Happy Friday, friends!
I'm back today with the final post in my ongoing summer series of sharing my favorite TV shows with you. This has been such a fun series and I've so enjoyed going back through these shows that I've loved for years and remembering which episodes are my top favorites. Sometimes, oftentimes, it was incredibly hard to pick just a handful from an entire TV series. And today's show is no different.
In my most humble opinion, Heartland is one of the most under-rated shows on TV. It's been on air for over a decade now, with the show premiering in 2007. My family and I began watching this show around the third or fourth season and were hooked immediately. This is one of the absolute very best family shows you can find and I can't wait to share it with you today.
While there are many things I love about Heartland, the strong emphasis on home and family is at the top. The show follows Amy Fleming, a young girl who has a special gift with horses. She lives with her Grandpa, Jack Bartlett and older sister, Lou, since their mom was killed in an accident. Her father lives down the road on his own ranch, but both girls have a complicated, tangled relationship with him. Tim wasn't involved in the girls' lives much growing up, so they live with their Grandpa. Heartland is the family ranch and it's also where Amy works. She heals and helps horses using her mother's natural, holistic, gentle approaches and while this often isn't the most popular way amongst the bigger ranches and horse community, her ways are proven over and over again to work. She is often sought after by prestigious horse people to help their animals. Ty Borden joins the ranch as a helping hand while he works away at his probation after Amy's mom offered him the opportunity shortly before her death. There is also Mallory Wells, friend of the family, who often drives the others crazy with her constant chattering and oftentimes annoying commentary. But, she is absolutely the comedy queen of the show.
The Bartlett/Fleming family is one that is close and sticks together. Throughout the entire series (which is still ongoing), they face ups and downs, but always with one another by their side. I love the fact that they eat dinner together at the family table each night. I love that Amy chose her passion of healing and helping horses and remaining close to her family instead of pursuing the conventional path of college and climbing the world's success ladder. I love that she and Ty end up falling in love (SPOILER!) and that Ty finds his calling in veterinary medicine through working at Heartland. I love that the characters help each other find healing in various ways and their firey spirits, and how they always stand up for what they believe in. No matter what. I love that family is highly valued and that friends become extended family in this series. I love that family legacy is a huge part of this show, and that the past generations are often apart of storylines, and always a part of the characters' lives and traditions. Really, you just want to be friends with this family and have dinner at their family table. But, rest assured, Mallory will almost always show up and invite herself along.
While this series is still ongoing and there are new episodes being made, I will be honest and tell you that my family and I do not prefer the most recent seasons. Our favorites are seasons one through eight. After that, we feel that the tone of the show changes, characters leave and the main characters aren't consistently on the show, and many of the things I mentioned above are greatly lacking from the more recent seasons. We watched season nine but after that, we just couldn't go on. It was beginning to ruin the entire series for us, so we prefer to just rewatch the first eight season. But those are absolutely awesome! And definitely worth watching again and again!
Before I share my top ten episodes with you, I thought it would be fun to share the photo below. When I was in my late teens I was **obsessed** with Heartland...like a total fangirl! So much so, that one Halloween, I carved the Heartland ranch design into our pumpkin. I surprised my family and we all flipped out just a little...we were Heartland crazy! What made it even more special was that I shared a photo on Twitter and Amber Marshall, who plays Amy Fleming, retweeted my photo. I may or may not have squealed just a bit! {{winks}}
And now, without further ado, here are my TOP 10 favorite episodes from seasons one through eight. Please be warned that there are some spoilers included, but even with these little bits, you really don't get the whole picture...you just gotta go watch this show for yourself.
In this episode, Amy and Ty are struggling with their feelings for one another. But daily ranch chores must be done and Jack and Tim join a cattle drive, in which Amy and Ty come along. Meanwhile, Lou is hoping for a romantic weekend back at the house with her boyfriend, Scott, the vet. Drama ensues when an unexpected couple show up to stay at Lou's dude ranch. The drama continues on with the cattle drive. Jack's "special friend" Lisa gets him a padded saddle because he's getting older and it *really* bugs him, but she only does that because she loves him. When she tells him on the cattle drive, it finally gets the relationship moving toward proper boyfriend and girlfriend. The same is not true when Ty and Amy kiss; it only makes things more complicated and ends up with Ty getting in a fight with Caleb, the other ranch hand at Heartland.
Dancing in the Dark
Season 2, Episode 4
When Spartan, Amy's horse, is stolen from the barn in the middle of the night, she and Ty embark on a journey of getting him back. No matter what it costs. Even if it means that they get in trouble and Ty gets arrested in the process. After that happens, Jack and Tim go and set things straight with the man who stole Spartan. They do this in the "cowboy way" which includes a few punches, a strong handshake and a few threats and ultimatums to boot. On top of all that, Mallory is trying out a new Goth look and her horse is scared of her now. Oh, and Lou is trying her darnest to keep her new boyfriend, who everyone refers to as "internet guy" a secret...that's because he's the oil guy who they had a problem with in a previous episode. At the end of the episode, Ty and Amy share a special moment in the barn after their adventures trying to get Spartan back. He tells Amy that he would to anything for her and that is the start of the shift in their relationship. And we all rejoiced at that!
Ties That Bind
Season 2, Episode 16
When Ty and Amy head up to the fishing cabin to feed the mustangs in the middle of winter, a bad snowstorm hits which means they can't make the drive home. On top of that, Ty gets a terrible fever and is sick the entire night. Amy nurses him and they both realize the truth of their feelings for each other. The next morning, they confess their love to each other and share a kiss...meanwhile, back at Heartland, Lou is set to spend a weekend with "internet guy" at a mountain resort, if I remember correctly. With the snowstorm, though, the road gets shut and instead she must finally introduce Peter to her Grandpa. This does not go well, but when Peter gets involved in helping Amy and Ty get back safely from the cabin, Jack's feelings towards him start to soften just a bit. One of the coziest episodes of all, and a sure favorite because Amy and Ty are finally together.
Step by Step
Season 2, Episode 18
This is one of my all-time favorite episodes! It was one of the first I saw and will forever hold a top place in my heart. When the horses on the Hanley ranch are getting "spooked", Mr. Hanley asks Amy to help. She and Ty spend the night in the Hanley barn, which is said to be haunted. There is a specific legendary story about the barn that has everyone freaking out. In the middle of the night, as Amy and Ty are playing cards, the lights go out and "things" start happening. Well, it turns out that their friends are just playing a big prank on them. But something is still going on with the horses...meanwhile, Lou is stuck spending an entire day with the quirky and eccentric Mrs. Bell making strawberry jam, with her many, many, many baskets of strawberries. Lous is less than thrilled at this! Come to find out, Mrs. Bell knows a bit more about the ghost story of Hanley barn than they expect. And the mystery of both the ghost story and the horses is solved. We love watching this episode around Halloween, because it's just got that Halloween feel. Such a fun episode!
The Haunting of Hanley Barn
Season 3, Episode 4
When Amy and Ty are brought an abandoned foul, they have different ideas of how to care for him. Mallory sticks her nose into their business, as she always does and begins giving them advice, which only drives them crazier. This foul-raising drives a wedge in Ty and Amy's relationship and they begin to clash over the littlest things. Peter and Lou are hosting a rich oil man at the dude ranch and are feeling a bit overwhelmed. The fact that a cougar is loose nearby doesn't help any. Things don't seem right to Lou about this man, and she's quickly proven right. He flirts with Lou and she refuses his unwanted advances which results in Peter showing him a thing or two with his fist. Even worse, he falls off his horse when the cougar appears on their trail ride. He ends up threatening Heartland with a lawsuit full of lies and Lou must set him straight. She does so in a bold, fierce way, with a bit of humor thrown in, and you can't help but cheer her on.
Growing Pains
Season 3, Episode 6
Ty and Amy are surprised to learn that Mrs. Bell is no longer living at her house in the woods and away from ber beloved miniature pony, Sugarfoot. They eventually find her in a retirement home, where she just doesn't seem like herself. She's lost her spice and her zest for life. They decide to break her out of the place! On the back of Ty's motorcycle, no less! The Bartlett/Fleming family decide to help fix her woodland home up so it can be easier for her to maintain and so she feels comfortable there. Also, Mallory is dealing with a jerky boyfriend and breaks up with him in a very clever way.
Nothing for Granted
Season 5, Episode 8
Season six is full of changes and new beginnings. When Georgie, an orphan girl, shows up, Jack takes her in and in this episode he applies to be her foster parent. And at the end of season five, Amy finds an engagement ring in Ty's jacket pocket. Through the first half of season six, there's the up and down drama of "when is he going to propose?" Well, the time finally came in the episode. They set out on a weekend away in the woods and end up helping an injured foul and its mama. Then, the magical moment finally happens...Ty gets down on one knee and aks Amy to be his wife under a beautifully starlit sky. She says yes!
Great Expectations
Season 6, Episode 9
When Amy gets kicked by a horse she's working with, she ends up in the hospital. When she wakes up, she can't see. Her vision is gone. Ty and her family greatly disagree on what kind of treatment is best for her. Ty stands up for Amy and her wishes fiercely and passionately. He loves her and knows her best and even if it means going against her family, he will do whatever it takes to stand up for her. She heals up better at home and eventually gets her eyesight back and her family finally realize that Ty was right all along.
Darkness and Light
Season 7, Episode 10
After Amy and Ty take a break when things go really wrong in their relationship thanks to an arrogant prince earlier in the season, they find themselves together back at a special place. Pike River. This is where they spent a special Christmas years earlier and memories are coming flooding back for both of them. But they can't let those get in the way of why they're here now...they came to help save wild horses from being killed. They do everything they can to save these horses...which is what brought them there the first time, and thankfully, the story ends beautifully. Not only for the horses, but for Amy and Ty as well. With the opportunity to have a heartfelt, sincere, serious conversation, they realize that they really do love each other and that things just got really messed up before. They decide to call their break off and are together again...sealed with a kiss under a gazebo lit with twinkly lights.
The Heart of a River
Season 8, Episode 10
Amy gets invited to a horse clinic in Montana, so she and Ty set out on a road trip. When they stop to take the horses on a little trail ride, they come back only to find their truck and trailer gone and stolen. They eventually find the truck along with the girl who drove it away. Instead of pressing charges, they seek to know her and hear her story. They find out she has relationship troubles with her mother and is running away from home to become a singer. When Amy hears the song the girl is singing, she recognizes it and realizes it is her Grandma Lyndy's song. She was a country-western singer back in the day. They help her return home and hope that she reconciles with her mother.
Broken Heartland
Season 8, Episode 12
And finally, for a bonus, I just had to include the Heartland Christmas movie. This is a movie that takes place somewhere between the third and fourth seasons of the series. And it is magical and wonderful and so touching and sweet! Ty and Amy head to Pike River to save wild horses. (Remember the special place from season 8? This is it!) Jack and Tim end up following them up there and they all work together along with many of the townspeople to save these horses. Back at home, Lou is upset that Peter is missing their first Christmas as a married couple because he is away taking care of his sick father. Mallory is stuck at Heartland for Christmas and she and Lou don't see eye-to-eye on how Christmas should be celebrated. This leaves both of them feeling pretty low, until they decide to join forces and make a good Christmas for them both. All is well again, though, when the entire family returns and is all together for Christmas after all. This is a movie that cannot be missed and should most certainly be watched every December!
Bonus:
A Heartland Christmas
There you have it, friends! As I said before, this show is so underrated, but it's seriously one of the best out there. If you've never made your way to Heartland ranch in the Canadian Rockies, may I invite you to check it out? I think you'll find a place at the table among the Fleming/Bartlett clan...and a home at Heartland.
If you've seen this show, what are your favorite episodes? Who are your favorite characters? Do share below!
For the other posts in this series, you're welcome to visit the following posts...