When Calls the Heart’ Aftershow: Elizabeth’s Blast from the Past & What’s Next With Nathan

Meredith Jacobs

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 6 “Believe.”]

Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) has some unfinished business to take care of in the latest When Calls the Heart, in the form of a very unwanted blast from her past.

Remember Higgins (now played by James Kot) and his advances that she had to fight off? Well, he comes back, as the superintendent with the school board evaluating her, and he’s just as awful as ever. He wants to discuss business over dinner, despite her multiple refusals. “This was an opportunity to go deeper into that story and for her to really close the chapter that was this open wound from Season 4,” explains showrunner and executive producer Lindsay Sturman as part of TV Insider’s weekly When Calls the Heart aftershow, Heart Beats.

This comes as Elizabeth and Nathan (Kevin McGarry) are tentatively taking steps towards a relationship, and she does ultimately turn to him for help. They also get Lucas (Chris McNally) involved, so Higgins is in for a surprise when he tries to turn to him to take his side.

“It was sort of a rare opportunity for our show to visit a real life issue and explore, with respect to women who have gone through this around the world, the real dynamics of what happens,” writer and co-executive producer Elizabeth Stewart says. “So i’s a huge setback for her with Nathan because suddenly, even though this is a wonderful, healthy relationship, she’s distrustful of all relationships.”

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As for Elizabeth and Nathan’s relationship, “It’s so wonderful to watch them take these steps, and of course, it’s a complicated situation because now you’ve got Elizabeth’s past coming in and there are children involved,” admits Sturman. “This season is a chance for them to take these small steps to really kind of get to know each other and see where they want to go with it. It was a really strong friendship and now it’s evolving.

Watch the full video above for more from the EPs on Elizabeth and Nathan’s evolving relationship; Rosemary (Pascale Hutton) and Bill’s (Jack Wagner) investigation into Lucas’ shooting; how much Lucas remembers about that night; Joseph (Viv Leacock) and his estranged brother; Henry’s (Martin Cummins) amazing arc over the seasons; and a wedding to come.