This was, hands down, the most heartbreaking episode of The Way Home ever, and I’m not sure I’ll ever recover from the series of unfortunate events (and terrible decisions—I’m looking at you, Kat) that led to what appears to be the death of a major character.
And yes, I know that you can’t change what’s meant to happen, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt any less.
Nothing says the end is near (in this case, one episode away from the series finale) quite like the death of a pivotal character, which also makes me less confident that the series will find a new home elsewhere following the series finale on Hallmark.
One of the upsides of the episode, however, was that it provided a handful of conclusions that fans have been waiting for, even if things didn’t end the way we hoped they would.
And it’s now clearer than ever why Fern Landry told Kat that the Landry women are cursed when it comes to love.
The penultimate episode of The Way Home, Season 4 Episode 9, brought heartache, devastation and death, as Kat and Elliot, despite their better judgment and warnings from Del, traveled to 1925 to ring in the New Year.
Honestly, I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if they, in this moment, chose not to jump? They’ve never once tried to change their actions to change the future, simply accepting that it must be as it is. And I guess that’s the self-fulfilling prophecy—we’ll always make the choice we’re meant to make, even if we know better.
Since they knew they were always destined to go back—Elliot found a photo of himself getting arrested as the Big Fish in The Harold, while Kat saw herself on a reel with Fern—they threw caution to the wind, motivated mostly by selfish reasons.
Since they knew the explosion at the mines happened while ringing in 1926 (they didn’t know the how), Elliot was convinced that he needed to go back to save his mother, or at the very least, say goodbye, as Fern’s cryptic newspaper warning revealed that Tessa Cooper never came out of the mines, falling in line with the old town song that “five went in and four came out.”
As the situation at the mines spiraled out of control, the ending unfolded with mounting tension and gut-wrenching revelations across multiple timelines.
A Perfect Plan Gone Terribly Wrong
Upon arriving in 1925, Fern, Grayson and Tessa all put Elliot and Kat’s worries at ease, assuring that the explosion at the mines is part of a staged setup to free Tessa from Capone’s grasp by faking her death, while shutting down the bootlegging business so that Port Haven can be the next Hollywood. By writing it into the script, they can blame production and minimize the fallout.
However, the planned timing of the explosion days later doesn’t add up with what Kat and Elliot know actually happens, as they realize that Tessa is planning to go rogue to ensure that she “takes care of the Auggie boys” by doing one final job, which Grayson is completely unaware of.
Kat and Elliot then spend the episode unintentionally making things worse, as every decision they make only brings them closer to the eventual disaster that they’re trying to prevent and avoid.
You’d think Kat would have learned from the past and how her decisions to try to make things better only make things worse. Her need to stop her father’s death only contributed to it directly—and had she not traveled back in time and meddled, he likely would’ve been alive.
In 1926, the same thing happened. Del told Kat and Elliot to stay put in the present, but Kat insisted that they go anyway, hoping to give Elliot closure and one final goodbye with his mom.
What she didn’t know was that in doing so, she was sealing his fate because Tessa is the reason for her son’s death.
Who Died on The Way Home Season 4 Episode 9?
In the final moments of the episode, as Kat and Elliot go down into the mines, laced with explosives, to stop the explosion from happening, they, in turn, kickstart the events that lead to it.
Why anyone would think it’s a good idea to go down there knowing an explosion was coming is beyond me, but placing the blame solely on Kat and Elliot isn’t fair either.
If everyone just put aside their egos, the end result could’ve been better, but no one wanted to listen when it mattered.
Cliff Kane’s dedication to his job—and catching the Big Fish—sealed his fate. And Kat’s decision to talk to Cliff about trusting Elliot because he always tells the truth backfired, because if Cliff had just kept Elliot in jail, they wouldn’t have ended up in the mines.
So, not only was Tessa down in the mines with the Auggie boys for one last hurrah, but so was Cliff, who was there to arrest them, along with Elliot and Kat, who tried to convince everyone to stop fighting and get out of the catacombs.
One thing led to another, and Tessa shot her gun, aimed at Cliff, which hit Elliot instead.
As he bled out, Kat dragged his body towards the exit, knowing the place was going to implode, while everyone else continued to fight, kicking over kersone that led to the explosion and their demise.
The episode claimed the lives of the two Auggie boys, Cliff Kane, one of his undercover guys, and Tessa Cooper.
What makes all of this even more gut-wrenching is the fact that right before the final job, Tessa told Elliot she wanted to go back home—to the present—with him, a reunion 40 years in the making.
The explosion, happening as Fern stood outside with Grayson watching fireworks and singing Auld Lang Syne, was chilling.
The Way Home/ Hallmark Channel
Does Elliot Die on The Way Home?
While it’s unclear whether or not Elliot succumbs to his injuries, it’s not looking good. And the writing seems to have been on the wall this whole time.
Remember that flash forward to the future that kicked off season 4? All the Landry women are standing at the pond, as Kat expresses that she “wishes he was here,” while Del assures her that he’s “here in spirit,” before they walk off to celebrate a wedding. We all thought Kat was referring to her dad, Colton, as she was set to get married to Elliot, but now, it definitely seems as though she’s mourning Elliot’s death ahead of Jacob and Abby’s wedding.
Of course, there’s also the fact that in the ’70s, Fern Landry saw Elliot and Kat right before they jumped to NYE 1925, and commended him on the “sacrifice” he made, while in the ’80s, when Alice is visiting in secret, she hears Fern criticizing a young Tessa after she left a baby Elliot in the house alone, stating, “This is how it begins, Coop, and I’ll tell you how it ends, you’re going to kill your son.”
At this moment, Alice realizes that Elliot is in danger, and at the same time, Jacob, in the present, celebrating the launch of the Goodwin wines in the catacombs, learns that the “5 went in 4 went out” story was just that—a ghost story—as Rita reveals that “they all died down there.”
If Elliot really is dead, Kat will now live with even more regret that she’s the one who convinced him to follow through and jump with her to say goodbye to his mother.
Not only did Kat lose Elliot, but as expected, Fern lost Cliff.
Fern got engaged to Cliff right before the accident, though she was still pretending to be with Grayson because the film financier, Nate Simon, loved the package deal. However, following the explosion, we know Simon pulls the plug on the film, with Fern no longer forced to pretend.
And since she’s likely pregnant with Cliff’s child at the time, she’s left to raise him all on her own, without ever taking on the Kane name and never revealing who the father was to the rest of the family. We kind of knew that’s how the story played out, but seeing it pan out on screen—and the realization spread across her face as it happened—was devastating.
The loss leads to Fern’s life of isolation, as she becomes a shell of who she once was after losing her baby daddy and the love of her life, stripping the future happiness she thought she’d have.
The Way Home/ Hallmark Channel
The Good and the Bad in the Catacombs
There’s nothing Jacob won’t do for love, even if it means going down to the catacombs where he was held hostage and beaten by Abby Goodwin’s ancestor, Cyrus Goodwin, decades ago.
In the present, the catacombs serve as the backdrop for an influencer-fueled wine launch, tapping into the town’s “rich history,” as Del and Jacob attend to support Abby.
When Lewis Goodwin gets wind of Jacob’s attendance, he demands that he leave the premises, which prompts Jacob to finally make a bold declaration about his love for Lewis’ daughter.
But things are never that easy, especially for a family whose feud dates back to the 1800s. And after Jacob nearly burned down Lewis’ farm, he’s less than thrilled to learn about his daughter’s choice in soulmate, revealing that the Landry family has been blackmailing them for years, which sends Abby storming off. Admittedly, it doesn’t bode well for them at all in the moment; however, I imagine they’ll find a way to move past this, as Lewis isn’t completely innocent either.
And love always finds a way.
We Finally Know Who Has Been Sending Del Those Letters
In the present, Jacob also figures out who has been blackmailing his mother with the anonymous notes threatening to expose them, and, as many expected, it was his childhood friend, Danny.
It’s actually a heartbreaking scene, as Danny has carried the guilt of Jacob’s disappearance for years. He may not have been the reason for it, but he blamed himself for throwing the teddy bear over the cliff, thinking it led to his abduction. However, while working on the farm, he overheared Kat and Alice talking about finding Jacob, learning that they knew he wasn’t dead and we even in contact with him (though not in the way he imagined).
He assumed they’d been lying about what happened to him this whole time, using him as a scapegoat. His hurt feelings are understandable; however, he doesn’t know the full extent of the story, and, as Jacob points out, he would never even believe him if he told him.
Will Jacob entrust Danny with the secret of the pond? While I’d love Danny to get the answers so that it would all make sense—he deserves it— the pond is both a blessing and a curse, and while it’s given everyone plenty of gifts by allowing them to experience the past in a way that’s unimaginable to the naked eye, it also comes with a high price to pay. Kat has learned that the hard way numerous times.
Fern Finally Learns Kat’s Identity
With so many storylines taking precedence, this one was put on the back burner, but we’ve also seen so many of Kat and Fern’s adventures that it’s easy to forget that Fern never actually knew who Kat was. She could’ve pieced it together upon finding out that Elliot is Coop’s son, but she didn’t know the truth about Coop until recently.
It was so nice to see the series throw in a scene where Del and Colton bring home baby Kat, introducing her to Fern, who, upon hearing the name, realizes that this little baby is her beloved Kitty Kat. It’s a beautiful moment that underscores the incredible possibilities of time travel, as adult Kat watches off in the distance, with Fern smiling at her in acknowledgment.
One might also think that Fern would be upset to learn that her great-grandmother contributed to the death of her soulmate, but that would be a pretty negative take for the series where a newborn is concerned.
Griffin, Tessa and the Pond
When Alice travels to the 80s, she’s ambushed by Griffin, who was watching the pond and taking her arrival as proof that the pond is magic.
He takes a picture of her, just as Tessa arrives with baby Elliot. She’s a bundle of nerves, confessing to Alice that motherhood isn’t coming to her as easily as it is to Del, while Alice, knowing exactly how things turn out, assures her that she’s going to be a great mom.
And that picture of Tessa and Elliot, the one that had someone ripped out of it, and that Vic didn’t recognize, was taken by Griffin, with Alice standing right next to her.
And that means that whoever edited Alice and Kat out of the reels also cut Alice out of the photo. Was it Griffin? Colton?
Griffin’s character-arc feels underutilized, as he’s not much more than a vessel for Tessa, at least, for now.
Things get even worse for Tessa, as Colton gets into it with Griffin for spending too much time with her, and even Vic calls him out for buying his wife a bracelet. I don’t see anything romantic between them if I’m being honest, it just seems like Tessa needs an escape, and Griffin is the one who can give her the attention.
After Tessa accidentally leaves baby Elliot home alone with the smoke alarm blaring while watching Lewis—Evelyn’s son, who heads to the pond (does he know about the time travel?)—she’s forced to face Evelyn’s wrath. The confrontation only deepens her anxiety, ultimately pushing her to abandon Elliot and jump into the pond with Griffin.
As for Evelyn, we see the moment that makes her cut away from her former best friends, as Griffin accuses her of being in love with Colton, which, as Del tells her, she’s been aware of her feelings for him this whole time.
Unanswered Questions Remain
We still don’t know what happened to Griffin after he left Tessas stranded in the ’20s.
We don’t have any insight into the clock Elliot found in his wall, though Tessa did purchase the Augustine home in 1925, ensuring it remained in their family. If Elliot died before, who could have put it there? Was it Fern?
Del briefly mentions Sam knowing about the pond from KC, but we don’t get insight into who they are or what timeline KC comes from. Hopefully, the final episode dives deeper into this as the 1920s chapter closes, and we look toward the future.
What did you think of the penultimate episode of The Way Home? Does this mean the end of Kat’s time travels? Will she finally learn her lesson to nurture the present and invest in the future?
How will the series end? The Way Home Series Finale airs June 21, 2021, on Father’s Day, nonetheless.