Spoilers ahead for the Season 10 finale of When Calls the Heart, “Starry Nights.”
When Calls the Heart Season 10 was filled with challenges for the residents of Hope Valley. Erin Krakow’s Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton felt the brunt of it, even after her fairytale moment in the Season 9 finale, when Lucas proposed to her. Despite that lovely development, she still had to figure out how to move forward following the death of her husband. She also had to consider how her son, Jack, would feel about it since he was starting to wonder about his father. In addition to her blossoming relationship with Nathan, Elizabeth realized her true feelings and broke off her engagement with Lucas. It as a shocking development, but Krakow thinks it was the "right move" for the couple.
Chris McNally joined the cast of the Hallmark romance drama as businessman Lucas Bouchard during Season 6. He and Elizabeth ultimately began dating during the eighth, and it was really the latter's first serious relationship since losing husband Jack in Season 5. At the same time, though, she was also being pursued by Kevin McGarry’s Nathan, who also joined in the sixth. While the end result for the love triangle may not have been what fans wanted, Erin Krakow told ET that the resolution made sense:
I think it's a really good, authentic, challenging, emotional story. And it may be tough on some of our fans, but what I really appreciate about it is it's a story of two people who still have a very deep love for one another. I think that they were just being true to what was in their hearts, and you can't argue with that. They are being true to their authentic self, so, I mean, I think it was the right move.
Their love story has been at the forefront of When Calls the Heart for a few seasons now, and it was obvious at the start there was something there between Elizabeth and Lucas. However, the situation started to get complicated, with Jack wondering about his father and Elizabeth likely still mourning her husband. Meanwhile, Lucas was running for governor and ended up winning the election. As sad as the breakup is, the actress and producer did make a good point in that the decision does feel "authentic" in regard to both characters. And that makes the development all the more bittersweet.
Season 10 really leveled up when it came to giving audiences plenty of major moments. The series also reached its 100th episode early in the season, and the installment's story centered around a celebration in Hope Valley. The town even received its newest little resident when Rosemary and Lee welcomed their baby girl. So while not every story proved to be bright and chipper, especially where Elizabeth was concerned, there were still a lot of sweeter moments.
Luckily for fans, in the midst of the strikes, When Calls the Heart was still able to film Season 11. The series was renewed back in February, way before Season 10 even aired. When the SAG-AFTRA strike started, most of Hollywood was on pause, except for some projects which were under an interim agreement, like the Hallmark series. It’s considered to be an independent project, as it’s not produced by a struck company. So this means viewers shouldn't have a massively long wait for new episodes as devotees of other shows might.
So what might happen next following the breakup? Well, after winning the election, Lucas was approached by someone, but Hearties couldn't see who it was. To make matters worse, Elizabeth and Nathan’s moment was interrupted by Bill, who told them that something had happened to him. It’s unknown what his condition is and what happened, but fans will want to tune in to Season 11, whenever it hits our screens, to find out.
In the meantime, you can stream all of When Calls the Heart Season 10 using a Peacock subscription, and be sure to read up on upcoming Hallmark titles you can look forward to.
