Kelsey Lentz
·5 min read
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Just when Elizabeth’s relationship with Nathan begins to blossom, When Calls the Heart throws fans for a loop with a twist involving her late husband. What happened to Jack Thornton on When Calls the Heart? What did the Season 11 cliffhanger mean? We have all the answers below.
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What happened to Jack Thornton on When Calls the Heart?
Jack Thornton (played by Daniel Lissing) was Hope Valley’s original Constable. He arrived in town at the same time as Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) and the pair immediately struck up a romance. They got engaged in Season 4 and tied the knot in Season 5. Just a few days after their wedding, Jack was tragically killed in a landslide while on assignment.
Shortly after his death, Elizabeth learned that she was pregnant. She went on to welcome a son, whom she named Jack Jr. after her late husband. Nathan Grant (Kevin McGarry) then arrived in town as the new Constable, and it was later revealed that he’s the reason Jack was on the mission that killed him in the first place. Feeling guilty, Nathan transferred to Hope Valley to look after Elizabeth and Jack Jr. Although Elizabeth was initially upset when she learned Nathan’s secret in Season 8, they were able to move past it.
After weeks of build up and romantic tension, Elizabeth and Nathan finally made their relationship official in the Season 11 finale.The pair also attended Mei (Amanda Wong) and Hickam’s (Ben Rosenbaum) wedding together, marking their first outing as a couple. Just before the credits rolled, Elizabeth and Nathan were approached by Superintendent Hargraves (David James Lewis), who hasn’t appeared on the show since Season 8. As viewers may remember, Hargraves is the officer who suspended Nathan at Fort Clay, leading Jack to take Nathan’s spot in the mission.
More: The Most Shocking Exits from When Calls the Heart Over the Years
Nathan assumed his superior officer needed to talk to him, but as it turns out, he was there to see Elizabeth. “I’m not here to see you Constable,” he told Nathan, before turning to Elizabeth and saying: “Mrs. Thornton, it’s about your late husband.” Hargraves also mentioned that the matter can’t wait and needs to be discussed in private.
The episode ended before fans could learn what news he had for Elizabeth, but there are already some theories circulating online. Perhaps one of the most far-fetched theories is that Jack is actually still alive.
More: Meet the When Calls the Heart Cast’s Real-Life Partners
“Okay, hear me out … Jack is alive! I still think there is hope to bring Jack back!” one optimistic fan wrote in a Reddit thread. “After the accident, two men were pulled out. … Jack, being ever the generous man, traded coats with the other man because of a tear (or some other reason the writers can work out). The faces of the two men were bruised and muddy enough that they used the name on the coats to identity the men. The man they thought was Jack was deceased and Elizabeth was notified.” The fan added: “[Jack] was sent to a different hospital due to other incidents in the same area to be treated. There he was in a coma for several days (or longer) before waking up with amnesia!”
Several other fans weighed in on the theory, with one Reddit user writing: “I would start watching again. I stopped when Jack died.” Another fan added of Jack’s portrayer Daniel Lissing: “I heard an interview with him and he said his missed the show and his horse Scout.” A third fan agreed, noting of Lissing: “He appeared on When Hope Calls awhile back & I think [showrunner Brian Bird] writes that show too. I don’t think he left on bad terms so I feel like he might come back now if asked.”
While resurrecting Jack would be a bit out there for the show, Lissing has said he’s open to returning and fans certainly want Jack back in Hope Valley — in any way possible. “That would be so much fun,” he told Entertainment Tonight in 2020 when asked if he would reprise his role. “Of course. Just to go up there and see everyone again. I could see my old horse …. Look, if Hallmark called me for anything, I’d be there. They were there for me for five years so of course, I love those guys, so anytime.”
Bird previously hinted at the Season 11 cliffhanger during an interview with The Christophers Blog, but the showrunner kept mum about the exact details. “The power of closure on some stories that we’ve set up, even in way earlier seasons, comes to resolution in season 11. I’m not going to deny that we have another cliffhanger coming,” he said of the season finale. “We know that to sustain [fans’] hunger for the show, we’ve got to leave them wanting more. We’ve got a beautiful, very interesting cliffhanger coming at the end of season 11, but I think closure on some powerful things is important in this season.”
Whether Jack really is alive or Hargraves has new details about his death, the biggest question on fans’ minds is how this reveal will impact Elizabeth and Nathan’s new relationship. Elizabeth had just started to heal from losing her husband and the couple even told their respective children, Jack Jr. and Allie, about each other. They also had a deep conversation during the finale about the real reason Nathan moved to Hope Valley and the guilt he feels for Jack’s death.
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait until When Calls the Heart returns for Season 12 to watch the drama unfold.
When Calls the Heart is available to stream on Peaco*ck.
Watch ‘When Calls the Heart’ on Peaco*ck
For more on When Calls the Heart, check out what alums of the show, including Daniel Lissing, are up to today in the gallery below.
