On Sunday, Heartland returned with another gripping episode that tackled the complexity of relationships, the weight of past decisions, and the ever-changing landscape of ranch life.
The episode saw Jack grappling with the Hudson rumor mill and making a surprising choice to secure Heartland’s future. Meanwhile, Amy worked to help a polo pony overcome his fears and learned more about Nathan’s struggles, which brought them closer together. There were also moments of personal reflection for Lisa, Katie, as well as Jessica, who faced a difficult choice regarding her family.
Eager to find out more? Then keep reading this recap of Heartland season 18 episode 4!
Fixing Maestro
At the start of the episode, Amy found herself thrown into an unexpected challenge when Lou asked her to work with a struggling polo horse named Maestro.
The horse that Rick bought was not just supposed to play in a charity polo match Rick’s organizing, but Maestro was also supposed to be a gift for a distinguished visiting dignitary with ties to the royal family since Maestro’s the same lineage as the dignitary’s favorite horse who just passed away.
Unfortunately, Maestro’s afraid of the mallet and becomes anxious when other horses charge him – traits that needed fixing fast if he is to participate in the polo match.
And, since Heartland Beef is not only sponsoring the event but also catering the post-match dinner, and ticket sales have been sluggish, Lou was insistent Amy help fix Maestro so the event wasn’t a bust.
So, Amy decided to enlist Jessica’s help since she has polo experience. However, when Jessica tried to get Maestro accustomed to the mallet, her distraction over her personal life (more on that later) caused her to get thrown from the horse, proving that a different approach was needed.
At Nathan’s suggestion, Amy then decided to take Maestro on a trail ride and have Nathan and his horse, Montana, join them so Maestro could at least start getting used to other horses being near him. And it worked. They managed to ease Maestro’s fear of other horses, wide-open spaces helping him relax.
Now, all that was left to do was to solve Maestro’s issues with the polo mallet. And fortunately, Jessica had a great idea of how to do that.
Jessica suggested leaving the mallet in Maestro’s stall overnight, hoping the horse would become accustomed to it and stop being afraid of it. And the unorthodox approach worked like a charm.
By the end of the episode, the horse was ready for the match, and the tickets had nearly sold out, much to the relief of everyone involved. And Amy and Jessica even played a little one-on-one polo to demonstrate how well Maestro was doing.
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This definitely was a different client-horse storyline for Amy, but in a good way. She not only got to help her family and friends, since fixing Maestro was important to Lou and Rick. But she also got to work with both Nathan and Jessica to do it, which was a nice change from Amy usually working on her client horses alone or with Logan.
And it was so nice to see Amy and Jessica enjoying their fruits of labor by playing some polo on Maestro and one of Heartland’s horses.
Hudson’s rumor mill
But Maestro wasn’t the only headache that Lou had to deal with during this episode. The rumor mill in Hudson had been working overtime, with gossip circulating about Heartland Beef struggling financially and the family quietly planning to sell the ranch. Which wasn’t good for both their business and the planned polo match since Heartland Beef was a sponsor.
Jack first overheard the rumor during a visit to the barbershop, where one of the barbers, “Loose-lips Leo,” was spreading the news far and wide since Leo hadn’t seen Jack walk into the barbershop. And although Jack initially wanted to ignore the gossip, thinking it’s just that – gossip, Tim and Lou saw the potential damage the rumors could cause, especially since ticket sales for the charity polo match were already sluggish.
So, Tim took it upon himself to investigate the source of the rumors.
After visiting Leo at the barbershop, Tim found out that the speculation stemmed from Heartland’s fallout with Garland Foods. And also, that the rumors were worse than they thought – people were not only saying that Jack was looking to sell the ranch, but a rumor was going around that Garland dropped Heartland Beef due to quality issues with their product.
Lou and Tim agreed; they couldn’t let these rumors stand and had to do something about them. Which is why Lou tried to counter the gossip by sending Rick to talk up Heartland Beef at the barbershop, but it didn’t have the desired effect, leaving her and Tim frustrated and the rumors worse than ever.
They also couldn’t understand how Jack wasn’t willing to do anything about the rumors. But Jack asked them, and especially Lou, who was willing to go to the barbershop herself to clear things up, to give him some time to think on it.
And finally, Jack came up with a solution.
At the end of the episode, he returned to the barbershop and finally stood up for himself and their business. Jack made it clear to Leo that Heartland wasn’t folding, and in a bold move, he even announced to the whole barbershop that they were expanding the business by getting into the bison market.
That definitely shut everyone at the barbershop up and also officially quashed the rumors.
Understandably, Lou and Tim were surprised when Jack told them about his announcement and that they now needed to get a herd of bison. But they agreed that it would help change the direction of Heartland Beef and, therefore, secure Heartland’s future, so they were ready for the investment.
I didn’t think that this would be how Jack, Tim, and Lou would come to the decision to start raising bison, but I’m glad they did. Hopefully, it means that they can get their business thriving again. And it will definitely be interesting to see how they deal with all the hurdles that having bison is sure to bring.
Break in the tension
Amy’s ongoing storyline with Nathan took another turn in this episode as she continued to navigate her mixed feelings about him.
At the beginning of the episode, when Amy was delivering Nathan the agreement for the shared well access that he needed to sign, she saw a woman leaving his house. And the sight stirred up further doubts about Nathan’s honesty, given her past experience with Finn, especially since Nathan wasn’t willing to explain the women’s presence to Amy.
Later, Nathan showed up at Heartland to return the signed agreement and offered to help with Maestro, suggesting a trail ride. Amy reluctantly agreed but maintained her distance.
During the ride, however, they did discuss the mysterious woman Amy had seen at Nathan’s house.
Nathan explained that there was nothing romantic between him and the mystery woman, but he still didn’t tell Amy who exactly she was, which didn’t sit right with Amy. So, Amy ended up telling Nathan about her experience with Finn and suggested to Nathan that they keep things as they were – be just friendly neighbors – since Amy wasn’t willing to go through someone withholding things from her again, but she also didn’t want to push Nathan into being someone he isn’t.
That seemingly left a mark on Nathan because the next day, Nathan showed up at Heartland again and invited Amy to his ranch so he could “put his cards on the table.”
Not getting why he couldn’t just tell her about the woman now, Amy was hesitant to accept Nathan’s invite. Even more so after Lou was worried when Amy told her about going to Nathan’s house tomorrow. But she showed up anyway, and finally, things started to make sense.
During the visit, Nathan opened up to Amy about his father’s battle with Alzheimer’s, revealing that the woman Amy saw was his dad’s nurse, who was helping out from time to time.
Amy even got to meet Nathan Sr., although he mistook Amy for her mom, Marion, who apparently had helped him out with a horse way back when.
Nathan’s honesty and vulnerability about his dad’s Alzheimer’s being the hardest thing he ever had to do finally showed Amy a different side of him. And she couldn’t help but assure Nathan that he wasn’t alone in this struggle like he thought.
through it all alone…”
Nathan: “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Seeing my dad like this… his bad days. Trying to help him while… keeping alive the business that he built.”
Amy: “Yeah, but don’t you have any family or friends that could help?”
Nathan: “No. Not really. Not close by, anyway. I haven’t told anybody because I don’t want people to see my dad this way. And truthfully, I… I can’t imagine passing off his care to somebody else. I don’t know how much time I have left with him.”
Amy: “Thank you for sharing this with me. It means a lot.”
Nathan: “Honestly, uh, it… it’s a relief to tell someone. It has not been easy doing this on my own.”
Amy: “Yeah, but you’re not. You have me.”
It was definitely a turning point that deepened their connection, suggesting there might be hope for their relationship after all.
Now, I just hope that Nathan won’t eventually revert back to his secret-keeping ways and will actually let Amy be there for him. Because relationships are a two-way street, and you can’t really help somebody if they don’t want your help.
Dream jobs and big decisions
Remember when I told you about Jessica being distracted over her personal life while helping Amy with Maestro in the first section of this recap? Well, on Heartland season 18 episode 4, we saw Jessica having to navigate a pretty big personal dilemma.
In the episode’s opening scenes we saw Jessica tell Tim about a job she just got, her dream job, really – getting to be the official photographer for a team studying endangered wild horses in the American West. And although it would take her away from the ranch for a month, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that she couldn’t pass up.
But then a wrench was thrown into her plans when Jessica got a letter from her estranged dad, whom she hadn’t talked to in years, asking her to visit him in New Hampshire due to his declining health.
Tim was ready to support his wife and go with her, but Jessica was so conflicted about the request that she initially decided not to go. After all, Jessica’s history with her dad was more than rocky – he had left her and her mother when Jessica was a teenager to start a new family with his secretary and hadn’t been a significant part of her life since. And the visit would mean that she had to give up her dream job, as well.
So, all throughout the episode, Jessica wrestled with whether to go see her father or not.
But after a heart-to-heart with Tim, during which Jessica told her husband about her fears that her dad doesn’t actually want to be part of her life again but just wants Jessica to absolve him of his guilt for being a bad dad to Jessica, she decided that she did need to visit her father, but do it on her own terms.
So, she managed to talk the people who hired her into allowing Jessica to join them a few days late so she could head to New Hampshire to see her dad beforehand.
And although Tim asked if she wanted him to go with her, she told him that she needed to do it alone. But she did ask her husband to join her on the expedition for a few days in Arizona after her New Hampshire visit, to which Tim agreed.
Tim: “Well, my offer stands. I’ll go with you.”
Jessica: “No. I think whatever happens in New Hampshire, I have to face on my own. But I would like to see you after,
so maybe you could join me in Arizona on the expedition, just for a few days.”
Tim: “Yep. Whatever you need, I’ll be there.”
Jessica: “I just… I have so many things that I need to tell him. I need to look him in the eye. And I need to say to him that he missed out on raising a really great daughter. And that I turned out okay without him. He’s still my dad. I don’t want to be angry. I want to forgive him. I want to hold on to the memory of that dad that taught me how to play polo all those years ago. Because I really loved that dad.”
It was such an intense yet rewarding storyline for Jessica. She really went through a rollercoaster of emotions in this episode, but she came out on the other side stronger than ever, recognizing her need to tell her dad that she turned out great without his help and also her need to forgive him despite still being angry at him.
And expirianceing Tim’s unwavering support for Jessica, no matter if she decided to visit her dad or not, was so beautiful to see.
Life and death
Lisa’s story in this episode also took a more introspective turn when she had to deal with the unexpected news of still owning a burial plot next to her ex-husband, Dan.
And that discovery led to her and Jack deciding to have “the death talk,” aka what each of their plans are for after they die, something they hadn’t discussed before.
But their first attempt didn’t go so well.
While Jack was clear about wanting to be buried at the Heartland family cemetery next to his daughter Marion and first wife Lyndy, Lisa was really reluctant to talk about it. She even told Jack that she prefers to focus on living rather than making end-of-life plans, effectively cutting their conversation short.
This led Jack to worry that Lisa was bothered by him talking about being buried near Lyndy, but it turns out that Lisa struggled with the whole idea of what would happen after they passed. She even considered (and eventually bought) a white sports car as a treat to herself, symbolizing her desire to live in the present.
But selling the plot next to Dan to Val Stanton, of all people, shifted something. And after telling Jack about wanting to rather focus on all the living they have yet to do, Lisa did mention that when the time came, she wanted to be buried at Heartland and spend eternity next to Jack.
Every episode that has Jack and Lisa in it is a good episode in my book, but seeing them plan for the future while still also embracing life together so fully really warms my heart. Talking about death might be a necessary evil, but it also helps you appreciate life more. And Lisa and Jack seem to understand that so acutely, making them even more interested in spending the time they have left together enjoying life to the fullest.
Choosing one over the other
Lastly, Katie was on her own journey of navigating young adulthood in this episode.
After visiting the library together, Katie and Brandon (the boy she met in episode 1703 when he spooked Shadow with his dirt bike while Katie was riding the horse) got to talking, and Brandon invited her to go see a monster truck rally with him.
However, Katie ended up blowing him off to join her writing class at the wine bar after she stood up for her opinion in the class, and the teacher, Jasmine, told her that they could use Katie’s honesty in their post-class discussions.
Little did Katie know that while she was enjoying conversation with Jasmine and trying to keep the fact that she’s underage under wraps, Brandon was waiting for her at Maggie’s with a red rose, signifying that Brandon intended for it to be a date.
So, when Katie saw Brandon at Maggie’s the next day and asked him if everything was all right, Brandon confronted her about Katie ditching him.
It became clear that Brandon was hurt by Katie’s actions. And he even ended up blurting out that he was nervous about their date because he really liked her.
That caught Katie by surprise because she hadn’t realized that it was a date. So, she ended up telling Brandon that she didn’t want things to change between them and asked them to stay friends, much to Brandon’s disappointment.
Read next: Heartland season 18 episode 5 recap
It was really interesting to see the two versions of Katie – the polished, adult one at the writing class and the teenage adventurer one with Brandon since she was ready to go to the monster truck thing with Brandon despite not knowing anything about it beforehand.
And although it was a bit disappointing to see Katie reject Brandon, maybe it was just the right decision for her to make.
I just worry that by choosing the writing class group over Brandon, she’s growing up too fast without letting herself embrace the carefree teenager side of herself.
Final thoughts on Heartland season 18 episode 4
I loved the little moment between Lou and Rick after Amy and Jessica showed them how much Maestro has improved.
Rick told Lou about the deal he made with the city councilor from Catesby, England, to have Catesby be Hudson’s first-ever sister city, after which Lou told Rick how proud she was of Rick and what an amazing job he was doing as mayor.
It showed how much their friendship has grown even after Rick won the election over Lou. And that there is no bad blood between the two whatsoever, only strong friendship.
This episode was filled with heartwarming moments. With Jack’s bold move to save Heartland, Amy and Nathan’s relationship reaching a new level of honesty, and Jessica facing her past, it set the stage for an emotionally charged continuation of the season.
What did you think of the episode?
Are you hopeful for Amy and Nathan’s future, or do you think their relationship still has hurdles to overcome? What did you think about Jack and Lisa’s death talk? Or Jessica’s decision to go visit her dad? Or Katie asking Brandon to be just friends?
Let me know in the comments below! I love hearing your opinions.
Preview of Heartland season 18 episode 5
The next episode of Heartland will be called “Fork in the Road,” and it will see the whole family head to the Hudson Rodeo. And emotions will run high at the barn dance after Amy helps Nathan deal with a family emergency.