Henry’s Story Arc!
Henry and his season 11 story arc!
Henry Gowen. He has been a complicated character. Bowler hat guy. Respected oil businessman. Disgruntled oil businessman who blows up mine. Part time jailer. Stable hand. Godfather. Tender of hazel nuts trees. And now the Governor’s counselor.
But on a more serious note, there has been one common thread to his story. And that thread is redemption. We have seen him go through many seasons of this story arc. It’s not an easy task to turn the most hated man in Hope Valley to godfather to Goldie!
So, come along and read with me!
Let’s start from the beginning.
Henry was first introduced as the corrupt manager for the Pacific Northwest Mining Company. Harsh and rude. Shrewd in his business dealings. He “tried” to be fair to the widows but needed space for new minors so he evicted them. They fought back of course! Yet, there were subtle insights that revealed that Henry wasn’t that bad. He tired to warn his superiors of the unsafe mining conditions. However to please his superiors, he allowed the mine to stay open. 46 men died as a result in season 1. He also made it a personal vendetta to ruin Abigail’s livelihood. Ok, not so good yet, but these things take time!
I know that most of us know Henry’s past, but it puts it in perspective of how much he has changed when we think of who he was before!
Metamorphosis Time:
In a cocoon, it’s dark and lonely. But something tells you, you can’t stay stuck in here. It’s time to break away. It’s a struggle but with time, a beautiful new side of that creature emerges! That’s Henry! Lol
His story arc has been slow and steady, fleshing out all the different sides of him.
Through the seasons we have seen him change slowly. We watched him go through the feelings of guilt, condemnation and forgiveness, ultimately redemption. Even now, we still see him trying to make peace with his new life. I wonder if he will have to make a similar decision like stopping something because it’s unsafe like the mine?
As a viewer, I for one disliked Henry Gowen in the beginning (but I thought he was a terrific bad guy). But as time passed, I really felt empathy towards him. He has grown to be one of my favorite characters.
So, “peeling back” the layers over several seasons has paid off!
Without further ado, let’s look at Henry’s story arc in season 11!
Henry: Season 11
I will follow the same guidelines as I did for the other story arc post!
Exposition: We first see Henry meeting with Lucas. He denies his offer to work with him and says “I’m headed towards a more quiet life, I think”.
Second we see him as “farmer Henry” wanting a simpler life (His financial savings must be great!). But is he truly happy?
Rising action: Henry’s main obstacles is the fear of getting pulled back into his old ways. He is afraid to work with Lucas. So he wrestles with this decision.
Climax: Henry accepts Lucas’ offer and joins his team. He begins advising him and tries his best to shed light on the grey decisions Lucas has in front of him.
Falling action: He is Lucas’ official right hand man! He is there to encourage Lucas not to take the bad press seriously. He knows it well. We also see him stand up for Lucas, reprimanding Edwin.
Resolution: Henry is heading to Capital City with Lucas. It will be interesting to see him continue in this role!
Work Cited:
Hallmark Media