When Calls The Heart recently went all out for fans, giving them a Season 8 finale that was chock full of character exits, heartwarming moments, and also the resolution of the seasons-long love triangle between Elizabeth, Lucas and Nathan. Unfortunately, the drama only started and not ended there. A lot of Hallmark fans are not super happy about the choices made by the writers in Season 8, to the point where the showrunner has even had to come out and comment on Elizabeth’s choice.
Right after the Season 8 finale aired, it seems a lot of fans felt like Elizabeth had made the wrong choice in her love life, which does not come as a total surprise. When Calls The Heart creator Brian Bird has heard the vocal fans on Twitter, but he also feels it’s time to respond to some of the complaints. After a fan mentioned how the audience fell in love with Nathan and not necessarily Lucas, Bird adamantly stated that he feels all the Hearties out there need to give the show a chance to move forward.
None of us are upset at disappointed Hearties. We wish they would trust us more bc when have we ever not redeemed every struggle in Hope Valley with hope, faith and love? But we're not angry with anyone and we are at peace with all the creative paths we've taken in 8 seasons.
Brian Bird has been busy responding to angry When Calls The Heart fans in recent days and there’s certainly precedent for his actions. A lot of fans were seemingly upset when the finale ultimately aired and have been tweeting. Plus, in the past Bird has been happy to speak up about the show on social media so it's only natural he decided to respond after the latest complaints. It got to the point where Lucas actor Chris McNally went so far as to create his own response, telling fans that he respects where the show is going whether or not those fans stick with When Calls The Heart for the next part of the journey.
Regardless, some fans have written to Brian Bird on social media and mentioned they have cancelled their access to Hallmark ahead of the show’s already-announced Season 9. To those people, Brian Bird had nothing but a polite message, also noting on Twitter:
Well, if you change your mind, Hope Valley will be waiting for your return with open arms!
If you can't win 'em over, let 'em go, I guess. Honestly though, I think really the major thing that Brian Bird and others related to the show have not pointed out is that Kevin McNally, who plays Nathan on When Calls The Heart, is not leaving the show. He was also seen during a scene in the Season 8 finale -- and spoilers obviously -- comforting Faith after Carson left Hope Valley. While it's unclear if Carson will come back or where Faith's storyline is going, Nathan still has a major impact and will have a major impact on Hope Valley moving forward. So, to me, even if you are Team Nathan there is a reason to rejoice. Now that he’s not in the weird back and forth with Elizabeth, Nathan will have the opportunity to make his own mark in a major storyline or even find his own soulmate. Maybe fans will even like that person better for Nathan and Allie and the life they are building.
Even if you are a person who liked Nathan and Elizabeth together and that whole mountie storyline, I feel as if there is a unique opportunity here to continue to pursue the mountie-meets-girl storyline with Nathan as a focal point in Season 9. We’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, we’ll be sure to keep you up to date about what is coming next and whether Brian Bird has any more choice words for disheartened fans.
