Heartland Season 18 Episode 6 Recap

Heartland season 18 episode 6 was a whirlwind of emotions and complex relationships, as our favorite characters faced personal and professional challenges.

The episode focused on Lou, Amy, and Lisa’s trip to Vancouver, which set off a chain of events that could have far-reaching consequences, especially for Amy’s relationship with Nathan.

Meanwhile, Logan experienced heartbreak, Katie learned the price of self-awareness, and Jack dealt with some health issues.

Want to dive into all the drama? Then keep reading this recap of Heartland season 18 episode 6!

Girls’ trip tensions and the aftermath

The episode began with a major setup for conflict when Nathan invited Amy to a dinner date at his place, promising to cook for her. Amy was very excited about their date, but things took a turn when Lou told her about an urgent weekend trip to Vancouver they needed to take.

Lou wanted to pitch Heartland Beef’s new bison venture to Crown Shoppers, a major grocery chain. However, Jed, the CEO, told Lou during a video call that he doesn’t do business pitches himself anymore; instead, he just wanted Amy’s help with his grandson’s dressage horse.

However, Lou, being the excellent businesswoman she is, managed to talk him into allowing her to pitch him Heartland Beef in return for Amy agreeing to work with the horse. So, Lou had to get Amy on board with going to Vancouver.

Amy was hesitant, of course, especially since she didn’t want to postpone her date with Nathan. But when Lou revealed the dire state of Heartland Beef’s finances after their investment in the bison herd, telling her that if they didn’t get this deal, Heartland might not make it to the end of the year, Amy reluctantly agreed. And Lou even roped Lisa into going on the trip, hoping her charm and business prowess would help secure Lou the deal. 

Yet, once they arrived at Jed’s estate, things didn’t go smoothly at all.

Don’t want to read the recap? You can listen to it instead here:

Amy realized Lou hadn’t disclosed the full truth about why they were there: Lou hadn’t told her that they were going to Vancouver not only for Lou to secure a new business deal and Amy to help with a dressage horse but also to pitch Crown Shoppers of all businesses a collaboration with Heartland Beef. Something that really upset Amy seeing that Crown Shoppers had an exclusive agreement with Pryce Beef, Nathan’s family business, and she didn’t want Lou to try and steal business from Nathan.

So, once Amy met Jed’s grandson and his horse and Lou and Lisa had time to pitch Jed, who couldn’t promise them anything due to the market being risk averse at the moment, they got back to Peter’s apartment in Vancouver, and Amy finally voiced her anger towards Lou.

Amy accused Lou of trying to sabotage Nathan and hurting someone she cared about. While Lou defended herself, claiming she was only trying to save Heartland. And Lisa was stuck in the middle of it all.

Lisa tried to play mediator and calm Lou and Amy down. But to no avail, so Lisa decided to leave the two to it once Amy started comparing Nathan to Peter when Lou and Peter first started dating and he was “the enemy,” to which Lou took offense.

The tension remained thick for the whole evening. But once Lisa got them some delicious Thai food and managed to get both Amy and Lou to come down to enjoy it, she decided that she had to do something about it and made the decision to tell them a personal story about her estranged sister Tammy.

Lisa recounted how when they were young, she was very close with her sister. However, they lost contact after Lisa confronted Tammy about the man Tammy was then dating, who seemingly was after Lisa’s family’s money, only for that to cause a rift between the two sisters that never healed.

Lisa’s story really struck a chord with both Amy and Lou because it led them to reconsider their anger and actually open up to each other.

Amy shared that Nathan’s dad has Alzheimer’s and that his illness was causing complications for Nathan. While Lou apologized for making assumptions about Nathan and told Amy that as the older sister, she feels protective of Amy, especially after Ty’s death.

Amy ended the conversation by telling Lou and Lisa how she’s afraid to love again and that she would really appreciate Lou’s support in all of it. And they sealed their reconciliation by dancing around and finally fully enjoying their girl’s night.

In the end, Jed even agreed to carry Heartland’s bison alongside Pryce Beef in Crown Shoppers, which was a big win for Heartland Beef.

But just when things were looking up, Lou made a crucial mistake: she accidentally disclosed Nathan’s father’s condition to Jed, even though Amy specifically told Lou not to tell anyone about Nathan Sr.’s Alzheimer’s.

In Lou’s defense, she felt really bad about her error. Yet, even when Lisa warned Lou to tell Amy right away, she hesitated, knowing the fallout could be severe.

And it was! At the very end of the episode when they got back to the ranch and Amy finally went to have their date at Nathan’s place, she found Nathan frantic. He was frazzled and stressed because Pryce Beef’s biggest client, Crown Shoppers, was dropping them.

Nathan explained that Jed had somehow found out about his dad’s Alzheimer’s and, since Jed considered it a breach of trust that Nathan hadn’t disclosed that his father was no longer in charge of operating the ranch, they were terminating their exclusive deal with Pryce Beef.

Losing Crown Shoppers meant Nathan’s whole business could collapse, and he could lose the ranch altogether. So, Amy was understandably shellshocked hearing all this and seeing Nathan so worried.

I have a feeling that Amy suspects that Lou might have something to do with Jed finding out about the Alzheimer’s. But we didn’t see her saying anything to Nathan in this episode.

Now I wonder if Amy will confront Lou about it and how that will impact their already fragile relationship, especially after their blowout in Vancouver. And what will Nathan’s reaction be once he finds out that Amy kind of accidentally was the reason Crown Shoppers dropped Pryce Beef?

It’s a tough situation, for sure. But hopefully, it won’t end up destroying the relationship between both Amy and Lou and Amy and Nathan.

Direction and trust

Even her anger towards Lou and her questionable business tactics didn’t stop Amy from helping yet another client horse.

As I mentioned before, Amy had to go to Vancouver with Lou to work with a dressage horse belonging to Jed’s grandson, Reggie.

And while the stakes were high – if the horse’s issues couldn’t be resolved, Jed was ready to get rid of the horse due to his fear of the horse throwing his grandson, a prospect that terrified Reggie – that only fueled Amy to find a solution.

When Amy first met Reggie, he explained how much the horse, Sushi, meant to him.

Reggie had been getting into trouble before moving in with his grandfather, but working with Sushi had given him purpose and helped him find something he was good at. However, recently, Sushi had become easily spooked and was trembling a lot, making Reggie worried that he might lose the horse that had become his anchor.

Amy observed Sushi and asked Reggie if anything traumatic had happened to the horse recently. And Reggie mentioned an incident where Sushi had reared and hit his head on the roof of a trailer after being spooked by a barking dog. This information led Amy to suspect that Sushi’s behavior might be linked to a physical issue.

So, the next day, after some further observation, Amy figured out the problem: Sushi had gone deaf.

Explaining her findings to Reggie and Jed, Amy emphasized that Sushi’s fear and anxiety stemmed from his inability to hear, which made the horse feel vulnerable and on edge. But Amy reassured them that Sushi could still live a fulfilling and successful life, even as a dressage horse. The key was for Reggie to become Sushi’s “ears” by staying calm, confident, and clear with his cues.

Reggie took Amy’s advice to heart and worked on being a strong, reassuring presence for Sushi.

And by the end of the episode, Reggie and Sushi performed beautifully, proving that with patience and understanding, even the most challenging obstacles could be overcome.

Jed was also deeply impressed with Amy’s work. And in a satisfying conclusion for everyone involved, we saw Reggie’s bond with Sushi grow stronger than ever.

Although Sushi wasn’t Amy’s most difficult client horse, the added tension of Amy working with a horse belonging to one of Heartland Beef’s potential clients was an interesting twist to the usual client horse storyline. And it was so nice to see Reggie genuinely excited for Amy to work with Sushi.

Jack’s health struggles

While Amy, Lou and Lisa were in Vancouver, Jack faced his own challenges.

At the start of the episode, after working with their new bison herd, Jack injured himself while closing the gate of the bison pen and had to ask Lou for help over the walkie-talkies.

It turned out that Jack had tweaked his back, and in true Jack fashion, he refused to go see a doctor. So, Lisa, worried about her husband’s well-being, suggested that he at least see her massage therapist, Michelle.

Jack initially resisted, feeling annoyed by everyone fussing over him. But while the girls were away, he finally gave in and set up an appointment with this Michelle.

And to Jack’s surprise, Michelle turned out to be a large, muscular man, not the petite female therapist Jack had expected.

The comedic moment provided some much-needed levity in an otherwise emotionally heavy episode. And while it was sad to see Jack injured, it helped to remind us that we are all mortal and that sometimes overworking can lead to injury.

Unexpected heartbreak

Despite being injured, Jack still managed to help Logan in Heartland season 18 episode 6.

After the local newspaper featured a photo of Logan standing triumphantly on his horse at the last episode’s colt starting competition, Logan changed his mind about second place not being good enough.

But while Logan was excited about seeing his picture in the paper and was developing all these plans about getting exposure and building up his name by doing cold-starting clinics, his girlfriend Miley was starting to doubt the strength of their relationship.

She seemed put off by Logan’s need to impress her, even though she’s already proud of and impressed by him. So, when the two decided they needed to talk, it seemed that they had two very different conversations in mind.

Riding high on his newfound success, Logan decided it was time to take their relationship to the next level. He even asked Jack for advice on how to propose to Miley while he was helping Jack fix a fense.

And while it was funny seeing Jack tell Logan that he didn’t really have any good proposal ideas since he proposed to Lisa on the couch, they still managed to develop some sort of plan for Logan’s proposal.

Seeing how Miley loves camping, with the help of Jack’s camping supplies, Logan planned an elaborate camping trip to a remote spot Jack and Lisa had found, where he intended to propose to Miley.

However, the romantic proposal didn’t go as Logan had planned.

First, Logan had forgotten to check the weather so it was raining when they arrived at the camping spot. And then, when Logan actually got down on one knee and asked Miley to marry him, she confessed that she thought they were on the verge of breaking up.

Understandably, Logan was taken aback by Miley’s declaration, and the proposal quickly turned into an actual breakup after Miley told Logan that while she loved him, she also felt that he was always trying to be someone he wasn’t and thought he needed time to figure out who he was.

Later, Jack found Logan heartbroken at the campsite when he turned up to give the couple some additional rain cover for the tent. So, Logan confided in Jack, saying that he never really felt like he was good enough for Miley.

In return, Jack told Logan about how intimidated he was by his first wife, Lyndy, and shared some wisdom about how we as people are often drawn to those who have something we want in ourselves but that those things aren’t something others can give us, they are something we can only give ourselves.

It looked like the conversation really struck a nerve with Logan. But will that translate into Logan and Miley getting back together? It’s hard to tell because I think Logan first needs to go on his own journey of discovering his self-worth before he can be in a healthy, nurturing relationship with anyone.

The crossing from childhood to adulthood

Finally, we have Katie’s storyline, who was dealing with her own dilemmas.

Katie was really struggling to come up with a story about a memorable coming-of-age moment for her creative writing class. She was so lost and frustrated that she ended up trying to manufacture one, only to end up hurting someone.

Early in the episode, we saw Katie and Parker talking. Apparently, Parker’s Astronomy Club had lost their spot for watching the Perseid meteor shower, so Katie suggested hosting the event at Heartland. 

But after Parker told Katie about how she had her first kiss at one of the Astronomy Club’s other events, Katie had an idea – she could invite Brandon to watch the meteor shower and create a romantic moment that she could write about for her class. After all, what’s more romantic than stargazing?

Peter, who came home to help out with Katie and Lyndy while Lou, Lisa and Amy were away, since Jack was injured, agreed to supervise the event and so Katie’s plan was in motion.

When Brandon finally arrived, she managed to find a private spot for them to stargaze, nearly getting caught by Peter in the process.

But when the moment turned romantic, and Brandon leaned in to kiss Katie, she panicked and ran away.

The next morning, Peter found Katie desperately trying to call Lou, but when her mom wasn’t picking up, Katie decided to confide in her dad about her conflicted feelings.

Katie admitted to Peter that she had only asked Brandon out on a date to write about the experience.

Peter, being the great dad that he is, assured Katie that she didn’t owe anyone anything and that she was allowed to change her mind. But he also advised her to be honest with Brandon and not use people just for a story in the future.

So, taking her dad’s words to heart, Katie went to the dirt biking track to try to apologize to Brandon. But he didn’t stop when Katie called his name, leaving Katie with even more regret.

At least this whole experience did help her break her writer’s block and write the story.

However, I do hope she will get the chance to apologize to Brandon and explain the situation since their friendship seemed really important to Katie.

Also, I always love the episodes when Peter comes home. Gabriel Hogan, who plays Peter, always adds so much humor to the episodes, while also managing to play the serious moments so well. And this episode was no different.

Final thoughts on Heartland season 18 episode 6

This episode was a rollercoaster of emotions packed with hard truths, revelations, heartbreak, and the ongoing struggle to balance family loyalty with personal growth.

What did you think of the episode?

Are you worried about how Amy will react when she learns about Lou’s mistake? And do you think Logan will find the self-confidence he needs to move forward after his breakup with Miley?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Promo for Heartland season 18 episode 7

The next episode of Heartland, episode 1807, will be called “World on a String” and will see Amy working with a unique client whose sanctuary is at risk of closure. At the same time, Katie’s secret will be revealed and will shock Lou.