When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2 recap: Lucas’ love interest is finally revealed

Jasmine Valentine
Elizabeth and Nathan embrace in When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2

Episode 1 was all about the aftermath of Jack’s secret, but When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2 shifts the focus onto Lucas’ new lover… or should that be enemy?

It feels like everybody is in love in Hope Valley. Mike and Mei have just got married, Elizabeth and Nathan are head over heels, and Rosemary is adoring a brand-new part of her journalistic career. For Lucas, though, this hasn’t been so straightforward.

After Elizabeth dumped him at the end of Season 10, he spent Season 11 with new girlfriend Jeanette… until it was revealed she was responsible for nearly shooting him to death. Oh, and she was also working under the alias of a local crime mobster.

Jeanette’s long gone now, and that’s left Lucas with next to nothing. Now, the binge-worthy TV show has set up a new romance through a classic enemies-to-lovers storyline, but who is the mysterious new woman introduced in When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2? Warning: spoilers ahead!

Lucas and Edie go head to head in When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2

When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2 opens with Edwin telling Lucas that his polling numbers are down. Urban, corporate, and rural – aka “the big three” – need to be won over in order to make sure Lucas’ campaign is a success. Edwin wants Lucas to exchange naming rights for the park, but he’s already promised Lee that the park will be named after Goldie.

Edie Martel from the Cattleman’s Association arrives, telling Lucas there’s a problem with his proposals. Her late uncle used to own one of the ranches near where Lucas wants to build, and his plans essentially end “shared use.” This basically gives farmers a license to expand their territory where needed for cattle purposes, so it’s unsurprising that Edie is annoyed.

Edie reminds Lucas and Edwin that this is a game of people, not politics. If ranchers go out of business, hundreds of people will lose their jobs and the cost of food will increase, meaning Hope Valley is left in the lurch.

Later on in the episode, Lucas puts the park plans on hold. Lee is shocked, and Lucas argues that Edie made some solid points. Lee thinks this is all a ploy devised by Lucas and Edwin to push him out, announcing he refuses to spend any further time away from his family for “something like this.” Unless Lucas can stick to his original word, Lee’s out.

Rosemary’s radio show is off and running

Rosemary starts her radio show in When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2

While Elizabeth excitedly tries to help promote the show with a freshly made banner, it’s not long before Rosemary wants to cancel it. Unlike finding stories for the paper – which usually make their way through the town to her desk – Rosemary is struggling to source stories for radio. A rival newspaper calls the plan “absurd,” with Rosemary quickly believing them.

When Toby tells her about Henry’s comic book plan (more on that later), she knows she’s got a winning story on her hands. Later that day, the entire town gathers at the saloon ready to hear the first broadcast. Rosemary interviews Faith, Joseph, and Minnie about the comic books, who all have the same mundane view of the harmless effect they’re having on the kids

By the break, Rosemary knows she needs something more controversial. She sends Elizabeth to find Florence, who immediately sounds off on the “preposterous” craze that’s set to harm Hope Valley’s children. However, in doing so she inadvertently reveals something much more surprising – Florence is also reading the comic books for herself.

A comic book craze sweeps Hope Valley

Schoolchildren reading comic books in When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2

While Rosemary is desperate for an idea for her first radio show, a comic book craze sweeps through the kids of Hope Valley just at the right time. At the start of When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 2, they descend on the mercantile for Mr. Yost’s new delivery. Most of them don’t have the money to pay, leading Henry to come up with the idea that the boys could provide free labor in exchange for them.

Elizabeth struggles to get them to focus in class for this reason. She takes them on a trip to a nearby park to get them to put the comic books down, challenging them to interact with the beauty of nature instead.

Henry’s overflowing supply of hazelnuts means he’s able to find a way to help the kids get comic book money. There’s too much to shift on his own, so having extra hands to sell the stock helps everybody out. After giving some away for free, Joseph’s advice leads Henry to set up a hazelnut business for real.

Mike and Mei in When Calls the Heart

Meanwhile, Mike and Mei return from their honeymoon, refusing to tell everyone that they actually had an awful time. Things get even worse when they find a water leak on their return. The pair place the blame on each other and argue throughout the episode, leading Mike to ask Mei to move in with him while the repairs take place.

Nathan’s new recruit Oliver seems to be fitting in well, leading to Nathan asking him to pick up more work. Elizabeth and Nathan host a dinner for them all, with tension immediately brewing between Oliver and Allie.

When Calls the Heart Season 12 is airing weekly on the Hallmark Channel. Check out the When Calls the Heart Season 12 release schedule, how to watch outside of the US, and more new TV shows streaming this month.

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