Another beautiful season of Heartland has come to a close with an episode full of resolutions and new paths to follow.
Want to know what happened during the Heartland season 16 finale?
Then keep on reading this recap of Heartland season 16 episode 15.
Not ours to keep
At the start of the episode, we saw Amy and Lyndy work with Harley and Spartan on a little performance routine they’d been practicing. When they were done, they decided to go for a ride. And that’s when they came upon the herd of wild horses that live nearby.
Among them was the herd’s leader Caz. He already has a track record of being aggressive and pushing other horses out of the herd, and we saw his temper acting up again in this episode. Because while Lyndy and Amy were watching the wildies, a new horse trotted up to the herd. But instead of greeting the horse as a friend, Caz chased it off aggressively.
But what’s interesting about this horse was that it had a halter on. Which means that it wasn’t a new wildy that just wanted to be part of Caz’s herd. The horse belonged to someone.
Lyndy wanted to go after the horse right after Caz chased it away. But it was getting cold (it’s winter after all), so Amy decided to go home and look for the horse the following day.
The next morning Amy and Georgie were up bright and early to go look for the runaway horse. So, they, as well as Lyndy, who insisted on coming, too, set out. And after some searching, they managed to find the animal.
That all was well and good, but Lyndy seemed to get attached to the new horse really quickly. Which was not ideal, since the horse was not theirs to keep.
Amy, of course, tried talking to Lyndy about it, explaining that the horse already has an owner. She had even called Scott earlier to see if anyone in the area has reported a missing horse. But Lyndy really struggled to accept that.
So, much so that when Chandra Renfield, the horse’s (whose name was Xavier) real owner showed up the next day, Lyndy got really upset.
It was at a bad time too, because Amy and Lyndy were just discovering that the horse (Lyndy named him Theodore or Theo for short, although, Amy did encourage Lyndy not to name the horse) had a knack for liberty work since he already followed Lyndy around as she ran from side to side.
To her credit, Amy did try to reason with Lyndy telling her daughter that Chandra probably loves the horse just as much as Lyndy does. But it all went over Lyndy’s head.
Amy: “Lyndy, we need to do the right thing, okay? And sometimes, the right thing hurts. And I know it’s hurting and I’m sorry.”
Lyndy: “But he ran away from her because he was bored.”
Amy: “Well, that might be true but he’s Chandra’s horse, okay? How would you feel if Harley ran away and the person who had him didn’t want to give him back to you?”
Lyndy: “I would never let Harley get lost.”
And it didn’t help that Chandra asked if Xavier could stay at Heartland until she could pick him up the next evening because she was afraid that the horse would be bored again at her house (the reason why Xavier had run away in the first place).
Luckily, Amy was able to lift her daughter’s spirits by offering to perform together during Lou and Peter’s celebration (more on that later).
So, she and Lyndy worked on their routine, Amy riding Spartan and Lyndy riding Xavier, and gave a show-stopping performance for everyone that was present.
Which included not only their family but also Lyndy’s new friend Rebecca and her dad Edwin (Lyndy wanted to show Rebecca what she can do so she asked Amy to invite them) and Chandra, who came to get her horse just in time for the performance.
And after seeing the bond that had developed between Lyndy and Xavier, Chandra couldn’t bring herself to break that up and keep Xavier from doing what he loves to do. She asked Amy if it would be okay if the horse stayed at Heartland permanently. Which was an offer that Amy couldn’t refuse.
Lyndy, of course, was ecstatic hearing that Theo (aka Xavier) could stay at the ranch, and ran off to see her newest friend.
Does the show the mother-daughter duo gave to their family means that performing might become a more permanent thing in the future? I don’t know but that could be really cool.
And what I also loved about this episode was how Amy handled Lyndy.
As Jack said at the end of the episode, while Amy is raising her daughter alone, she’s doing it with such grace and strength. And I can’t wait to see more of that in upcoming seasons should we be so lucky to have a season 17 and more.
Out of the blue
Speaking of Georgie, while Amy, Georgie, and Lyndy were looking for the lost horse, Georgie told Amy about an offer she’s recently gotten.
Apparently, Eleanor Hinchcliff, a world-class coach who has a reputation for getting riders back into jumping after the trauma of an accident, emailed Georgie out of the blue with an offer to work with Georgie. The only catch is that it would mean that Georgie had to move to Brussels, which is where Eleanor is based.
Georgie, of course, was flattered that such a famous coach reached out to her in the first place. But more than that, after she found joy in showjumping again in the previous episode, she actually gave some serious thought to Eleanor’s offer.
However, Georgie was not sure what the right decision was. Even if her dream of the Olympics is still alive somewhere in the back of her mind, a move to Brussels would mean a lot of change for her. And she had to consider not only her and her family but also her boyfriend Quinn. Which is why Georgie talked to Amy about it.
But Amy knew that she can’t be the one who tells Georgie what to do in this situation, so she told her niece to follow her heart.
The problem is, Georgie doesn’t quite know what her heart wants. And when Quinn suddenly showed up at the ranch, it complicated matters further.
Quinn knew that Eleanor is in Brussels. Which is why once Georgie told Quinn about the offer, he asked Georgie if she’s serious about it. Yet, Georgie didn’t really have a concrete answer yet, so all that she replied was that she’s thinking about it.
Seeing Georgie not be sure about the move herself got Quinn worried that Georgie considering Eleanor’s offer had something to do with him coaching Georgie or them working together. But even after Georgie reassured Quinn that that wasn’t the case and that the reason why she’s even considering Brussels in the first place is that the change could be good for her, Quinn seemed to still doubt himself.
And then it was time for Peter and Lou’s ceremony and they didn’t have any more time to talk.
When the ceremony was over, Quinn seemed to have gotten into his head that he has to do something big in order for their relationship to survive if Georgie does decide to move, so he asked Georgie to meet him outside and asked her to marry him.
Georgie was left speechless. And again, they were interrupted by Lou, who told them that Amy wants the whole family to gather at the jumping ring.
Eventually, after all the festivities were done, Quinn found Georgie in Katie’s room deep in thought. And they finally had a chance to talk about the unanswered proposal and Brussels.
Georgie: “I don’t know what to say.”
Quinn: “Just say yes.”
Georgie: “Look, I know why you’re asking. You’re afraid that we’ll lose each other and our relationship won’t survive the distance if I choose to go to Brussels. “
Quinn: “That is not true. I love you. I have loved you for years, and I’ve wanted to marry you for years.”
Georgie: “I love you, too. But you don’t need to ask me to marry you to prove it. We’re so young, we don’t need a ring to know we love each other.”
Quinn: “Okay. Yeah, okay, I get it. And that makes sense. I’m sorry. And of course, you should go to Brussels. You have to.”
Georgie: “I think it’s meant to be.”
Quinn: “All I know is that some things happen at exactly the right time.”
Georgie: “Will you come with me?”
Quinn: “Umm, I don’t know. I feel like this is something that you gotta do on your own.”
So, just like Georgie wanted, they made a decision together. Georgie will go to Brussels while Quinn will stay in Florida. And the two will make the long-distance relationship work for as long as they need because they love each other and want to be together, ring or no ring.
I have a feeling that this storyline set up Georgie’s absence from the ranch and her family’s lives for possible further seasons. After all, Brussels is pretty far away from Hudson.
But I’m still hopeful that Georgie will be back at least for an episode or two in the future. And if the show’s previous track record is any indication, any character who isn’t dead has a possibility to pop up on Heartland again no matter how much time has passed since their last appearance.
We make these vows
Now let’s get to Lou and Peter’s ceremony which I mentioned twice already.
At the end of the last episode, we saw Lou suggest that they should do something big for their upcoming anniversary, a vow-renewal ceremony or something along those lines. So, on Heartland season 16 episode 15, we saw their version of the said ceremony.
Early in the episode, we heard Lou invite Rick, Carl, and Maddy, their new baby girl, to their party. Peter was shocked to hear this because up until that point they had just talked about doing something on the dock at the dude ranch, just the two of them and their daughters.
But it quickly became clear that that won’t be the case because Lou wanted to do something in front of their family and friends so people know that even if they don’t have a conventional relationship and even if they don’t live together all the time, they still are committed to each other, just like any other couple.
And Peter knew that the easiest thing will be just to go with it. So the planning and preparations for the recommitment ceremony were in full force.
Jack and Peter strung lights all across the barn and the house because Peter lit up the whole dude ranch with white lights on both their first anniversary and last year when they got back together.
And then when the time came and all the guests were present, the two stood in front of the Heartland fireplace and made vows to each other once again.
Peter: “Thank you, Lisa.”
Lisa: “My pleasure.”
Lou: “And I fell for you. I fell hard. And my love for you grows stronger every day.”
Peter: “Lou, we raised two incredible children together.”
Lou: “Yes, we have.”
Peter: “And although we have had our challenges, through the ups and the downs, through it all you have always been my one true love. And my best friend.”
Lou: “I promise to share our thoughts and our hopes and our dreams as we continue to build our lives together. I promise to be forgiving, and I promise never to take what we have for granted.”
Peter: “I promise to talk and to listen and to trust and to appreciate one another. To respect each other’s uniqueness.”
Lou: “I promise to support, strengthen and comfort you through life’s joys and sorrows. I promise to grow with you.”
Peter: “And I promise to grow with you.”
Lou: “We make these vows…”
Peter: “In front of all of you, our family…”
Lou: “Who have been there for us since day one.”
The whole family danced and ate to celebrate. And the party ended with a beautiful show from Amy and Lyndy filled with gentle movements and fairy lights.
I’m so glad that Peter and Lou have officially recommitted to each other. And hopefully, it will help them weather any storms that might come their way, be it work (keep on reading, wink, wink) or family-related.
Putting something to rest
The last large storyline of this episode had to do with Jack and his rivalry with Al Cotter.
We saw the first glimpses of Jack’s dislike for Al Cotter last season, during episode 1508 when Amy was helping Al and his grandson Finn.
Back then Jack told Amy that a while before Jack’s father’s death, when he was already drinking heavily, Al sometimes helped out at the ranch. And then we found out that Al had also gone after Jack’s late wife Lyndy even though Jack and Lyndy were already dating at that time.
And it ended with Jack having to throw Al off his property for him to stop hassling Lyndy. So, understandably, Al was not Jack’s favorite person.
Thus, when feelings started developing between Amy and Finn, Jack got upset and Amy and Jack got into a pretty bad fight about it in episode 1609.
Why am I recapping this? Trust me, it will be important a bit later on.
In this episode, Jessica asked Jack if he could move some of the boxes in the cellar, which Jessica uses as her dark room (to develop her photos), so she had more space to fill all the holiday orders that she was getting after her success at the Winter Fair.
That night, for some reason, Jack started having these strange dreams in which he saw his younger self.
The next morning, while getting coffee at Maggie’s, Jack accidentally met Al Cotter there. And Al taunted Jack about nearly ending up being related if the relationship between Finn and Amy had worked out.
That sent Jack flying out of Maggie’s in anger before he even got the coffee he went there for.
And then that evening, when Jack went to make space for Jessica in the cellar, he found his dad’s will in one of the boxes he was about to move.
Jack didn’t even know that his dad had made a last will and testament therefore the document was a surprise on its own.
But then Jack actually read it and he was shocked to learn that while his dad had left the Heartland Ranch and all his other belongings to Jack, he left the fishing cabin and all the land it stands on to Allan Cotter.
That’s right, according to Jefferson Bartlett’s will, the fishing cabin Jack loves so much actually belongs to Al.
Jack was totally stunned by that. So the next morning, when Tim met Jack at the barn, Jack was barely speaking to him.
Tim knew that he hadn’t done anything to upset Jack, therefore he figured that something’s up. So, Tim rode out to where Jack was fixing the fence line and asked Jack what’s wrong.
And that’s when Jack told Tim about the will.
Tim: “What? Your dad left the fishing cabin property to Al Cotter? Since when?”
Jack: “Since I came across it in the cellar last night.”
Tim: “So, what are you gonna do about this?”
Jack: “Well, these are obviously my dad’s final wishes. Do I honor him and give up the cabin?”
Tim: “Burn it. Just burn it, forget it ever existed.”
Jack: “Believe me, I’m tempted.”
Tim: “No, you can’t do that, I was kidding. I don’t know what happened between you and Al Cotter all those years ago but anger can have an addictive quality. It’s a hard habit to kick.”
Tim was right, Jack couldn’t just sweep this will under the rug and forget it existed, so he now had a decision to make.
That evening Jack had another strange dream. During it, Jack talked to his younger self who asked the present Jack what is the real reason why he is still so angry at Al Cotter after all this time.
And that conversation put many things into perspective for Jack.
Jack: “He tried to steal Lyndy from me.”
Younger Jack: “That’s not the reason, and you know it. Dad liked Al. You were jealous.”
Jack: “Jealous. I don’t know about that. He did like Al more than he liked me at the time, that’s for sure.”
Younger Jack: “Yeah, why do you think dad liked Al’s company so much?”
Jack: “BI didn’t care if he did. He kept them both out of my hair.”
Younger Jack: “You did care, Jack. You cared a lot. You remember how desperate you were to keep dad away from the bottle?”
Jack: “Well, I knew if I didn’t, it would kill him, but he got hold of the booze somehow. No matter how hard I tried. It was Al. He’s the one who brought dad the booze.”
Younger Jack: “A stash of whiskey at the fishing cabin, way more than you’d think one man could drink over a winter. He was feeding dad’s habit. It’s why he liked Al so much: they were drinking buddies.”
Jack: “He wasn’t stealing Lyndy, he was stealing time. Time from dad’s life. Maybe years. And he stole time from me. Time I might have had with him if Al hadn’t poisoned him. I was his son and I knew that he loved Al more. So I beat Al. Telling myself I was doing it to protect Lyndy. I guess it made me feel more noble.”
Younger Jack: “Holding onto that grudge for all these years and then taking it out on your granddaughter, does that sound noble to you, Jack.”
So, Jack asked Al to meet him and confronted Al about not only going after Lyndy when he shouldn’t have but also about Al feeding his father booze even though Al knew that Jefferson Bertlett was an alcoholic.
After all was said and done, Jack handed Al the deed to the fishing cabin as well as the land title and drove off. He did what he knew was right and gave Al what was rightfully his.
Thinking that that’s that, Jack didn’t think about his dad, Al, or the cabin after that. But the, at the end of the episode, Al showed up at the ranch and came clean to Jack about everything.
Al admitted supplying Jack’s dad with booze at the fishing cabin even though he knew he shouldn’t have. But he also explained that Jefferson was the closest thing to a father figure that Al had ever had, so the only reason he did it was because Al knew that it would make Jack’s dad like Al.
He also gave Jack back his fishing cabin saying that there are too many memories, not all of them good, associated with that cabin.
Yet, before Al could leave, Jack decided to finally put the bad blood between them to rest and asked Al to do the same, shaking on it for good measure.
While Jack and Al probably won’t be fishing buddies anytime soon, at least they aren’t hostile to each other anymore. And who knows, maybe a friendship could develop between the two old-timers down the line.
In the running
One last interesting thing from this episode that I wanted to mention happened when Rick and his husband Carl were talking during Lou and Peter’s party.
And it was revealed that Rick plans to run for mayor in the upcoming election.
Carl: “No. And I can’t even believe you’re considering it. I mean, running against Lou is gonna ruin your friendship, and you know that.”
I remember mentioning that it seemed that the show is setting up for Rick to become the next mayor back in the recap for episode 1605 when he had to step up in Lou’s absence after a flood wrecked a nearby town.
But then, as the season progressed, we started hearing about Lou’s election campaign more and more and I thought that maybe that was a fluke.
However, now I know that it was just setting up a battle between Rick and Lou for the position of the Mayor of Hudson.
So, even though in this episode Katie mentioned that no one else is in the running, sounds like that’s about to change.
And it will be really interesting to see how the relationship will change between Rick and Lou if he does decide to run for mayor and if we get a season 17.
Because currently, Lou sees Rick as her best friend, and that definitely will change if they’re competing for the mayoral title.
Last thoughts on Heartland season 16 episode 15
Finally, a couple of little updates on some unfinished storylines that we’ve seen during this season.
For all those who are following the Finn storyline, this episode provided an update on that.
When Jack was getting coffee at Maggie’s, Al walked in as well. And that’s when Al mentioned that Finn is engaged.
So, it looks like Kristi telling Finn what she remembered about the accident in episode 1612 worked. It really did change things between them and they are giving their relationship another go.
While Finn was moving on, Amy was also forging a new friendship.
Because, before her performance with Lyndy, Amy and Rebecca’s dad Edwin decided to put their past disagreements behind them and start anew.
And as for Lisa and Platinum Bow, who she decided to buy out from her investors in episode 1613, during Heartland season 16 episode 15, we also found out that Lisa’s finally signed all the papers at the bank. Meaning, that once that’s done she will own Platinum Bow outright and will be rid of all the stress that her investors cause her.
Wrap-up time
So, how did you like this season? Did you enjoy it (if you’ve seen it)? Let me know in the comments below!
I think that season 16 was a really interesting one, filled with unexpected storylines, old characters coming for a visit, and new characters being introduced. And after this season I have a feeling that the only direction for this show to go is up.
READ NEXT: Everything We Know About Heartland Season 17
Will that actually end up happening?
We will have to wait for official word from CBC about whether the show is renewed or not first (I will definitely shout it from the rooftops here on the blog and on social media if/when that happens).
But I am hopeful they will renew Heartland and we will get more seasons of this beautiful show!
Until then, thanks so much for reading these recaps every week. They are a joy to write and I love hearing from you guys about how much you appreciate them.
I was raised on a ranch in N.D. and Heartland takes me home and out of this horrid New Jersey. I miss Ty. He was the best. The character of Amy reminds me so much of myself during the early series years and Ty is so much the Ian I had grown up with and damn straight should have married. Love everything about the show!
Well done to all involved in the making of Heartland
To all of the actors in your own way bring so much joy to the tv watchers
Lyndy is such a cutie
She has a fabulous future ahead of her
Amy does so well with her
Wish Quinn. & Georgie would get them selves together
Georgie, Quinn will not wait for ever
The writer needs to write a new script and get you both engaged and married
The world is waiting
Hope to see season 17 come along here in Australia 😘
Congratulations to all the crew
Getting Heartland stars together what a huge job
We have had tears in this house watching the show
To all the stars well done
We hope here in Australia that you save us all
Please have season 17 please
Keep writing guys
Please keep your wonderful cast coming back
Sending love to you all
From Dubbo NSW Australia 🥰🥰
PS Quinn & Georgie don’t let me down 😞
I thought it was an interesting season and I love this show, the cast, crew, the whole production team do a wonderful job. The death of Robert Cormier, this terrible thing, would have capsized the main through line of Season 16 and it would be interesting to know the specifics of their filming and editing strategy to salvage things. I can only guess.
Since he passed away only days before the premiere of Season 16, it’s fair to assume the whole season had been filmed and it was obvious that he would become the main, continuing love interest for Amy going forward. In particular, the beautiful ending of Episode 6 set that up, with Amy on the fence and him in the distance, with them looking at one another. That was the most poignant ending of all the episodes, with a beautiful music track talking about second chances.
So it’s fair to guess that after Robert’s death they immediately re-wrote and re-shot some scenes. In particular the episode where Finn’s former fiancé comes to Heartland with a problem horse looks like it has new scenes inserted, particularly Amy saying she’s not ready to move on yet after the death of Ty. That whole episode looks like it existed but was re-tooled, and as I said, certain scenes re-shot. Include in that the whole flashback about the car crash, because they used a different actor to play Finn driving. So probably that episode was the most dramatically altered. I’m wondering if it originally existed at all and was re-tooled or added to the slate completely new, hurriedly shot after Cormier’s death. Would be interesting to know. That’s Episode 12 and that got the Season back on the rails or recalibrated the season after Cormier’s death.
Then the scene in Episode 15 with Jack and Allan Cotter at Maggie’s must have been re-shot or filmed new, especially to add the line about Finn being engaged to his former fiancé.
What all that means was the main emotional thrust for Amy in this season, that of second chances and moving on with new love, was thwarted and that derailment could not be helped but be felt — but they managed to salvage the season nevertheless. By the way the lesson for finding a new love for a longstanding character, (and a previous much loved union) the solution over many shows is always the same — you find someone who physically reminds the audience of the original love. ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ struggled for years to replace Patrick Dempsey and no-one else had the same chemistry for the audience and then they cast Scott Speedman and there’s a whole similarity, similar traits there that clicked.
That’s why the Finn character was working, he was like Ty. The audience feel comfortable with the similar dynamic and physical size and type. That’s why I think the Plan B of going to the stable foreman with the young daughter won’t ultimately work for the show runners. They need to find another Ty and all their Christmases will return once again.
Vale Robert Cormier; the ending to Episode 6 is beautiful.
Overall I loved season 16 of Heartland, but, if I’m being honest, I was a little disappointed in the finale last night.
I was hoping to have a *little more certainty on what was happening with Amy in the future. The show’s description said “…Amy sees her own future in a new light.” How the show ended, with Jack’s words to her, seemed as if Amy will just take on the single mother role permanently. I suppose it could also mean her interaction and “starting new” with Edwin could mean something, but there wasn’t enough with him this season to think too much of it yet. And though I’m starting to like Edwin, I don’t like that there wasn’t more interaction between him and Amy (if that’s where the writer’s now intend to go). They have had too many ‘potential’ suitors for Amy- Sam, Finn, Caleb (?), now Edwin… it’s a bit confusing as to where they are going. Obviously we know Finn was not an option anymore (condolences to Robert Cormier’s family) but I was hoping Sam would show up again during the season as he was so sweet with Lyndy in the beginning of the season and I still can’t forget that stare when it appeared Amy was on a “date” with Garland’s brother last season. I really thought they were going to develope something more between them- even though Sam claimed at the beginning of the season he and Amy were ‘just friends’ to Caleb. ( I thought that was to throw us off and there would have been a little love triangle between Amy, Finn and Sam)…. Speaking of Finn, I am curious to know- if Robert Cormier didn’t pass away, would Finn have officially won Amy’s heart? Was that how the original script ended?…
I remember seeing a clip of Finn and Jack (kind of like celebrating together- since it was outside, maybe the success of a horse?) but it never aired. I assumed it was also part of an original storyline that had Jack finally accepting Finn, but obviously I don’t know, just an idea 🙂
After Ty died I knew it would be a few seasons until Amy found love again, but I feel like it has been really drawn out-like too long, now. I want to see Amy fall in love again and Lyndy build a bond with whoever it is. I really hope season 17 comes and we get to see some of these things, but with the way season 16 left off, I am not so sure they will come… 🙁
The actors/actresses,writers, producers,support staff of Heartland brought us another great episode. Everyone seemed to be on their game. Thanks to everyone. I hope we will see Heartland 17 !! Great year.
Thank you from the States. Will miss these recaps, Hoping another season comes also. Hope that Rick does become mayor, Lou was never that interested in the job I don’t think. THe renewal ceremony I thought was kinda useless because we all know Lou only wants to be married in title only, not be a real wife to poor Peter. Scott, Carl and Mitch really dodged that bullett. Can’t wait to see these episodes here this spring.
absolutely agree actually I have never really like Lou it was always her way or no way
I totally co-sign with you on this. Frankly I haven’t consistently watched since the death of Ty. I’ve tried but it just did not hold my attention. To me some of the key characters were back burnered and at one point it was becoming all about everything but Heartland. I watched an older episode today where Caleb returned Ty’s motorcycle to Amy and she in turn gave it to Jack. That was touching and since we now know Calebs getting a divorce as well I think Amy and Caleb developing a deeper closer relatiobnship would bring me back to full time viewership. If I never see Georgie again it’d be alright with me. They could send Lou off with Peter leave Georgie where she is kill of Tim and get back to the core of Heartland.
Exactly. Lou will just move on to whateverf catches her attention next. Lisa’s aunt said it best all of those seasons ago when she said Lou & Peter and paraphrasing here were parents in name when is was convenient only leaving the actual responsibility off on everyone else while they were off doing other things. I loved Heartland in the early days and as TY and Amy and their relationship grew it just made it better. Couldn’t stand when it became what I called the kiddy patrol at one point Georgie, and her crew were featured more than anyone else.. And after everything the untimely death of Ty kind of did it for me. I know the actor wanted out but they could’ figured something else out maybe even a suitable recast. Killing the Ty character off was just asinine to me.
this last episode was fantastic. brought me to tears. loved the 3 or 4
different plots going on.