Why the breakup with Elizabeth could be the best thing for Lucas on When Calls the Heart

At the end of season ten of When Calls the Heart, the Hallmark Channel’s long-running family drama, Elizabeth Thornton (Erin Krakow) broke off her engagement to Lucas Bouchard (Chris McNally). Lucas was on his way to Capital City in a bid to become governor, and Elizabeth knew in her heart she couldn’t go with him. She didn’t want the same things he did, and he was destined for much more than just being a saloon owner in a small town in Canada.

Clearly, Lucas’ heart was broken, but he accepted her decision. As Chris McNally said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Lucas always knew there was an attraction between her and Nathan (Kevin McGarry). He’d seen the way she’d looked at him and how she’d panicked when she thought something had happened to him. It would have been difficult for him to deny that there were some feelings there. And McNally says Lucas is "anticipating and expecting a relationship" between Nathan and Elizabeth.

While fans weren’t too thrilled with Elizabeth’s decision, and it’ll take some a while to get over what they feel is her betrayal, this could actually be a good thing for Lucas as surprising as that may sound.

Though Elizabeth grew up in a wealthy family, she left that lifestyle behind a long time ago. It holds no interest for her, but Lucas is a man with money and ambitions. He made it clear that he wanted more. A bigger house. A bigger life. Which isn’t something Elizabeth wanted.

Now that the romance is over, the sky is the limit for Lucas. Not only has he been elected governor, he has plans to build up the towns and make them more prosperous. With his drive, it’s entirely possible Lucas could become the next Prime Minister of Canada. And if he’s going to do that, he’ll want someone at his side who has the same dreams, someone who wants to shoot for the brass ring, so to speak.

Elizabeth as the governor’s wife just would not have worked. Her home, her life is in Hope Valley. Lucas may have always had bigger aspirations that he held in check because of his love for Elizabeth. Now, there is nothing holding him back.

Yes, the breakup was difficult, and I’m certainly not saying Lucas didn’t get his heart broken. But he’s a strong, determined man who isn’t going to stand on the sidelines and wallow. He will find love again, and this means there’ll be another woman coming to Hope Valley…or he’ll find love in Capital City, which would be even more fitting.

There are so many avenues Lucas’ story can take now that would not have happened if he’d stayed in Hope Valley and married Elizabeth. While we might not agree with the choices that were made for these characters, we can agree we want what’s best for them.

Right now, what’s best for Lucas is to be the governor. He’ll make a difference in the town, and his upcoming storylines are bound to be more exciting as he’ll have more to do. He’ll be a strong leader, and, in time, he’ll find new happiness because no one stays unhappy on When Calls the Heart very long.

Lucas and Elizabeth weren’t endgame, but their love story still needed to be told. If Elizabeth hadn’t chosen him over Nathan from the start, he would have gotten his heart broken then as well. And that might have made him want to leave town. It would have been difficult for him to be around Elizabeth. This way, being in Capital City, he’ll be able to heal, to move on, to find love again, and to make the changes that will make Hope Valley and the surrounding towns better than ever.