My anxiety is at an all time high after watching that episode of The Way Home. Like where do we even begin? My hands are literally still shaking over that ending. I am at a loss for words. DID NOT EXPECT THAT ENDING.
Not even close.
The thing about The Way Home is that it is going to change you. It’s going to be one of those shows that takes your heart, grabs onto it, squeezes it, and makes you feel a lot of things. And that ending made my jaw drop to the ground.
This story has a lot of layers.
And at the beginning I loved that it showed us that back in 1814, Kat is making a life for herself. She’s showing them all that she belongs there – even though she doesn’t. She’s developed a close relationship with Susanna and Elijah. She’s helping the family.
She’s living when she’s there. She’s showing them who she is. She’s feeling a connection.
But we saw it all through a montage, until we dove into this chapter of the story. When we’re talking about this show, it’s about family but it’s also about Port Haven and its history. It’s about how these families intersect, their past, and ultimately the towns future also.
If you’ve been paying attention to the show (which we all have) we know that history is a very complicated thing. Every year though Port Haven celebrates its history with Founders Day.
So while we examine the Founders Day of now and of the past, it’s very complicated. We are essentially living through three timelines here. 1814, 2002, and present day.
Elliot’s Past & Present
While we all know that there is no love lost right now between the character of Elliot and me, I will say this – I actually feel bad for him. I don’t think that is what he would want (anyone feeling sorry for him), but I can’t help that. I feel like as we examine Elliot’s past, we’re seeing why we need to cut him some grace.
Elliot’s Dad, well he wasn’t the kindest man. He felt less than other families in the town and wanted to let people know that his family was one of the founding families. He wanted people to look at him and Elliot with the same grace, respect, and kindness that others did.
But in his quest to prove his worth, he forgot who he is. He treat Elliot like sh**. He took out his insecurities on his kid. Elliot spends a lot of time away from his Dad, which we begin to understand why. It was just sad to realize that he didn’t tell Kat exactly what is going on. That breaks my heart because you’re supposed to be able to tell your best friend everything and not being able to is very isolating.
It kinda makes me happy that he has Alice visiting him from the future. It makes me happy that he has someone.
But Founders Day… yes, lets talk about that. It’s hard to see Founders Day or revisit it in any way for Elliot, because he remembers the day when his Dad embarrassed him in front of the entire town, just to prove that his family was one of the founding families.
So when Elliot has to give a speech at the present day Founders Day, I can see why his mind wanders. I was shocked to learn that his family are the town historians, but I also loved finding this out. It makes sense.
While I still think that Elliot is hiding something big, I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is, but I don’t believe that he knows something that can change everything.
THE LANDRY WOMEN
Over the course of this show, one thing that I have loved is the way that the Landry women have bonded. Each is feeling their own pain, their anguish, and their own grief and happiness. But they are all feeling something and know that they can count on the others.
Del, she’s having a big issue with Founders Day. What it is and why she feels like an imposter, I am just really not sure of. But she does and apparently she always has. She’s a Landry, but I still think she’s something else that we don’t know.
She feels like she’s letting the Landry line down, based off what is happening with the farm. But she’s not. She’s actually doing great in a whole new world. The thing is – in my opinion – she’s let her pride get in the way by not allowing Sam Bishop to pay for the land he’s supposed to be leasing.
Speaking of Sam, he’s like dating every woman in town.
Alice is trying to get her Mama to go back to 1814, because Jacob is supposed to be returning on the first day of Founder’s Day. This episode, I feel like Alice’s purpose was to be support. A lot of support to her family and to Elliot.
It’s the last week of Kat’s intern’s work. She’ll be leaving and heading back out of town. It turns out that she doesn’t know much about her family and has wanted to know. But when she finds out that Cyrus Goodwin (the douche in 1814) had an order from the British government where he could take a pillage from the town in the name of the crown. She starts to wonder if that is where the family got their money.
I wonder the purpose of the intern, and introducing her because she’s barely been in here. I want to know what is happening with her and why she’s here.
ELLIOT AND KAT
Elliot. Oh dear Elliot. I loved you so much and here we are with me really disliking you. I dislike you because you really have a tendency to be so hot and cold. I dislike you right now because you are not being kind.
While I know that Elliot loves Kat and he’s struggling with all that entails – he also is just all over the place with the time travel stuff. Like either you are on board or you aren’t. You can’t just love Kat one second and then chastise her the next because she’s not doing things the way you think that she should.
I will respect that Elliot looks through all of his Dad’s stuff and finds a Thomas Coyle, and then Kat knows when Jacob is coming back. But I will also say this – he’s out of line when he gets mad at Kat for time travel when he doesn’t for a second understand what she’s going through.
Yes, Kat told Susanna about time travel, but he was way out of line when he got mad about it. He got so mad and accused Kat of ruining her life, and then talked about how his was ruined.
Climb off your high horse Elliot. You keep inserting yourself in the situation. So, I can’t even be mad when Kat won’t speak to him at the Founder’s Day festival. Like he deserves that.
And then again, I feel bad for that. Elliot is starting to learn who he is and what it means to be an Augustine. He’s spent so much time trying to be anything but that. So I wonder, are his insecurities starting to make him feel like his father did?
Elliot has so much going on in his brain, but he’s going to have to let someone in or what he’s going to do, is isolate everyone.
THE 1814 OF IT ALL
Thomas Coyle. Look, I don’t know who you are, but you’re hot. You’re also trouble. A lot of trouble. But the way that you’re able to make Kat nervous, I am all for. Someone has to keep her on her toes.
But what I don’t understand is what you are up to. We find out that Jacob is traveling under Thomas Coyle’s name. We know that. But why? Well, hell, that’s all about to come out.
But we’ll get there. Kat does leave Founder’s Day in the present to head back to 1814 to see Jacob. She knows that he’s returning and is excited to see her brother. But Thomas Coyle.
Well he’s bad news. Hot, but he’s definitely keeping something. When Kat asks why Jacob is traveling under his name, Coyle says that it’s because he could afford the return ticket. Now, while I appreciate the fact that Coyle is a lying liar that lies and can think on his feet, I would say that he should have told Kat a better truth.
Especially knowing that Kat is going to see her brother.
Kat returns in time to help with the harvest. Having grown up on a farm, I now appreciate tractors more than I ever did. That’s a lot of hard work. Hard work that leads Kat to find Jacobs clothes form when he was a kid.
And that’s when the news came that the ship was there and Jacob was back.
Kat is driven by emotion and when she sees him on the boat coming to the land, she starts running into the water and calling his name. This alerts the British soldiers waiting in the wings. They ride forward and arrest Jacob for TREASON!
Kat, if you could have just kept yourself under control.
Elijah and Kat both try and get Jacob but are knocked down. What is happening? I have no idea.
I do know that my jaw is on the floor, because I did not see that coming.
The Way Home is digging its heels in to show that it is a show with staying power. It’s digging itself in to show that you don’t know what is happening even when you do. And that, my friends, is good television!
OTHER THOUGHTS
- I don’t trust dude at the truck with Alice. He’s just not trustworthy. Then again, I trust no one in this show.
- The pond scene. IYKYK
- Cyrus Goodwin. I have a feeling he’s behind Jacob’s arrest
- Susanna, I love her more and more with each episode.
- I am wondering if Kat can live with herself knowing that she got Jacob arrested
- Are Kat and Jacob – both of them – going to be able to return to the future
- Thomas Coyle has art supplies. I kinda hope that him and Kat fall in love, but then why is her portait in the Goodwin home.
The Way Home airs Sundays on The Hallmark Channel.
