‘When Calls the Heart’ Aftershow: Viv Leacock & Natasha Burnett Tease Choir Drama Fallout & Jacob’s Arrival (VIDEO)

Avery Thompson May 19, 2024, 10:00 pm

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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 7 “Facing the Music.”]

Tom Thornton (Max Lloyd-Jones) returns to Hope Valley, and he’s going to have some explaining to do after the May 19 episode of When Calls the Heart. He’s working for music publisher J.B. Sweeney now, which prompts Minnie (Natasha Burnett) to ask if the Hope Valley Choir can audition for a final spot in a Salt Lake City choir festival.

The choir nabs the final spot in the festival, and they all contribute their individual five-dollar entry fee. Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) is naturally hesitant, given Tom’s history, but she gives him the benefit of the doubt. But when Tom bails on the choir meeting at the last minute, she knows something’s gone awry. At the train station, a sullen Tom reveals that Sweeney took off with all the money Tom sent him, which means there’s not going to be a trip to Salt Lake City for anyone.

“Considering the amount of money that people lost, I can imagine there certainly would be some disgruntled customers, so to speak,” Burnett said during TV Insider’s weekly When Calls the Heart aftershow, Heart Beats. “I think it’s definitely going to cause a little bit of a hit to the town and the community. But you know what? It’s Hope Valley for a reason. There’s always hope for something better.”

On top of the choir situation, Minnie and Joseph (Viv Leacock) have been dealing with some family drama of their own. Joseph and his brother, Jacob, have long been estranged, but Joseph has extended an olive branch by writing a letter to his brother. Jacob hasn’t responded to the letter, which has left Joseph frustrated. During our aftershow, Leacock promised that there would be significant developments in the episodes to come.

“It’s going to be something that Joseph has to meet head-on, so to speak,” he explained. “For me, the dynamic as to what the miscommunication was and is actually, it’s pretty rooted in siblings and how, depending on where you are in the order of siblings, you interpret things and what it all means. To come in to find out what the problem actually was, I really love how we ended up handling it because it lets you know that sometimes little things mean a lot. You might not think that thing you said or that thing you did could possibly have the repercussions that they do.”

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Jacob will be making an appearance in When Calls the Heart Season 11, and his arrival will catch Joseph off guard. “It will definitely be something that Joseph doesn’t know is happening,” Leacock teased. “Whereas Minnie and the kids are a little more aware of what’s happening potentially. Lots of tension between Jacob and Joseph. It takes some unpacking on both sides to get everything to a place where they can even hear each other. It’s going to be good with Minnie’s help, of course, and with the kids’ help. Interestingly enough, the choir has a lot to do with this situation.”

Given the When Calls the Heart has already been renewed for Season 12, could Jacob stick around Hope Valley? “We shall see. There might be some more family members kicking around,” Leacock cryptically told TV Insider.

As always, Minnie will continue to be supportive of her husband as he deals with his complicated relationship with his brother. Burnett also revealed that Minnie will have a “supporting role with a lot of the situations in town.” However, her “baby at the moment is definitely the choir. She takes so much pride in that and where that’s going. I think what’s coming up in the next couple episodes is really for her pride and joy for this season for sure.”

Watch the full video above to get the latest on what’s next for the Canfields.

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