Chesapeake Shores is rapidly carving out a reputation for itself as a show that is unique amongst the current television landscape. It is simply a show about a family trying to heal after years of tension kept them apart. The O’Brien family is as sarcastic and loving as almost every real family watching them. While the writing is a major part in bringing this family to life, it’s the cast that puts the final touch of realism into the O’Brien family. There isn’t a single bad seed in the bunch and it’s obvious how much they enjoy working together because the level of chemistry they have can only exist when a cast truly likes being together. That was obvious throughout the first three episodes and it continued on into this episode. After the series setup was completed last week it was time for the show to settle into a normal rhythm and show all the characters going about their lives.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
Now that Abby has finally fully committed to her move back home it was time for her to readjust to a new slower pace lifestyle. Though that didn't translate to driving because she seemed to quickly forget about small town driving etiquette briefly. Unfortunately, it also didn’t quite apply to her first day working at the Baltimore office, but she’s slowly figuring things out. I do love her new boss, he really understands her and I think he is going to be an amazing mentor for her. Abby is already an amazing mom, but she’s getting to really be there for her girls now and I am hoping that Connor is right about that fact giving her better odds in court against Wes. I mean, she got home from work and immediately went to play with them, if that’s not dedication then I don’t know what is. Her girls were her first priority the moment she got home and despite having a lot of other things wanting her attention she put it all aside to be with them. She even went jumping on a trampoline with a dress on and that right there is a feat in and of itself. I have to wonder if Meghan Ory actually got on it in that dress because I suspect that could have made for some fun bloopers. Ory has an amazing bond with Kayden and Abbie Magnuson who play her daughters. She has such a natural ease with them that it’s incredibly easy to believe her as their mother. Abby is becoming a better mom and hopefully, that will help reassure Abby about her decision to move back home. Despite her nerves to tell the girls about the move, I think they’ll love to get to spend more time with their aunts, grandpa, and great-gran. This move was a great choice for Abby to reconnect with her family. Not to mention, despite what she says it’s a chance for her to try and connect with Trace again and hopefully move past this silly friends restriction she put on him. Based off her reaction to meeting Leigh, I'd say she's starting to realize the error in that decision. It probably also didn't help that Jess reminded her that she's the one that left Trace in the first place. She has a lot working against her to make things right with him.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
Speaking of Trace, his mystery caller makes her first appearance and Leigh (Brittany Willacy) immediately starts to stir things up with Trace. He’s not happy that she randomly barged in on him, and to be perfectly honest I don’t think viewers were much happier. While she and Trace seem to have a long history together she immediately set him on the defensive. Which was a stark contrast to Abby’s return when he seemed to relax the moment she returned. There is something about Abby that puts him at ease, even when they aren’t on the same page about something he isn't nearly as tense with her as he is with Leigh. It’s quite obvious where Trace’s heart truly belongs, but I’m afraid that Abby pushing him into the friend zone will push him back towards Leigh. At least her sudden arrival finally brought out some more fragments of what happened to drive Trace back to Chesapeake Shores in the firs place. That's about the only good thing that came out of her arrival. It was revealed that he did something that almost got someone killed and that seemed to have a major impact on him. Was the near tragic event caused by drugs or alcohol? Did the Nashville lifestyle cause him to live the high and fast lifestyle? Or is it something completely different? Time will only tell, but I think that when it’s revealed it’ll be made obvious how much Trace needs to have someone like Abby back in his life versus Leigh. However, no matter how much it seems like he still wants Abby, it's her turn to fight for him. If she wants him as more than just a friend she’d better start fighting now because Leigh seems poised to provide some hurdles for Trace and Abby. The longer Abby lets this silly friends bit go on the more time she gives Leigh to dig her claws back into Trace and drag him away.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
At least Abby, has her sisters looking out for her. The moment Jess figured out who Leigh was she went into immediate sister protection mode. Well, actually, she fangirled a bit first, and let's be honest I think any of us meeting a celebrity would have done the same thing, but once she was over that she was all about looking out for Abby. I love that even as the youngest she still has a strong protective instinct over her older siblings. I did find it odd that Bree tried to keep the situation quiet for as long as she did, but I get that she wanted to make sure they had all the facts before putting Abby in a position to get hurt. They were both trying to put their big sister first and that was admirable. Despite all their differences and issues this is a fiercely protective family and the siblings will do just about anything for each other. A good example of that came as they rallied to help Bree take the next step in her journey to healing after Chicago. It became abundantly clear that she doesn't need a therapist when she has the O'Brien clan looking out for her. They know her so well that they knew what she needed, and in this case, it was a tiny dose of tough love.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
Bree not wanting to move to the cottage was an interesting plot point and it explains why she may have stuck with Martin for so long. I think Bree may actually have some problems with being alone. That would make sense given that she is the middle of five children making it so that she was always surrounded by other people. I think she stuck things out with Martin simply because he was there so she didn’t have to be alone. When she ran out of excuses to not move to the cottage she actually seemed kind of terrified. At least Jess is close by and I doubt she’ll have much alone time. Though, if things get too lonely I fully expect to see her sneaking into the big house or over to the Inn. Ironically, she ran away to Chicago to find her place in the world, but it has taken her coming back home to start to figure things out. I imagine that at some point Martin will make an appearance in Chesapeake Shores, and I just hope that she has time to figure out what she truly wants before he does so he can’t undo all the good that being home is doing for her. At least by being home she has her family to stand by her when and if Martin shows up acting like the egotistical jerk I imagine him to be.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
Bree isn’t the only O’Brien trying to figure out their life, Connor is on a journey not all that different from his older siblings, though he is failing to learn from their mistakes. They ran off to big cities to escape what they felt were the confines of Chesapeake Shores but ended up losing themselves instead and I'm afraid he may be on that same path. Connor is carrying a lot more anger with him than his siblings and until he deals with that I think he’s always going to keep everyone at arm’s length. The tension between him and his mom is a prime example of the trouble he has relating to his family. He was downright awful to his mom, but it's actually quite relatable because I think we've all had those moments where we lashed out at a parent for something completely stupid and immediately regretted it because we didn't actually mean what we said in the heat of the moment. Sometimes anger just gets the best of all of us, but the problem with Connor is it happens a lot to him and it isn't just geared towards his parents. He called Abby and while she was trying to help he lost his temper with her too. I wonder if this anger in him relates to his parents divorcing or to some other event in his life? It's possible that its origins date back to the divorce and he simply can’t figure out how to fully forgive either of them and anger seems to have become his way of protecting himself. I think it’ll take until closer to the end of the season for Connor to find his way back home again, but when he does I think that’ll be when his healing can truly begin. Something about Chesapeake Shores seems to be able to heal even the most tormented of souls.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
Megan could also use more time in Chesapeake Shores to continue the healing process that started during the impromptu family reunion. The only child, besides Kevin, she had a semi-close relationship with was Abby, and even then Abby's girls had more of a relationship with her than Abby did. Megan has a lot of time to make up for and she's not going to be able to do that when the majority of her family is back in Chesapeake Shores and she's in New York. I hope she will find some excuse to return to Chesapeake Shores soon and this time I hope she can stay longer to continue mending things with her family. Though, I am rapidly getting the impression that she didn't want to leave them. I really hope they delve into what led to the divorce in the first place because things just don't seem to quite add up. How could a mother with this much love for her kids just up and leave them? There has to be a lot more to this story that we just don't know yet. As much as I hate to admit it, for now, leaving Connor alone to live and learn might be the best option. She can't fix things with him until he's ready to truly welcome her back into his life, and based off of the way he lashed out at her he's not ready to do that just yet. That fight was heartbreaking on both sides. It was obvious how much he hurt her, but on the flip side of that, it was obvious that he didn't intentionally want to hurt her. He just has trouble controlling himself. I do wish they had shown where she ran off to after their fight instead of her disappearing for the rest of the episode. The fact that she was likely alone somewhere when the news about Kevin came in is just heartbreakingly sad. Kevin seems to be the only one to actively seek out time to talk to his mom and he was ripped away from her at the same time her only other son was slipping further away. I know it may be hard for Megan to go back to Chesapeake Shores, but I hope she will try it on at least a semi-permanent basis. Plus, I still think she and Mick have a spark together. I doubt they can ever be together again, but I think he is open to welcoming her back into the core of the family. I mean, after all, he’s the one who called her back to Chesapeake Shores in the first place. And getting her back to town and forcing his kids to confront their mom and deal with her is the only way their issues are ever going to be dealt with. Jess, in particular, needs to deal with her issues relating to her mom. At least Connor expresses his anger, but Jess just tries to hold it in with the exception of the occasional snarky remark and that’s just as unhealthy as what Connor is doing.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
Every member of the O’Brien family feels like they have the weight of the world weighing on them, but all they have to do is turn to Gran to remember the good times in their lives. Seriously, she even spent most of the episode making a quilt from their old clothing, that woman is the driving force of the family. From Mick to Jess and everyone in-between Gran goes out of her way to help them with whatever is bothering them. Look at Bree, she knew that her granddaughter needed a little extra push and she ensured that it was done in a firm but loving way. She didn't want to push Bree away again, but she also wanted to make sure she was on the right path for her to start to deal with the things troubling her. Even with her own son, she isn’t afraid to give a bit of tough love, but in the most loving way possible. She has so much love in her heart and I’m confident that she will personally see to it that the O’Brien family will piece themselves back together. But until then, it would appear that she has her own past that needs to be dealt with. It's obvious that she has some sort of connection to the ring Trace found. Based off of the shock on her face I can't help but wonder if it could be hers. I’m very curious to see what comes of that. We know nothing about her husband, so I can’t wait to learn more about that ring and its relation to Gran Nell. It feels like they are about to give her a storyline that will allow her to branch out a bit from being just the core of the family and I'm excited for the show to delve more into her story.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
With the heartbreaking news about Kevin being missing in action, it may not be possible to completely put the family back together ever again. Will he be lost to them forever and turn into the catalyst that brings the family back together again? Or, will he make a grand return one day? I hope it’s the latter, but in either scenario, I can see him bringing the entire family back together, however, it’ll just feel wrong if he’s not a part of another family reunion. Kevin is a good man with a good heart and a strong love for his family and to lose him so soon would be devastating for the O’Brien family as well as the viewers. But I have major respect for the fact that the show is tackling a very real situation that the families of our brave men and women face every day. It may be hard to watch unfold, but it is true to the fear experienced by every military family out there with a loved one serving, and it is commendable for the show to tell their story too.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
This incredible cast turned in smart and powerful performances. They are experts at charming the audience and make it impossible to not love this realistically complicated family. The scenes between Abby, Bree, and Jess are some of my favorites as I love the complexities of the relationships between these sisters. There is just an ease between Ory, Emilie Ullerup and Laci Mailey that has created the perfect sisterly bond between their characters. It's the little things like the back and forth stealing of coffee between Abby and Bree that makes this family seem so familiar and real. Or Jess hilarious jumping around like a fool in an attempt to get Bree's attention after Leigh arrived. Or Abby jumping out of nowhere to scare her sisters. All of these things really happen and it's hard not to smile while watching those interactions. The praise isn't limited to them, though, the rest of the cast is just as worthy of being commended for their beautiful performances. Treat Williams is such a charismatic performer that it’s impossible to not enjoy watching him guide Mick through all the trials and tribulations of trying to fix his family. Barabra Niven and Andrew Francis brought an amazing energy to their scenes together. They made the struggle between Connor and Megan feel very real and they made it almost hard to watch because it felt like viewers were being let in on a private family moment. And I can’t forget Diane Ladd who, much like Gran Nell, is the heart of this show. The instant-family these performers have created is inspiring and their bonds have allowed them to create a stunning show.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I don’t normally like family dramas. They usually bore me and send me running for the remote to change the channel for some sort of actual engagement. The difference about this show compared to others is that it smartly presents relatable situations that aren't unrealistically absurd. What these characters are going through is the same thing the rest of us are and that’s so rare to see represented on a show in this era of comic-book shows and crime dramas. Don't get me wrong, I adore those types of shows, sci-fi is the genre I love the most, but being able to relate to what is on the screen is hard to come across in those other genres. This is the truest to life show I’ve ever seen and it’s so refreshing to watch a show where I can sit back and smile and simply just enjoy the hour. I’ve seen several people also commenting about the appeal of this show to the masses. It doesn’t matter if someone likes family dramas or not because there is something in
Chesapeake Shores that will appeal to just about everyone. It’s that realism that makes it so easy for this show to hook viewers and as long as it doesn’t lose this magic it has a long and prosperous future ahead of it.
(Photo Credit: Copyright 2016 Crown Media United States LLC/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs)
Tune into
Hallmark Channel next Sunday, September 11th at 9/8C to learn Kevin’s fate.
Hit the comments with your thoughts about this episode. What part did you relate to the most? What were your favorite scenes? Do you think Kevin will make a grand return one day or is he gone for good? Can Connor ever find his way back home again? Will Trace fall back in with Leigh, or will he hold her at arm’s length to see what Abby wants to do?
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.
