Hearties
‘When Calls the Heart’ Writer Reveals How Jack Wagner Changed Bill & Georgie’s Romantic Moment
Bill Avery’s (Jack Wagner) finally got some romance in his life! In the March 9 episode of When Calls the Heart, Georgie (Melissa Gilbert) returned to Hope Valley. Outside the saloon, Georgie and Bill had an honest conversation about their past and possibly their future. Georgie fondly told Bill that he’s “always treated women with such respect,” which is partly why she developed feelings for him back in school.
Georgie then admitted that she still has feelings for Bill after all these years. Bill acknowledged that he’s in love with Georgie and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. Writer Joy Gregory opened up about how this significant Bill and Georgie scene came to be.
Hallmark Media / Jeff Weddell
“That was always pitched,” Gregory said on the The Official Hearties Aftershow. “Well, first we realized, Melissa’s open to doing the show. Let’s come up with something for her. I love old flames stories. They’re irresistible. The one who got away.”
Gregory added, “The moment we pitched her as an old flame of Bill’s, we knew it was going to end with what Lindsay [Sturman] kept calling the ‘007 kiss.'”
The writer also noted how Wagner helped behind-the-scenes in developing this key moment for Georgie and Bill. Gregory recalled that Wagner told her, “‘I want to cut a lot of these lines before the kiss. I want them to do it [kiss].’ I was happy to collaborate with him and we did. We cut a few exchanges that seemed like he was tiptoeing toward it.”
Just before their kiss, Georgie mentioned that she’d likely be back in Hope Valley “at some point.” Gregory hopes Gilbert’s character will return so that Bill and Georgie’s romance can continue.
“I’d love to explore more of this between them if we get the chance to,” Gregory said. “It feels so fraught when you get to find out what would happen if I really tried to make it happen with the one who got away. It might not work!”
Gilbert joined the Season 12 cast as a notable guest star. Gregory loved adding another “independent, smart, working” woman to the Hallmark drama. Let’s hope Georgie finds her way back to Hope Valley soon!
When Calls the Heart, Season 12, Sundays, 9/8c, Hallmark Channel
