Chesapeake Shores Season 6 Episode 8 Review: I Get a Kick Out of You

If there is one thing certain after Chesapeake Shores Season 6 Episode 8, there are still many more stories left to tell with the O’Brien family.

I’m sure the actors are ready to move on, and Hallmark is eager to invite new viewers with upcoming content, but it just doesn’t feel like we’re heading toward the end.

With the unpleasant taste of Good Witch’s cancellation still bitter on my tongue, I hope that the early decision not to renew Chesapeake Shores for another season allowed the writing team to end this story properly.

Let’s begin with Kevin and Sarah. They’ve been together for the better part of the series, but Sarah still hasn’t been fully integrated into the family.

Yes, I know it’s a topic I can’t stop beating to death, but after Sarah took to painting Kevin’s toenails to relive some of the magic she felt after her day at the spa with her sisters-in-law, the topic is still ripe for discussion.

Somehow, her confession that she grew up wanting sisters made the whole thing even worse.

As welcoming as the O’Briens have been with Margaret and Evan, I can’t recall the same for Sarah. By this time, I’m not even sure David was as warmly welcomed.

David’s story is also imperative here because he’s been relegated to the inn and his father drama for the entire season. Finally, the man was included in scenes outside the inn, but only because he’s reached out to Kevin for legal advice and, ultimately, to represent his father when nobody else would.

Imagine how much story there is left to tell for these oft-forgotten O’Briens.

Sarah and Kevin have a baby on the way, and it would be so lovely to see them as parents. Abby’s children were already little people when the series began. Seeing how the family welcomed a new baby to the clan would have been so fun.

Sarah being officially accepted into the sisterhood would be even better.

When I think back to the early seasons, David and Jess’s romance was so lighthearted and beautiful, but of late, they’ve been beset by troubles. They are so kind and giving and suffer too many setbacks.

Relegating David to the backburner O’Brien-wise as he dealt with his dad’s suspected criminal activity didn’t work well for them as a couple, and the magic they created early on was lost.

I know couples experience all kinds of issues in relationships, and I don’t begrudge the writers their opportunity to play with those stories. I just wish there was much more time left to do them justice in the long term.

The same could be said for Evan, who has become a delight during Chesapeake Shores Season 6. One of the things we first knew about him was that he was an eccentric billionaire, largely in part because he was alone.

Now it turns out he wasn’t as alone as he thought. Hallmark series aren’t known for their deep storytelling (although they’re making strides in that department), but it would have been so interesting to learn more about Evan’s family and why his mother never revealed the truth.

I’m sure there will be some explanation, but it will fall short of the possibilities, and as a show nears its swan song, it’s all I can see sometimes.

Thankfully, we’ve had some forward momentum with Megan and Mick, who are now as official a couple as ever.

But even their journey seems to be only just beginning. First, they were at loggerheads due to years of hurt from Megan’s abandonment of the family, and then, just when they grew closer again, Megan’s career and Mick’s addition stuck a wedge in the door.

If any couple was destined to be on Chesapeake Shores, it was Mick and Megan. Watching them soften toward each other has been an absolute joy, and I wish we had a little more time to enjoy them.

As if I weren’t already lamenting so much that will be missed about the O’Brien family, “I Get a Kick Out of You” put Bree’s relationship with Luke in danger again.

As soon as Luke said he’d love to accompany Bree to the baby shower but would have to cut the excitement short to visit his parents’ graves, I knew we were in for trouble.

It was so out of context that the only thing that could happen was for him to hit an icy patch of road in the middle of summer and cease to exist in a fiery crash.

Well, there was no fiery crash, but Luke put his life on the line to stop a robbery instead.

If Luke weren’t a convicted felon who has worked very hard to make up for his terrible mistake, this would seem like any other non-event used for dramatic purposes. But shows do like to remind us that life goes on with it comes death just a little too often as they wind down.

A case in point would be Parenthood, the NBC series that ended scattering dad’s ashes on a baseball field after he died in his easy chair just before the show slid into home.

If Luke weren’t to survive, it would remind us that life goes on despite pain and that one mistake doesn’t define you, and it would remind the family that they can overcome anything with each other’s love.

While there wasn’t a death on the Good Witch finale, there was Abigail’s stunning breakup on the heels of two years she and Donovan spent proving to the world, both supernatural and corporeal, that they belonged together. Instead, Abigail began an entirely new life journey in the final hour.

That’s why it wouldn’t be shocking if Bree, on the cusp of incredible career success, lost the man she’s come to love.

Now, I haven’t seen the preview, so you know more than I do what lies ahead. But Luke’s redemption at the cost of his life wouldn’t be an awful story. It would just be incredibly sad.

And not everyone is made for long-lasting love, so Bree’s future, leaning toward a thriving literary career in which her works become Oscar-winning darlings, would also be a success story, if not the one often associated with Hallmark productions.

Then again, a near miss and Luke’s survival could also pivot the story nicely for both characters.

Luke would know, once and for all, that his mistake was a one-time thing, and he could move on knowing that he’s got a good heart. Nearly losing Luke could finally open her heart without fear and reservation.

With Luke’s life hanging in the balance, both options provide solid storytelling opportunities, with one pragmatic and the other heartwarming.

So, with all of that, my arms flailing as I passionately express my thoughts, much as my Chesapeake Spirit Sister Bree would do, I ask you how you’d like to see the story end.

What stories do you wish we could live with a while longer? Does a Hallmark happy ending have to include love? Let me know your thoughts, and don’t forget that you can watch Chesapeake Shores online via TV Fanatic!

Edit Delete