This is the complete Heartland season 17 recap. Heartland season 17 started airing on October 1, and the finale episode was released on December 3. This season, like previous ones, was successful in leaving its prints on fans with a strong and emotional storyline.
Read this quick recap of all 10 episodes of Heartland Season 17.
Episode 1, 'The Path Less Traveled’
Mallory and Jack return.
This episode starts with our favorite couple, Mallory and Jack, returning to Heartland. Mallory is pregnant and tells Amy that the reason for her return is her horse Ransom, and she needs her help with it. Though later, Amy feels like Mallory's return is not solely for this purpose.
Mallory was actually scared of becoming a mom and raising her child in Colorado, where Jack and she do not have any friends to help them.
But after giving birth to her son, Mallory gets new hope, and the family of three returns to Colorado to live their new life.
Heartland Beef faces new competition.
This episode introduces a new competition for Heartland Beef, Pryce Beef, which poses a threat to the family business. Jack senses it and fears for the future of their business now that they have bigger competition ahead.
Amy's open to love.
After seeing Jack and Mallory together, Amy realizes that she would like to have someone in her life to share it with. This sparks the arrival of a new love in Amy's life.
Episode 2, 'Taking the Reins’'
Amy is oblivious to Edwin’s date plans
This episode starts with Amy heading to Fairfield stables to help Edwin with Brady. But when Edwin invites Amy for a ride together with their horses, he wanted it to be a date but oblivious to his plans Amy showed up with Jack. This disappointed Edwin but he played it smooth and got along with them well, not letting Amy know of his former date plan.
Later, when he again plans a dinner date with Amy, thinking she will take the clue but gets disappointed again in her as Amy seemed to be only better at reading animals.
Later, when Amy gets to know of this she is a bit startled and she apologizes to Edwin for misunderstanding him.
Things get a little awkward between them but by the end of the episode we see them again as their normal selves and Amy tells Edwin to tell her clearly when he invites her for the date the next time. This leaves Edwin with a smile.
Logan's triumph with Sunshine
While Amy is working on Brady, Logan takes up Sunshine. Sunshine needs to be made okay with the sound of flags, as his owner wants to have a grand entry into Sunshine with flags.
Initially, Logan thought he had succeeded when Sunshine got used to flags, but his bubble soon burst when Sunshine freaked out, causing Logan to fall off.
But at the end, it's Logan's win as he discovers that the horse just needed to be in a more relaxed setting. It happened when he got out on Sunshine with Katie to search for Remi. On their way back, Sunshine was galloping and had gotten along with the sound of the flags.
Lou loses the election.
On one side, Lou was worried about the little time she would have for her daughter once she became mayor, but on the other side, she really wanted to win the election. She shared her feelings with Tim and got all ready for her election, giving it her all, only to get disappointed when she lost the election. She felt so distressed that she called Amy in panic, but after a talk with her, she got better and handled her defeat maturely.
Remi's departure
This marked the most heartbreaking and wrenching part of the season as Remi leaves everyone in Heartland. After Remi went missing, Katie and Logan went to find her but returned without her. Then Amy went to his favorite picnic spot and found Remi lying there and breathing heavily.
When she receives Lou's call after she lost her mayor election, she informs her that Remi is no more. The next day, the entire family unites at that picnic spot to reminisce about Remi.
Episode 3, 'The Heart Wants’'
Amy works with Caleb's new pony, Donut.
Caleb, who bought a new pony for his son Carson's birthday present, comes to Amy after realizing that the pony, Donut, might not be right for a kid to ride on.
Amy, after knowing the history of Donut from the auction house, comes up with better strategies that work well with Donut. By the end of the episode, we see that Donut has improved and is in a state that's good for Carson to ride on for his birthday.
Amy and Caleb share deep talks.
In between, while working on Donut, Amy spends time with Caleb; the two are having a good time, and we even see a spark of something more than just friendship between the two. But then Edwin interrupts them and asks Amy for a date.
But later, we see Amy realizing that Edwin might not be the right guy for her, as we see her telling Edwin after their date that they are better off as friends.
This opens up her chance with her longtime best friend, Caleb.
Logan's new horse
Logan gets a new horse, Rocky, to work with, who has a problem with barrels. Since Tim bought Rocky to teach barrels to beginners in rodeo, he wants Logan to get Ricky better soon.
Logan, who is preoccupied with his dilemma of how to confess his feelings to Miley, works on Rocky anyway. He is underconfident about confessing to Miley, but as Rockey improved in barrels, Logan’s confidence also boosted.
Logan finally told Miley he loved her, and the two shared a kiss when Tim interrupted and asked him for Rocky's progress report.
Even though Logan wanted to give one more day to Ricky, he said yes to Tim. And that played against him when, the following day, Rocky tossed off Miley when she got on him in the rodeo.
Meeting Nathan Pryce Jr.
Tim and Jack decide to invite Pryce to a meet-up with a plan to share their problem of not having grazing land for their cattle now that they have bought their grazing land from Sam.
The two are shocked to see Nathan Pryce Jr., as they were expecting his father to be there. But after a good negotiation with him, they secured a good deal in which they got a part of the grazing land for their cattle at the same lease in exchange for a safe root that passes through their land that they would allow Pryce to use for their cattle.
Jessica and Lou team up.
Jessica gets the idea to start her gallery to showcase her work in hopes of attracting new clients. But when she struggles to get permission to use the old heritage building for her gallery, she collaborates with Lou, who has considerable influence as the former mayor.
Lou, who does not have much, immediately got on board with her. She even proposes to her that she become a partner in Jessica's new business. Jessica agrees to this.
Katie's new hobby
After Katie did not make it through the writing competition that she was anticipating, she lost her calm and even lashed out her frustration at Lou once.
But she soon shares her feelings with Lou, and Lou encourages her to give a chance to new things in her life.
This uplifts Katie's courage to pursue biking, her newfound hobby.
At the end of the episode, we see Katie full of enthusiasm when she tries riding the dirt bike for the first time.
Episode 4, 'A Piece Apart’'
Lyndy's nightmares
Miley's accident affected Lyndy badly, as she started getting nightmares, which even made her tell Amy to throw away her horse stuffies.
This made Amy try a lot of things to end Lyndy's nightmares, but the only thing that worked was Miley getting on Rocky for a smooth ride. This was after Amy and Logan together worked on Rocky and got him better. This restored Lyndy's love for horses, and the situation got better.
Logan blames himself.
After Miley's accident, Logan couldn't help but blame himself constantly. Even though Miley was safe, Logan was still in guilt, and at the end, he told Amy that he was quitting horse training as he could not risk any more mistakes.
Shane returns
This episode saw the return of Shane after a long time. His return only made Amy and Lou anxious, as they were awkward about his return since they didn't stay in contact with him much.
Shane, after his return, regretted his decision as he could sense Amy and Lou's awkwardness with him. In one event, he even lashed out at Lou, saying that she didn't even know that he was allergic to mushrooms.
But when Tim stopped forcing his kids to unite forcefully, it seemed to happen on its own.
Amy and Lou talked to Shane and apologized. And Chole’s sudden arrival in Heartland only made the situation better for all.
They even decide to get married with their family in Heartland.
Lisa and Jack
Lisa and Jack's romance rekindles with the duo getting to the dance together, even though Jack is a bit uncomfortable initially.
Katie finds new friends.
Also, Katie and Parker's friendship change tracks as Parker seems to have found new friends, leaving no time for Katie. Katie has also found new friends, but she didn't expect to lose to Parker in that way. This upsets Katie, but Lisa encourages her to go to dance anyway. Katie shows up to dance alone but ends up having a good time there without Parker by her side.
Episode 5, 'How to Say Goodbye’'
Nathan invites Jack for a competition.
In this episode, we see Nathan making a comeback to screen to offer Jack to participate in the working cow horse competition with Blue.
Initially, Jack refuses but later agrees to participate, only to defeat Nathan.
But once he realizes that he won't be able to make it on the day of the competition, he insists on Amy participating.
Amy is reluctant since Blue did not go well with her, but later she agrees and starts working with Blue for the working cow horse competition.
Lisa says goodbye to Dan.
Lisa learned about the death of her ex-husband, Dan, and she is unable to realize what she should feel. On one side, she is upset about Dan's demise, but on the other, she is upset that he didn't bother to tell her that he's sick so she could pay him a last visit.
But Jack comes to her aid; he talks to her and insists she go to Dan's funeral together with him.
Later, Lisa finds an unsent letter from Dan in her name, which makes her feel better.
Dan's departure leaves Lisa upset, but it brings Jack and her closer.
Lou and Jessica struggle as a team.
After Jessica and Lou agree to partner in her new art gallery business, the duo struggle as a team when Lou commits blunders by missing an important meeting with the bank for a loan.
Anyhow, she talks with Rick and gets him to get their loan approved, but with a condition that does not go well with Jessica.
Jessica and Lou argue over the partnership, but at the end they make peace, and Lou apologizes to her for making blunders.
They team up and decide to go ahead with their business together.
Katie's new adventure
Katie insists her mom buy her a new dirt bike, but she refuses, saying it could be dangerous for her. Katie sets her mind to buy it herself.
She bought herself a used dirt bike using the money she got from a pawn shop in exchange for the necklace Lou gifted her on her birthday.
Katie had been hiding her new bike from everyone, only for Tim to find out. But Tim gets on her team and repairs her dirt bike for her to ride.
Katie is yet to do the hard part of telling Lou about her new dirt bike.
Episode 6, 'Heat of the Moment’
Amy, Caleb, and Nathan
Amy heads to Braeburn for a working cow horse competition, but she had an awkward ride with Nathan on his truck since her truck gave away midway.
Amy was already reluctant about being in Braeburn alone, but events really turned bad for her when Caleb, who came to accompany her in Braeburn, ended up kissing her.
This mortified Amy, and it affected her in the competition the next day as well. Nathan came to her aid, and he gave her some advice that helped Amy a lot, as she ended up scoring more than Nathan in the competition.
We see Amy and Nathan's friendship grow while Amy and Caleb's friendship gets more awkward as Amy keeps avoiding his calls since the kiss.
Finally, Caleb talked to Amy, and the two shared their honest feelings with each other, which helped them get back together as good friends.
Lisa and Jack say yes to adventure.
In his episode, we see a new version of Lisa, who is looking forward to adventures in life. This change came after she shared her favorite memory with Dan at his funeral, which included their skiing memory.
Instead of having leftovers at home for lunch, Lisa started going out for lunch with Jack more. On one such day, Jack spotted his cowboy belt buckle in the bar that he had to sell earlier because he was low on money.
When Lisa knew this, she helped him get his belt back with her skills.
Lisa and Jack's relationship strengthened with this new approach to life.
Katie stands up for herself.
After Katie's distance grew with Parker, she tried to make new friends. She counted on Brandin and Ellie, but the latter did not seem to reciprocate well.
Ellie often made sarcastic and mean comments about Katie, which Katie didn't protest in a way to make friends with her.
But at an event where Ellie takes Brandon to Katie’s home to check on Katie after she gets upset over her mean remark, Katie ends up bashing at her.
It was when Ellie took out Jack's whiskey bottle at Katie's house and attempted to open it anyway, even after Katie stopped her, that Katie strictly told her to leave her house.
Katie's brave and honest approach won her a true friend as Brandon returned to Katie and apologized for not standing up for her in front of Ellie.
Episode 7, 'Unknown Caller'
Lou recalls her past.
Lou has had insomnia since her teenage years, but it started showing up again after Nathan showed up in her life.
We see the reason behind it in this episode: Lou's insomnia was related to a bad memory of her with Tim.
It happened when Tim left Lou at a young age, leaving her rooting and aching for him alone.
In a flashback, we see teenage Lou running into the woods in distress and hurting her ankle, when young Nathan walks up to her and helps her. He took her to a nearby phone booth, where she called Tim, but ended up feeling worse when Tim responded coldly.
Tim's departure from young Lou's life affected her for years, as she could never sleep all those years.
In this episode, we see Lou facing her past and resolving it with Tim. She talks to Tim and tells him about her past memory that did not let her sleep at night for years.
Tim says he doesn't recall it but accepts that he was a total waste back then, and so we see the two making peace with their past.
Amy works on Ellie's horse.
In this episode, Amy works with Ellie's horse. Katie realizes that she and Ellie have been hiding their true selves from others. They deal with their inner conflict and decide to be their true selves with their family and friends.
Katie
When Katie's favorite writer, Elaine, visits as a Dude Ranch guest, Katie is excited to meet her. But her plans are ruined when Elaine ends up discouraging Katie.
Jack stands up for Katie, and Katie also realizes that she had been hiding her true self all along, and she stood up for herself as she lashed out at Elaine for discouraging her.
Episode 8, 'Harmony'
This episode focuses on Caleb, who might have to leave Hudson forever considering the fact that he had lost custody over his son Carson due to his ex-wife securing a job in Kelowna. This also means that Caleb is getting away from Amy's life, which is emotional for both as they shared a good bond.
Caleb is seen getting emotional with losing custody over Carson, as it will change his life entirely. He would have to leave Hudson and get away from Carson and Amy.
Amy
Amy, as usual, is helping a vaulting team, using her horse knowledge, and she spends more time with Nathan. Their friendship grows with time.
Lou’s new approach
This episode also focuses on Lou as she returns to her work, gets better with her personal matters, and gets into the new business of converting a gallery into a cafe. Lou's new hope for her life could be credited to the last episode, where she resolved her past issues with Tim.
Episode 9, 'Fear is a Liar’
Amy and Nathan's bond strengthens as the two start training his horse together. They spend more time together. This can lay the foundation for their future relationship, but their deep talks give off the vibe that Nathan can have a greater part to play in upcoming episodes.
Lou returns to work, where she handles her personal life along with making way for her professional life. She is also taking her plan of converting a part of the gallery into a cafe ahead.
Tim worries about his recent changes in his family, and he ponders how they can go ahead with them. He is worried that new changes can affect their relationships.
Miranda comes ahead to help Chloe and Shame prepare for their wedding. This promises more of Miranda in the next episode of Heartland.
Jessica makes it up with Jack.
Jessica also lands up in conflict with Jack after she ends up selling his picture she took secretly.
She confronts Jacka and apologizes to him, but realizes the mistake she made. At the end, she makes it up with Jack by buying his picture back from the buyer at double the price.
Logan returns
One of the most emotional scenes of this episode is when Logan returns to Heartland. Amy is beyond happy to have him back, and it reflects in her eyes.
Episode 10, 'Just the Beginning'
Shane and Chloe get married after the two agree on their decision to not go to London after their marriage.
Miranda and her husband come to Heartland for their marriage.
Amy and Nathan's growing bond gets disapproval from Jack.
Amy and Nathan get to spend more time together while Amy works with his horse, Powder. However, Jack disapproves of her closeness with their business rival, Nathan.
Heartland Beef faces rejection.
The new heads of Garland Foods reject the Heartland Beef, disappointing Lou, Tim, and Jack, but the trio do not give up. Lou tells Garland Foods that they do not need them for selling their beef, and she further tells them that people will know when they replace their high-quality beef with cheaper alternatives.
Katie's triumph
Katie finally wins after she successfully learns to jump on her dirtbike. She performs it finally in front of Lou, and the latter is really proud of her daughter's victory.
The season finale title was apt as it opened fresh beginnings, giving way to the next season.
We can be positive while making speculations about the Heartland season 18 release date, as this season's ending left a lot of fresh storylines at the start, like where would Amy and Nathan's new budding friendship go? And what will happen to Heartland Beef?
