Wow. This latest episode of The Way Home was amazing! Season 2 Episode 7 of The Way Home premiered on Sunday, March 10. “Somewhere Only We Know” gets an A+ review from me for its fast pace that moved some key storylines forward, a simmering love story that has all my attention, and some unexpected twists whose resolution I honestly can’t predict. The actors all delivered stellar performances, and the writing was top-notch. This is why The Way Home is my favorite Hallmark series (and perhaps my favorite TV series airing right now!)
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**WARNING: SPOILERS FOR S2E7 BELOW**
Thomas Coyle’s Romance with Kat is Sizzling
Let’s jump straight to my favorite part of the episode: Thomas Coyle. I found myself looking forward to every scene that he and Kat were in together. Sure, there were quite a few romance tropes thrown in (he has to lie on top of her to keep her from being seen when the enemies arrive, he carries her when they’re fighting, she worries that he’s been shot…) But honestly, it all just worked. I loved it all.
Every scene between Thomas and Kat sizzled (hence the new trend of calling them TomKat.) I did cringe a bit when he picked her up and carried her into the ocean, but I quickly forgave him when he brought her back to the beach. (Plus, with their chemistry, it still worked!) And I love how she immediately told him the truth about the pond, despite recently fighting with Elliot about how she told Susanna.
The episode also brought into focus why Kat and Elliot are better off friends, and why she and Thomas work. When Kat and Elliot fight, it pulls them apart and they end up resenting each other. Right now, it looks like that Thomas and Kat simply fight…better. They disagree just as vehemently, but they do so while still respecting each other. They fight but it somehow draws them closer. They’re just an overall better couple.
Poor Elliot 😞 #thewayhome #hallmark pic.twitter.com/tGFZ5BtKeb
— comfy Cozy TV (@ComfyCozyTV) March 13, 2024
But how will this end? Kat can’t move permanently to the past unless Alice moves with her. And Alice won’t do that with her dad, Del, and Noah in the present. We’ve never seen someone born in the past move to the future, but can an exception be made for Thomas? I’m holding out hope for these two, but I’m fearful that his “My Katherine” painting is something he made to remember her after she left. Ugh.
Honestly, I’m not sure I can ever love Kat and Elliot after seeing how well she works with Coyle.
And on a side note, can we put an end to these odd theories that Coyle is somehow related to Colton because they both have wavy hair? I mean, no, Kat is not falling in love with a relative. This is Hallmark, not Game of Thrones. 😅
Truth 😂 #thewayhome #hallmark pic.twitter.com/qIiLqkgyzz
— comfy Cozy TV (@ComfyCozyTV) March 13, 2024
Why Did Elliot Know You Can’t Bring Items From the Future to the Past?
So Kat couldn’t bring medicine to the past to help Jacob. It was always a possibility, but Elliot seemed so certain of it. Is it because he’s time-traveled too? Or is it because he encountered another time traveler who knew more about how the pond works, but they swore him to secrecy? Elliot takes making a pact very seriously (and has felt this way his entire life.) My new theory is that he is keeping another time traveler’s secret, and that’s why he knows so much about the pond.
At least now we know for certain why no one brought a camera to the 1800s to take pictures of Jacob. 😅
However, that still leaves the question of why people can bring modern-day clothes that they’re wearing with them. Plot hole? Or a sentient pond?
Where Is Hallmark Going with Nick?
This Nick situation is throwing me for a loop, and I’m not sure where Hallmark’s going with it. Adult Nick and teen Alice were establishing a nice brotherly kind of friendship in this episode, with Nick giving her advice about approaching Noah and assuring her that she’s young and still has a lot of time to figure out love. I didn’t expect him to return to the show at all, but I was OK with this brotherly kind of moment.
But then Hallmark threw in a twist. Nick’s fiancee broke up with him. And when Nick overhears Alice singing with Noah, he realizes that somehow, some way, this Alice is his Alice. His one true love from when he was a teenager.
But it’s obvious that Nick is too old for Alice. He’s the same age as her mom! So no, they can’t possibly be together. And besides, I’m liking the Noah-Alice scenes (even if I’m not positive they will end up together forever.)
I can picture Nick possibly taking the high road and never telling Alice that he figured out the truth, for her sake. But the news might also destroy his friendship with Elliot. Elliot knew they were in love, he knew why Alice left, he knew Nick was heartbroken, and he never told him the truth. Instead, he made decisions for Nick (just like he tries to do for Kat.) He should have given Nick a chance to attempt time travel in the pond, if he wanted, even if it wouldn’t work. But instead, he took away Nick’s choices and autonomy. I don’t see how their friendship survives this.
We know the past can’t be changed, so I guess there’s no way past Nick finds a way to travel to the future at this point. What’s done is done. But it’s sad that he didn’t even get the chance.
And on yet another side note, let’s put aside these strange theories that Noah is somehow related to Brady. Yeah, I picked up on the similarity between them when Noah was singing to Alice too. But I think that only shows that Alice is similar to her mom in some ways, and maybe if Alice gets mad at Kat, she’ll rely on Noah to get her through.
This isn’t game of thrones 😂 #thewayhome #hallmark pic.twitter.com/3tX6EgRLXJ
— comfy Cozy TV (@ComfyCozyTV) March 13, 2024
But once again, this is Hallmark, not Game of Thrones. Alice and Noah have kissed. Noah is not related to her dad. 🤦♀️
Jacob’s Story Is Progressing
I really thought Kat would find a way to take Jacob to the pond when he was almost dying, but I love that the show did something different than I expected. Susanna was able to heal Jacob and now that he’s no longer delirious with a fever, he remembers Kat. It’s going to be so interesting to watch her adjust to a *new* brother who has a long life behind him, and is not the innocent little boy she remembers. It’s like when your parents don’t want to admit that you’ve grown up, so they still treat you like a child (only this is more extreme).
I can’t wait to find out if Jacob ever time-traveled in the pond since he arrived as a kid. My personal theory is that he did, but the pond didn’t let him go back to his own timeline. It sent him somewhere else. But where? Maybe that will be explored next season if the show is renewed.
Del & Sam’s Story Is Refreshing
I’ll admit… When Sam Bishop, Del’s neighbor, first came on the scene, I was suspicious of him. But he’s won me over now. I like how respectfully he treats Del, and how he’s stopped dating other women even though they’re not official or exclusive in the slightest. He just wants to show her that she’s the one he’s interested in, and maybe she will one day feel the same.
(And I love that her friend was OK with Del being the object of his attention, rather than jealous! That was a great move on the writers’ part.)
Del and Sam have a nice, easy-going chemistry that is enjoyable to watch. His scenes with her bring a smile to my face. (Along with Elliot’s look at Del when Sam first showed up in that one scene, haha!) Of course, her memories of Colton will get in the way. That’s only natural, even after all these years. But if she finds out the pond allows time travel (unless she already knows), will that affect her ability to move on?
Please Tell Del the Truth Already!
My only complaint about the show is that Kat still thinks keeping Del in the dark is somehow the right choice. It never made sense, considering that Kat was trying to learn everything she could about the pond. Kat would naturally want to see if Del knows anything! Kat’s assuming that she knows nothing is quite presumptuous.
But at this point, not telling her is dragging things out too much.
I love that putting Elliot and Alice in charge of the town newspaper didn’t work at all. Kat’s job isn’t easy to learn and she’s not easily replaceable! It was a nice touch of realism. I’ve designed some newspapers in the past and it’s not easy if you don’t know what you’re doing. Del’s anger about Kat wasting her new job was also realistic too.
It’s time for Del to know the truth.
Lingermore’s Dark Secret
The episode ended with major hints about the “dark secret” that Kat and Elliot are hiding about Lingermore. (If it’s as bad as they’re hinting, maybe Kat doesn’t have any room for thinking less of Jacob’s and Thomas’s decisions in the 1800s, hmmm?)
Alice and Noah discovered that a story about the 2007 Lingermore incident had been pulled from The Herald, and a bunch of undeveloped negatives were in the file. One of those showed a mask on the floor, Elliot’s glasses, and blood. Previously, Kat told Elliot that Alice would “hate” her if she found out, though Elliot thought she’d eventually get over the shock of whatever she might learn.
So what are they hiding? One guess, considering how many times Elliot’s dad has come up recently, is that maybe Elliot’s dad was somehow killed at Lingermore and everyone covered it up. It would mean that Elliot didn’t really visit his dad in Mexico and all of that was a cover story too. That seems a little extreme though, and perhaps something Alice wouldn’t forgive, so I’m thinking it will probably be something else.
We did get one other hint, in the form of a brief glimpse at Elliot’s journal from when the party incident happened. It was shared in The Way Home Facebook group.
Some fans think the words we can’t read in the journal entry are that Elliot broke “the pond” (but it could also say “the pact.”) And why does he think he can’t face Alice again because of what he did?
My main guesses are: 1.) Elliot got drunk at the party, broke his pact with Alice, told others about what the pond can do, and someone used the pond. (Maybe Casey and they don’t realize current Casey is someone they knew before? Maybe Nick but he came back? Maybe Kat and she’s worried Alice will hate her because she hid that she had traveled in the pond as a teen?)
2.) Something happened at the party that was Elliot’s fault and led to breaking the pond itself. But if Alice was the only one who could travel in the pond back in that time period, then how would they even know it was broken?
I’m leaning toward theory #1, but it will likely be something entirely different, knowing this show.
I can’t wait to learn more about this mystery!
My Wish List for the Show:
- I want a Kat-Coyle romance and for Coyle to travel to the future. I’m over Kat-Elliot.
- I’m here for the fallout between Nick and Elliot once Nick learns that Elliot kept the truth about Alice from him.
Major Mysteries:
- Why is Coyle’s name on Alice/Colton’s guitar?
- When/why did Coyle paint Kat? (I’m just assuming he did at this point.)
- Who was the older woman with Jacob at the pond in season 1? I’m guessing Elijah’s wife Rebecca, and maybe she traveled in time herself rather than dying.
- Why isn’t Jacob’s name in any of the historical books? Is it because he returned to the future?
- Who was watching the Brady family in the past (he looked like Colton)?
- Can only the Landrys use the pond (and their dog Finn) or can others use it too?
- Is Susanna’s connection to the land somehow connected to the pond’s powers?
- What secret are Elliot and Kat hiding about Lingermore?
- Why does Elliot know so much about the pond? Did he use it or meet another traveler?
- Who is Casey Goodwin really?
Cons:
- My only “con” is still the same one 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 7 is A+.
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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].
