Aahana Swrup
In the Hallmark romance show, ‘When Calls the Heart,’ Jack Thornton occupies a crucial role. From the day of protagonist Elizabeth Thatcher’s arrival in town, the resident Mountie of Hope Valley becomes a natural fixture in her new life and an obvious point of intrigue. As such, it doesn’t take long for the couple’s romance to take off, leading them toward a blissful union. However, their joyful marriage is short-lived as Jack’s character meets his tragic end not too long afterward. Even so, in the wake of his death, his memory continues to hold a special place in the hearts of the townfolk—and the fans of the show. Therefore, now that multiple seasons have passed since his passing and his widow finally seems to be on the path of finding love again, the details of Jack’s death bear rehashing. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Season 5 Spells Out Jack’s Doom
After witnessing Jack and Elizabeth’s love story unfold over the course of multiple years, the former’s death remains particularly devastating. In season 5, the Hope Valley lovebirds finally tie the knot after a few close calls almost ruin their big day. Nonetheless, despite the few literal and metaphorical fires that need putting out, Jack and Elizabeth have a beautiful ceremony that stands as a witness to their loving relationship. However, their fairytale nuptials don’t end up confirming their happily ever after. Jack had to travel to Fort Clay shortly after the wedding to lead a training mission.
Unfortunately, in that mission, Jack met his demise as he got caught under a landslide. Thus, Elizabeth receives the disastrous news of his death, confirming the end for the Mountie in episode 9 of season 5, titled, ‘In My Dreams.’ At the time of writing, this is the character’s final appearance in the show. Yet, fans are briefly reunited with Jack Thornton on the spin-off series, ‘When Hope Calls,’ where he appears in a dream sequence on the Christmas special, ‘A Country Christmas, Part 2.’
Elizabeth Receives a Painful Revelation About Jack’s Death
Jack’s passing casts an agonizing shadow on Elizabeth’s life. Even though the revelation of her pregnancy with her and Jack’s son is of some comfort, she continues to struggle with the idea of moving on. As such, her trauma over her husband’s death causes some initial complications in her romantic storylines going forward. This is especially true for Nathan Grant, the new Mountie in town, who ends up having an unfortunate connection to Jack’s death.
As it turns out, Nathan was meant to lead the training mission, which ultimately caused Jack’s death. Therefore, in a way, if Nathan had taken that mission, Jack would still be alive and with his family. For the same reason, the new Mountie blames himself for the death of Elizabeth’s husband from the get-go. The same, paired with his initial decision to keep it a secret from the woman, causes some problems in their budding romance.
Nevertheless, after a few years of getting to know Nathan’s true character—and one failed engagement to businessman Lucas Bouchard—Elizabeth is finally able to look past such complications and pursue her love for the Mountie. In season 12, the couple officially begin their courting in the public eye. However, Nathan never views himself as a replacement for Jack. Instead, he stays respectful of the shadow the former Mountie is bound to leave on Elizabeth and Young Jack’s life.
Jack Thornton’s Departure Seems to Be Final
Since Jack’s death, many fans have tried to theorize possible ways in which the character could stage a return. The fact that his death had been off-screen without the retrievement of a dead body added further fuel to the hopeful fire. Nonetheless, seven seasons after his exit from the show, it seems safe to assume Jack’s death is absolute and without any scope for return. At the end of season 11, some ominous news about Jack is introduced in a cliffhanger. However, season 12 ties that thread off in a manner that only further confirms his death.
At the start of season 12, Elizabeth receives news from Superintendent Hargraves that Jack’s commissioner’s medal has been retrieved from the site of the accident. Recently, a road crew had performed an excavation on the site where the landslide took Jack’s life and was only able to find the commemorative hardware. Considering the crew went through the area and found no clues to suggest Jack may have survived the accident all those years ago, the medal’s retrieval seems to be another confirmation of Jack’s final demise.
Read More: When Calls the Heart Season 12 Episode 1 Recap: The Mountie Way
