Season 2 Episode 3 of The Way Home premiered on Sunday, February 4, and once again, I’m giving the episode an A+ review. The actors and directors never disappoint, and the writers are crafting a compelling mystery that never seems to lose steam. This week, we learned compelling new details about Jacob, but the introduction of new characters (and the confirmation that Elliot is hiding big secrets) are presenting viewers with even more questions and theories to discuss.
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**WARNING: SPOILERS FOR S2E3 BELOW**
Kat Uncovers Truths About Jacob That Will Reverberate Into Future Episodes
When Kat travels back to 1814, she meets Elijah Landry. (He’s the one who carved his and his wife Rebecca’s initials into the fireplace — initials that remain there all these years later in the present day.) Sadly, Elijah’s wife has died, but he continues to keep the Landry farm operating. Kat’s scenes with Elijah were heartfelt and touching. She was deeply moved when she saw the family farm in its original state: a true piece of history.
We soon learn that the farm has sent Kat back in time to a point where Jacob is the same age that he would have been in the present day if he had never disappeared. Elijah has a son of his own named William, and William has a little boy that he named after his adopted brother. According to Elijah, they’ve raised Jacob since they found him as a little boy, and he’s always been a Landry through and through.
Jacob is out of town delivering a ship for the war effort, but he will be back at the farm soon. He’s lived a full and happy life in this timeline. In fact, he was the one who helped build the lighthouse that still stands in the town in the present day. It’s surreal to Kat to realize she spent so many days in her youth looking at that lighthouse, not realizing that her little brother had built it.
We also learn that Jacob is engaged to Susanna Augustine, the woman who saved Kat’s life. While Elijah accepts Kat without question, Susanna is highly skeptical of her.
One question I am wondering is just how Susanna is related to Elliot, since they’re both Augustines. Elliot has only mentioned Samuel Augustine, the author of that red book about the founding of the town. But he hasn’t mentioned Susanna. Is that because she travels forward in time with her fiance, Jacob? Or does Jacob ultimately choose to stay with Susanna?
Elliot’s Secrets Are Catching Up to Him
Evan Williams was absolutely outstanding in this episode. His scenes as Elliot showcased a deep vulnerability in the character. He’s been struggling with the memories of Colton and his death flooding back, along with the recent grief of realizing once again how neglectful his biological dad is.
But he’s also struggling with the rift between him and Kat. When she first returns to the present day and they hug, there’s a true depth to their reunion. And while they still argue about how to handle the past, he’s more respectful of her opinions now. Their relationship and their understanding of each other is growing and maturing.
Elliot’s scene with Kat at the lighthouse was also heartfelt, and his desire to stay close to her was evident just in the way he looked at her and the tone of voice he used with her. I’m rooting for these two to end up back together.
But at the end of the episode, we learn that he’s still hiding his own secrets, just like the Landry family. Kat and Alice are hiding the truth about the pond from Del, Del is hiding the truth about the farm being at risk from Kat and Alice, and Elliot is hiding Alice’s time travels from Alice and Kat. (Kat is going to be furious when she finds out that he’s hiding something about her daughter that is so significant.)
Alice picks up on this when Elliot references a “pact” they had, but it’s one they never made. At the end of the episode, he admits that he is hiding that she traveled back again. But he won’t reveal what happened. He just cryptically says that he can’t tell her what the pond wants her to do, “even if I wanted to.” He simply offers this advice: “Don’t be in a hurry to jump back in. You can never go back to the way things were. People grow up. And everything you knew about those kids we once were is going to change.”
I can only guess that he’s terrified of influencing the timeline somehow (like he feels Kat did with Colton’s death), so he’s trying to stay out of it as much as he can.
Theories Are Swirling About Casey Goodwin and Noah LeBlanc
We met three new characters in episode 3. I’ll talk about the neighbor in the section below, but first let’s discuss Casey Goodwin, grandchild of Evelyn, and Noah LeBlanc.
Casey (who goes by the pronouns they/them) seems really nice. They’re having to live in Port Haven while their family goes through the Goodwin estate, and are understandably feeling awkward about the summer. But since they already have an interest in journalism, they convince Kat to hire them as an intern.
Some fans are speculating that Casey might be a time traveler too. I’ll admit that their interest in being Alice’s friend feels pretty intense, and they’re definitely inserting themselves into the Landry family pretty quick. Some think they’re Jacob and Susanna’s child, time traveling. But that wouldn’t explain why they call themselves a Goodwin. I’m going to guess that they aren’t a time traveler, but will be integral to the storyline in some very important way, perhaps uncovering clues about the incident at the Goodwin estate that Elliot is hiding. However, I’m open to the idea that I might be wrong on this one.
As far as Noah LeBlanc (the guy at the coffee shop), he’s another interesting story. He just graduated from high school (making him 18) and was the popular kid in school. I think he’s just being introduced as a possible romantic interest for Alice. But some fans can’t help but comment on how much he looks like an age-progressed Jacob.
Here’s what Noah looks like.
And here’s an age-progressed Jacob.
I mean, we can’t deny how much they look like each other. They could be the same person. I don’t think that was done on accident.
But is it just a misdirection?
Jacob from 1814 is definitely older than Noah. Jacob was missing for 24 years and Noah is only 18 (19 at the most.) For Noah to be Jacob, this would have to be a Jacob from before 1814. (Maybe those stories about delivering ships and leaving for other missions are just coverups for time traveling?)
But that feels pretty complicated to me.
Some fans think that maybe he’s Jacob’s child. Could that be more likely? Possibly. I can’t dismiss the similarities between Noah and the Jacob sketch, even though it feels like a stretch to connect them. It might be a red herring (just like we were allowed to believe the black horse was a time traveler at first.) But maybe there’s more to it.
I don’t think both Noah and Casey will be time travelers. If one of them is, it will only be one. And Casey’s intense interest in the Landry family is pointing to them as the most likely suspect.
I’m Suspicious of the New Neighbor
We also meet Del’s new neighbor, Sam Bishop (played by Rob Stewart.) He bought the neighbor’s land and is the one who didn’t want to continue leasing the land on her property. Apparently his family is also from the town, so he’s not new.
But something about him rings wrong. He’s way too smooth with how he speaks when he first meets her and Alice on the side of the road. It makes me instantly skeptical of him, even though he was trying to help. But we do learn at the end of the episode that he owns the sweet black horse who adopted Del and reminded her of the horse she had as a kid. This ended any theories that her horse was time traveling like Finn the dog.
I’m hoping I’m wrong and he will end up being a nice person, but at this point, it’s really tough to tell. It’s also possible that I’m just being unfair because there’s no way anyone is going to compare to Colton.
At the very end of the episode, Kat finds a stack of images taped underside a desk in the farmhouse. They’re images of the pond, indicating that someone else is aware of its special powers. But who? Jacob? Del?
Overall, this was a wonderful episode. It left me with a lot to think about.
My Future Hope:
- I’d like Elliot to go back in time with Kat since we are constantly reminded that it’s not safe for women to travel alone in that time period.
Cons:
- My only “con” is still the same con that I include every week: Kat and Alice really need to talk to Del about the pond!
My grade for The Way Home Season 2 Episode 3 is A+. The plot is well paced and the mysteries continue to be engaging.
Stephanie Dwilson has been working in entertainment journalism for more than a decade. She's led teams of writers covering top TV show franchises like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Rick and Morty, and more. She's a veteran Hallmark journalist and runs a 60,000-member Facebook group dedicated to the genre.
Stephanie is a licensed attorney and she has a master's in science in science and technology journalism. You can reach her at [email protected].
