‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 9 Episode 3 Review: A Heartfelt Message Mixed with Intrigue

Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” has returned for season 9 episode 3. In this episode, called “Turn of the Page,” Elizabeth struggles with negative reviews for her book, but eventually learns that the true achievements come when her book makes a lasting difference in someone else’s life. But while she’s finding a deeper meaning in her work, Lucas is becoming embroiled in a new investigation involving Walden Wyndam.

The MVP of this episode was undoubtedly Erin Krakow and her portrayal of Elizabeth, from struggling with negative reactions to her book to the ultimate enlightenment she had at the end. But the rest of the cast also came together to bring a delightful storyline that is sure to touch fans’ hearts.

This story is a review and recap for “When Calls the Heart” season 9 episode 3, so there will be SPOILERS below.

Elizabeth’s Book Served as the Foundation for This Week’s Story

Elizabeth’s book served as the foundation for this week’s storyline, weaving all the other characters’ journeys together into a seamless story.

As the episode begins, Elizabeth announces that her novel has just arrived in Hope Valley, and she’s both excited and nervous about how her friends will react to her stories and the ones that may reflect themselves. It might be a bumpy ride.

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From the start of the episode, we can see that Nathan’s getting his sense of humor back. He jokingly tells Elizabeth to sign his book “to the one who got away.” Allie had mentioned last season that Nathan used to be a lot more easygoing, and I think we’re starting to see his real, lighthearted personality shining through. Some viewers don’t like his sarcastic sense of humor, but I think it’s a big improvement over the moody Nathan we had all through season 8.

Molly, meanwhile, isn’t so sure how she feels about Elizabeth’s book. There’s a character named Juliette who is described as being interested in the bachelors in town, and Molly’s pretty sure the red-haired “coquette” is modeled after her. But as it turns out, Juliette was actually modeled after Elizabeth’s sister!

Unfortunately, a lot of the reviews of Elizabeth’s book are simply not good. When Elizabeth reads them, she feels really bad.

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“These reviews are mean, they’re personal,” she says. “These are fictional characters. I was just trying to tell a story.”

I can’t help but wonder if this is a message from the writers of the show about all the criticism they received about the love triangle’s resolution last season. Especially when Elizabeth later admits that some of the reviews weren’t just unkind toward her writing, but toward her personally too. This is exactly what happened to the writers as they dealt with some very angry fans.

Meanwhile, Lucas is planning an adorable surprise party for Elizabeth. The saloon is beautifully decorated and filled with amazing food and drinks. He really went all out, and the entire town is joining together to celebrate her. It’s funny to see how uncomfortable Lucas is when Elizabeth says she doesn’t want to socialize or even go inside, where the surprise party is waiting. He ends up having to just come out and tell her about the party in order to get her to come inside. She’s excited and promises to act like she’s surprised and had no idea.

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I really love the dynamic between Elizabeth and Lucas. Bringing these two together was a perfect choice.

In a later scene, Rosemary reads a letter to Elizabeth from a widowed mother, who shares a touching note about what a difference Elizabeth’s novel made in her life. The letter reveals that the mother felt more at peace and less alone after reading Elizabeth’s book. This means more to Elizabeth than all the bad reviews in the world.

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“Being able to comfort others…is a gift,” Rosemary tells her. “This is the kind of review that matters.”

Isn’t that a lesson to all of us?

The Development with Gustav Is Entertaining

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It looks like Gustav might get a bigger role this season! At the start of the episode, he doesn’t have the best attitude about Lucas or the party. Turns out, he’s Lucas’ cousin! How did we go all this time without knowing that?

He’s back to his old self in a later scene, and I can’t help but hope that the writers develop his character more this season.

Henry Still Doesn’t Know if He’s Staying

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Lucas asks Henry if he’ll stay with the oil company if the sale to Jerome goes through. Henry says he hasn’t decided yet, but Jerome told him that Lucas didn’t want Henry forced out. It looks like these two are on good terms again, but we can’t say the same for Jerome and Henry.

Henry’s really struggling with whether he wants to stay with the company or not.

“Part of me still regrets not keeping on going when I left here,” he admits.

I honestly have no idea where Henry’s storyline is going to lead.

Wyman Walden is Back

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Wyman Walden is back in town, which reignites all my theories about Walden or the Pinkertons being involved in Nathan’s accident. He represents the firm building the foundry, which had some setbacks during the winter, but is “full steam ahead” now.

No one trusts Wyman, including Mike. Of course, Wyman tries to sweet-talk the new mayor, and Bill is worried sick that Mike is going to crater to him. But I think people in Hope Valley have a bad habit of underestimating Mike.

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“I can do this job,” Mike assures Bill. “I’m pretty smart.” He later tells Bill that he needs to move out of the mayor’s office, as he quickly takes on a more forceful demeanor.

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The next day, Lucas asks Wyman why he’s back in Hope Valley, and Wyman insists he should mind his own business. Lucas retorts that Wyman is someone who knows when he needs a partner. So…that was an awkward way of trying to gain his trust. Hmmm.

When Elizabeth walks into Lucas’ office later, he’s telling someone named Janette on the phone that he needs more time to earn someone’s trust. Looks like Lucas is going undercover.

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“You have to listen to me,” he says. “Wyman Walden. Wyman Walden! I can help you stop him, but I can’t do it alone. Are you listening?”

I wonder who Janette is? And why isn’t Lucas cluing Nathan into this undercover venture?

Cooper Is Still Struggling

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Last week we learned that Cooper was struggling with his faith and doesn’t want to go to church anymore. At Minnie’s suggestion, Joseph starts taking Cooper with him to work so they can spend more quality time together. And he stops insisting that Cooper go to church.

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This is enough to get his son to open up. He admits to Joseph that he’s really struggling with his sister being blind because of measles, while he recovered just fine. Joseph later recounts to Minnie how the doctor refused to treat Angela, and he doesn’t want Cooper to have to deal with that kind of hate at such a young age. It looks like this is going to be a pretty difficult storyline to traverse. There won’t be any easy answers for Cooper, and he’s going to have a lot to struggle with.

Nathan & Mei Sou Have a Bumpy Start

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While Nathan has been quickly captivated by Mei Sou, things get bumpier this week.

Newton is really skittish after the accident and he won’t let Nathan anywhere near him. Bill comments that Newton only seems to trust Mei Sou these days. Nathan visits her at the soda shop while she’s filling his prescription. She tells him that Newton’s doing better, but Nathan admits he can’t see that for himself. She says she’d be glad to show Nathan her approach.

“It starts with being patient,” she says.

But Nathan is annoyed by that answer for some reason, and just rudely leaves. Mei Sou approaches him later and asks why he’s so upset. Nathan admits it’s not her, and the accident has really affected him more than he expected. Mei Sou encourages him not to blame himself, and to consider not being able to remember the accident a gift. This leaves me wondering if there’s something in her past that she doesn’t want to remember.

Nathan apologizes, and she suggests they have a drink together at Yost’s.

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At Elizabeth’s party, Bill expresses concern to Nathan that Newton might never recover. I find that idea really sad, and so does Nathan. This encourages Nathan to be more open about Mei Sou’s advice. He approaches her again, but this time she insists she has to work with Newton alone. It’s the complete opposite of what she told Nathan before, which really takes him aback. And after how back-and-forth Elizabeth was with him before, I don’t blame him for steering away after that. Mei Sou has her own problems and reasons for not wanting to develop something with Nathan. It looks like this love connection is going to take some time.

Lee & Rosemary Are Still Adorable

Lee’s having a tough time adjusting to the newspaper life. His first article is pretty far off from what Rosemary wanted. She has to diplomatically explain to him how “uncommon” his piece is, in what ends up being a pretty comedic scene. She explains that Lee’s flair is forceful and brazen, but “I’m not sure I can publish your piece.”

Criticism is never easy. And just like Nathan had a tough time with Mei Sou’s at first, Lee is struggling with Rosemary’s criticism too. But Rosemary gives in later and says she wants to publish his article, which surprises me.

“Like it or not, the world has become more blunt and unvarnished,” she explains.

It later turns out that Lee’s “clickbait” headline did so well, they sold out of all their copies!

All in all, this was a really sweet episode. It had a beautiful lesson about the real things that are important in life, and enough intrigue to leave fans wondering about what to expect next. The episode ended with Lucas’ confrontation on the phone about Wyman, which will no doubt become a big storyline in the episodes to come.

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