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Best swoon moment: I have two favorites here and would be hard pressed to choose between the two. But since this is a full length movie, then you are going to get both of them!!  The first one is the chase scene down by the river near MacNeill's cabin when Christy tries to run from him after spying Harriet Quimby on his porch dressed in one of his shirts. If this scene doesn't show Christy's feelings for MacNeill, then Lundy isn't a bully and Ruby Mae doesn't cook possum! Christy's facial expressions and her body language broadcast her anger, jealousy, vulnerability, and desire even when her words say otherwise. And when he tells her, "I am not a monk, and I'm tired of behaving like one," well that pretty well puts her on notice for what he has in mind. It is one big extended swoon from the moment MacNeill says, "Damn it!" and tears off after Christy until the scene ends with him standing alone watching her leave.
And then there is the scene between Harriet Quimby and Christy when the aviatrix apologizes  to Christy for flirting with MacNeill. Harriet tells Christy that nothing really happened at MacNeill's because his heart was elsewhere, "It's you he wants, Christy". (My bet is that Christy swooned at that moment, and we were all swooning along with her.)
MacNeill's dashing entrance scene MacNeill's arrival to treat Miss Quimby is the first scene we have with the doctor and Christy together. MacNeill makes quite the heroic entrance in this film, galloping to the mission house almost like a knight in shining armor after being summoned to treat the injured aviatrix. He is all charm and full of banter in this scene and  mostly we notice the interaction between him and the lovely but bold Miss Quimby although when told by the aviatrix that Christy has complete faith in him, he smiles charmingly at Christy and responds in that case he had better do his best work. This scene is notable in the amount of flirting that is going on between Harriet and the doctor. And this development does not seem to catch Christy's notice as she appears more interested in Harriet the progressive woman pilot as a symbol for Christy's modernization campaign than she does in Harriet as an attractive woman about to give Christy a run for her money with one of her fellows. If Christy had noticed the flirting going on and had indicated to Harriet at this point that MacNeill was hands off, so much aggravation for the young school teacher could have been avoided, but then that would have required Christy acknowledging her true feelings for MacNeill which seems to be something Christy is uncomfortable doing at this juncture in their relationship. Another interesting little tidbit in this sequence comes from the voice over narrative from the elder Christy when she states: "In a few hours time, Harriet had become a distraction for every man she met." We will hear the word "distraction" used again much later in this movie as quite an understatement describing Christy's physical and emotional longings for a certain doctor.
Having a word in the stable This quiet little scene between MacNeill and Christy is a well-placed reminder that these two are very close but have not opened up completely to the other yet about their true feelings. It also points out the differences in approach that Christy uses on the two men in her life...earlier with David she came right out and said she had a favor to ask of him...here with MacNeill she starts more subtly, casually leading into her request by inquiring about Zach as his assistant. By her leading conversation with him, he recognizes instantly that she is leading up to something with her words so he calls her on it. Then she opens up and asks him outright. As is typical MacNeill, he is more than eager to help her out once he hears that David Grantland has turned her down. MacNeill cannot resist the plaintive request of the woman he loves when he realizes it means so much to her and that he will score big points by helping out. I loved the beautiful, warm smiles exchanged between the two at the end of this scene. Here are two people deeply involved in the other's life, very much attracted to each other and yet somehow still apart, and it is an important element to keep in mind as we try to reconcile what happens between Christy, MacNeill and Harriet Quimby.
The exchange on the stairs Christy's faith and MacNeill's challenge to her belief is brought out in this brief exchange that takes place on the interior staircase of the mission house. MacNeill has just exited Miss Alice's room where he has been attending her after she was attacked by the poachers and thrown from her horse. Christy anxiously meets him on the staircase and inquires about Miss Alice and what happened.  The young school teacher emphatically states that the Lord was watching over Miss Alice while MacNeill counters that more than likely it was that the poachers bungled the job and luck that prevented much worse from happening.
Yet for their opposing viewpoints here, neither appears eager to argue or antagonize the other and the two part with a friendly word or two as MacNeill tells Christy he will walk Zach home and work with him and his studies a bit, much to her delight. She teasingly tells him to be sure to stick to science and leave the theology to someone else. This seems minor but in itself shows how far their relationship has evolved into mutual respect for the other's beliefs and tolerance of their known differences. Compare this to one of their earlier altercations such as his questioning of her belief's in the episode "Lost and Found," and we see that during the time that has passed she has better learned to stand her own against him and also not become as annoyed at him for his differing viewpoint. He also has acquired a great deal of respect for her and her beliefs as well. This scene is beautifully lit and one of my favorite visual moments in the movie. Not only is the lighting sublime, but it resonates symbolically as the ambiance is used to great effect to reflect the idea of faith and the belief in God being a movement toward a spiritual enlightenment. Note that as Christy addresses MacNeill and expresses her beliefs, she moves up the stairs toward the light (which indicates the direction toward Miss Alice, who represents strength of faith, the idea of an Inner Light) while he moves down the stairs and toward the darkness as he express his doubts. A very notable scene both visually and thematically.
MacNeill's Invitation Now here is where things start to get rather interesting. MacNeill shows up bright and early at the mission to check on Miss Alice's condition the next morning, and he just happens to have brought a picnic lunch (imagine that!) and  invites Miss Harriet Quimby on a personal tour of Cutter Gap! When Christy shows up right after Harriet has accepted the offer and gets wind of this development, the young school teacher is none too pleased. By the look on her face, you can tell that she is rather annoyed by this turn of events and now all of a sudden the wonderful, modern Miss Quimby isn't such a great thing to Christy any more. In fact Christy tells us in a voice-over later that morning that "I tried to concentrate on teaching, but it was impossible" This was partly due to her uncertain future as a teacher at the mission school but also because, "Although I didn't want to admit it, I was also distracted by knowing where Neil was that day---and who he was with." (Ding! There is that distracted word again.)
Christy has every right to be upset for we learn that on the cove tour, Miss Quimby and Dr. MacNeill make a nice day of it enjoying each other's company and even share a very sweet kiss by the river. This kiss should enflame all of us MacNeill/Christy supporters, but in essence it appears pretty harmless. Why I say this is that MacNeill's kiss seems a gesture on his part to show Harriet that men found her attractive, which is something the aviatrix claims is not true. It is a gentle pleasant kiss, not a passionate "knock your socks off kiss" and due to the fact that Miss Quimby has certainly made her interest in the doctor known, he is exhibiting perfectly normal male behavior in that regard. But it does cause us to wonder if maybe something will happen between the two so that later we can share in Christy's suspicion, anger and hurt.
 Tea for Two Christy gets an eyeful when she shows up at Dr. MacNeill's supposedly to pick up a book for her student Zach Holt who is preparing for entrance exams to college. Now that excuse in itself is rather suspect to me because it sure seems that Christy was eager when she volunteered to go pick up the book. She either wants to see MacNeill and visit with him herself, or she wants to see what he is up to as she has been worrying about him with Harriet all day long. So Christy traipses off through the woods to MacNeill's cabin. Upon arrival she realizes that the doctor has company, and so Christy peeks through the foliage and sees Miss Quimby on his porch having tea and wearing one of his shirts. A stunned and very upset Christy tries to slip away without being noticed but MacNeill at just that moment spots the young school teacher as she beats a hasty retreat. He quickly puts down the tea pot with a "Damn it" and tears off the porch in pursuit of Christy.
The Chase Watch this next scene very carefully as it wins the award for most pastoral and most intense scene in this film between the couple. It is a good one!!! There is a wonderful chase through the woods with the branches whipping past Christy as she tries to get away from MacNeill. Down by the river's edge MacNeill catches up with her; he spins her around to face him and asks her what she is doing out there. She contends she came for the book for Zach and was startled. MacNeill knows better. Christy is hurt, angry, embarrassed and clearly jealous. He demands to know why she ran away and asks her outright if it was because Harriet was there having tea or because Harriet was wearing one of his shirts. Christy is very uncomfortable with this conversation and tries to cover by telling him that what he does is none of her business. But MacNeill isn't finished with this conversation; he is frustrated by her and her refusal to tell him the truth about her actions and admit her feelings toward him. So he emphatically puts her on notice that he is getting a bit impatient with this cat and mouse game. He expresses it this way, "I'm not a monk, Christy. And I'm tired of behaving like one." Wow!! Her reaction to this pronouncement is to move away from him and try to leave. This reminds me of the times in the book and on the original series where MacNeill drops big hints at Christy that he is very interested in her, wanting to get her reaction and to hear how she feels. But as is typical of Christy she either naively doesn't get it, is so stunned she chooses to play dumb, or is so confused by her own feelings that she doesn't know what to say or how to react.  This time it appears to be the latter. MacNeill calls after her as she leaves to make sure she knows that nothing really happened between Harriet and him, explaining to Christy that the reason Harriet was in one of his shirts is because she fell in the river and her clothes were drying by the fire. This little tidbit is significant because we are reminded that when Christy had first arrived at Cutter Gap, she too had fallen in the river by MacNeill's. But what we also remember is that instead of giving her one of his shirts to wear while drying off, MacNeill offered Christy a beautiful dress that had been his dead wife's, which at that time was a symbolic foreshadowing but now here later we see that it also represents the difference in his feelings for the two women.
Harriet's Apology Despite what I initially thought about Harriet Quimby and her aggressive flirtation with MacNeill, after this scene, you have to hand it to her. She ends up being a very decent sort and by her comments to Christy about MacNeill, she generates one of the biggest swoon moments found in this movie. Here is what happens. Back at the mission following an incident in which Harriet aides Christy in breaking up a potential lynching, the two women have a few moments to talk on the mission house steps. Harriet opens the conversation by apologizing to Christy about what happened at MacNeill's. Christy quickly covers her surprise and tells Harriet that what happened at MacNeill's between the aviatrix and him is none of her concern. Harriet quickly states that it actually what happened between Christy and MacNeill that she was referring to. The aviatrix then goes on to explain to Christy that MacNeill told her that it was Christy he ran after, and she tells the young school teacher that she is really sorry for what happened since she didn't realize that Christy "had designs on him." Christy naturally tries to pretend that what Harriet is saying is nonsense, but Harriet quickly sets her straight stating, "Christy I am a woman. And a fairly observant one, at that. If I'd been paying attention instead of flirting, I would have seen it earlier... And as much as I would have liked for him to be interested in me, his heart was elsewhere. It's you he wants, Christy." Christy seems totally stunned by this (delighted, but floored) and asks Harriet if MacNeill had actually said that. Harriet replies that he didn't have to. And I'm sitting there watching this thinking, "OK, on the count of three, lets all swoon together!!!!"
David's Accusation Now here comes David to snap Christy from her bliss. Leave it to David to wreck a perfectly good swoon!! He charges up to the Mission House and demands to know why Uncle Bogg and the mountain men are so upset. Christy tells him about the earlier incident with the poachers who were captured by the Cutter Gap men and nearly hung. And she tells him how she and Harriet prevented it. Christy also tells David that it makes no difference how mad she has made Bogg and the others because considering how things have been going for her lately, she has nothing to lose.  David takes offense at this comment and contends that her leaving to go home to Asheville is because she is trying to get away from him. And then he lowers the boom by telling her, "I've seen it on your face; you still have feelings for MacNeill and you have no intention of marrying me." (Hey, we have just had two good Christy/MacNeill swoons in less than five minutes! WOW!! And can you believe it, Grantland is responsible for one of them!) David then asks for Christy to return his ring that he had given her earlier. So Christy now has received pressure from each of the men in life to make up her mind and commit or quit!!
Zach's Test This is interesting in that we experience another of the great dynamics of this couple--a demonstration of another aspect of the two one which they differ (besides faith and religion) and why this makes them such an exciting couple to watch. We see here exactly how much Christy is still the outsider here with a different set of values and understanding than the reality of life in the Cove, as represented by MacNeill. His viewpoint is very much grounded in reality and first-hand experiences, and when examining her motivations he has an uncanny ability to see past her words and actions to what lies inside her heart. She still has illusions about life and projects her ideals and motivations on others at times...in this case on her student Zach Holt.  As viewers, we have observed Zach's struggles and realize that he is not prepared yet to pass the rigid college exams; he just doesn't have the knowledge and the schooling yet to pull that off. But Christy has her heart set on Zach doing this, and in many ways by setting his goals so high at this stage in his education, she sets the young man up for the big disappointment that he suffers when he fails to pass the exam. MacNeill understands what Zach is really up against and how much Christy still has to learn about the reality of life in the Cove. This scene shows Christy's immaturity and naiveté about life compared to MacNeill experience and maturity. MacNeill asserts that the best way to accept failure is to be honest with yourself. She asks him what she should tell Zach now and MacNeill counters with "How about the truth? Life isn't fair. And in Cutter Gap it's a lot less fair than any of us would like. Take it from me." But this truth isn't just for Zach; this truth is really intended for Christy. And what a telling statement this is coming from MacNeill as it forces us to consider all the unfairness that he witnesses on a day to day basis in tending to the medical needs of these people.  But it also reminds us of the world of difference in his life when compared to the sheltered life of ease that Christy comes from. As he turns and abruptly walks away from her, we realize that MacNeill is acutely aware of this polarity of experience, and it suggests to him one more reason why she might be better off with a man closer to her realm of experience. Yet we sense that what is really being done in here in pointing out the couple's obvious disparities is that once again we recognize that Christy's coming to value and love the people and life in Cutter Gap resonates with her coming to value and love this man. Their relationship mirrors her learning about herself, her faith, her beliefs, her values, and what is truly in her heart.
The Epilogue What is significant in this closing scene of the movie between Catherine and her mother, the elderly Christy is the brief discussion the two women have about Christy making a choice between the two men in her life. The elderly Christy tells her daughter that David was turning into a fine man that any girl would want to marry and that Neil was, well, a big distraction to her.  (Here is the distraction word again which I think by now we can take as her way of describing some type of desire or longing). It seems that we are being told that David would be the logical, safe choice; yet Christy's heart seems to be pulling her toward a reason of another kind. Christy has a tug of war going on inside herself between her reason (what she thinks she should want) and her heart (what she really wants). This will be a fascinating process to watch as she sorts this whole thing out in the miniseries "Choices of the Heart."
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