When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 4: Along Came a Spider

Elizabeth walks in town with Lee, Rosemary, Goldie and Little Jack as they discuss Governor Bouchard's upcoming Easter radio address to the town of Hope Valley. Little Jack asks to come to the schoolhouse with Elizabeth, and since they are decorating Easter eggs in class that day, she agrees.

At the saloon, the townsfolk gather to listen to Lucas's Easter address. Rosemary tells Bill that she has an idea to help get Lucas to remember the night of his attack: hypnosis. Faith chimes in that hypnosis is medically unreliable and sometimes dangerous.

Lucas begins his broadcast speaking about how Easter is a time for new beginnings, and he is pleased to announce the building of one thousand new homes, apartments and row houses in the harbour. He also mentions the building of the Hope Valley resort, and he is establishing the first ever Governor's Easter Egg Hunt in town. As the broadcast ends, Elizabeth speaks with Lucas, and Bill comments to Nathan that they are all being very adult about this situation. Bill knows it would be easier for Nathan if Lucas were in Capital City, but Nathan says it does not matter.

Elizabeth and Nathan share a look.

After the address, Nathan and Elizabeth discuss the Easter egg hunt. Elizabeth tells Nathan that she had to talk Lucas out of dressing Edwin as a giant bunny for the hunt, and Nathan accuses her of being no fun. She says it is her job, but a self-appointed one, to remind Lucas to keep things simple. She leaves to pick up Jack and bring him to school with her.

At the saloon, Rosemary, Lee and Bill discuss Bernhardt Montague over coffee. Lucas approaches and Rosemary asks whether he remembers anything new from the night of his shooting. He does not, but he assures her she will be the first to know if he does. Lucas asks Bill to attend a meeting with the Mayor of Benson Hills about the resort. Lee reminds them that Mike is still technically Mayor of Hope Valley, but Mike does not want to attend the meeting, as the newly elected Mayor of Benson Hills is one of his sisters, Maisie.

Mike says she is impossible to reason with, but Rosemary offers Lee to go to the meeting with Mike.

Outside the schoolhouse, Elizabeth, Little Jack and all of the students colour eggs for Easter. Minnie brings more eggs for all of them as Elizabeth helps two of the younger girls compromise on their egg dyeing. Cooper thinks that compromise could be a great solution for his dad's conflict with his brother. Elizabeth notices Toby's intricately decorated eggs, and as he explains how he designed them, they realise that he successfully did maths with fractions.

In town, Elizabeth asks Little Jack what he thought of school; he says it is like she is everybody's mum. She reminds him that while she is everyone's teacher, she is only his mum. Faith approaches with Lily, and she and Little Jack head inside the daycare. Faith tells Elizabeth she is not sure whether she is making the right choices as Lily's caregiver, but she has never had more fun.

Rosemary enters Bill's office, as she heard from Ned that Bill received a package from the Mounties in Capital City. Bill called in a favour and got hold of the case file on Pike. He shows Rosemary the fingerprints found on the grip of the gun, which belong to Clayton Pike. There are no prints on the gun's chamber or barrel, leading them to believe someone tampered with the prints and framed Pike, or that Pike took the fall for someone.

In town, Bill sees a woman park in front of the saloon. He tells her she cannot park there, but she assures him that she knows the owner and it should be fine. He asks how she knows Lee, but she was referring to Lucas, as she did not know Lucas had sold the place. She enters and inquires with Mike about getting a room for a few nights. Bill recognises her name, Jeanette Aucoin, and she tells them she is an old friend of Lucas's from New Orleans.

Lucas enters and looks surprised to see Jeanette; he asks Bill and Mike whether they have something else to do, and asks Jeanette to follow him to the back.

In his office, Lucas tells Jeanette that she could have given him a warning about coming. She says she saw his wedding announcement and wondered why she did not get invited, but she knows it has been called off. She is in town to bid on his resort, as she represents a group of high-net-worth investors. He says he has heard this before, but she swears she has gone straight, just like he has. He tells her it is not a good time and makes to walk her out, but she reveals she has checked in at the hotel.

In the saloon lobby, Elizabeth asks Mike where Lucas is, as she needs to speak with him about the egg hunt. As Lucas comes out of his office with Jeanette, he signals a “no” to Mike with a look; Mike keeps Elizabeth distracted so she does not see him. Once Jeanette is upstairs, Lucas calls to Elizabeth; she tells him the smaller chocolate bunnies would be best, and he curtly agrees. She wonders why Lucas is acting so nervous, but he denies he is, and she says she will see him at the egg hunt. As Elizabeth leaves, Lucas tells Mike that if anyone asks for him, he is unavailable.

At the Canfields', Angela tells her dad that Mrs. Thornton says any argument can be resolved if you listen. Cooper asks Joseph whether he has ever tried this with his brother, but Joseph cannot listen if his brother will not talk to him. Joseph heads off to class with a sandwich from Minnie in hand.

At Mike's office, he and Lee discuss their upcoming meeting with Maisie Hickam, Mike's sister and the Mayor of Benson Hills. Maisie enters and comments on Mike's shirt; Lee introduces himself, and Maisie asks Mike whether he was too nervous to take her on alone. Maisie, Mike, Lee and Edwin discuss the land and roads around the resort. Maisie wants to call it The Benson Hills Resort, which Lee objects to. Maisie will not agree to anything, and Lee asks Mike to reason with her.

Maisie says this is a colossal waste of time, as no one has considered the downsides of the resort, like it becoming a magnet for criminals and rum-runners. Edwin comments that this is for families, but Maisie cites previous unsavoury examples. Maisie wants a guarantee, but they do not have one.

Allie, Angela and Cooper sit together at the café. Cooper writes a letter to their Uncle Jacob, Joseph's brother, from Joseph. Cooper says their uncle lives in Aberdeen and asks Allie whether she can find the address for them.

At the Coulters', Lee asks Rosemary whether she remembers Lucas's acquaintance, Jeanette, as she came to the saloon today. Rosemary recalls Jeanette, a helpless widow from New Orleans that Lucas helped out of a jam. Lee says she is far from a helpless widow and more like a screen siren. Rosemary realises that Lucas was not being truthful about his “damsel in distress,” and she wants to leave to speak with Elizabeth about it. However, it is the middle of the night, as Lee reminds her, so she saves it until the next day.

At the pharmacy, Mei stocks items as Maisie comes in for ice cream. Mei asks whether she is in town for the Easter egg hunt, but Maisie says she is just passing through. Mike enters and asks his sister what she is doing here; he realises Maisie came there on purpose, as their mum told her about Mei. Maisie tells Mike he should bring Mei home to meet their mother.

Outside, Elizabeth and Nathan hide eggs for the big egg hunt. Nathan hides an egg high up on a trellis and Elizabeth wonders how a small child will get to that. Nathan says that if someone wants something badly enough, they will figure it out. Elizabeth wonders about the chance that they will get hurt, and Nathan says that they must decide whether it is worth it or not. Elizabeth stands on a basket to move the chocolate egg, and she slips off and lands in Nathan's arms.

Allie approaches and asks when the Easter egg hunt is starting, and they both stumble over their words, telling her “soon.” As Elizabeth leaves, Nathan puts the egg back up on the trellis.

At the saloon, Lucas reads the paper as Jeanette sits down with him. She tries to convince Lucas that the investors she is working with are above board. Lucas does not believe her, and he explains he is no longer like her. Jeanette tells him that she has changed too. Rosemary interrupts and introduces herself, telling Jeanette that she has become quite a legend around Hope Valley. Lucas asks Rosemary what she can help him with, and Rosemary inquires whether he has seen Elizabeth.

Jeanette comments about Lucas's “erstwhile lover;” Jeanette knows of Elizabeth as she knew Amos, who once held Elizabeth captive. Lucas tells Jeanette to submit her bid if she must, and then to leave town.

Everyone arrives for the Easter egg hunt as Rosemary runs to tell Elizabeth about Jeanette being in town. Allie, Cooper and Angela wait to speak with Mrs. Thornton as Little Jack runs up to her. Lee comes with Goldie, and Faith and Lily join with bunny ears on. As the children search for eggs, Elizabeth asks Lucas whether there is anything she should know about. He says no, wishes Little Jack luck, and leaves. Little Jack asks his mum whether she needs to help the other kids now, like at school, but she tells him she is all his.

Elizabeth tries to ask Rosemary what she wanted to speak about, but Little Jack takes off and they are disrupted.

At the pharmacy, Mei tells Mike that his sister Maisie is great. Mike says that his sister makes him feel like he does everything wrong, but Mei makes him feel like he can do everything right. Mei tells him that he does not know how wonderful, capable, brilliant, handsome and lovable he is; the two share a kiss.

At the saloon, Lucas gives Jeanette a receipt for the acceptance of her bid. He tells Jeanette that they will hear from him once her investors pass a background check. Although she wants him to take this seriously, he questions why she is really here. She still cares about him, but he is no longer living that life. As Jeanette leaves in her car, Lucas watches as she approaches Elizabeth. Jeanette introduces herself to Elizabeth and tells her that she was once engaged to Lucas, as well.

As Elizabeth asks Lucas about his alleged engagement to Jeanette in the past, Nathan sees the two talking from afar. The children finish the egg hunt and Lucas declares the hunt over. Nathan departs and Allie seems to notice something between him and Elizabeth.

As Rosemary and Elizabeth walk in town, Rosemary tells her that she is handling all of this news very well. Elizabeth is upset that Lucas lied to her about who Jeanette was. Rosemary thinks Lucas was probably afraid of what she would think of him, as he put Elizabeth on a pedestal. Elizabeth is happy to have met Jeanette, though, because she knows Lucas has a past and that his heart is resilient.

At the post office, Allie covers for Mrs. Yost, gaining access to the phone to call the Aberdeen Exchange. She asks for the address for Jacob Canfield, Cooper and Angela's uncle, so that they can mail their letter.

At Elizabeth's, she hears a knock at the door — it is Nathan. He gives her the egg that none of the kids were able to get that was up high on the trellis. He wanted it to go back to the person who risked life and limb for it; as she takes it, their hands touch. She tells him that sometimes a chocolate egg is worth the risk. Nathan brings up Jeanette and says that he felt bad that Lucas got called out in front of everyone like that. Little Jack then asks for Elizabeth, and she and Nathan say goodnight. Behind the door, Elizabeth holds the chocolate egg close.

Lucas reviews the bid papers at the bar, and inside of the folder of papers is an old picture of him and Jeanette.

“Along Came a Spider” ends at the bar, not at the egg hunt. Lucas sits reviewing the bid papers and finds an old photograph of himself and Jeanette folded in with them. The episode does not show him react, and it does not say who put the photograph there. That is the last image of the hour.

The two threads the episode opens are both left unresolved. On the shooting, Bill now has physical evidence where before he only had timings: Pike's prints are on the gun's grip and there are none on the chamber or barrel, which he and Rosemary read as either a frame or a fall-guy. Neither of them names a suspect, and the case remains closed. On Jeanette, Lucas has accepted her bid subject to a background check on her investors, while telling her to leave town — which means the bid is live and she is not. Whether her investors are above board is explicitly not confirmed.

A third thread is quieter. Elizabeth asks Lucas directly whether there is anything she should know about, and he says no. Jeanette has already introduced herself and told Elizabeth she was once engaged to Lucas. The episode shows Elizabeth choosing to describe the outcome generously to Rosemary rather than showing whether she believed him, and it does not revisit the question.