For being kind of a bunch of sanctimonious goody goodies, the folks of Hope Valley are often blatantly snippy, judgy, and gossipy. It’s no surprise that the town’s children are just as crappy to one another as the adults are. Poor Cody, the orphan living with Abigail, is especially vulnerable to snide comments about “real” parents and bad behavior generally abounds. Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) ultimately enacts Kindness Week at school, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt the rest of the town to observe it as well.
Pastor Frank (Matt Humphrey) has regained his post following scandal, but his presence in Hope Valley attracts his old partners in crime, the Garrison Gang. Their nefarious presence creates conflict in this quiet town, and makes Bill Avery (Jack Wagner) even more jealous of Frank’s budding relationship with Abigail (Lori Loughlin). Elizabeth has her own bout with jealousy when Jack’s former flame, a nurse, comes to town to care for a man with an injured foot. As per usual, she soon realizes she has overreacted. The girl is engaged to someone else and is perfectly polite to boot.
With so many outside influences descending upon Hope Valley and so many injustices happening all around them, Jack and Elizabeth really have no time for their own misunderstandings. Instead they team up to cheer Cody (over a slightly anachronistic spaghetti dinner) and to address the problems confronting their town. It’s refreshing to see them acting as real friends instead of employing their typically tentative behavior.
