In 2020 I was living in a narrow, dark little world, ignorant that Hallmark had its own shared universes and extended stories. But late last year I came into the light and there’s no looking back now.
Just a week ago I was telling you about One Winter Weekend, in which a couple of gals rented a ski chalet that turned out to be shared with a couple of guys, unbeknownst to all four. They were all mildly attractive and wildly single, so by the end of just one (winter) weekend, they’d coupled up, strangely along race lines. Happily ever after is assumed when you close with a Hallmark kiss, but this particular movie has since reached franchise status with a sequel that gives us a glimpse of what’s been happening in the year since.
In fact, it’s been a very good year for Cara (Taylor Cole), who is now publishing that mystery novel she was working on when we first met her, and boyfriend Ben (Jack Turner) who has indeed founded a new snowboarding company that makes a helmet with a ponytail slot. They’re spending a romantic weekend together at the same chalet that started it all, and Cara suspects an engagement might be imminent. Ben is less sure – Cara is impossible to surprise, plus the weekend’s turning out to be less about romance and more about business as he’s meeting a possible investor there. Oh, and there’s the fact that Megan (Rukiya Bernard) is tagging along, for work. And Sean (Dewshane Williams), well, he gave up his Seattle surgeon gig to be a ski resort doctor full time, so the whole gang’s back together. Not together together – Megan and Sean never made it was a couple – so it’s either going to get super awkward, or shit’s about to get rekindled.
Will Ben’s company get funded? Will Cara get a ring? Will Megan and Sean bump uglies? The possibilities are endless, and each more juicy than the last. Hit them up on Hallmark.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
“In 2020 I was living in a narrow, dark little world, ignorant that Hallmark…”
What happened last year that you crashed into the Hallmark world? I thought you were an old hand at this stuff. I bet there is a little story here. Will you share?
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No big story.
I have tried to cover a number of their Christmas movies each year, without any real appreciation and a pretty low tolerance.
This year I was compelled to review them a little more widely heartily and started thinking of them not just as little films but as a genre on the whole, and what it was about them that made so many people fond of them.
In viewing them more widely and methodically, I’ve only just now learned that there were sequels and cinematic universes within the Hallmark family, whereas before I was only reviewing sporadically, as an outsider.
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Oh, a sequel. Might as well, I guess.
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Hey, any chance of a brief explanation of what this ‘hallmark’ thing is Jay? It’s either not made it to the UK yet, or I am showing my ignorance massively as usual 😀
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I would love to here Jay’s irreverant summary of “The (USA) Hallmark Channel” but
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallmark_Channel#Original_movies
this might help. Hallmark is the giant of the American greeting card industry which began sponsoring family friendly movies with its commercials pushing their greeting cards and then blossomed into an entire TV network and several cable channels which is characterized by formulaic predictable (sexfree) romantic movies. Jay?
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Hallmark, the greeting card company, has an entire television channel where they run their own made for television movies, year round. They are best known for their Christmas movie romances, which are incredibly cheesy and formulaic but quite beloved by many, but they also do year-round romantic movies, plus mysteries! They’re fairly low quality, usually with a c-list actor starring, someone who used to star on a sitcom 20-30 years ago perhaps.
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Ok thanks. that makes sense, it would be like ‘card factory’ here getting a slot on freeview with people from ‘coronation street’ playing romantic leads…I’m not going to get too excited about that 😀
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NOOOOOooooooooooo!
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