Upamanyu Biswas
Colton’s saga continues in season 3 of Hallmark’s ‘The Way Home’ as Alice and Kat wonder just how much he knew about the time travel abilities of the pond in the third episode. In the 1974 timeline, the town of Port Haven mourns the death of Rick Augustine and expresses their grief. Alice witnesses the fallout of the tragedy after a quick dip in the pond, taking away her appetite to travel back in time in the short term. Meanwhile, an old familiar friend shows his face in the neighborhood, causing Alice to open up some old wounds while also hinting at a potential relationship on the horizon. Del struggles to adjust to the new changes within the Landry household and the speed at which things are altering. She is not the only one dealing with family issues as Elliot finds himself reaching his final straw with his negligent father, Vic. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Port Haven Grieves the Loss of Rick Augustine
The episode begins with Alice and Colton meeting one another at the pond. At the end of the previous episode, the latter emerged from the pond, possibly showcasing his ability to go into the future. However, episode 3 clears up the confusion by stating that both Alice and young Colton are still in 1974, just a few days after Rick Augustine’s death. Colton says that he was so devastated by Rick’s death he wanted to take a dip in the pond. However, it is not yet evident that he knows about the pond’s time-travel powers. Both Alice and Colton travel into town, where they discuss Rick’s tragic passing. Evelyn meets up with them and shares their grief. Colton is the one affected the most and breaks down several times. Meanwhile, an angry and hurting Vic Augustine blames Colton and says that he should have been the one to die in Rick’s place.
While still in 1974, Alice learns from Evelyn that she is deeply in love with young Colton. However, she is sad that he does not see her as anything more than a friend. She tells Alice that he gifted her a book, which, in her mind, was a confirmation of his platonic feelings for her. Alice finds it difficult to encourage Evelyn, especially as she knows that the future does not work out in favor of Evelyn and Colton. After a brief stay with Evelyn and Colton at Coyle’s Eats N’ Beats, she decides to leave the place. She runs into young Del outside the shop, who watches in admiration as Colton sings a sad song out of respect for his friend. Back home, Alice shares the truth about Evelyn’s feelings with her mother, feeling helpless about resolving the young girl’s unrequited love. She is also haunted by young Victor’s morose face in the aftermath of Rick’s death.
Tensions Flare Between Kat and Del as the Family Dynamics Shift
In the present day, Del and Kat have a brief misunderstanding and altercation during a dinner scene. Upon breaking the news about Kat moving in with Elliot, Del reacts badly to the development and asks her daughter to reconsider her choice, especially as Alice is dealing with a lot as a teenager and needs her mother. Kat does not back down from her position, and the two butt heads while Elliot and Jacob talk outside. Kat later visits her daughter’s bedroom, hoping to help her process the grief from Rick’s funeral. Alice reveals to Kat that Colton handed Evelyn the second book as a gift. Suspecting that there may be a message on it, just like the first, she spills some wine over the front page and finds the other half of the message. Alice and Kat read it, and the latter poses the question of whether both Colton and Evelyn were time travelers through the pond as well.
The Landry family and Elliot head out to the farmer’s market, where Alice is surprised to see Noah at his coffee truck. She meets up with him while Jacob tries to adjust to life outside the Landry farm. Del reconciles her frayed bond with Rita, revealing that she is feeling lost with the new changes in the Landry household. Meanwhile, Kat decides to find some answers by taking a dip in the pond and emerging in 1974. She runs into an old woman in the woods, who turns out to be Colton’s grandmother, Fern. Fern recites a cryptic song to Kat – ’65 thought they died, 65 still alive.’ She leaves the Landry farm and runs into young Colton and Evelyn in the woods, discussing Rick and the pond. However, just as Colton is about to reveal something important, Kat makes an unfortunate noise that triggers him to stop and go look for his grandma.
Eliott’s Woes With His Father’s Continue While Alice and Kat Make an Important Discovery
Jacob runs into his old childhood friend Danny at the farmer’s market. The two head off to reconnect, where Jacob tells Danny to stop blaming himself for his disappearance. Meanwhile, Elliot struggles to make any headway with his father, Vic. After the events from the previous episode, Elliot makes it clear to Vic that he has no intention of handing over his mother’s ring to him. However, after Alice talks about Rick’s passing in 1974, Elliot decides to reconcile their bond by discussing the pain and tragedy Vic went through as a young child, watching his brother die and living with the weight for such a long time. Vic seems to make amends for his poor behavior, which leads Elliot to present his mother’s ring to him. He tells him to keep it as he wants Elliot to continue the Augustine legacy on his own.
Although his faith in Vic seems to be restored, Elliot wakes up the next day and finds that Vic is gone and the ring is missing. He immediately feels let down and disappointed. Kat and Alice talk about the former’s trip to 1974 and what she learned during the visit. Kat tells Alice about Fern’s mysterious song, which leads Alice to reason that maybe the number 65 is referring to the year 1965. Kat looks through the archives and finds a document talking about a town vote to fill in the Landry Pond in 1965. They both realize that Fern’s song may be referring to the town’s decision, meaning they have to look into yet another development. It will be interesting to see what they learn from it and whether they can find out for sure about Colton’s time-travel powers.
Read More: The Way Home Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: The Way We Were
