Kat Landry (Chyler Leigh) makes a splash on Episode 203 “When You Were Young” of Hallmark’s The Way Home during a trip to 1814 in which she sets foot on the original Landry family farm and comes face to face with the infamous Elijah Landry (Stewart Hughes). It is within the Landry home that Kat makes a life-altering discovery about her brother Jacob that may deter the persistent sister from bringing him home to the 21st century.
The Explorer Found His Way Home | With tearful eyes and clothes soaked and heavy, Kat chases a young boy who resembles her missing brother Jacob through a forest blanketed by fog. Before she catches up to him, the child stops and turns to get a look at his pursuant. Kat is struck by the realization that the boy isn’t Jacob. A man steps between her and the frightened kid, weary of the stranger who had been running after his grandson. The man introduces himself as Elijah Landry. Kat is speechless to be in the presence of her ancestor and a founder of Port Haven, New Brunswick.
Despite the uncomfortable encounter, Elijah invites Kat to his home to warm up by the fire and have a hot meal. As they ascend from the edge the of forest, Kat sees Elijah’s place – it’s the Landry Family home that she grows up in more than one hundred years from now. “It’s home,” Kat remarks to herself with a smile.
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Inside, Kat observes a home very similar to the one that she knows, including the stone fireplace that still stands in future marked by Elijah and his wife Rebecca’s initials. Framed and hanging on a wall is an illustration of the Port Haven lighthouse, an iconic figure of the town. Elijah proudly tells her that his son designed and built it. Kat had no idea that the lighthouse was built by the Landry’s at the start of the town’s build-out.
While Elijah heats up food for his guest, he whistles a familiar tune. The familiarity strikes Kat when she discovers a “JK” etched into the dining table – Elijah is whistling the melody of a song her father Colton used to sing and play on the guitar during her childhood. “How do you know that song?” Kat promptly asks Elijah. Elijah tells her that his son used to sing the song when he was a boy. “William, the son who built the lighthouse?” Kat inquires. Elijah corrects her and tells her that his son Jacob used to sing it; also, it was he who built the lighthouse for Port Haven. Kat is taken aback by the discovery that Jacob is indeed alive and now a gown man. According to Elijah, Rebecca and he took Jacob in when he was a child and raised him as a Landry. “The explorer found his way home,” Kat mutters to herself.
Elijah then returns the question: “how do you know that song, Katherine? The one my Jacob used to sing as a child.” Kat confides in Elijah that she lost her brother twenty-four years ago and she believes she has finally found him. Elijah’s eyes fill with emotion and he outstretches his hands across the table to Kat. Kat takes his hands in hers. “If you’re Jacob’s sister, then that makes you family, too,” he tells her.
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As Elijah and Kat discuss Jacob, Susanna Augustine (Watson Rose) arrives and Kat learns that Jacob is betrothed to the woman who saved her life after being shot by Thomas Coyle (Kris Holden-Ried). Susanna, suspicious of Kat’s presence at the Landry’s, prompts her to escort her away from Elijah and Jacob’s. Susanna leads Kat back to the pond before drawing a knife to her. “Who are you and what do you want with the Landry family? With Jacob?” Susanna prods Kat. “You want to know who I am? You asked for it,” Kat responds. She then steps back to the rocky shore of the pond, holds out her arms, and falls back into the portal, disappearing before Susanna’s eyes.
Alice to the Rescue? | In present day, Del (Andie MacDowell) loads up the back of her Chevy pickup truck with Landry farm’s Blue House honey, apples and other goods to be sold at the farmers market in town. Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) rushes in insisting that she helps her at the market for the day. Unbeknown to Del, Alice learned about the neighboring farmer breaking his land lease with her. Out of worry and eagerness to be a source of support to her grandma, Alice tries to prevent Del from giving generous samples of honey to potential customers. Alice’s nerves get the best of her and eventually she spills the news that they might lose the farm for all at the market to hear. Del is surprised by Alice’s presumption and informs her that the farm is not at risk after all.
You Did It! | Kat returns to present day and as she passes Eliot’s (Evan Williams) house, she sees him in the front yard. Reeling with emotion from finding Jacob sends her running into Eliot’s arms. “You did it, Kat!”, exclaims Eliot in celebration. The pair go inside where Kat tells her dear friend everything she had learned about Jacob’s life in the early 19th century with Elijah and Rebecca Landry. Eliot cautions her to remember that he has grown up and lived with Elijah and his family for more than twenty years and he has made a life for himself complete with plans to marry the woman he loves, Susanna. “Do you expect him to leave everything he knows behind?” questions Eliot. His question infuriates Kat. She is adamant that Jacob belongs in the present timeline and he must return despite what he’s built for himself in the past… Will Jacob agree with his sister?
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You Find a Way | Alice seeks the advice of Eliot after her mother tells her that she can’t travel to 1814 with her for fear her daughter might face the same dangers she has. When asked how he’s been able to wait and remain a source of support for Kat and her all of the years since Alice met him back in 1999, Eliot explains that “when you care about the time traveler, you find a way.” Alice takes the statement to heart and heads to The Harold to take her mom up on the offer to intern for the local newspaper. When she arrives, Alice finds that a newcomer to the town, Casey Goodwin (Vaughan Murrae), has already filled the position. The brooding teen is left feeling defeated. Neither her grandmother nor her mom needs her help, so she decides to take a server opening at a local café called The Point – a job that Del had described as a Port Haven rite of passage.
Later, during a conversation with Kat, Alice expresses her desire to be there for her mom in any way that she can while her mom continues to travel back in time to meet Jacob. To her relief, Kat shares an age progression illustration of Jacob that Kat had commissioned. Seeing a depiction of Jacob’s growth brings the mother and daughter much needed hope that Kat’s mission is on the right path.
During their chat, Kat also discloses with Alice that she has made a pact with Eliot to focus on their friendship and to not speak about her travels back in time. The word “pact” hangs in the air, taking Alice back to her conversation with Eliot earlier that day. Alice knocks on Eliot’s front door to confront him on something that he must be keeping from her. He admits that to the inquiring teen that she does in fact travel back to 2000 again, but he leaves her with an ominous warning: “If I can offer you a piece of advice, Alice, don’t be in a hurry to jump back in. You can never go back to the way things were… Everything you know about those kids we once were is going to change.”
Catch Hallmark’s original series The Way Home on Sundays at 9/8c, and join us for PopWire’s WitchSlapped Aftershow immediately after on the PopWire YouTube channel for a deep dive into each episode as Season 2 unfolds.
