Warning! The following contains spoilers from Hallmark's movie A Biltmore Christmas. Read at your own risk!
A Biltmore Christmas recently made its debut, and while some viewers are already checking which upcoming Hallmark movies deserve to be watched next, others like myself might have lingering questions about the time-traveling adventure filmed at the famous Biltmore estate. For example, did Winston know the hourglass was sending Lucy back and forth through time? With no one better to ask than star Jonathan Frakes himself, CinemaBlend took our unanswered question to the Star Trek vet to get his take.
Throughout A Biltmore Christmas, Jonathan Frakes' Winston seems oblivious to the hourglass' mystical properties. This notion continues throughout the movie until the very end, where it does seem for a moment or two that Winston was indeed aware of what was happening to Lucy the entire time. During a wonderful interview with the actor, I asked about the hourglass and learned his perspective on what Winston knew:
That's a great question. I asked the same thing. I think there's a wink in there. I think there's a sort of a time-traveling wink, and I think that he is the conductor of this story in a way. I'm not sure if he time travels, but I certainly think he's aware of the superpower or he controls the superpower of the hourglass. It's a muddy area, I chose that he was aware.
I want to agree with Jonathan Frakes, as it seemed Winston was adamant about Lucy checking out the hourglass during the Biltmore tour in the first place. At the same time, the middle of the movie features him trying to make his way to the hourglass only to be sidetracked by Margaret, the only Biltmore guest who knew of Lucy's time-travel adventures.
Perhaps Margaret just misunderstood what Winston was doing, and he was merely ensuring its protection until Lucy could return? I could buy that, especially if it meant Winston intentionally left out the hourglass so Jack could travel to the future to be with Lucy. The other possibility is that Winston was unassuming, and it was all a coincidence he didn't accidentally jeopardize the whole adventure, which doesn't seem nearly as fun.
The Star Trek fan in me wants to believe that Winston was actually Riker in disguise, and that the hourglass was some mysterious alien artifact. That's my headcanon, though, and nothing that officially enters into either Hallmark or Trek lore. Jonathan Frakes says there are other reasons for Trekkies to watch beyond my wild speculation.
One of the best reasons to check out A Biltmore Christmas is that the movie was filmed at the real-life location of the Biltmore Estate, which has been the home to many films over the years. The former home of the Vanderbilt family has been the setting for scenes in movies such as Forrest Gump, Last of the Mohicans, and Richie Rich. Viewers who tune in to enjoy this one of the jaw-dropping forty Christmas movies made by Hallmark for 2023 may spot one of those locations in the movie and be blown away by the massive rooms featured in each scene.
Questions about the hourglass aside, A Biltmore Christmas is a strong contender as one of the best Christmas movies of the 2023 holiday season and a solid watch for sci-fi fans eager for upcoming Star Trek projects in 2024 and beyond. With so many classics on repeat this year, why not shake it up with a new entry from the Hallmark network?
A Biltmore Christmas is available to stream right now with a Peacock Premium subscription or check listings for when it'll next air on the Hallmark channel. Of course, there are plenty of other Christmas movies to check out there, so it's never a bad idea just to flip it on for the day just to enjoy what's on.
