, Jack, and Amy on stage and it was a truly beautiful moment of Jack enjoying himself on the stage with his granddaughter and great-granddaughter by his side.

I love how much singing Jack and Amy are doing as of late because each musical number adds a bit of that Heartland magic to the episode. And I hope after this, now that Jack has reconnected with his country music roots, even more music will be incorporated into the show’s episodes.

Deserve to find someone

Speaking of Caleb, the night out with Jack wasn’t the only thing that helped Caleb feel better about his second divorce.

Right before Jack, Amy, and Katie went on stage to play with the band, Caleb noticed how Amy had finally taken her wedding rings off and commented on it sparking a heartfelt conversation between the two friends.

Caleb: “You took them off, your rings.”
Amy: “I did. It felt time.”
Caleb: “Well, good ’cause you deserve to find someone, someone great.”
Amy: “Thanks. So do you once you decide to take your ring off.”
Caleb: “Yeah, uh… Actually, a little too embarrassed to do that at the moment. Look, I’m not even gonna go to the Odell family reunion next weekend, it’s just, I haven’t told anyone yet and it’s humiliating. That’s two marriages crashed and burned.”
Amy: “Caleb, they’re your family, they’re not gonna judge you. And if they do, that’s on them. You are one of the kindest and sweetest people I know, and they must know that, too.”
Caleb: “That means a lot to me coming from you. You’re the amazing one, the way you’re always there for the people in your life, including me.”

Amy reassured Caleb that just because his second marriage had fallen apart, too, doesn’t mean that he should feel embarrassed or that he isn’t going to find the right person down the line. And Caleb seemed to really appreciate Amy’s kind words.

And the conversation even got Caleb to reconsider going to his family’s reunion the next weekend. Because Caleb promised to think about going after he jokingly (and maybe a little flirty) asked Amy if she wanted to go with him to the reunion.

Kerry James as Caleb and Amber Marshall as Amy on Heartland season 16 episode 13

Conversations like these between Caleb and Amy really make me think that the two would make a great couple down the line.

They both have grown so much as people and are great friends already. So, why wouldn’t things turn romantic eventually?

I’m not saying I want that to happen right away. But, now that Caleb is single, too, I think Amy and Caleb becoming something more would be a pretty great way for Amy to move on.

What do you think? How would you like it if Amy and Caleb got together down the line? Let me know in the comments below!

On strike

For a long time now, in my recaps, I’ve been complaining about how I feel that the Lou versus Katie storyline is getting tiring. And many of you seem to agree.

Well, lucky for us, Heartland season 16 episode 13 finally seems to be the episode when writers put that story arc to rest.

In the previous episode, Katie already seemed to see Lou in a different light after Lisa and Katie talked while fishing. And Lou promised Peter to let go of the reins a little when it comes to her daughters and let them come to her.

Yet, in this episode, at first, it seemed like nothing much is changed.

Katie rebelled against Lou and got all of Maggie’s current staff to go on strike (touting the slogan “Maggie’s doesn’t make the grade! We’re understaffed and underpaid!) because Lou couldn’t find more servers after those that were hired for summer break left therefore Maggie’s was short-staffed and Katie and Parker had to work on Sunday instead of going to Calgary to the Blue Dream concern which is their favorite band.

Sure, it isn’t easy to find reliable people, but Katie also had a point – she, Parker, and the rest of the regular staff had to work nearly every day. And this was especially hard on the two teens since working at Maggie’s in addition to going to school left them without any time for a social life.

In return, Lou got obsessed with the radio interview that Rick secured for her that would help Lou’s chances of re-election instead of prioritizing hiring more staff for Maggie’s.

Of course, Lou also had a lot on her plate – being a mom, her newly-reestablished marriage, owning multiple businesses, and being a mayor of Hudson on top of all that. But having to step up and serve customers herself when Maggie’s staff went on strike because they are overworked and could barely cover lunch rushes anymore made things even worse.

So, Katie and Lou were at odds with each other for most of the episode.

Lou even called in Rick to help at Maggie’s. Yet, when Rick got a call from his husband about them having to get on a flight to go get their baby girl, it put things in perspective for Lou.

Aidan Moreno as Rick and Michelle Morgan as Lou on Heartland season 16 episode 13

She closed down the dinner for the night to take Rick and Carl to the airport.

Seeing that Katie and Parker interpreted it as Lou finally seeing reason. Which is why the next morning Lou and Katie got into a pretty big fight that left both of them upset.

Katie taunted Lou about opening the diner by herself again while Lou countered that she’s going to go do the radio show and then will reach out to the staff of Maggie’s to see if any of them would be willing to come back to work.

Katie, of course, was confident and smug that none of them would do it which made Lou blow up and accuse Katie of making Lou out to be some kind of monster because she wouldn’t let her daughter go to a concert.

Yet, all of that smugness drained out of Katie when Lou told her that Lou only closed the diner last night because she took Rick and Carl to the airport so they could go meet the baby girl they’d adopted.

Luckily, during their singing session, Jack had some advice for his great-granddaughter.

Jack: “Can I give you some advice?”
Katie: “Do I have a choice?”
Jack: “No, you don’t. Now I know that you and your mom have had your issues lately but she’s trying real hard to do right by you. Now surely, someone as insightful as the person who wrote that poem can see that. So, maybe cut her some slack, huh?”

Shattering the facade

After her argument with Katie, understandably Lou wasn’t in the best state of mind during her radio interview.

So, instead of trying to be perfect, Lou kind of shattered the facade of being able to do it all and told the show’s host that she actually feels like she’s failing on every front of her life – being a mom, a business owner, and a mayor.

And despite thinking that she really blew it this time and that there is no chance that Lou will get re-elected now, it turned out that in the end honesty was the best policy.

Katie asked her mom to meet her at Maggie’s after the interview where Katie first reassured Lou by telling her that people loved Lou’d honesty during the interview and therefore it might not be the disaster that Lou thought it was. And then apologized to her mom for how she has been treating Lou.

Katie: “I’m sorry about the strike and the way I’ve been treating you lately. I feel like things aren’t going the way I want either. Maybe I’ve been putting up a facade as well. No one’s perfect but you’re a great boss, amazing mother, the most important person in my life.
Lou: “You really are good with words.”

The two finally made up for real. And Katie even got all of Maggie’s staff to come back to work while she and Lou went to the bar to meet up with the rest of the family.

Baye McPherson as Katie and Michelle Morgan as Lou on Heartland season 16 episode 13

I really hope that we’re finally over and done with this tension between Katie and Lou once and for all and can move towards better, more constructive storylines for the two.

And with Georgie coming home in the next episode (read the full synopsis for the next episode at the end of the article!) I feel like that might really be the case.


READ NEXT: Heartland season 16 episode 14 recap


Reconnecting

While the rest of the family was dealing with problems on the home front, Tim and Jessica took a trip to Kananaskis.

At the start of the episode, we saw Tim call his son Shane with whom he reconnected in episode 1606. Apparently, Shane was nearby in Kananaskis for a corporate retreat so Tim was hoping that they could meet up.

At first, Shane was hesitant, after all, he was on a work retreat and his schedule was pretty busy. But when Tim heard about Shane playing squash and pretended to know how to play the sport, Shane invited Tim to go play a game of squash with him the next morning.

Since it looked like Tim wouldn’t have another opportunity to meet up with Shane while he’s in Canada, Tim agreed, so Tim and Jessica headed down to Kananaskis.

The next morning we saw Tim at the hotel geared up for squash complete with a new outfit, a racket, glasses, the works, despite knowing nothing about squash.

Chris Potter as Tim and Michelle Nolden as Jessica on Heartland season 16 episode 13

However, then Shane came by to cancel their game because he got called into a strategy meeting with the partners of his law firm and, to Tim’s relief, suggested they meet for coffee that afternoon instead.

And their coffee meetup went great until Tim asked Shane about his relationship.

Shane admitted that he’s still together with Chloe, and, in fact, they’re getting married in the coming spring. However, when Tim started about how he will make room for Shane’s wedding although spring is the start of the rodeo season, Shane awkwardly mentioned how they’re not having a big wedding, the immediate family only, implying that Tim’s not invited.

That conversation was awkward in itself and Shane had to leave right after, so they left things in a weird place. And later Tim admitted to Jessica how he’s hurt by not being invited to the wedding.

Luckily, Jessica was there for her husband with some wise words.

Tim: “Shane’s getting married.”
Jessica: “Oh, that’s great. Isn’t it?”
Tim: “It’s great. I don’t think he would have told me if I hadn’t pried. I thought we were reconnecting.”
Jessica: “So, it took some prompting but he told you, right?”
Tim: “I’m not incited to the wedding.”
Jessica: “Honey, I don’t think you can expect it all to happen at once. He wants to be with you. He’s sharing the things that are going on in his life. I mean, it’s not happening as fast as you would like, but you are reconnecting.”

The next morning Jessica saw Shane in the lobby where Shane told her how he’s glad he got to tell Tim about the wedding in person although he was sad that they didn’t get to play squash.

In return, Jessica let Shane know that Tim doesn’t actually know how to play squash and the only reason Tim agreed to it is that he wanted to do something with Shane that Shane liked to do. And she also told Shane how reconnecting with him is very important to Tim.

That got Shane thinking about his last conversation with Tim. So later that day, before Tim and Jessica left for Heartland, Shane went to see his dad one last time and told him the real reason why he didn’t invite Tim to his wedding.

Shane: “Look, I want you to know something, the reason I didn’t invite you to my wedding is because my mom and stepdad will be there doing the toast to the bride and groom and all that.”
Tim: “Makes sense. I mean, they’re the ones who raised you, you know.”
Shane: “Well, I just thought maybe seeing my mom with her new husband would open up old wounds for you. And everything’s been going so well with us lately, I just… I didn’t want to mess that up. But not having you there, it doesn’t feel right either. So, I know it might feel awkward, but I was wondering if you’d consider coming to my wedding.”
Tim: “Yeah, I’d love to.”

So, it looks like Tim’s fears of not reconnecting with Shane were unfounded and the real reason why Shane didn’t invite Tim to his wedding right away is that he was afraid of the past repeating itself and them losing touch again.

Sam Duke as Shane and Chris Potter as Tim on Heartland season 16 episode 13

But luckily, with a little help from Jessica, the father-son duo managed to talk it out and now is doing better than ever. And Tim even has a wedding to attend in the spring.

Doubtful we will see Shane’s wedding on the screen. But I hope it gets at least mentioned if we are so lucky to get another season. And it would also be cool to see Shane come back to the ranch sometime in the future. Maybe with his new wife so she could meet that side of the family? Who knows!

Last thoughts on Heartland season 16 episode 13

It was really interesting to see Amy meet Edwin, Lisa’s new stable manager, because of the dynamic between the two.

At first, the two didn’t really see eye to eye on how to handle the whole situation with Platinum Bow and what to do with the horse if Amy doesn’t manage to figure out what’s wrong with him.

Amber Marshall as Amy and René Escobar Jr. as Edwin on Heartland season 16 episode 13

Only to be thrown together in a completely different setting.

Early in the episode, Lyndy came home from a play date with Rebecca, one of the girls she met at the rodeo school, and announced that she’s Lyndy’s new best friend. And since apparently, Rebecca’s mom is nice, too, Lyndy asked if they could have Rebecca and her mom over to the ranch.

Amy, of course, agreed, but instead of Rebecca and her mom, Edwin accompanied Lyndy’s new best friend to Heartland.

It turned out that he’s Rebecca’s dad. And since Rebecca’s mom had a last-minute work thing, she had asked Edwin to fill in for her (they’re separated but they’re still on good terms).

So, Amy and Edwin were forced to spend time together. And even though it was with their daughters by their sides (all four of them painted hot rocks with crayons which is quite a brilliant idea), they still had a chance to talk.

I wouldn’t say that Edwin and Amy are friends now. But by the end of the play date, they definitely were on better terms. And Edwin even painted the Heartland logo on his rock which was an interesting little moment.

Promo for Heartland season 16 episode 14

And here’s the promo for the next episode:

Heartland season 16 episode 14 titled “After the Ever After” will air on January 29th and will see Georgie come home in order to rediscover her passion for showjumping which Amy will help her niece with. Peter will announce that he’s moving to the ranch which will catch Lou off guard. And a Winter Fair in town will present an opportunity for Tim to help both Jessica and his struggling rodeo school.

10 Comments

  1. I loved season 16. Had a lot of episodes with Lisa and her horse now. Real good different stuff.

    The music was good too. So good I have watched it three times.

    But the first three episodes of season 17 not feeling the that . Where is Lisa?

  2. I have not been able to see season 15 or 16, but I feel Amy deserves to have her soul mate back. Ty needs to return. You could always say the poachers from Mongolia came and took him out of surgery right before the were going to move him to recovery and the staff was forced to lie about his death. The hospital couldn’t tell the truth on how they lost a patient in that way so they lied and said he died, and he actually in Mongolia being tortured by the poachers for what he help do to them. His friends in Mongolia find out he is there and they rescue him and he recovers and goes home to Amy and his daughter. Ty would do anything to protect his family. Amy and Lyndy deserves to have him back. They both deserves to have a happy ending.

  3. Since the forced lockdown I have only watched Heartland. So many times that I have lost count. Of course I miss Ty, who wouldn’t. Having dealt with the death of my husband I know that life goes on. It has been a few years now and Amy has removed her rings. She needs some companionship. Someone to laugh with and enjoy trail rides with. Caleb is her and Ty’s friend and he should remain in that capacity. Sam is an easy going young man that could step into a companion role. He obviously enjoys Amy’s company and has no problem interacting with Lindy. His love of horses fits into the agenda. Only my opinions. You people have done a great job so far so I will leave the next couple of seasons to you. ❤️

  4. Not liking how they are developing the character of Katie. I keep reading on here that everyone is SO happy that “katie is coming into her own”. Maybe they do things different there in Canada, but acting like a disrespectful, moody, temperamental, vindictive, manipulative spoiled brat is not “coming into her own”. This is way beyond “typical teenage behavior”, and typical self-pity over a guy she can’t have and shouldn’t have been going after in the first place. The character of Lisa would not have tolerated Katie’s dig about “getting the 3rd degree” on the fishing trip. What a terrible thing to do to her mother at the restaurant. It was good to see her mother tell her off; it wasn’t nearly enough, and it should be done more. Not only spoiled and entitled, but lazy. The character of Katie is always whining for independence and to be treated like an adult, but she is always letting herself be led around by that manipulative Parker, who is a trouble maker.

  5. Amy and Caleb have always been friends. Amy was also friends with Ty before the romance built. So I feel these two together will make a good blending f.
    Not seeing S16 yet, I don’t know anything about Lyndy’s friends dad! We’ll have to see which direction the writers take

  6. Each season there is a chapter that I think is superb, very well done and very dynamic and chapter 13 of season 16 deserves this distinction. Very deep with a different approach and with excellent performances, music and landscapes. Excellent. THE only thing that could leave a poor note would be to put the characters of Amy and Caleb in a close relationship. I don’t think it’s a good direction for the story or the plot. I would like you to create a new and deep story for a new romantic relationship of Amy Fleming’s character

  7. Fantablous!!! I enjoyed all of the storylines in this episode. The Heartland writers,actors,supporting staff did a great job. Amber Dawn Marshall has the voice of an ANGEL. Wow. I’m waiting to see where they go from here. I will be watching.

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