The path less traveled. Rarely can that be used to describe a television show in this era of predictability. Television has taught us to expect the worst. When a character goes missing we expect them to be killed off. When a parent fights for custody we expect them to lose their children. When characters fight we expect it to take them many episodes to reconcile. These things happen because they cause drama and most shows choose to allow drama to fuel them. Rarely, if ever, does a show choose to take the path of less drama. Real life can be complicated and messy, but not every choice comes shrouded with drama. Not every moment in life is about a conflict. There is a lot of beauty mixed in with the trials and tribulations of day to day life. I applaud
Chesapeake Shores for using the beauty and heart of everyday life to drive their show. Yes, they still have a love triangle, and still, fall into some moments of predictability, but for the most part, this is a show different from anything else on television right now. This format doesn’t always allow for the most exciting of episodes, but just like life, not every moment is going to be driven by intense drama. It is something we are going to have to get used to as fans of this show. We have to tune out what we’ve come to expect from a television show and judge
Chesapeake Shores for the show it is, and not the show we expect it to be. For that, despite this not being an immensely exciting episode, I must say that this was a good episode that told a realistic story. There was some drama, but it was relatively minimal and, surprisingly, I think I enjoyed it more because it was lacking on the drama. It was kind of a chill episode and I really liked that I was able to sit down with an hour of television and simply enjoy it without waiting for some catastrophic event to shatter the family.
I'm going to preface the rest of this review by saying that my cable was freezing and cutting in and out during most of this episode (thanks Charter), so if I say something here that doesn't jive with what happened please let me know.
The biggest drama of this episode centered around Abby’s custody battle. While I’m still not a fan of Wes, it was nice to see him trying to put his girls first. He went about the whole custody deal the wrong way, but he does seem like a genuinely good father who does immensely love his daughters. He was fearful that Abby being so far away would mean he wouldn’t get to see his daughter’s as much. Hopefully, he and Abby will be able to work things out before the next custody hearing, but something tells me there could still be drama yet to come in this custody battle. Though, as I mentioned, this show tends to buck against what is expected of it, so perhaps Abby and Wes will come to an agreement. The biggest mystery with this show is whether or not they are going to do what we expect of them or take a truer to life path. I enjoyed the scene with Abby and Wes in the elevator. That could have turned into an ugly verbal battle, but instead, they were cordial with each other. Abby even took the time to get Wes' shirt for the girls to give to Gran for the quilt. I can’t remember the last time a storyline like this ended in a cordial conversation. In fact, I don't think either of them ever raised their voices once during the entire episode. Even more impressive, is that this storyline painted Wes as an attentive dad instead of a deadbeat jerk. At the end of the day, Abby and Wes both love their daughters and they are just trying to figure out what is best for them, even if they have their issues they are learning to put the girls first, especially Abby. I’m probably not going to become a Wes fan anytime soon, but I have a lot more respect for him now than I did going into this episode. He could have been a complete and total jerk in that elevator, but instead chose to take the high road. That definitely earned him some respect.
Someone who doesn’t have my respect is Leigh. Her storyline is really the only predictable part of the storyline. She is the third wheel of the obligatory triangle that almost every show believes they must have. But, for the moment the O’Brien family storyline is so family oriented that it seems to be keeping Trace on the outskirts of the main storyline, so the writers had to do something to keep him a relevant part of the story until they can weave Trace and Abby back together. While I’m not a big fan of Leigh, I do like that her being in town has given Trace an opportunity to follow one of his dreams. Working with her is a necessary evil and a means to an end for him. Now, what wasn’t predictable, was Trace’s reaction to Leigh kissing him. If this was any other show, Trace would have returned her kiss and had a one night stand that would have landed Leigh pregnant or pushed Abby further away or some sort of big dramatic moment would have occurred. It is these moments that continually impress me about
Chesapeake Shores. Normally a storyline like the one they have Trace locked into right now would instantly bore me, but the unpredictability of what is going to happen next keeps me locked in. I’m hoping that at least Leigh’s story continues on a predictable path which involves her failing to seduce Trace and leaving town once she has helped him launch his new dream. Leigh can go on her way after that so Abby and Trace can get back to work on finding their way back together.
While all these things were going on around them, Jess was tasked with distracting the girls. In a very short few months, I’m going to be an aunt to two precious little girls, so it warms my heart to see scenes like this on television. Moments like this, where an aunt loves and adores her nieces instead of having some nefarious thought in mind is so refreshing. There is no drama behind it, just a pure example of familial love. Jess adores her nieces and would do anything for them. When she thought she lost them the look of terror was instant on her face. Laci J Mailey’s acting in that scene was so intense that it made me feel Jess’ panic through the screen. This scene also taught me a very important lesson, when my nieces are old enough to play I will never play hide and seek with them outside. After seeing the fear that overtook Jess I have no desire to ever experience that in real life. There is definitely something deeper rooted inside Jess that caused her to be so fearful regarding losing the girls. I am quite curious to find out more about that.
Also someone, I can’t wait to learn more about, is about Gran Nell. I’m not a very religious person, in fact, I can count the number of times I’ve been to church in my life on one hand, but I still appreciated her scenes at the church both with the priest and then Mick. She has an incredibly strong faith, but she hasn’t lived a perfect life. What I love about this, is that the show didn't try and paint her as perfect because she is religious. She is human and as fallible as anyone else. It always frustrates me when a show tries to convey that being religious equals perfection because that isn't realistic. Gran's big fear in this moment was that her perceived sins were causing karmic harm to her grandson and it was nice to see her take ownership of her own past indiscretions in the name of trying to get Kevin home safe. Everyone deals with moments like this differently and it was amazing to see Nell address the issue in a healthy way. There is a lot more to her story than she told Mick, but for now, it gave me a better understanding of her. I’ve loved Gran Nell from the moment she appeared on the screen, but I’ve gained a ton more respect for her. That woman has a ton of love in her heart and Diane Ladd captures her immense love perfectly.
After some tense waiting, we now know that Kevin is alive and on his way home. This really surprised me, I was convinced they were going to kill him off. Also, surprising was the fact that they didn't drag that storyline out for the rest of the season. I wanted to be hopeful for Kevin, but many decades of television watching have taught me to never expect the good things to happen. However, that just makes it all the more incredible when they do. Hearing that Kevin was alive was a wonderful moment for this family and fans alike. I can’t wait to see where his story goes from here. He needs to heal, and being back in Chesapeake Shores is sure to bring the family back together as well. I can’t wait to see him back home and see how the family reacts to his fiancé that was teased in the promo.
Which, brings me to an interesting point, did anyone else expect the title of this episode to relate to Kevin? I thought for sure that the daughter referenced in it would be a girlfriend or fiancé of Kevin’s finding her way to the family. But, in truth, the daughter it referenced was Abby and her final steps back into the loving embrace of her family. Through fighting for her girls she realized that being back at home with her family was exactly where she belonged. The scenes between her and Mick on the plane, as well as finding out he carries a picture of them together on a plane when she was younger, were beautiful. There are still some things that need to heal between Mick and his kids but he is trying so hard to make up for lost time. The way he tried to comfort Abby as they were leaving for New York was just a beautiful father and daughter moment. They almost lost Kevin, but finally have Abby back home full time. And to avoid anyone calling me out on this wording, I do realize she had already committed to moving back, but I think it was this episode before her heart was fully into it.
Someone not back home full time yet is Bree. She was sorely missed from this episode and I hope that wherever she jetted off to in such a hurry doesn’t keep her away long. Especially with Kevin on his way home, the family needs to be all back together more now than ever. Though, I must admit, to being immensely interested in what was so urgent that she just took off despite what was going on with her brother. Bree is a bit of a wild card in the family, she kind of does her own thing, but randomly taking off was even odd for her. Whatever took her away like that must be something that is about to play big into her story.
On top of getting Bree back in the story next week, they need to get Connor and Megan back to Chesapeake Shores as well. They are at least on speaking terms again, but their relationship definitely needs some healing, which can best be done back home with the rest of the family. At least things with Connor are stable at the moment because Megan is going to have her hands full with all the Kevin stuff going down in the next episode. The drama between Connor and Megan is another storyline I expected to play out so much longer than it did. I'm really glad that they both showed up to support Abby during the custody hearing. Connor is a very abrasive character and has built up some immense emotional walls throughout his life, but moments like this show the good heart hiding under all of it. He loves his family more than he can comfortably express and I'm looking forward to watching his journey continue to evolve to a point where he can find his place back in the embrace of his family.
This was a good episode, nothing earth shattering or revolutionary, but that is what makes this show special. Not every episode of a television show has to be drama filled and hectic. I enjoy this show because I can sit back and just enjoy what I’m watching. While I’m expecting bad dramatic things to happen I’m always happy when they don’t. This show is unique and special because of how true to life it is and I hope it never changes.
Tune into
Hallmark Channel next Sunday, September 18th at 9/8C for Kevin’s grand return home.
Hit the comments section with your thoughts about this episode. What were your favorite moments? Do you like that this show is unpredictable? Do you think Wes and Abby will be able to work out a new custody arrangement without involving the courts again? Any guesses on where Bree was for the entirety of this episode?
All images in this article are credited as follows: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs
About the Author - Aimee Hicks
Aimee works for a newspaper in North Carolina and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was and has a passion for analyzing performances and theorizing what may happen on her favorite shows. Her interest in television covers just about every genre, but her first love is the sci-fi/fantasy genre. For the 2016/2017 season she will be reviewing Chesapeake Shores, Dark Matter, Frequency, Gilmore Girls, Jessica Jones, Lucifer, and Orphan Black. She will also be handling the Best Scene Polls for Supergirl and previewing several new and returning shows. She also oversees the popular SpoilerTV feature, Performers of the Month (#POTM) which highlights the most outstanding actor and actress from each month. You can email her at aimee@spoilertv.com.
