Heartland season 17 episode 7 was a heartwarming watch and dealt with quite a few philosophical teachings. The episode titled Unknown Caller, directed by Kristin Lehman and written by Caitlin D. Fryers, beautifully portrayed recurring lessons such as not bowing down to pressure, facing your past demons, and loving yourself through all the arcs.
The episode aired on November 12 and mostly dealt with Lou Fleming facing her innermost demons that did not let her sleep for years. The main arc for episode 7 revolved around her discovery of the underlying reasons behind these inner struggles.
The other story was about Nathan Pryce Jr. and Amy Fleming’s budding relationship, which has remained one of the main arcs since the start of the ongoing season.
Heartland season 17 episode 7 gave Lou her much-needed closure
Heartland season 17 episode 7 showed through Lou that it takes courage not only to fight the future but the past as well. Samantha Louise (Lou), the older sister of the lead character Amy Fleming, tackled insomnia since her teenage years. Something had always prevented her from getting a good night’s sleep, and in this episode, viewers finally discovered the reason.
In season 1, it was shown that after her father, Tim Fleming, left suddenly, and teenage Lou (only 15 then) wanted to connect with him the most. She ran into the woods, unable to bear the departure and hurt her ankle. As she tried to nurse her foot back, a young Nathan Pryce found her and offered help. He took her to a phone booth nearby, where she called Tim, only to get a cold response.
This incident left an indelible mark on the mind of a young Lou, which didn’t change even after Tim returned. Her old wound resurfaced when Nathan showed up at their ranch. Amy saw them interacting, which gave her an indication that they knew each other from the past.
This signaled an unhealthy development because of a brewing romance between Nathan and Amy. Anyway, unable to bear the burden of her past demons, Lou drove away, followed by Tim.
In Heartland season 17 episode 7, the father-daughter duo finally had some much-needed talk where Lou told Tim about the phone call, but he confessed to not remembering anything because he was so wasted. They reconciled, and Lou got her peace.
The other story arc in Heartland season 17 episode 7, was Amy helping Eleanor, aka Ellie, with her horse. This particularly served as a mirror to Katie as she realized that she and Ellie were both hiding their real selves from others, pretending to be someone they were not. Both Ellie and Katie eventually made a pact with their internal conflicts and decided to open up to their families and friends about it.
Staying true to the theme of self-realization, another secondary plotline that ran parallel to the rest in Heartland season 17 episode 7 also involved Katie. A sarcastic writer by the name of Elaine was a Dude Ranch guest. Successful and ambitious, Katie looked up to the scribe, but their meeting turned sour when Elaine discouraged Katie royally.
When Jack happened to hear them, he defended Katie, which made the latter realize that she was hiding her real self all along. The young girl lashes out at her favorite writer and stands up for herself.
Admittedly, Heartland season 17 episode 7 was not an enthralling watch, but it was touching nonetheless.
