On Sunday, Heartland was back with a brand new episode, which saw another character return to the ranch that shook things up.
From Miley’s fate and Lyndy’s sleepless nights and Logan blaming himself for Miley’s accident to Amy trying to help him and Rocky, Katie dealing with friendship troubles, Jack and Lisa learning to grow together, and Shane coming to Heartland for a visit, a lot sure happened in this episode.
So, here is our recap of Heartland season 17 episode 4! Read on to find out how it all went down!
Rocky and blame
Every once in a while, the show decides to keep us on our toes and end an episode on a cliffhanger, case and point, the previous episode.
At the end of episode 1703, we saw Logan’s girlfriend Miley do a barrel racing run on Rocky, the horse Tim asked Logan to work with, only for Rocky to throw Miley off mid-run, and Miley ending up on the ground unconscious.
Luckily, Heartland didn’t keep up waiting too long to find out if Miley was okay.
At the start of this episode, we saw Miley come to Heartland and step out of her truck on her own two feet. She might be a little banged up and was still waiting on MRI results to make sure that there were no fractures to her tailbone, but other than that, she was good.
Miley’s visit to the ranch was mainly for Lyndy’s benefit, who was having nightmares because she witnessed Miley’s fall (more on that later). But you could clearly see how distressed Logan was over Miley’s accident. And it didn’t help that they had to still work with Rocky to figure out what went wrong, including watching the video Logan took of Miley’s fall.
Yet, one good thing did come out of Logan and Amy watching that video – Amy noticed that Miley was wearing bumper spurs when Rocky threw her. And her theory was proven when Rocky started bucking after Amy mounted him wearing the same spurs.
Amy was happy that they finally got to the bottom it. However, it didn’t help Logan feel any less upset since he zeroed in on the fact that he didn’t realize Rocky’s issue with spurs, which led to Miley getting hurt, instead of on the fact that Miley was okay and now they knew how to help Rocky.
Being the good mentor that she is, Amy tried to help Logan get over his fear. They worked with Rocky together and decided on a plan to get Rocky used to the spurs.
But one setback and Logan was back to blaming himself for Miley’s accident. So much so that Amy and Logan got into an argument over it.
Logan: “OK, I get it, your daughter’s traumatized because of me.”
Amy: “No, that’s not what I meant at all. This is not about you, Logan, this is about the horse. I understand Lyndy running from something she’s scared of, or if it’s difficult, she’s a kid, but that’s not who you are. This is a job you’re good at, but I can’t be the only one that believes that.”
Granted, both of them were a little on edge – Logan still reeling from Miley getting injured and Amy both because of lack of sleep due to Lyndy’s nightmares and because of Shane’s visit (more on that later, too!). And they did apologize to each other later. But things still weren’t quite back to normal.
After Logan and Amy cooled down and got back to work, they made great progress. And by the end of the episode, Rocky was reacting to the spurs the right way – taking cues from them instead of being afraid of them.
Miley even got on Rocky and took a slow victory lap, proving to everybody, but especially Lyndy and Logan, that she’s fine and not afraid to get back on the horse.
However, during Miley’s lap, Logan told Amy that he’s quitting horse training.
And when Amy questioned Logan’s decision, he explained his reasoning behind it.
Amy: “Logan, are you serious?”
Logan: “Look, I might have the talent, Amy, but I don’t have the attitude. Not for… not for training. It’s too risky. One mistake could ruin everything. Look, this might have worked out, I just… I can’t let there be a next one.”
What does this mean for their partnership going forward? Will Amy try to change Logan’s mind, and if so, will she be successful?
I sure hope so because the two of them make a great team. It also helped Amy to have a partner sharing the workload, freeing some of Amy’s time to take on other projects and just to spend time with her daughter.
And, if I’m being honest, it’s kind of hard imagining Logan not being at Heartland, working with horses with Amy. But you never know.
Nightmares
As you might have already seen in the first look video for the episode, Heartland season 17 episode 4 started with Lyndy waking up from a nightmare and calling out for her mom.
Amy rushed to her daughter’s side and found Lyndy plagued by memories of Miley’s fall.
The little girl was clearly distressed and about to give up on horses entirely. Lyndy even packed up her horse stuffies and told Amy to get rid of them.
Amy tried to do everything she can to help Lyndy, including asking Miley to come to the ranch to show Lyndy that she’s alright.
However, it didn’t seem to work. Lyndy was still terrified. And her night terrors were keeping the whole house awake.
Amy’s only hope was to show Lyndy that she shouldn’t be afraid of riding by getting on Rocky herself. But even that didn’t convince Lyndy, so Miley decided to show her little student that she’s not afraid and, therefore, Lyndy shouldn’t be either.
Miley got right back on Rocky, and that finally seemed to be the breakthrough that Amy was hoping for. Lyndy even asked Amy not to throw away her horse stuffies, signaling that Lyndy might not be done with horses after all.
Now, I’m interested to see if Lyndy’s fears will impact her down the line, too, or if it was just a short-term thing.
I mean, judging from the nightmares she was having, it might have a bit more lasting impact, maybe even affecting Lyndy’s wish to learn how to barrel race. But it would also be sad to see Lyndy’s love for horses and equestrian sports be dampened by Miley’s accident.
A visitor
The other big storyline for this episode was Shane coming for a visit.
After reconnecting in New York in episode 1606 and then meeting up at a hotel in Kananaskis in episode 1613, Tim and Shane’s relationship was getting stronger and stronger. Which is why they decided that it might be time for Shane to come visit Heartland.
Tim, of course, was super excited for Shane to be back at the ranch and reconnecting with his half-sisters, which is why he was going overboard with trying to make Shane’s visit perfect.
Yet Shane was nervous about being at the ranch and seeing Amy and Lou again. And Lou and Amy were just as anxious about seeing Shane. After all, the three of them haven’t seen or really spoken to each other for ten years.
And they had every right to be worried because Shane, Amy and Lou’s reunion and the following interactions were awkward as heck.
Amy was feeling uncomfortable, so she retreated into her work, using it as an excuse not to spend time with Shane. While Lou put her foot in it when she forgot Shane’s fiancée’s name during the ride Lou, Shane and Tim took to get reacquainted with the ranch, even though Shane knew everything about Lou and what’s happening at the ranch.
You could see that the distance between Tim’s three children was starting to really bother Shane, even though Tim seemed oblivious to his son’s troubles. And things got even more awkward when Shane overheard Tim, Amy and Lou argue over Tim forcing his daughters to spend time with Shane and wanting them to create a bond with Shane in one weekend.
Shane almost left after that, explaining to his dad that he feels like the timing for his visit is just not right and that being at Heartland only reminds him of the home and family he lost. But just then, his fiancée Chloe showed up at the Dude Ranch.
However, even with Chloe being there, things were only getting more uncomfortable. Until the big cookout dinner when everything Shane had been holding in for years came rushing out when Shane realized that Lou didn’t even know that he’s allergic to mushrooms.
Lou: “What? Shane, what are you…”
Shane: “I’m sorry. Sorry. I’m… I’ve been trying to find the right time to tell you, both of you, just how much that hurt. You never reached out to me after I left. Not once. Ten years of nothing. I was a little kid. You were older. I thought that we were family.”
The next day, Tim was desperate to fix things. But luckily, Jack was there to tell him that Tim should stop forcing the bond between his three kids. And when Tim finally stopped pushing, that’s when Lou, Amy and Shane figured it out, on their own, I might add.
Amy and Lou realized that everything Shane said was true and that they need to face their fears and do something about it. So, they went to the Dude Ranch to talk to Shane.
When Shane saw them arrive, he was a bit apprehensive. But then Amy and Lou apologized and explained why they never reached out.
Lou: “I think at the time we just saw all of the animosity between Dad and your mom and we didn’t want to interfere or make things worse, but you’re right, you were just a kid, and that was really unfair to you. That radio silence you mentioned, it wasn’t about you, Shane, it was about us not knowing how to navigate things.”
Amy: “And I should’ve talked to you. Cause, the truth is I, did miss you. We were a family. And we shared some really important moments together. Beautiful ones. I can’t imagine how hard that was, just to have those taken away. I really want to make up for all that time we lost. We both do.”
Shane: “You know… If you two wanted me to stay another day, you could’ve just asked.”
While the apology didn’t erase the pain from the ten-year radio silence from Lou and Amy, it definitely made things better. And when Chloe found out that their wedding venue had fallen through, the sisters offered to host Shane and Chloe’s wedding at the Dude Ranch.
Tim was ecstatic about it. And even though Shane reminded his dad that that means that Tim’s ex Miranda and her new husband will be coming to Heartland for the wedding, too, Tim just told Shane that he looks forward to seeing Miranda again and meeting Shane’s stepdad.
What started out as a really awkward visit ended pretty well. And it’s exciting to hear that there will be another wedding held at the Dude Ranch. I just hope that the meeting between Tim and Miranda won’t be too bad, especially since both of them have moved on and are happily married to other people. Who knows, maybe it will even be therapeutic to them.
I wonder if we will have to wait until the end of the season to see the wedding or if it will happen sooner. I know it won’t be in the next two episodes for sure, but since the descriptions for the last four episodes aren’t out yet, anything could happen.
Dance lessons
In the comments for the episode 1613 recap, I saw Deborah mention that she’s missing Lisa this season, and it’s true Lisa hasn’t yet appeared in season 17. But I’m glad to say that in Heartland season 17 episode 4, Lisa was back at the ranch.
Not only that, Jack and her had a beautiful and very romantic storyline in this episode.
Early in the episode, we found out that Lisa has agreed to cosponsor a teen community dance that she will also be chaperoning. Katie was even excited for the dance, which is set to have a retro theme.
So, later that evening, Lisa asked Jack to go with her to the dance. And after the cutest little exchange between the couple, Jack agreed to accompany Lisa to the dance. He even seemed happy to take his wife to a dance.
But the next morning, Lisa announced that one of her cosponsors had given her a gift after she heard that Lisa is bringing Jack to the dance – a two-stepping lesson at her dance studio.
And what do you know, Jack was not thrilled about that idea. He didn’t feel like going to a class was necessary. After all, they already knew how to two-step.
Somehow, Lisa did manage to talk Jack into going with her to the class. It might have to do something with Lisa saying that she’s dying to try something new. But Jack was not happy or wanting to be there, and it showed.
After they got home, Jack apologized to Lisa for his behavior during their lesson, but Lisa was having none of it, even telling Jack that she wants to go to the dance alone.
Lisa: “No. No, you are not great with new things. Especially when they’re not on your terms. But you know what? Sometimes, we do the uncomfortable thing because it’s important to the other person. To our partner. As far as the dance goes, I think I’d rather go alone.”
It took a conversation with Tim for Jack to realize that his behavior at the dance lesson was unfair to Lisa.
Although he might have been uncomfortable during the class, it really wasn’t about Jack; it was about Lisa wanting them to experience it together.
So, he took his own advice, booked a private lesson with the dance teacher to learn how to two-step properly, and surprised Lisa at the dance. He even bought a corsage!
It was so romantic and beautiful. And Lisa was ecstatic about her husband daring to step out of his comfort zone for her.
I feel like that Lisa and Jack’s relationship only gets stronger and stronger as the seasons go on. Not only that, but they still try to keep things moving, and keep their relationship fresh. And I love that for them.
Hopefully, we will see more of that this season!
Friendship woes
Speaking of the dance, I already mentioned in the section above that Katie was excited about the dance. But what she was less excited about was to try and convince Parker to go to the dance with her since things like that weren’t really Parker’s scene.
Katie also hoped that the dance could be a good opportunity for the two friends to reconnect because Katie hasn’t really seen much of Parker ever since Parker quit her job at the diner.
However, when Katie saw Parker at Maggie’s later that day, she was shocked to discover that Parker’s interests might have changed without Katie even knowing it.
Suddenly, Parker was hanging out with new people, and she even had a boyfriend, which Katie knew nothing about.
When Katie talked to Parker about the dance, Parker, of course, suggested that Katie could either go with Parker’s group or just meet at the dance and hang out together. But Katie was clearly feeling left out of Parker’s life. So, when Katie saw Parker going on a shopping spree with one of her new friends, something Katie knew the old Parker would never do, Katie texted Parker that she wouldn’t be going to the dance.
Lou was there to comfort her daughter, even talking Katie into going on a shopping spree of their own to get a new dress for the dance, even though Katie wasn’t even sure she’s going.
But in the end, Katie did decide to go to the dance. Alone, might I add.
And after an initial freakout and then a little encouragement from Lisa, Katie took a risk, endured being a little uncomfortable for a while, and ended up actually having fun at the dance.
Although she started dancing alone, soon, Brandon saw her and went to ask her if she wanted to dance with him. And Katie, being the brave young woman she is, said no but told Brandon that he could dance beside her if he wanted. And he did.
Where does that leave Katie and Parker?
Well, Parker did come up to talk to Katie at the dance briefly but was quickly called to dance by her boyfriend. And she didn’t really seem to notice that there’s something wrong.
Will Parker figure out that Katie isn’t thrilled with where their friendship is currently? Hard to say. But I do think that now that Parker is busy with other friends, Katie will switch focus to her new friends as well. The description for the next episode (read it at the end of the article) even says that Katie will be buying a used dirtbike. That will definitely be interesting to see.
Last thoughts on Heartland season 17 episode 4
While Tim, Amy and Lou were yelling at each other over Tim trying to force a bond between Shane and his two daughters, Lou said something interesting – “You need to stop asking me for things I can’t give you; you’ve done it my whole life”.
When Tim later questioned Lou about it, she claimed that it didn’t mean anything, that her mind wanders when she doesn’t have a goal to focus on. But I have a feeling that there is more to it than that. I just can’t tell what.
READ NEXT: Heartland season 17 episode 5 recap
Could it be something from the years before the show started, before or after Tim lost touch with his daughters? I mean, in the season 17 trailer, we did see a shot of a teenage girl calling somebody from a phone booth right after the clip of Lou telling Tim that he should stop asking her for things that she can’t give him.
If so, it would really be cool to see a flashback of teenage Lou, even if it is in relation to something painful from her past.
What do you think? Tell me your theories in the comments below!
Also, how nice was it to see Shane remember his naming ceremony from way back in season 5?
It might have been a small part of the episode, but I always love a good callback to a previous episode or season. And it’s especially fun for long-time viewers, like me, who might not remember the event on top of their heads but will recognize that it happened when it’s mentioned.
It almost makes you want to go back and rewatch the earlier seasons, doesn’t it?
Promo for Heartland season 17 episode 5
And here is the promo for episode 1705:
The next Heartland episode will be called “How To Say Goodbye” and will see Amy and Jack training Jack’s horse Blue for a competition. Lisa will be dealing with a difficult loss. Lou will let Jessica down when it comes to their new project – the gallery. And Katie will secretly buy a used dirt bike.
