Heartland Catch UP: Season 17 Episode 5 “How to Say Goodbye”

**WARNING. THIS BLOG POST CONTAINS SPOILERS**

In this episode: Amy and Jack train Blue for a competition; Lisa deals with a difficult loss.

The episode begins with a picturesque montage of Amy, Jack, and Tim on a cattle drive. From afar, Nathan Pryce Jr. can be seen riding towards them. Tim, somewhat irritated, comments that he wishes Nathan would “stay on his side of the fence.” Amy nudges him disapprovingly as Jack greets Nathan. It turns out, Nathan has ridden over because one of his ranch hands spotted a cougar in the area. Nathan also observes the strong bond between Jack and his horse, Blue, and informs Jack about a working cow horse competition near Braeburn that weekend. Jack, however, declines citing his busy schedule, and Nathan rides away.

Meanwhile, Lisa receives a text just as she’s about to leave for an appointment. At Jessica’s gallery, Lou apologizes for missing their meeting at the bank that morning. Jessica shares the bank’s skepticism about the gallery being a sound investment due to high renovation costs. Lou reassures her and proposes discussing the matter with Rick.

In Rick’s office, Rick reprimands Lou for bypassing him to obtain renovation permits for Jessica’s gallery. He feels it makes him appear as a weak leader to Hudson’s residents. He mentions that people are accusing him of allowing the former mayor, Lou, to use her connections for personal gain. Lou should have approached him through the proper channels. Lou apologizes and shares that helping Jessica was the first time she felt useful since losing the election.

Later, Amy catches Jack practicing for the working cow horse competition that Nathan Pryce Jr. mentioned earlier. He reveals that he might just throw his hat into the ring. He asked Blue about it and could tell by the look in his eye that he’s keen to do it. After all, it could be fun!

In the kitchen, Katie shares with Lou that she’d like to try dirt biking. Lou disapproves, citing its extreme danger. Katie retorts that it’s no wonder she’s so boring and predictable, as Lou never lets her do anything. Katie storms off. Tim enters and tells Lou that when she was Katie’s age, she was running around on horses at full speed over jumps twice her height! He came to discuss her absence from the bank meeting that morning and notices that she hasn’t seemed like herself lately. Lou shares that she has a plan to fix things between her and Jessica – since the gallery is going to draw tourism and it’s in a heritage building, it turns out that it’s the perfect contender for an arts and culture grant.

At dinner, Jack shares with everyone that he has decided to enter the working cow horse competition taking place that weekend. Jack figured that he will be participating in the cow work, rein work, and herd work events. After everyone clears out, Jack asks Lisa why she didn’t call him back earlier. Lisa shares that she received some news about her ex-husband, Dan Hartfield. He passed away a few days prior. Later, outside, Jack asks Lisa how she is feeling. She shares that she’s more annoyed than anything else because she found out about Dan’s passing from Val Stanton of all people… in a text no less, who assumed that she already knew. Lisa says that she called Dan’s sister who let her know that he had been sick for a long time. Lisa shares that she feels a little angry at him — he could have reached out and told her that he was sick; she was a huge part of his life for years and she thought they were closer than that. More than anything, she shares, she’s angry that she didn’t get the opportunity to say goodbye to him while he was alive. She asks Jack to tell her about the working cow horse competition to take her mind off of things.

Meanwhile, Katie browses dirt bikes online. The prices are quite high, and definitely much more than a teenage girl can afford! Moments later, she pulls out a heart-shaped locket necklace, a birthday gift from Lou, and puts it in her backpack.

The following morning, Jack calls for Blue. They train for the competition, putting on an impressive display even for practice.

Lou meets Rick again, who informs her that he managed to secure a cultural grant for the gallery. However, the grant comes with a condition: the gallery must feature works from local artists as well, not just Jessica’s photographs. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Katie leaves a jewelry shop with hands full of cash. As she leaves, her necklace appears in the shop window. At Hudson Power Sports, she spots a dirt bike for $9,994… it’s way out of her budget. A salesperson notices Katie admiring the bike & Katie lets the sales person know that she only has a quarter of that. The salesperson tells her that she has the perfect bike for her and wheels around an older, used bike. It only had one previous owner, but it will take some work to get it going, though.

Amy checks on Jack and Blue — she remarks that they are both in great shape and raring to go. She asks if he’s in it to win, Jack shares that winning would be the icing on the cake & he’s convinced Blue wants to win as much as he does. Just like clockwork, Nathan Pryce Jr rides up. He came by because he saw Jack’s name on the list of entries for the competition. He shares that he was hoping for some stiff competition, but he should have been careful what he wished for.

At the gallery, Jessica thanks Lou and apologizes. She should have known that Lou would have come through for her in the end. Lou shares that there is one stipulation and lets her know that she will have to expand the scope of the gallery beyond just her photography. Visibly frustrated, Jessica shares that she is struggling with Lou encroaching on the creative side of the gallery. Her understanding was that she would handle the business side and she would handle the creative side. She demands that she renegotiate with Rick.

Back in Rick’s office, Rick tells Lou that there is no room for negotiation. The gallery must be good for the whole community, not just the owners. The grant is their only avenue for funding, take it or leave it. Lou says she’ll relay the info to Jessica & get back to him. As she leaves, she spots blankets under his office sofa. Rick notices her noticing and tries to cover by claiming he “naps.” Lou recalls that he never naps and pushes for the truth. Rick shares that he has, in fact, been sleeping in the office. He’s a complete mess and hasn’t been home in two whole days. He doesn’t know what to do.

In a brief, but humourous scene, Tim catches Katie wheeling her new bike behind the house.

Jack shares with Amy that Lisa’s ex-husband Dan passed away. Amy says she doesn’t understand why Lisa never said anything else to the rest of the family. Jack says that she’s acting like it never happened. She asks Jack how he’s taking it, remembering that he and Dan were always “a little bit weird” with one another. Jack says that he was always cordial with him. Amy calls him out and says that he “bristled” every time he was around. Jack replies that he knows it’s wrong to speak ill of the dead and he won’t, but he’ll never forget Dan calling Heartland “small potatoes” compared to his operations. Lisa pulls in & Lyndy calls for Amy from inside the house, leaving Lisa and Jack alone. Lisa curtly shares that she has more information for Jack: Dan’s funeral will held be that Saturday, the same day as the working cow horse show. Jack says that he obviously won’t be taking part in the competition anymore and Lisa shares that there is no need since she’s not going to the funeral.

Back to Tim & Katie: Tim asks what her plan is for the dirt bike. She tells him that she plans to wheel the bike out into the woods first thing in the morning, when no one is up yet, and work on it when no one will see her. Tim tells her she’s going to need someone that knows something about bikes. Katie protests, saying she doesn’t want Jack to know. Tim tells her that he can help her get it running, not Jack. Katie agrees, but on the condition that he promises that he won’t tell anyone. Tim tells her that her secret is safe with him, but not forever, and that she must tell her mother eventually.

Back at the gallery, Jessica asks Lou for an update. Is there another solution? A different grant they can apply for? Lou lets her know that there isn’t any alternative, the current grant being offered is very generous. She also admits that she messed up and if she wants her to back away, she will. Jessica asks Lou what’s really going on. Lou says that she’s just feeling a bit off currently. She didn’t know what a void she would be feeling after her mayoral career ended. She thought she could just walk away from the mayor’s office, but she did that job for a few years and loved it. It’s been hard to say goodbye, and she’s been trying to move on.

Amy rides over to see how the rest of Jack’s training with Blue went. Jack shares with Amy that Dan’s funeral is on Saturday and Lisa has decided not to go, and he needs to be there for her. He’s disappointed to miss the competition , but it’s the right thing for him to do. Jack asks Amy to go to Braeburn and compete in his place. Amy protests, saying that she doesn’t have the same connection with Blue that he has; she’d be starting from scratch. Jack reassures her that he’ll be with her every step of the way.

As they train, Amy appears to have some difficulty connecting with Blue. Blue doesn’t take to her as easily as Jack had hoped and is soon thrown off of. It turns out Blue really is a one-man horse. Jack tells her that he shouldn’t be, but he doesn’t want to see her get hurt over a stupid contest. Amy resolves to keep trying. Inside, Lisa asks Amy why Jack has her working with Blue in the first place. Amy informs her that he wants her to enter the competition that weekend in his place so that he can be home with Lisa. Lisa says that she told him that she wasn’t going to the funeral anyways. She is going to the supermarket though and asks Amy if there is anything she’d like her to get.

Back to Katie, Tim, and the dirt bike. It needs a lot of work, but Tim declares that they’re going to do it together & Katie will learn a lot in the process. When Lou returns home, they scramble to hide it. Tim implores Katie to tell her mom the truth. Katie assures him that she will, but not yet.

Back to Amy & Blue, their one-on-one training session is well under way. She asks him to give her a chance. She is successful! Jack looks on proudly from the sides.

That night, Jack and Lisa talk about Dan. Lisa tells Jack once again that he doesn’t have to miss the contest. There’s no reason for him to back out. Jack says that he’s certain that she will regret not saying goodbye & it’s ok to have mixed feelings about this loss because it is a loss. He was her husband after all, and despite the rough times there were some good times too. Lisa says that she simply can’t & begs Jack to leave it be.

Tim and Jessica debrief in the loft: Tim declares that sharing the gallery with other artists on a rotating basis might not be so bad. Jessica says it’s “not the dream.” Tim says it’s “better than no dream.” Jessica shares that Lou is going through something – losing the election really affected her. It’s almost like she’s grieving.

Meanwhile, Lou & Rick hang out in his office after hours: Lou admits that they’re both a mess. She shares that since she lost the election, she’s been full of anxiety about the future, and doesn’t even know what she wants to do with her life anymore. Rick assures her that she will figure it out the way she always does, but he has no idea how she was able to cope with all the stress and anxiety that came with the job of being mayor. Lou remarks that she had him helping her out & without him, she would have given up and walked away in the first two weeks. She has an epiphany that that’s exactly what he needs: an assistant. Rick proposes the “perfect solution” and announces that he could appoint her as his Chief Administrative Officer. Lou enthusiastically objects to his proposal, calling a terrible idea, but does agree that he does need to find his own “Rick” so he can balance his home and work lives. It will never be perfect, but it will be more manageable. She goes on to offer that she will be available for Rick anytime that he needs a date night to babysit his beautiful baby daughter Maddy.

The next morning, Lou and Jessica meet over coffee. Jessica says that she decided that the grant was better than a loan from the bank. And sharing the gallery with other artists isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it might actually take some pressure off of her. And it would give her the opportunity to take some photos further afield. Relieved, Lou tells Jessica that she promises she will try to make their partnership work.

The episode concludes with a series of significant events. Jack and Lisa have a heartfelt conversation about Dan. Lisa admits to Jack that she’s been blocking out the good times they had because they were too overwhelming to remember. Jack comforts her and encourages her to grieve, reminding her that it’s okay to celebrate the good times they had together.

Meanwhile, Katie gets her dirt bike working with Tim’s help! She confidently rides off into the distance as he watches proudly.

At the house, a package arrives for Lisa from Dan. Inside is a framed newspaper clipping of the first horse that they owned together. Even though they came in dead last, they hung it in their office to remind themselves that they could only go up from there. It turns out Dan got to say goodbye to Lisa after all.

What surprised you the most in this episode? Which character’s decision(s) did you agree with, and which ones puzzled you? This episode contained moments that provided closure for a few of the characters, especially Lisa. Are there any other characters whose storylines you feel need more exploring or sorting out? Let us know in the comment section!

If you enjoyed this blog post, you will love these:

• Heartland Catch UP: Season 17 Episode 1 “The Path Less Traveled”
• Heartland Catch UP: Season 17 Episode 2 “Taking the Reins”
• Heartland Catch UP: Season 17 Episode 3 “The Heart Wants”
• Heartland Catch UP: Season 17 Episode 4 “A Piece Apart”