Hey Angels and Aliens!
I'm watching Heartland for the second time. The first time around, I wasn't truly invested until season three. Now that I've watched all eighteen seasons on Netflix, I think I can finally give the show a fair shake. It's been three years since my first watch, so I've forgotten enough to come back to it with fresh eyes.
In my opinion, a show like this needs real investment. It isn't one that grabs you right away. It's a show where I got to know the characters and wanted the best for them, and then the storylines caught on and I was the fish that bit the hook.
What is Heartland?
Heartland first aired on CBC in 2007, and it's still being filmed and airing today. In 2014 it became the longest-running one-hour scripted drama in Canadian TV history. In the United States, it's been shown in syndication, including on UPtv, and it's streaming on Netflix.
The show is based on the Heartland book series, published under the pen name Lauren Brooke and started by British author Linda Chapman. As a book reviewer, I think I need to pick up the series soon and give you my honest opinion.
The whole show follows Amy Fleming, a fifteen-year-old girl who's in a car accident with her mother, Marion, and a rescued horse named Spartan. Marion spent her whole life building a career as a horse whisperer, and after the accident, everyone assumes Amy has the same gift. Amy says the "gift" is just her mom's remedies and listening to what horses need so they feel heard and understood.
What we see is a young girl who was basically her mom's assistant being pushed into that role by her grandfather Jack and her sister Lou. The family's debts were handled because of Marion's good name, and without the thing they were known for, the whole ranch could fail.
A ranch on the edge
The irony of this show is how close they come to losing everything. The ranch is historically known to be stolen land, and now it's owned by a white family that could make millions, maybe billions, if they sold it or got into the oil industry. It's a crazy story, but not an original one. It would be too easy if they just sold it and moved on. If I didn't know this show took place in Canada, I could easily swap it for Wyoming or Montana. Like I said, I truly love the country and ranch life.
Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a horse girl. Now that I'm older and the trauma has settled, I think watching shows about horses is cool. Side note: yes, this show has horses, and the family makes its money helping horses. But the horses are a subplot. The real subject is the relationships between everyone in Hudson.
I really enjoyed seeing the responsibilities that come with owning a ranch and the financial risks you take on. Owning land is a lot. Where you own it is a whole other thing to tackle, and then you have to ask if you have the strength to handle it: land that houses animals, employees and workers, sponsored kids on probation, and multiple businesses run by different generations of the same family.
Season one gets grief right
The first few episodes of season one did a fantastic job of showing what grief looks like. It's messy and filled with so many what-ifs.
I recently had to put my dog down, and I wonder every day: if I'd given her another shot, would she be okay? The doctors truly don't know for sure. They were wrong about my mom, and that cost her a lot. It's probably the wrong time for me to be watching this show, but sometimes you need to know that other people go through the pain, confusion and anger too, and feel like they're drowning at the same time.
Watching Amy and Jack refuse to give up on Spartan makes me wonder if I did the right thing. But pain is pain, and she deserved peace. Marion deserved peace. Spartan deserves peace. What was done to him wasn't his fault, and the accident wasn't his fault. I'd say it's no one's fault, but I truly believe it's Mr. Mallen's. (I say that with complete sass, emphasis on the ASS.)
Soft TV, and I mean that as a compliment
I consider Heartland "soft," easy television. It's a show I'm very comfortable watching with my nieces and nephews.
I really enjoy that it supports not sharing a room with your significant other until you're married. In popular shows like The Vampire Diaries and Grey's Anatomy, we see that as normal, along with a lot of other things. It's nice to see a show say it's good to wait and to respect other people's homes. Ladies, do not let these men get the milk for free! Make them work for it.
The Stantons
I also want to talk about potential sexual assault, or not respecting someone's boundaries. When you know who his mother is, you know it's both inherited and learned. Jesse really disturbed me in his first episode, and I'm so glad his screen time is short. At first I thought he was the kind one and his sister was the wicked one. But knowing your enemy will always be better than having a wolf in sheep's clothing on your ranch.
Ashley, though, is the epitome of a freaking bitch. No, seriously. Even in the later seasons, I never truly liked her because of all the drama she caused. She's Jesse's sister and Val Stanton's daughter, so if you watch, you'll know exactly why she acts this way.
One thing I noticed the second time around: she doesn't have friends. Yes, she's popular, but they're all yes-men who want to know what she can do for them, not people trying to get to know her. I think that's why she always goes after Amy. Amy doesn't even try, and everyone gravitates to her like a magnet. Trying is exhausting, and I feel for her on that, because I always try.
But maybe it's because I have a dead mom too. When Ashley brought up Amy's mom before we even got to episode three, I thought, "Damn, let her heal before you start throwing jabs." Never throw jabs at someone's dead folks. You don't want to know that pain.
Amy and Lou
Amy and Lou are both insufferable in season one. They're two sides of the same coin. They act like they know it all, but they only know half the story.
The way they both judged Ty when he first arrived was honestly revolting to watch. Always thinking the worst of someone instead of trying to figure out their why is how you miss out on beautiful people with beautiful futures.
I think the same thing happened with Ben, and that's why they ended up as frenemies. I wish he had stayed and been allowed to grow as a character, maybe even become a love interest for Amy.
These sisters love to undermine each other, and it creates an even bigger pile of mess for them to clean up. It's honest, and it's good to see, but it's unbearable at times.
Lisa, Lisa, Lisa
Since I brought up her nephew Ben, let's rip off the bandaid. What can I say? Lisa is a horrible villain when it comes to her own blood family, but she stretches herself thin for the family she marries into.
I hate how she treated Ben in the first season. Honestly, knowing how Jack is, you'd think that would be a turnoff for him. I thought it should be. (Watch season one, episode eight.)
When you meet a kid who wants to be loved, doesn't get it, and gives all his love to his horse instead, it hurts. Was he the best owner or the best teammate? No. But I think a lot of that came from his parents splitting up and his aunt taking responsibility for him and then dropping the ball completely.
That's why I'm so confused when she later complains that she can't reach her family, or that she has to pay private investigators just to find them. If those relationships mean something to you, you have to put in the time. For Lisa, the time well spent is always with the family she married into.
Back to the present and leaving the future alone: she's an admirable woman when it comes to business and her new family. I'm just very disappointed in how she treated her nephew.
Mrs. Bell and Sugarfoot
I love Mrs. Bell. She's everything you'd want in an older lady. She reminds me of an older Luna Lovegood, especially with her love for her "emotional support" pony.
And Sugarfoot is truly the cutest little fella there is. After watching all eighteen seasons, I can say he's one of the most memorable ponies on TV. He's loyal, dependable and loved. I was so sad when she had her heart attack, because I'd forgotten she doesn't pass away yet. Sugarfoot is such an amazing horse. I understand why everyone loved him, and why Lou went to such lengths to keep him around as long as she could.
Ty Borden
Ty Borden is the bad boy who came in hot to finish his probation. The anger pouring out of him met the sorrow pouring out of Amy. They're truly kindred spirits, and if you've never seen the show, you'd assume from this part that they're endgame.
Ty is weak in some areas. I know the fans are going to come for me, and that's okay. They're kids growing up. But kissing Amy and then leaving with a letter? Crazy. That's why I thoroughly enjoy season two.
Amy Fleming is a hoot. She has a good heart and a hard head, and the two don't really mix. Ty is just as stubborn, but he's more about reason. That's why I think they work. She leads with her heart, he makes her slow down long enough to think, and when they both stop being hardheaded at the same time? Chef's kiss.
Mallory, my girl
Mallory is my girl! I love her down. She's the only one who can actually read a room (when it comes to other people), and she's completely honest. Why can't people be more honest these days?
Everyone acts like she's a nuisance, but without her, everyone would be asking, "Where's Waldo?" Come on, stop it. Her crush on Ty is so cute. Ty doesn't get it until later, but then again, he didn't know Amy was feeling him either.
Mallory is there for everyone, always trying to fix their problems, but when it comes to her, no one seems to care enough. She's the definition of a glass child. I truly dislike her parents, and I can see why she wants to be loved so much. If you're going to be a parent, be a parent. Don't push your responsibility onto other people. Mallory, I see you, and I was you.
Grandpa Jack
Jack Bartlett, what a stand-up man. Losing two of the most special women in your life, first his wife and then his daughter Marion, has to be hard. But he stuck it out, went through the pain, and became the mediator between his two very stubborn granddaughters.
Don't think of Grandpa Jack as some old-timer who doesn't know anything. This man is a rodeo champ. He has the buckles, and a ranch that's been passed down for generations. Just look at the naming ceremony.
Tim Fleming
Tim Fleming is a very complex character, and that's why he's one of my favorites.
Tim loves the rodeo. He's a champion in his own right, a household name in Hudson with too many buckles to count. More than Jack, too! (Don't tell Grandpa Jack I brought that up.) But he got hurt on the circuit, and that changed everything. He turned to pills, and he left his family and his soul-mate horse, Pegasus.
He comes to Marion's funeral but watches from a distance, which shows how far apart this family really is. Then we find out Lou is meeting him in secret, because he wants to see Amy but he's afraid of Jack and the blowup that's sure to come.
Somehow they work it out, and Lou and Tim decide to open a dude ranch. Well, not a dude ranch: the "Heartland Equestrian Connection," an equine retreat meant to boost corporate morale. What a name and idea, right?
My rating: 2.3 out of 5
Well. Well. Well. We made it to the end of my season one review.
I'd rate season one a 2.3 out of 5. Even on a rewatch, it's not my favorite. If I didn't already know how I feel about the later seasons, I wouldn't keep going. The first time, it took me years to get through season one, until I finally put it on in the background.
If you like Heartland, watch these next
Gilmore Girls for the small-town, community vibe. I love that everyone knows everyone, and the dynamics between them all.
Yellowstone if you want the ranch life with more violence and a very different take on morals, and a family that will do anything (and I mean ANYTHING) to keep their land.
The Way Home if that's not your thing and you want something easygoing, with found family and a small community.
I'll be reviewing all three soon!
Photos: CBC / Heartland.
