Love is in the air during the When Calls the Heart season 11 finale — but a ghost from Elizabeth and Nathan’s past appears to be haunting their new romance.
Warning: Spoilers below for When Calls the Heart season 11, episode 12.
Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry) “can’t resist” kissing his now-girlfriend Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow) throughout the Sunday, June 23, episode after finally expressing their love for each other one episode prior.
As Elizabeth and Nathan tell their respective children, Little Jack (Hyland Goodrich) and Allie (Jaeda Lily Miller), about their relationship, the town is gearing up for a magical wedding. Mike Hickam (Ben Rosenbaum) and Mei Sou (Amanda Wong) are set to marry after getting engaged earlier this season.
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While their connection is strong, Mike begins to worry that he’s breaking too many traditions and jinxing their big day. Mei, meanwhile, can’t wait to see her brother, Beau, in Hope Valley for the nuptials — even if there aren’t any pre-wedding festivities.
Despite the quick turnaround, Mei’s bridesmaids, Faith Carter (Andrea Brooks) and Minnie Canfield (Natasha Burnett), manage to surprise her with a visit from Fiona Miller (Kayla Wallace), who has been in Nashville all season.
Fiona jokes, “You didn’t think I’d miss your wedding, did you?” before revealing she is in town to be Mike’s “best woman.” Fiona later asks Faith to join her in Nashville as a suffragette’s doctor, but Faith turns her down because she’s happy raising Lily (Chloe McKinnon) in Hope Valley.
Leland Coulter (Kavan Smith) gets a surprising offer himself during the episode after proposing a new plan for the land he previously sold to Governor Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally). Leland says he wants to use the property to create a National Park after the resort vision fell through.
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Lucas, who is trying to escape negative press about the resort drama, loves the idea. However, he wants Leland to move to Capital City, which takes both Leland and his wife, Rosemary (Pascale Hutton), by surprise. The couple leave viewers in suspense as they ponder over the offer.
As the episode continues, Mei receives sad news that her brother won’t be able to make the ceremony. The next day she learns that her fiancé, Mike, has gone missing.
The girls do their best to keep Mei’s spirits high as the boys try to find Mike before the ceremony. Mei hears bells when she is in her traditional Chinese bridal gown, signifying that the wedding is underway.
Mike surprises his bride with a musical entrance and an official engagement ring — and most importantly, he brings her brother, Beau, to celebrate. “It was touch and go there,” Mike says about his long journey to get Beau in time for the ceremony.
Joseph Canfield (Viv Leacock) then marries the couple in front of the whole town, reminding everyone that “of all of God’s gifts, surely love is the most precious and enduring.”
Following the wedding — which Elizabeth and Nathan use as their own coming out party — a ghost from their past arrives in town. “I think fate is taking what life gives you and turning it into what you want,” Nathan says before playfully kissing Elizabeth.
Mountie superintendent Andrew Hargraves (David Lewis) interrupts the couple and reveals he is there on official duty, but it doesn’t involve Nathan.
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“Mrs. Thornton, it’s about your late husband,” he says, as ominous music plays. A surprised Elizabeth looks at Nathan, ending the episode with a cliffhanger.
Elizabeth’s husband, Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing), died during season 5 in a landslide at Fort Clay. Jack was a Mountie who was killed while saving two of his men in a training mission. His death eventually led to Nathan being relocated to Hope Valley, where he fell for Elizabeth.
“There’s a lot of happy, good times happening, but there’s a major cliffhanger as well,” Krakow exclusively told Us Weekly about the season 11 finale, teasing what’s to come. “We’re leaving a lot of characters in places where we’re not exactly sure what next season is going to look like for them.”
McGarry exclusively told Us this month that he doesn’t think fans will say “yes” after seeing the cliffhanger, but he hopes they’re “satisfied” with where Nathan and Elizabeth stand.
He noted that the “last five seconds” will have viewers wanting to “tune in for season 12.”
