Just Marathon Watched on Netflix - WHAT HAPPENED IN SEASON 2?

Ok, I saw that this was a Hallmark distributed show, so I wasn't expecting brilliant or complex writing. However, despite how simple and predictable the storylines and characterizations were (soapy archetypes), I really enjoyed it.

Season 1 was pretty well done for what the show wanted to be. It's no Avonlea or Anne of Green Gables in terms of writing, and it could have been pushed more to give the characters and their ordeals more depth and execute the stories with a lot more nuance and complexity, but the show was still entertaining and had its heart in the right place. They even got me rooting for Elizabeth and Jack and I felt something between the sisterhood between Julie and Elizabeth. That's what I appreciated about it.

Furthermore, I liked the budding relationship between Jack and Elizabeth even though it's something we've seen before. I also really liked Elizabeth's character because I don't find female characters who start out being out-of-their element as annoying or "spoiled" as a lot of viewers tend to do because I find those characters to be relatable if done right. I also like it when they sort subvert that whole trope and show the "nice, innocent, moral" small towns people as being as prejudiced and complicated and HUMAN as the lead female who has her flaws exposed.

What I loved most about season 1 was the way Elizabeth dealt with the town's issues, as a teacher and outsider who was a rare case of a modern-thinking (at the time) woman who was well-educated and loved knowledge, as it reminded me a lot of Call the Midwife, and I was hoping season 2 would take it further and maybe deviate a bit away from the "safe" and "preachy" Hallmark formula as parts of season 1 was getting there. Regarding the preachiness, I like ideas and shows that have a point of view, but they need to handle that with nuance and trust the audience with it rather than hit you over the head.

Then I watched season 2. Whoa Boy! Something went awry there. I don't even blame it on the increased emphasis on Rosemary. I liked that they were trying to a do an "Addison" from Grey's Anatomy (where you thought you would hate her as the couple's complication, but she ends up being one of the best written characters) even if that didn't happen. At least she brought some charisma to the show.

No, the real problem is deeper. First off, season 2 made me wonder if there was a change in production or if Hallmark took more control over the series because the costumes, cinematography, lighting, and even the way the town looked changed even though most of the set and buildings stayed the same. It was as if the show got a directive to look cleaner, more polished, shiny, modern, make the characters look as if they are part of a higher socio-economic class, and add a lot more color. Basically the same tired theme park look of most Hallmark productions that do not resemble real life in the least. Even in the homestead episode, Elizabeth did not get as down and dirty as she should have and those kids and that cabin were way too clean. It didn't have to be a pig sty or over-the-top, but the look of season 1 was closer that what it would have been like. They also made all the female characters conform to more of what our standards of beauty are now with long flowing hair worn down and putting on tons of make-up. The whole change in aesthetic makes you wonder if you were watching a different show. It also takes away from the effect of when the characters do dress up.

Not to say there would have been a difference between American and Canadian production values, but I can't help but remember when Sarah Polley left Avonlea because she felt the show was becoming too Americanized after Disney started having a heavier hand in its production, and I couldn't help wonder if something happened here.

Another problem is that there is a real loss in consistency that really took me away from the show. An example would be the children extras being inconsistent. It was so obvious that it got to be annoying, though I did notice they bring a the same ones back selectively after a few episodes though not at the same time, like with Caleb being there for his mom, Mary,'s wedding. And in the first episode we got a glimpse of Bo and Gabe, and that other bully kid. Then we got to see Pockets in like two scenes (most notably the Founder's Day Play...why were they doing another one within the same year and in a totally different season...spring/summer in the first season and then winter in the second), and Rosaleen was in the final episode. I mean what happened to Cat Montgomery and her children? She and her family, especially Gabe, played a huge part and now they are no longer part of the town. What happened to genius Wyatt and his budding romance? I know Elizabeth can't be in all of their lives, but as a teacher she would be on the pulse and they no doubt would come to her for any guidance and help.

I also feel the writing moved away from any real character development and instead is relying on more "suspense" (I use that term loosely because it really wasn't that tension-filled but rather just annoying obstacles just to give characters a hard time to have artificial conflict). They took away any sort of nuance and subtlety with the characters, like Lori Loughlin's character is even more of a Mary Sue but she's now eternally victimized by men with bad pasts and Gowen. Speaking of Gowen, I thought they could have taken him in an interesting direction and show how men in his position who worked for money-driven companies could not afford "middle class" morality and that drove his actions. Now, it's obvious he's just a shallowly written and motivated character who's just mean and bad, though I'm sure they're going to do something cheesy to "redeem" him like talk about his past relationship with Nora and Bill (btw, where did that come from?). It's obvious that they want to make these characters three dimensional but seems like they don't know how and instead they mistake directionless usage of characters with unknown motives (hello Nora and Mayor's Wife) with having human and complicated characters. Really, they are just writing characters in a way that's convenient for the story, and it's very inconsistent. That's the only way to explain some of these characters and why Gowen is still in town because after what he did with all the widows losing their husbands and sons and residents in town who lost their friends, there is no way they would have quietly just let him become the Mayor. It makes no sense. Sadly, the most interesting character was probably the Nurse who dropped some truth bombs and seemed to be the most realistic human in that entire season.

Also, unlike a lot of people here, it seems, I didn't mind the Hamilton stuff so much. The problem is they kept going back there. The impact of her move to Hope Valley was that so treacherous and far from her family that it really was a huge decision to leave as it would not be easy to go back. They took that feeling away.

I also think they were inconsistent with the Elizabeth/Jack relationship. I thought the way Elizabeth turned the tables and exposed Jack's prejudiced feelings against that side of her (him only liking the Hope Valley Elizabeth) was interesting and should have been further explored, but then they just dropped it (in the same scene!) and instead dropped in the whole her afraid of being a Mountie's wife and not being brave enough out of no where. The problem with a lot of these conflicts is that they give you some sort of conclusion without properly setting it up. The whole Charles/Elizabeth thing could have been interesting but it's not. It was at first, but it grew tiresome. I thought Viola and Elizabeth's relationship was an interesting start and you see Viola isn't necessarily a bad person because she does have her sister's best interest at heart even if she's misguided. However, it's not really compelling enough as of right now and like the Charles/Elizabeth thing, Viola is just being used to complicate things for Elizabeth and Jack. Viola is not a fully fleshed out character yet despite both actresses (Elizabeth and Viola) actually seemingly going beyond what's written to try to show it on screen. The problem with Viola is an illustration of the problem with this show in general. It never digs deep into anything.

I missed all the little things that really immersed you in the town and got you invested in the characters. The needless soap opera antics and surprise histories really takes away what made season 1 work as well as it did. It no longer has a solid foundation in reality. A show like this should make reality and "ordinariness" interesting and highlight it, not impose hard-to-believe cliched conflict that we've seen on lesser shows. They also need to take a bit more chances with real human issues. They can still keep it "family friendly" but not shy away from harsh and realistic issues and not have it neatly wrapped up by the end of the episode. I thought season 1 had a lot of moments where they were touching upon that, but that went out the window with season 2. My fear is season 3 continued in the same vein and it's too late for the writers and producers to do anything about it.