Following “When Calls the Heart” season 11 episode 9, some Lucas-loving Hearties fans are upset with his portrayal in the episode. While Chris McNally gave a strong performance as a character who slowly crumbles under the mounting pressure, some fans are concerned that the storyline surrounding Lucas will be perceived negatively.
This article contains spoilers for When Calls the Heart Season 11 Episode 9.
#GiveLucastheRoom trends as fans defend Lucas’ angry outburst
The episode, titled “Telling the Truth,” aired on June 2, 2024. Part of the storyline focused on the mystery of who shot Lucas, who had just won the gubernatorial election. It also depicted Lucas’s attempt to build a resort in Hope Valley and bring much-needed jobs to the town. However, Lucas’s attempts began to crumble when a mysterious figure spread rumors and contractor after contractor refused to bid on the resort project. With only Montague (rumored to have been involved in the shooting) and Janet Aucoin remaining, Lucas decided to solicit Montague’s bid.
In season 10, after Montague effectively destroyed the Hope Valley neighborhood and tried to block the town’s access to water resources, Rosemary betrayed Lucas’s trust by publishing an article about Montague making a bid for the resort. The episode features Lucas storming into Rosemary’s office in front of Lee, yelling at her about what Lee has done.
But some fans Immediately point out His anger is understandable, considering how much he has sacrificed.
The show also depicted Hope Valley residents rebelling against Lucas’ questionable decision to get Montague involved in the first place.
Lucas Fan Tweeted During the show, X defended the character with the hashtag “#GiveLucasteRoom,” which quickly became a trend.
Regarding X, Nicki shared #GiveLucastheRoom received over 11,000 tweets, and all the other tags that were used (#GovBouchard and #CMcNally) also trended.
Nikki wrote, “#GiveLucasTheRoom was trending across the US at one point!”
Other fans shared X’s AI, Grok, explained exactly why fans rallied together to #GiveLucastheRoom.
Grok’s description included a note saying, “We’re using the hashtag #GiveLucastheRoom to encourage the show’s community and the character of Elizabeth to give Lucas a chance to explain himself and support him through his current struggles.”
1 fan Tweeted“Fasten your seatbelt for the darkest days #GovBouchard will ever experience and look forward to the dawn. Give #GiveLucasTheRoom some room to rise. #CMcNally is a wicked talent.”
But what everyone can agree on is that McNally does an amazing job portraying what’s going on with Lucas.
One fan wrote: “I hate the new direction. It’s great to see him step up as an actor. So awesome 👏👏👏👏”
The trend was also a response to people calling Lucas suspicious.
This trend was also started by fans who wanted to root for characters they felt were misunderstood. Since “Heart of Love” leaned heavily into the Lucas vs. Nathan love triangle, some fans on both the Lucas and Nathan teams have made negative statements about other characters, which has been much debated. This included the belief that Lucas was “shady” when he was introduced in Season 6, but the mystery of his character was later explained. Some fans are worried that some doubts about his character may have resurfaced in Season 11.
X has one fan Posts“There is deep-rooted disagreement and animosity among those who watch or have watched WCTH. My husband was doing a little job today for a very nice woman who still watches and she told my husband that Lucas is always shady. Unbelievable! I can’t be biased but some people can’t. I’m in no way blaming.”
Another person replied: “A truly tragic event. The retroactive setup has only made it worse…”
Another added: “I agree it was unnecessary and it’s sad. I can’t believe he changed the show so that people who always thought Lucas was shady now feel vindicated.”
Journalist Jimmy Reno recently interviewed Chris McNally: Share with X That Lucas’ characters are never ruined.
He wrote, “I sincerely thank those who say #L is being ruined and painted as a shady character. According to CM, that’s not true. He told me, ‘Lucas is a kind, intelligent, ethical person. If he’s made any morally ambiguous choices in his past, those choices were always for a purpose bigger than himself.'”
Read next: Kavan Smith reveals WCTH storyline that “made me kind of angry”
