Hallmark "The Way Home"
The season finale for Hallmark’s new series, “The Way Home,” was a masterclass in storytelling. Much of the complexity and nuance was explained, but we were also left with new questions to ponder until the show returns. A major twist at the end revealed that clues scattered throughout the season actually pointed to the resolution of a major mystery. But on top of all the complexities, the stars’ acting brought a full range of emotions to the episode.
Although everyone truly shined in the finale, I’d give an “MVP” rating to Andie MacDowell as Del Landry. Her reaction to Alice’s song brought tears to my own eyes.
The review of “The Way Home” finale will not only look at the acting and the storyline, but will also review fan theories about exactly what happened at the end.
This article has major spoilers for Season 1 Episode 10 of “The Way Home.”
Kat Has a Devastating Loss to Relive, Just as Elliot Decides to Move On
Hallmark“The Way Home”
Much of the episode revolves around the Kat and Alice Landry dealing with the devastating knowledge that they were to blame for Colton’s death. Alice followed her mom into the past and was in the road where Colton was driving. Kat tried to save Alice, but in the process caused Colton to swerve to try to avoid them and died.
From the moment Kat returns, devastated from watching her dad die, Elliot encourages her to live in the present from now on. Although Elliot’s been hugely supportive of Kat this season, his push to get her to dismiss what happened so quickly felt wrong to me. Watching her dad die is a level of trauma that could cause PTSD. Acting like she should immediately be able to just put it in the past and focus on the present feels like he was asking too much, too fast.
It was understandable that Kat and Alice traveled back in time, hoping to change the past. Even after what happened to Jacob, you can’t blame Kat for trying. It’s only human. So I had a tough time sympathizing with Elliot in this episode. Kat wasn’t mistreating him by trying to save her dad. She was just being human and trying to take advantage of a very small window of opportunity.
At one point, Kat realizes that she was also the reason her mom thought her dad was cheating (because she saw her at the funeral.) She opines to Elliot that she’s the source of everything bad that’s happened, and he gets angry at her for not living in the present. His reaction felt odd and wrong to me. She’s dealing with some major trauma and it’s understandable that she needs to process the past. She can’t just ignore her trauma and move on.
When the episode nears its conclusion, Elliot says that what Alice told him about the future locked him into following a set path. He’s never truly felt free, and he’s decided that he would rather be free without the Landrys than experience an unknown future with Kat.
Some fans provide interesting thoughts on his decision. In one Hallmark group discussion, some fans surmised that after Elliot talked to Brady, he realized he would always be the one who helped Kat, but not the love of her life. That perhaps he wanted Kat to fight for him, just like she will fight for others.
But from my perspective, I feel like this is a decision that he and Kat can’t come back from. It has only been a short time since she witnessed her dad die, and now Elliot’s breaking up with her when she’s so vulnerable. Although I believe they will get back together at some point, I’m having trouble excusing Elliot for this decision.
The only good excuse I can think of would be if a future Kat had visited him too. Perhaps he know that Kat needs to be free so she can fully focus on traveling to the 1800s, and his decision is based on that. But as with all things time travel, he can’t tell Kat the truth because it involves her own future.
Did Colton Recognize Kat?
Colton #JeffersonBrown spotted Kat @chy_leigh outside the door! What will happen next? #TheWayHome
When Colton died (in a devastating scene shown last week), he seemed to recognize Kat. He called her Katherine and said he loved her. She brings this up to Elliot again, wondering what it means. But Elliot seems strangely dismissive of it (which once again makes me wonder if a future Kat has clued him into something he can’t talk about.)
Some theorize that Colton is time traveling too, and that explains the scene was saw in last week’s episode between him and Del (which she referenced again in the finale.) Colton made a comment about going back to make things right. It would also explain why he recognized adult Kat at the end. Many fans are guessing that Colton has also utilized the pond, and we haven’t seen the last of him.
Seeing Kat at the End & Learning About the Dog Opens Up A Lot of Questions
Hallmark“The Way Home”
The entire episode was beautiful. There was a small bit that pointed to a possible future romance between Alice and Spencer, which I loved. Brady and Kat made a clean break with their divorce, which was a long time coming. Many loose ends were tied up.
But other threads were just beginning to unravel.
At the end, we learned that the Del’s dog can travel through time using the pond. He was going back in time to play with Jacob, and then traveling back to Del’s time to stay with her. When Kat thought she escorted Jacob back to the house, he left shortly after to chase after the dog. He fell into the pond in the process and ended up back in the 1800s, based on a note he wrote in the Landry journal.
We also learned that the woman we saw in the very first scene, jumping into the pond, was Kat. The final scene revealed that she’s been going back to the 1800s to try to rescue Jacob and bring him to the present.
But this leaves a lot of questions. We know that Kat, Alice, and the dog can all travel through time via the pond. We know that Elliot has said he can’t (but is that true?)
The theory that time travel is passed through the Landry family was proven false, due to the dog’s time traveling. I think it’s safe to say that Del hasn’t used the pond to time travel. When she heard Alice singing Colton’s song, Andie MacDowell portrayed the most beautiful, authentic emotions of surprise, shock, sadness, and joy. If she knew about the pond, though, she would have put everything together in that moment. But she didn’t.
However, fans do think that Colton might have used the pond too. And if that’s the case, we very well may be seeing Colton in season 2. Jefferson Brown has done such a wonderful job in that role, I really hope it’s true.
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‘The Way Home’ Finale Review: Analyzing All the Major Theories