Exclusive Interview

‘Hope Valley: 1874’ Finale: Cast Teases Season 2 After Love Triangle Cliffhanger (VIDEO)

Just when it seemed that Hope Valley: 1874‘s love triangle between Olivia (Roan Curtis), Alexander (Lachlan Quarmby), and Clayton (Jedidiah Goodacre) would finally come to a head during the Season 1 finale, a shocking arrest interrupted Rebecca’s boarding house opening party. Now, it’s unclear where any of the When Calls the Heart prequel characters stand heading into Season 2.

Heading into the Season 1 finale, Hearties were more eager than ever to find out which way Olivia’s heart would pull her: Towards Alexander, the captivating Mountie who just arrived in town, or Clayton, the kindhearted blacksmith who’s been her friend forever? To answer that question, sat down with Swooon to break down the gripping Season 1 finale and tease what is to come for their characters during Season 2. (Spoilers ahead!)

For Olivia, Alexander, and Clayton, the culmination of all of their Season 1 yearning was a finale waltzing sequence. While Olivia began dancing with Alexander, Clayton cut in, having prepped all day for that very moment. Turns out, only Goodacre knew how to waltz ahead of filming, despite Quarmby and Curtis assuming he was lying about the skill to get out of rehearsal. As Curtis put it, “He showed up to waltz rehearsal and proved us all wrong.”

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Before Clayton cut in, Olivia told Alexander that she was accepted into the Ontario School of Art. Alexander encouraged her to go. “Alexander is first and foremost trying to do the best he can in the town in every aspect,” Quarmby explained. “And as soon as a young, bright thing like Olivia tells him she’s thinking about going off on an adventure and following her dreams, there is no part of him that can say ‘Well, no.’ That he would be totally hypocritical as somebody who has come out to the frontier to do that exactly for himself.”

While Olivia seemed disappointed by his response, perhaps looking for a reason to stay, Quarmby revealed, “He thinks the only right answer is to say, ‘Of course, go and do it.’ He would obviously love for her to stay, but he can’t say that.”

While Olivia has been sensing some tension between the two guys in her life, Curtis explained, “I think that there’s a world in which had Clayton not cut in, Olivia might have been like, ‘Are you sure that you mean that?’ And the conversation might have unfolded completely differently.”

After Clayton interrupted, he gave Olivia the exact response she wanted from Alexander, telling her, “No, you can’t go. I’m—if you do, just please come back.” Taking us inside that response, Goodacre shared, “I’m a hopeless romantic myself. So anytime some guy is spilling the beans in front of a girl, I’m just like, ‘Ah, this is, this is what it’s all about.'” He continued, “It’s so juicy to see this guy take a shot and not really end up with, perhaps, the answer he wants.”

At the end of the day, Clayton’s “just so filled with courage and thinking about doing this big thing for himself that perhaps (for one of the first times) he’s not really thinking about what’s important to her.” That choice leaves everything “hanging in the balance,” Goodacre noted.

Something else that’s hanging in the balance? Rebecca’s freedom. In a shocking cliffhanger, Alexander was forced to arrest Rebecca (Bethany Joy Lenz) when a warrant arrived in the middle of her party. After Olivia’s art school reveal, Quarmby said that Alexander’s in a headspace where “he’s not really thinking clearly.” According to Quarmby, “She’s wanted for a pretty serious crime. Grand larceny, I think it is.”

As someone incredibly close to Rebecca and her daughter, Sarah (Mila Morgan), Curtis revealed that this could definitely change how Olivia feels about Alexander. “I think that he’s doing his best in that moment, but she doesn’t know. She knows that she cares a lot about Rebecca, and she knows she cares a lot about Sarah, and all she sees is this man that she is interested in, that she really likes, splitting these two people up who only really have each other.”

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Looking forward to Season 2, Quarmby shared, “I really like the fact that both guys are good choices in their own way. They’re both great choices… They both approach her in different ways. I think that’s why that dancing scene is so nice because it’s two responses with the same feeling, but in a completely different execution. I would like to see how someone can have two very different sorts of things, and both be good options, and then be pulled whichever way.” As he put it, “There’s no right answer here.”

“I hope that we get to tease it out in a way where both relationships are built out enough that we really have a good idea of what both things would look like,” Curtis added. “I think we’re at the beginning stages of a lot right now. Nothing has really happened. There have been little inklings of what each guy brings to the table. But ultimately, it’s not fully fleshed out yet, so I’m excited to continue to flesh out both relationships.”

“So you’re saying you’re going to play the field?” Goodacre laughed.

“Look,” Curtis teased, “what’s a frontier girlie to do, except explore her options?” Watch our full interview with the Hope Valley: 1874 cast above!

Hope Valley: 1874, Season 1, Streaming Now, Hallmark+