DVD Heartland – Complete Series Four

3 Star

Based on Lauren Brooke’s book series, Canada’s Heartland show has built itself a devoted fan-foundation in the last few years, becoming intentionally admired by equine lovers, who are hooked by the family drama and horse-related hi-jinks. As the show enters its fifth season in Canada, and the fourth is released on DVD in the UK, it’s time to see whether or not Heartland is still racing strong after its half-decade on the air, or if the show simply needs to be put out to pasture.

"What’s first noticeable about Heartland is how beautiful it is."

The show follows two sisters – Amy (Amber Marshall) and Lou (Michelle Morgan) – who attempt to keep their deceased mother’s dreams alive by running her Heartland ranch and tending to sick horses, all with the help of their wise grandfather (Shaun Johnston), and a selection of helpful friends, such as the young horse loving Mallory (Jessica Amlee) and the mysterious Ty (Graham Wardle). The show explores the trials of both ranch and family life.

Season four begins with the family and friends in very different places. Amy and Ty are beginning a relationship, but have to learn to deal with the past. Lou is torn between her life on the ranch and a life in Dubai with partner Peter. Mallory faces decisions regarding her love life and the rebellious Badger (Jack Knight). Numerous plots litter the season – from an unpleasant but misunderstood hermit woman who mistreats the horse she loves, to Amy teaching a group of convicts how to ride, one of which has dark ties to Ty, and Badger learning his car is actually stolen goods. All these plots intersect beneath both the shadow of the Rocky Mountains and the watchful eye of Grandfather Jack, who manages to guide the family into doing what’s right time and time again…

What’s first noticeable about Heartland is how beautiful it is. The show stands as a love-letter to Canadian scenery, with lovely, sun-soaked forests framed by sprawling purple mountain ranges and vast shimmering lakes. The show almost stands as a holiday brochure for its country and is really held together by its natural setting. The snow covered landscapes of later episodes and slow-motion shots of horses running through the White Plains are impressive and really set the show apart from other country-based dramas. On a purely visual level, the show is worth watching.

The cast, however, aren’t so consistently appealing. Some fair much better than others. The standout performance comes from Amber Marshall as Amy – she plays the role with both strength and vulnerability, with a stubborn charm and a passion for horses which comes through in every line of dialogue. The audience will find themselves becoming attached to her. Her boyfriend, Ty, is good, too – strong and resourceful with hints of a less than savoury past – and special mention has to be given to Jack Knight’s surly city boy badger, who cuts through a lot of the overly wholesome family treacle. Shaun Johnston becomes the heart of the show – reminiscent of a wise Donald Sutherland; he holds the cast and characters together, serving as a rock for the family who manages to keep everyone grounded. He’s loveable and kind, yet demands respect, and is a believable patriarch to the show.

The rest of the cast are bland. Michelle Morgan is distant and cold as Lou, and her father, played by Chris Potter, has no screen presence at all, especially when compared to Johnston’s Jack. Jessica Amlee is rather amateurish and could be acting in a school play. It’s not so much that the majority of the cast give bad performances, more that their performances are forgettable – they all hit the same average notes and never seem to get pushed to do anything exciting (a fault which may lie with the show’s directors as opposed to its cast). The performances are perfunctory, without ever being impressive.

For people who aren’t huge horse fans, the material is going to feel thin and will really drag.

As a whole, Heartland works on this same middle level, never really reaching out or doing anything overly dramatic or inventive. The various horse related plots get tired fast and audiences may find themselves wondering how the writers have managed five years worth of equine adventures. Part of the show’s problem is that it really appeals to horse lovers, who will be lost in the magnificent shots of the running beasts, and who will be empathic and worried when the horses get sick, yet to people who aren’t huge horse fans, the material is going to feel thin and will really drag. There’s never any threat in Heartland – when Mallory and Badger fall down a well and panic about being trapped there till they die, it’s never convincing – the audience never feels any sense of danger. The same can be said when one character is stung by a deadly bee sting – the problem is resolved so instantly you have to wonder why they even included it. The show is built on these false threat moments. The drama between characters is bland and not hugely absorbing – partly due to the uninspiring dialogue, and partly again due to the cast, who seem to be going through the motions. A TV show doesn’t need fantastic plots to be gripping – take the Gilmore Girls, a show with a similar family-friends-town set up and soap opera style plots to Heartland, yet a show which is so much more accomplished, thanks to the strong writing, dialogue and cast. Heartland just lacks wit and spark. The show is also hindered by its invasive emotive music, which tells the audience how to feel without ever letting them get there themselves.

Heartland, then, is an average show, saved by some lovely scenery and some strong performances from a selection of the cast. There’s nothing overly bad about Heartland, it’s just very bland and passionless – never terrible to watch but never gripping either – and it’s perhaps too wholesome for its own good, lacking any sense of drama or danger. Really something for horse lovers and established fans only.