Reactions to When Calls The Heart Season 5 // Spoilers Live Here!
I think I'm mostly sad. I had two episodes left, but just couldn't find the time to go over to my Grammy's house to finish the season. I thought the last season had ended badly. I was mad then. Now, I'm just kind of shocked. And maybe sad.
You have to understand, I don't watch TV or TV shows. We don't have Netflix or anything like that, so this is not something I'm used to, nor would I ever want to get used to it. What on earth am I talking about? When Calls The Heart, Season 5. If you haven't seen the finale yet and don't want spoilers, stop reading now.
At first, I thought it would be a mistake. That there had been a mix up and "oh, it wasn't him who died, we made a mistake" and he'd be back. But this is real. Daniel Lissing didn't renew his contract for "personal reasons". And so Jack is dead.
I can respect an actor's privacy (though one does wonder what could be so major that you can't commit to ten episodes a year), but I'm not happy AT ALL with what Hallmark decided to do in light of this revelation.
First of all, they had to have known pretty early on that Lissing wouldn't be coming back. So they should have just ended the show with this season. Every show has to end sometime, so just end it now. Or, why couldn't he have just signed a one-year contract, they make Season 6, and then end it. We'll never know the answers, but it sure seems like there were better options.
The thing is, having WCTH without the character of Jack is like losing Abigail or Elizabeth. They are the main characters of the show. I feel bad for the poor guy who is the new mountie. He's got a heck of a job ahead of him. Same for whoever Elizabeth meets next. (And I sincerely hope it's not the new mountie because that would be too much). I honestly don't know if I'll watch anymore. I may just not watch past Season 5, Episode 6 anymore, so that for me, the show ends on a happy note. I don't know yet.
Here's the thing about TV shows. My parents have talked about this show they used to watch, "John Doe", and how the season ended with a cliffhanger and didn't get renewed, so the fans were just left hanging. That's really poor of the producers. This is my opinion, but I'd venture to guess that many people feel the same way; they should end each season as though the show isn't going to be renewed. There is a perfectly feasible way to wrap things up nicely (like WCTH did in season 1-3) and still have more storylines to explore in the future.
Another thing I wish shows would do was think through their story and decide on it ahead of time. What I mean is this - when they are writing up the idea for the show, plot it out for 'x' number of seasons, and then outline accordingly. Book authors do this all the time. This will provide two huge benefits; it will allow the actors, when signing on, to be able to know exactly how long they are committing to the show and if they can make that commitment and it will also keep the show from drifting as it goes on and on and on (I'm looking at you, Heartland). If WCTH had done this, we wouldn't be in the situation we are in right now.
You have to understand, I don't watch TV or TV shows. We don't have Netflix or anything like that, so this is not something I'm used to, nor would I ever want to get used to it. What on earth am I talking about? When Calls The Heart, Season 5. If you haven't seen the finale yet and don't want spoilers, stop reading now.
At first, I thought it would be a mistake. That there had been a mix up and "oh, it wasn't him who died, we made a mistake" and he'd be back. But this is real. Daniel Lissing didn't renew his contract for "personal reasons". And so Jack is dead.
I can respect an actor's privacy (though one does wonder what could be so major that you can't commit to ten episodes a year), but I'm not happy AT ALL with what Hallmark decided to do in light of this revelation.
First of all, they had to have known pretty early on that Lissing wouldn't be coming back. So they should have just ended the show with this season. Every show has to end sometime, so just end it now. Or, why couldn't he have just signed a one-year contract, they make Season 6, and then end it. We'll never know the answers, but it sure seems like there were better options.
The thing is, having WCTH without the character of Jack is like losing Abigail or Elizabeth. They are the main characters of the show. I feel bad for the poor guy who is the new mountie. He's got a heck of a job ahead of him. Same for whoever Elizabeth meets next. (And I sincerely hope it's not the new mountie because that would be too much). I honestly don't know if I'll watch anymore. I may just not watch past Season 5, Episode 6 anymore, so that for me, the show ends on a happy note. I don't know yet.
Here's the thing about TV shows. My parents have talked about this show they used to watch, "John Doe", and how the season ended with a cliffhanger and didn't get renewed, so the fans were just left hanging. That's really poor of the producers. This is my opinion, but I'd venture to guess that many people feel the same way; they should end each season as though the show isn't going to be renewed. There is a perfectly feasible way to wrap things up nicely (like WCTH did in season 1-3) and still have more storylines to explore in the future.
Another thing I wish shows would do was think through their story and decide on it ahead of time. What I mean is this - when they are writing up the idea for the show, plot it out for 'x' number of seasons, and then outline accordingly. Book authors do this all the time. This will provide two huge benefits; it will allow the actors, when signing on, to be able to know exactly how long they are committing to the show and if they can make that commitment and it will also keep the show from drifting as it goes on and on and on (I'm looking at you, Heartland). If WCTH had done this, we wouldn't be in the situation we are in right now.
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