‘When Calls the Heart’ Aftershow: Kevin McGarry Says Lucas’ Return Affects Nathan & Elizabeth’s Progress (VIDEO)

Meredith Jacobs April 14, 2024, 10:00 pm

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 2 “Tomorrow Never Knows.”]

Just as it looks like Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) and Nathan (Kevin McGarry) could possibly be taking a step closer to something, a certain someone crashes the birthday party that Nathan didn’t even want in the first place in the second episode of When Calls the Heart Season 11.

It’s none other than Elizabeth’s ex-fiancé, Lucas (Chris McNally), with the new governor returning to Hope Valley in the final moments of the episode. Nathan’s “a little trepidatious moving forward now with Elizabeth,” McGarry tells TV Insider as part of our weekly When Calls the Heart aftershow, Heart Beats. “He doesn’t know what’s going to happen now that Lucas is back in Hope Valley.”

In the premiere, Elizabeth admitted that she was worried Nathan’s feelings for her had changed, but, “it’s pretty clear based on the last five seasons that Nathan has been on the show, that there’s a very soft spot in Nathan’s heart for Elizabeth,” notes McGarry. “I think he’s trying to see where he stands after kind of opening himself up to her in Season 8 and kind of getting rejected for reasons I think we’ll find out as we move along. And he’s got this great friend now and he doesn’t want to screw anything up. He’s kind of in this awkward situation where I think he’d be open for more if she was open for more, but he doesn’t want to ruin anything by saying the wrong thing, which sometimes Nathan does.”

There’s quite a bit to take into account for Nathan and Lucas this season. There’s the Elizabeth of it as well as Nathan’s investigation into Lucas’ shooting. Just because officially the case isn’t open doesn’t mean that everyone—namely Nathan, Bill (Jack Wagner), and Rosemary (Pascale Hutton)—buys the “confession.”

'WCTH' Aftershow: Erin Krakow Teases 'Dance' Between Elizabeth & Nathan in Season 11

While Nathan’s “hands are tied because his superior office has shut down his request to keep the case open, Bill’s the old curmudgeon Mountie that can just open up the case purely for interest,” says McGarry. “And I think he’s going to keep the ball rolling on this thing. He’s not going to just go along with what he thinks is a false accusation.”

As for Nathan and Lucas, “there’s a lot of obstacles going on. It brings us back a little bit to some of the elements that were around in Season 8. I don’t think Nathan has as much to worry about as he thinks he does as we move forward with this, but he really doesn’t know,” according to McGarry. “He let that go and he tried to move on unsuccessfully with other people, and now he finds himself kind of back in the ring with the person that he has confessed his love to and her ex-fiancé is still in town.”

He continues, “also Nathan and Lucas were getting as close as they’ve ever been as well. And on top of that, Lucas is his boss. So there’s a lot going on professional- and personal-wise in Nathan’s life right now. I mean, I know where his heart is. I don’t want to say anything, we’re only in the second episode right now. But yeah, he’s got a sense of duty for sure, and professionalism, so things might get a bit messy.”

McGarry did tease that some key people—ones we’ve heard about, ones we’ve maybe already seen, and ones we’ve never seen before—will show up in Hope Valley. “Each one tests Nathan in a different way. There’s one that comes back that kind of moves the investigation with Lucas forward. There’s one person that comes into Nathan’s life that he’s never met before, but Elizabeth has a past with, and it draws them closer together,” he shares. “And there’s another one that comes in that I think it is a big one for Nathan to meet, a character that shares a connection with Elizabeth and Nathan together and it’s important that Nathan is liked by this person.”

Watch the full video interview above for more from McGarry, including about Nathan and Elizabeth, Lucas, the investigation into his shooting, what he enjoys most about who his character is now, and what’s coming up. Then, head to the comments section, below, with what you’re hoping to see for Nathan and Elizabeth and who you think those upcoming characters the star teases are.

When Calls the Heart, Sundays, 9/8c, Hallmark Channel