The Good Witch's Gift
The Good Witch's Gift premiered on November 13, 2010 and is the third installment in the Hallmark Channel's series of The Good Witch television films, the first of which premiered on the Hallmark Channel on January 19, 2008.
Plot
Cassie Nightingale has settled comfortably in Middleton with a successful boutique and is now engaged to Chief of Police Russell. Having gifts for everyone else, finding one for Cassie proves to be a little more tricky for Jake. He sets his heart on letting Cassie wake up with a family on Christmas Day after getting married on Christmas Eve. With 7 days to go, everyone gets involved in the planning. Martha Tinsdale, who is looking for a job after her husband announces they're broke, discovers her talent for wedding planning. She eventually overcomes her struggles not to let her own vision undermine the bride-to be's.Betty, the owner of a local bakery, is in charge of the menu, including the cake, and comes out more confident after Cassie gives her a necklace. As the Chief of Police, Jake Russell has additional concerns, as Leon Deeks, a man he put in jail for robbing a bank 10 years ago, got out of prison early. The money that was stolen had never been found. Leon appears at his former home. His daughter Jody is happy to see him, but his wife has filed for divorce and kicks him out. Jody is in a relationship with Brandon and the two of them visit Cassie's shop. Lori has been left to look after it for a bit and has been put in charge of Cassie's wedding ring, the last thing she still owns from her mother. After the three of them talk for a bit, Jody suddenly has to leave. Immediately after, Lori notices the ring's gone missing. She feels horrible about losing it. Lori suspects Jody to be involved in the ring's disappearance and visits her at home. Before she can ring the doorbell, Brandon sees Lori and accuses her of harboring preconceived notions of Jody only due to the prior indiscretions of her father. He continues to get mad at anyone suspecting Jody. They later find out that Martha, who had previously been in the shop, had accidentally put it in her purse. Problems continue when the marriage certificate is first difficult to acquire, then gets switched up by accident, only to be followed by the minister's car breaking down and a dog eating the wedding cake. George considers moving to Montreal, but Cassie makes him want to stay and move into Grey House after she moved in with Jake after the wedding. He welcomes his new job as a caretaker for the property. All other problems are resolved just in time for the wedding. Leon retrieves the robbery money from underneath the tiles in Cassie's shop, where he had hidden it back when it had still been an abandoned building, and returns it to Jake. He decides to stay in Middleton to regain peoples' trust and his family decides to give him a second chance.
Cassie wakes up the next morning with a family.
Cast and Characters
- Catherine Bell as Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale, has become very close with Jake's family. When Jody's father visits her shop, she decides to trust him, despite knowing who he is. She asks him to wear a Santa suit and collect funds for charity in front of her shop. Her actions are the reason, he eventually decides to stay and regain people's trust. Even when the preparations for the wedding start to get difficult, Cassie continues to believe everything will work out. In the end, she finally gets a family.
- Chris Potter as Jake Russell, has difficulties trusting Leon Deeks, since he is the one who got the man imprisoned. He keeps a watchful eye on Deeks, but when the man returns the stolen money, he decides to give him another chance. Jake is determined to give Cassie the perfect Christmas present—a family.
- Catherine Disher as Martha Tinsdale. Martha is shocked when her husband tells her they are broke. He asks her to give up luxuries such as manicures and suggests she get a job, as her services for the city council are unpaid. She asks around all the shops in Middleton, including Betty's bakery, in search of a job where she can use her communication skills. When Cassie hires her as a wedding planner, she is excited and has a lot of ideas. Despite a disagreement with Martha about the bride's wishes for the wedding cake, Cassie still recommends Martha to wealthy friends, since she respects her organizational skills.
- Peter MacNeill as George O'Hanrahan. When his wife Gwen goes to visit her grandchildren over the holidays, he struggles with his place in Middleton. First drawn to Montreal, he decides to stay at Grey House and become its groundskeeper.
- Matthew Knight as Brandon Russell. It is hinted Brandon is in a budding relationship with Jody, and he becomes defensive when people start mistrusting her because of her father's crime.
- Elizabeth Lennie as Gwen
- Hannah Endicott-Douglas as Lori Russell. Lori is put in charge of the wedding ring, and is devastated when it goes missing. She helps to bake a wedding cake out of Christmas cookies when the original one gets destroyed.
- Noah Cappe as Deputy Derek Sanders, is a responsible police officer and supports Jake in the surveillance of Leon Deeks. He is fond of Betty and after she becomes more confident, he becomes nervous, yet flirtatious around her.
- Paul Miller as Mayor Tom Tinsdale. The Mayor discovers his investments did not pay off, and now he and his wife are broke. Just in time for the wedding, he brings Jake the right marriage certificate after Jake was given the wrong one.
- Laura Bertram as Betty, owns a bakery and is put in charge of the food for the wedding. Cassie gives her an opulent necklace. Wearing it boosts Betty's confidence, and she decides to get a makeover to highlight her natural beauty.
- Graham Abbey as Leon Deeks. Leon robbed a bank 10 years ago. Although he received a 15-year prison sentence, he is let out early for good behaviour. Leon wants to reconnect with his family. He visits Cassie's store a lot, trying to find a way to retrieve the money he hid there after the robbery. He eventually breaks in the night of the wedding to retrieve the cash. He hides when Brandon and Jody enter the store to get something for the wedding. He overhears Jody talk about the memories she has of her dad, and how much she treasures them. When she says he had been a good man once, Leon decides to be one again. After the wedding he asks for a second chance from his family, which he is granted.
- Jordan Todosey as Jodi Deeks. Jodie is close to Brandon and spends a lot of time with him. Brandon describes her as "different, in a good way." She is happy to see her father again and hopes for a reunion.
- Marie Ward as Ruth Deeks, Jody's mother. Ruth is still hurt by her husband's actions and filed for divorce while he was in prison. She kicks him out in anger when he appears at her front door. In the end, she decides to give Leon another chance, touched by the genuine remorse he has displayed.
Production