S1E2: After the Storm (2007)
This episode makes wonderful use of a cinematographic device that will be used over and over throughout the series, to great effect each time: blurring the line between the conscious and the subconscious by not clearly delineating what a charter actually does or feels, and what they are merely dreaming. In this particular instance, this technique returns Amy to memories of the accident which had caused Marion’s death, and so could certainly lead to a much-needed fruitful discussion of both grief and post-traumatic stress, central themes for both Amy and Spartan throughout this season.
Perhaps because she had spent so much time in the fast-paced financial world of New York a horrible miscommunication between Lou and Amy results in a costly mistake which draws ire and ridicule to Heartland from its richer neighbors, Amy feels threatened both in her confidence that she has the technical skills to work with animals at all and in the business-savvy of it all, that she may not be able to make a business out of this with these kinds of mistakes—not hers, but her sister’s—affecting her image in the region, especially given how linked her and her mother’s reputations have become.
One of the most powerful moments of this episode is when most of the color fades away—not quite to black and white, but more to a sepia color scheme—as soon as the grieving Lou finds what presumably was one of the last framed pictures of her mother before Marion’s death in the accident early in the previous episode, then cutting to the moment, now in sepia, during which Lou had met her father for the first time since he had been invited to Marion’s memorial.
Ty, who before arriving at Heartland during the series premiere had never been around horses, makes two crucial contributions to Amy in this episode in helping her resolve Spartan’s fear of confined spaces by drawing on his own experiences in jail cells as a juvenile offender, and by building a show jumping course on the Heartland property since the family did not have proper jumps of their own, and the person who did lived far enough away that trailering would be required. Many times in the future, this jumping course will be revisited, each time as an important reminder of the bond between Ty and Amy, which by now is already showing signs of early development.
Val Stanton of Briar Ridge tries to wage a smear campaign against the Fleming way and Heartland from Maggie’s, so Jack, already proving himself to be a valiant protector decides to confront her. Simultaneously, Lou is revealed to be or have been afraid of horses—though the reason behind this fear is not revealed—as she is invited to visit Pegasus, the horse their dad competed on, by her younger sister Amy. Pegasus exhibits a number of problematic symptoms, which turn out not to be indicative of an infection, injury, or other physical problem, but of grief. Though the premise of the show is fictional, much of the show is written to be as accurate as possible with the real world, and it is in fact true that horses feel and respond to grief and mourning in similar if not identical ways to human grief responses.
A presumed former fling of Lou’s, star jumper-trainer Nick Harwell (by whom Soraya had earlier been momentarily infatuated, unaware that her best friend’s sister had had a history with him) comes to Heartland after word that Amy has inherited her mother’s gift with horses spreads throughout the Alberta foothills, without ever knowing how old Amy is. For the first—but certainly not the last—time this season, Amy’s qualifications are questioned on the basis of her age. Nick, and soon, another new character, will question how Amy could possibly be mature or knowledgeable enough to work with his horses given she’s not even yet 16. But both Nick Harwell and this other upcoming character will take risky gambles by trusting Amy, and both will pay off mightily with Amy able to produce amazing results in very little time in spite of her age but because of her true and lasting gift.
Perhaps because she had spent so much time in the fast-paced financial world of New York a horrible miscommunication between Lou and Amy results in a costly mistake which draws ire and ridicule to Heartland from its richer neighbors, Amy feels threatened both in her confidence that she has the technical skills to work with animals at all and in the business-savvy of it all, that she may not be able to make a business out of this with these kinds of mistakes—not hers, but her sister’s—affecting her image in the region, especially given how linked her and her mother’s reputations have become.
One of the most powerful moments of this episode is when most of the color fades away—not quite to black and white, but more to a sepia color scheme—as soon as the grieving Lou finds what presumably was one of the last framed pictures of her mother before Marion’s death in the accident early in the previous episode, then cutting to the moment, now in sepia, during which Lou had met her father for the first time since he had been invited to Marion’s memorial.
Ty, who before arriving at Heartland during the series premiere had never been around horses, makes two crucial contributions to Amy in this episode in helping her resolve Spartan’s fear of confined spaces by drawing on his own experiences in jail cells as a juvenile offender, and by building a show jumping course on the Heartland property since the family did not have proper jumps of their own, and the person who did lived far enough away that trailering would be required. Many times in the future, this jumping course will be revisited, each time as an important reminder of the bond between Ty and Amy, which by now is already showing signs of early development.
Val Stanton of Briar Ridge tries to wage a smear campaign against the Fleming way and Heartland from Maggie’s, so Jack, already proving himself to be a valiant protector decides to confront her. Simultaneously, Lou is revealed to be or have been afraid of horses—though the reason behind this fear is not revealed—as she is invited to visit Pegasus, the horse their dad competed on, by her younger sister Amy. Pegasus exhibits a number of problematic symptoms, which turn out not to be indicative of an infection, injury, or other physical problem, but of grief. Though the premise of the show is fictional, much of the show is written to be as accurate as possible with the real world, and it is in fact true that horses feel and respond to grief and mourning in similar if not identical ways to human grief responses.
A presumed former fling of Lou’s, star jumper-trainer Nick Harwell (by whom Soraya had earlier been momentarily infatuated, unaware that her best friend’s sister had had a history with him) comes to Heartland after word that Amy has inherited her mother’s gift with horses spreads throughout the Alberta foothills, without ever knowing how old Amy is. For the first—but certainly not the last—time this season, Amy’s qualifications are questioned on the basis of her age. Nick, and soon, another new character, will question how Amy could possibly be mature or knowledgeable enough to work with his horses given she’s not even yet 16. But both Nick Harwell and this other upcoming character will take risky gambles by trusting Amy, and both will pay off mightily with Amy able to produce amazing results in very little time in spite of her age but because of her true and lasting gift.
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