The Way Home Season 3, Episode 2 Review: ‘The Way We Were’

Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by The Way Home and that cliffhanger of an episode. I know that no one can see me raising my hand, but it is high up in the sky because OMFG.

Season 3 of The Way Home seems like it is going to tie up so many plot lines, as we say in Episode 1, but with tying them up, we have to expect that new ones will open. In this show, everything is an easter egg as to what is coming. Things from Season 1 traveled to Season 2, and now we’re getting some answers in Season 3. The writers of The Way Home are in this for the long run. They know that playing the slow burn, long game is something that they have us all loving.

And they are succeeding, no matter the time.

There was so much about the second episode of season three that had me questioning everything that I thought I knew about this show. Do I like the cliffhanger? No. But that is for selfish reasons. I could turn the next screener on, but one thing I have always done is watch an episode (of anything) and then review it. I’ll sit in my fangirl thoughts and in The Way Home – I have so many.

1974

Kat and Jacob are looking at the book where Kat spilled wine, trying to figure out what it means.

No one can convince me that Colton didn’t know about the pond (especially after this ending) and that he used the pond more than we ever could have thought.

Kat leaps into the pond to find Alice, and ends up in 1974, herself. Though she wants to bring Alice back, it won’t happen. Alice is headstrong and she is going to do what she wants. You can’t blame Alice for that, especially this time, because she never got a chance to know her Grandpa.

She’s of course going to want to be around him.

The surprising part of this is that Kat agrees. I thought she’d say no, but Kat understands. We love to see that kind of change. Kat and Alice’s relationship was always kind of all over the place. Now it’s there, we see it and we appreciate that.

When Alice returns, she sees a boy (Vic, Elliott’s Dad) playing with a guitar. His brother comes out and tries to get the guitar, and Vic sees Alice spying. Rick automatically becomes chummy with Alice and brings her to Coyles with him.

The biggest surprise that came my way was that Evelyn Goodwin was there and was friends with Colton and Rick. She was a lot of fun – so carefree and so happy to be alive. She was living her best life. Second surprise? She instantly took a liking to Alice because of the shirt that she was wearing.

One thing that I have always loved about Alice is that people are drawn to her. They want to know her and she wants to know them. She knows that time travel is a gift and she’s going to make sure that people have a good impression of her. But most of all she takes it all in.

THE COVE

Alice made such a great argument/conversation with Kat about staying and I have to admit that I was happy about that, because I wanted to know why she was sent to 1974. The pond takes you where you need to go and I think that she’s got something big that she needs to do in 1974.

At the cove, Alice is having the best time. She’s learning a lot about her Grandpa and wants to learn more. There were three important (in my opinion) things that happened at the pond.

The first – Alice and Colton singing together. Friends aren’t always the most supportive when you are a teenager. However, with Colton, everyone just wanted to hear him sing. Not shocking because he does have a great voice. What surprised me was that as he sang, Alice joined in with him. The two voices were so beautiful together and I quite enjoyed this moment.

I am not sure what is so important about the music they make together, but I feel like that will be told at the best time for the story.

The second – Del shows up and when Colton sees her – it is like Cupid’s arrow hit his chest. We get to learn more about Del and that she and Evelyn have known each other since they were kids. Del and Colton’s first meeting was something I have always wanted to see. Who doesn’t love a meet-cute?

The third – Colton was supposed to be in the car with Rick but decided to walk Evelyn and Alice home. Somehow Alice being at that party made Colton change his mind.

DADDY’S HOME

What I do hate for the Landrys is that everything needs to be a half-truth and mostly a lie. That is no way to live. But, it’s necessary.

Elliott is a part of that family and I don’t think for him that it’s an either-or situation. He believes that he can love both families equally. He knows that for his father – that is never a possibility. Vic wants the Augustines to be recognized for everything and more recognition for their contribution to Port Haven.

Vic keeps trying to call Elliott, but he’s not answering. He’s busy with his own life and I kinda loved it so much that Elliott just kept declining the call. Send a text Vic.

But apparently, Vic wanted to surprise his son. When Elliott walks up to his house, his Dad is there. He of course is there for a reason. It may take a few hours/days for him to admit it, but Vic always has an angle.

At first, it’s the book. He wants to be there for the glory of seeing his family’s name in print. Then it’s that he met someone and wants to marry them, but wants Elliott there.

It’s sad to see that Vic can’t tell the truth and that he doesn’t care that he’s hurting his son.

SOME HONESTY

I am so glad that Del is starting to let her grasp go a little bit. She’s worried about her kids and I do understand that. However, that being said, I do think that people don’t necessarily understand her. Yet, I wouldn’t want anyone to. That would mean that another kid disappears and I am not here for that.

Del is at the pond – staring at it – waiting for Kat and Alice. A watched pot never boils, Del.

When Jacob comes to see her – he tries to open up to her. Del may not always want to listen, but she does hear. The two are not the same thing. I can tell that Jacob has thought a lot about being honest with his Mom and I hope that she knows that this is part of the way that he needs to heal.

He tells her that he misses his father (Elijah) and basically that he has to come home. He is glad he’s there, but he misses his father.

Del is hurt. I think this situation no one is going to be able to avoid being hurt or upset. We can’t change the truth – that Jacob has spent so much time in the past that it is his home. He has to have one foot in and one foot out of 1814. His heart is in separate places.

Jacob believes that he is a bad person. I just wonder if he realizes that he’s not. He did what he had to do in order to survive.

A BOOK RELEASE

Kat wanted nothing more than to give Susanna her dream of being published. She wanted to make sure that Susanna knew who she was – that was someone special and someone who had so much to give.

For Susanna and Kat, Port Havens’s truth needed to be told. That is why this book is out and the story is being told.

Kat makes it back in time for her book release party, where one of the Goodwin family is present. They believe that Cyrus Goodwin is a blessing. Kat knows that he is a curse. The biggest surprise is when Jacob walks through the door and defends his sister. He may have said the wrong things and yes, he cleans them up well, but also, Sam, helps him remain calm.

The Goodwins are opening a vineyard, which means that we’re going to see a lot of them. I am quite excited for more dynamics with more families this season. I want to see this whole town and I love meeting more characters.

WAIT…

Imagine knowing that someone you met (and liked as a human being) died the night you met them. How would you react? Especially if you could time-travel back to warn them. TBH, I don’t think that I have ever thought about the downside of time travel, because I just thought it would be fun.

Is it fun? From the looks of it – it is fun. However, the weight of the way things are and were is a lot of pressure for anyone. I think that it is a lot to place on Alice. Do I enjoy this show? Yes. The Way Home is my favorite television show.

It has nothing to do with liking it though. What it has to do with is seeing this cloud of pressure that seems to have hung over Alice and Alice alone. Yes, others can jump and travel, but the pressure of it as a 17-year-old? That’s gotta be suffocating.

The Landrys and Elliott talk about the book that Kat spilled wine on and are trying to figure out what it means. In that conversation, Alice says that she’s done with the pond, and she tells them about her say in 1974; what she did, who she met, and so on. Elliott looks shocked as she says that she met his uncle.

The thing is his uncle died. Alice realizes that she has to go back and doesn’t give anyone time to weigh in. We just see her run out. Del wants to say something, but Kat tells her that it’s no use.

Obviously the record – of Alice singing with Colton – proves that she goes back. It’s at this moment that I realized that maybe Del not knowing about the pond was better, because of the worry on her face, she’s also carrying a lot.

FOR ONCE I FEEL FOR ELLIOTT

Every time that Jacob and Del talk – I get a little scared. I get scared because I never know how these two will react or what they will say. Jacob has a lot of respect for his Mom and he does love her. Del just sees him as a little boy still and needs to realize that he’s a man. It’s hard to see the two not know how to relate to each other.

But again, Del decides to give Jacob space. She’s letting him grow up and be in the time period that he’s in, and get used to it.

As another day ends in Port Haven, Elliott heads back to his house and sees that it looks like a toddler went on a rampage and threw everything everywhere. Only, that toddler is his father.

Elliott asks if his father is robbing him and Vic basically is trying to. He wants Elliott’s mom’s ring. Why? We don’t know.

We have no idea.

But what we see at the end is what holds me in a chokehold. Alice is at the pond, and who rises out of it – Colton. We’re not sure if he’s traveled yet. We just know that he is there. I NEED THE NEXT EPISODE NOW!

OTHER THOUGHTS

• I love that Colton’s guitar came from Evelyn and Rick. This changes my feelings about them – fostering his dreams.
• I love that we know now why it is that the Coyles sticker was on Colton’s guitar.
• It was a great twist when we learned who owned Coyles
• I’m still thinking about Colton’s sweater and how much I love it.
• Sam and Del in the barn is cute and I get it
• I really don’t like Elliott and Kat moving in together – for one reason. I feel like it will be hard on Jacob. He relies on his sister.

The Way Home airs Friday on The Hallmark Channel and streams the day after on Hallmark Plus.