When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 8: The Show Must Go On

Rosemary and Elizabeth walk from the daycare and discuss how Elizabeth will be on “The Daily Dialogue” to talk about her new curriculum with Ilene Bennett from the Department of Education. They approach Ava, and when Elizabeth asks how the play is coming along Rosemary admits that she has not asked Ava to be involved yet. Rosemary asks Ava whether she would like to come on board as assistant stage manager, helping Elizabeth with organizing schedules, tech and wrangling talent, and Ava accepts.

At the saloon on “The Daily Dialogue,” Elizabeth reads off of a card about her project-based curriculum plan, and Rosemary asks for Superintendent Bennett's opinion on it. The Superintendent asks Elizabeth what kind of results she is seeing in terms of measurable improvements in academic performance; Elizabeth does not have test scores yet, but says the students are applying their experience in the real world, such as Allie's work with the cattleman's association.

Superintendent Bennett says she does not think it is practical to try to find lessons in nature, especially without measurable standardized results, and tells Elizabeth that it is a worthy experiment for a one-room schoolhouse but that it is naive to imagine that something so “fussy” might serve public education. The two disagree over the Department of Education's fundamental mission, and Rosemary works to carry on the conversation.

A man hits the service bell impatiently at the saloon and Hickam runs over. He tells Mike that he will start with two nights but is not sure how long he will be staying yet, and asks for a map because he wants to do some exploring. Mike gives him one and directs him to Yost's for a larger map of the territory. At the Mountie office Elizabeth laments to Nathan about how the curriculum discussion went and about the words that Superintendent Bennett used.

Nathan encourages her next time to try to be less like Mrs. Thornton and instead channel Diane DeMarco, her undercover identity from their night out in Union City, and tells her he is going to make her a cheer-up dinner that night. They share a kiss.

Fiona pitches story ideas to Rosemary at the newspaper office as Rosemary recalls how nice Superintendent Bennett seemed on the phone. A Mr. Rockwell — Randall Rockwell's cousin — enters and reveals that he has bought the radio station, and says he wants to discuss “The Daily Dialogue” because they have been receiving letters saying it is boring. Rosemary says they can do “The Importance of Being Earnest” on the radio, and Rockwell says he would like to do it tomorrow; Rosemary and Fiona agree.

Nathan fills Bill in on Toddy's story about the rancher from whom he bought the gold double-headed eagle pocket watches. They establish that a rancher in a valley near Benson Hills sold the coins and watches before he died last year, and that the loot ended up in Amsterdam, and they conclude that they need to talk to the rancher's heir — Edie.

At the cattleman's association, Lucas introduces Allie and Oliver to the room to propose the new plan, but one individual interrupts; Allie argues that it is about the entire ecological system, and the man tells her that this is an issue for adults and that she should leave. Allie sees his boots and recognises him as the person riding on the path the day she and Oliver were out exploring and trespassing. Lucas asks the room to take a vote, and they all abstain; Edie stands and declines the proposal on behalf of the cattleman's association.

Lucas catches up with Edie outside after the proposal and she maintains that she was just doing her job, and tells him that all further communication about this matter will need to go through her office. Rosemary tells the play's cast about moving the performance to the radio instead of the stage. Hickam has a hoarse throat and Ava suggests that Mike take a steam at the hot springs.

Oliver and Allie eat grilled cheese at the saloon bar and work out that the cattle rancher whose boots they saw was AJ McGinty, and that he is blocking access to the other pasture. The mysterious man from earlier at the saloon listens in to their conversation. Henry joins them at the bar and they relay what happened, and Henry tells them that bullies are rarely as smart as they think they are, and that they need to be ready for when McGinty makes a mistake and that they will know it when they see it. The stranger from earlier eyes their map at the bar.

Faith enters the café as Fiona does dishes and asks about the radio play she is working on with Rosemary. Fiona relays that she has sold the salon and needs to get back to San Francisco and plan her wedding to Harold. Faith tells her that she is confused, because she thought Fiona did not love this man, but Fiona says he is kind and that he is a lawyer with friends in high places who can help her make a difference in the work she does. Faith tells her that as long as she is sure that this is what she wants; Fiona says she is.

Fiona asks Faith to be her maid of honor and she says yes, and Fiona asks Faith not to be disappointed in her.

Edie enters the Mountie office because Constable Grant asked to see her, and Nathan introduces Judge Avery. They ask her about her uncle Ernest Martel and his association with the Garrison gang, but she does not think he could have been associated with them, and says that he was dead broke at the end and wanted the family to keep the farm. They tell her about the Garrison gang's gold, and she tells them that if she finds anything they will be the first to know. Outside, Edie asks herself what her uncle Ernie has got them into now.

The mysterious man from the saloon is Woody, and he makes a phone call to a “Sonny” at the mercantile as Molly eavesdrops nearby, telling Sonny that they are all set with a room at the saloon and mentioning sneaking something through a balcony.

Over dinner, Little Jack asks why everyone at the table is quiet and sad, and Elizabeth and Allie share details about their respective tough days. Nathan tells them that they both got to stand up and make their case to someone in power, and that sometimes it takes more than one try. Allie tells Elizabeth that she does not know what that woman said to her on the radio, but that she has never loved school more, and that she feels like the whole world has opened up to her even if not everyone is ready to see things from her perspective.

Faith and Molly call Rosemary to the doctor's office, where she sees that Hickam is sick with laryngitis, and that Bill and Lee also went to the hot springs and got Mike's cold. Rosemary says she does not know what to do and needs a cup of tea. Rosemary, Fiona and Elizabeth have tea at the café; Mei, Florence, Molly and Ava enter, and Ava apologises for sending the men to the hot springs. Elizabeth reminds her that she said the show must go on, and Ava plays into it by putting on an English accent and doing lines from the play.

Minnie and Rosemary join in, and Rosemary decides she can recast the roles regardless of whether a man or a woman plays them. Rosemary finally asks Ava whether she would like to play the role of Gwendolen, and Ava accepts effusively.

At their home Minnie tells Joseph that she has stage fright. Joseph encourages her, reminding her that she is good at what she takes on and telling her to look at him during the play if she gets nervous, and they head out to the radio show. Florence, Minnie, Ava, Mei, Molly and Rosemary perform into the microphones at the saloon as Ned and Fiona run the control booth and the sound effects. Townsfolk watch on from the saloon, and Mike, Lee and Bill listen on a radio from the back office. The crowd applauds and the performers take a bow.

Nathan brings flowers over to Elizabeth's, along with a handful of letters that Ned gave him that came in for her. They are from other teachers and educators who listened to the radio show and agree with her new curriculum, with some even doing it themselves already, and Nathan encourages Elizabeth to answer the letters and questions on the radio. Edie comes to Lucas's office and explains how McGinty has threatened all of the cattle rancher's association if they were to vote against him. She apologises to Lucas, and Lucas tells her that she was just protecting herself and her reputation.

Elizabeth brings the letters over to Fiona's place and shows her that they were all in response to Fiona's radio show. Elizabeth tells Fiona that she has a decision to make, but Fiona reveals that she told Harold yes to the proposal and that she cannot take it back now. Elizabeth tells Fiona that breaking off her engagement to Lucas was the hardest thing she had to do, but that her heart was telling her it was not right and that he deserved more.

Fiona is worried about what to do in the future, as the funds from the salon's sale only buy her a year, but Elizabeth encourages her to spread her wings and fly.

Mr. Rockwell reads the radio show response letters at the newspaper office and agrees with Rosemary and Fiona that it seems like people are engaged on these topics. He tells them that they are a hit, that their arguing show has real potential and that he wants to go bigger, and that they have acquired a new station in Port Townsend and he wants the two of them to go and do what they are doing in Hope Valley there as programming managers. Rosemary says she cannot go, but Fiona says she will go. Faith, Mei, Mike and Elizabeth say goodbye to Fiona, and Faith gives Fiona a golden locket necklace.

Fiona leaves Hope Valley. At the saloon on the radio hour, Elizabeth and Rosemary read some of the letters written in to Elizabeth about her project-based learning and lessons.

The episode ends with Fiona leaving Hope Valley. Elizabeth brings the teachers' letters to her and shows her that every one of them is a response to Fiona's radio show, and tells her she has a decision to make. Fiona answers that she has already told Harold yes and cannot take it back. Rockwell then tells Rosemary and Fiona that the station has bought a new outlet in Port Townsend and that he wants the two of them to run it as programming managers; Rosemary says she cannot go and Fiona says she will. Faith, Mei, Mike and Elizabeth see her off, and Faith gives her a golden locket. The final scene is the radio hour itself, with Elizabeth and Rosemary reading listeners' letters about the project-based learning plan on air.

The McGinty thread is resolved in motive but not in outcome. Edie comes to Lucas's office and explains that McGinty has threatened the entire cattle rancher's association if they vote against him — which answers the question Episode 7 left open — and apologises. The episode does not show McGinty being confronted, and the proposal to reroute the cattle is not approved. The students' plan is therefore still stalled at the end of the episode.

What remains unresolved or unconfirmed: the coin case does not close. Nathan and Bill establish that the dead rancher who sold Toddy the watches was Ernie Martel, Edie's uncle, but the episode does not establish that Martel was a member of the Garrison gang, and Edie tells them only that she does not think he could have been associated with them. Woody's telephone call to Sonny about a room and a balcony is not explained within the episode, and Woody's presence in Hope Valley is not acted on. Ava's knowledge of the play script, her tab and the contents of her trunk are all left unexplained, and she is not asked about any of them. The episode also does not show what Elizabeth does with the listeners' letters beyond reading them on air, and Superintendent Bennett's assessment of the curriculum is not revisited.