A series finale, especially when you had plans for one more season, is a tall order.
The Way Home writers took on the task, however, with nearly perfect execution, giving fans a finale that felt epic and wrapped up mostly all the lingering storylines and questions.
But for every answer, a new question appears. And that also felt purposeful.
The questions that didn’t get a proper conclusion felt like a choice on the writers’ part, leaving breadcrumbs for a potential future spinoff, or, possibly, for a pickup from Netflix to allow the storyline to unfold in its entirety, the way it was planned to all along.
The Way Home Season 4 Episode 10, titled “Ahead By a Century,” while a fitting series finale—as it crammed plenty into the hour, despite being an extended episode to begin with—could’ve easily been slotted in as a season finale, with the chapters on the 1920s and 1970s closed, yet still so much left to be explored, in the present and in the future.
Much was left up to our interpretation, which is fitting since we’ll never know any more than we do in the present day, but it was cruel to see Alice and Kat go for yet another dip in the pond, knowing we wouldn’t be joining them on the next adventure.
There’s a lot to break down, so let’s get to it.
1926 New Year’s Day
A huge chunk of the episode focused on the fallout of the NYE explosion in 1926, specifically confirming who did (and didn’t) die in the tunnels, while seeing Fern find comfort and solace in Kat.
Before it was even confirmed that Cliff Kane was dead, Fern already knew, and she was in somewhat of a trance when Kat reached her, explaining that he never came to kiss her at midnight, which is when she was supposed to tell him that she was pregnant with their child.
Kat’s been so preoccupied with her own drama that she didn’t even realize the severity of the situation at first, which is kind of strange considering she’s one of the only people who knows how things turned out. The fact that Elliot was also shot in the tunnels, and they escaped mere moments before the explosion, understandably took up much of her mental capacity.
As she dragged Elliot back to the pond while he bled out and went in and out of consciousness, Alice and Jacob arrived via pond to help get him back to the present.
The pond then stopped Kat from returning with them, essentially forcing her to be there for Fern during this trying time.
Fern was a mess, but she decided to finally make a jump into the pond, hoping to get one more moment with Cliff, as it had taken them back a mere 24 hours before. Fern got to hold her love one last time, getting the closure she needed—though it’s never enough—before doing her best to change the past, even though we know it doesn’t work like that, as she told him “not to be the hero.”
She was also able to tell him that they were going to be parents, finding a sliver of comfort in the fact that while he was down in those tunnels, he knew that he was going to be a dad.
And all of this on Father’s Day. Sorry, Cliff.
Kat was terrified of the reality she was going to return to, as neither she nor Fern had any inkling as to whether or not Elliot survived.
And while it definitely wasn’t looking good for him, and we, collectively, as the audience, feared that he died, he thankfully survived, likely due to Alice and Jacob’s quick actions.
When Kat returned to her timeline, Elliot was there waiting for her, recovering way too quickly, might I add, while still blaming himself for his mother’s demise.
Also, selfishly, I wish we saw a scene of them trying to explain how Elliot getting shot a century ago, especially if they found the bullet and had questions surrounding how it happened and who shot him.
The Clock
My biggest sticking point of the episode remains with the clock that Elliot found in the wall. As he’s mourning Tessa, he realizes that upon her death, she hadn’t purchased the Augustine house yet; however, they’re the owners in the present day.
He believes it’s proof that Tessa survived, which may be comforting to a child who is carrying the guilt of their mother’s death, but it’s kind of a low blow to Fern, who has suffered so much heartache already and still lost the man of her dreams.
How did Tessa manage to get out, but Cliff didn’t? And wouldn’t Fern have confirmed that to Kat? Maybe if the series were renewed for a 5th season, one of Kat’s travels to visit Fern would reveal that Tessa was still alive. I hate that they give Tessa so many chances, but Cliff wasn’t given that same grace. I wish he had heeded Fern’s warning!
There were theories surrounding the clock that maybe its purpose is to travel to the future, with the episode making plenty of references to a future, which I’m not opposed to. If you can go back in time, why wouldn’t you be able to jump forward?
That hasn’t been explored on The Way Home, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Multiple moments seemingly teased travels to the future—or dreams, though I wouldn’t like for all of this to just be a dream—specifically, Thomas’ statement that he had a dream they were all hanging out on the porch in front of the blue house in the future. Jacob clocks that he never told Thomas that the house was blue, and while in the 1800s, it was also blue, there was a twinkle in Thomas’ eye that seemed to indicate he knew more about “the mysteries of the universe” than Jacob at that moment.
Another moment that gets you thinking is Nick’s chat with Alice, where she asks if she’ll ever meet Claire, and he assures her that he believes she will. Why did that seem so strange? Why haven’t we met her? Who is she really? Is she someone from a different timeline?
I also can’t help but wonder why ’80s Fern told Tessa she was going to kill her son, when Elliot in fact survived, but maybe he wasn’t supposed to, and they somehow changed time? After all, as Alice and Jacob took Elliot through the pond, Kat said she didn’t see him breathing. Maybe it’s possible that they altered what was supposed to happen?
Final Goodbyes Across Decades
A common theme throughout the series has been that what’s meant to be will always happen, and we can’t change it, try as we might, but several characters visited a loved one on the day of their death, with many wanting to change the outcomes, like Fern giving Cliff a subtle warning. What would have happened if she had just told him to stay out of the mines? Would he have died anyway? Or could she have spared his life?
Jacob used the pond again, hoping to bring Kat home to the present, but found himself back in the 1800s again instead. It was an unexpected surprise, but boy, was it nice to see Thomas and Susannah again. He had a heart-to-heart chat with his father, who assured him that he needed to let go of all the guilt and pain to move on, as the pond wasn’t his prison.
In fact, the pond may have caused plenty of heartache and disaster, but we were also reminded of what a gift it is, allowing everyone to get just a few more minutes with their loved ones, to get closure that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.
Jacob also told Susannah and Thomas about the woman he’d fallen in love with—a Goodwin, no less—and though he thought Susannah might be disappointed, she was inspired and impressed, as it proved that one day, the Founding Families will all get along.
It’s what inspired her to leave Lingermore to the Landry’s in the will, while, in the present, Jacob returns ownership to Lewis, expressing that he simply wants to put aside the past and their differences to be with Abigail. He could never take away his home, the one place where memories live on forever—the home that belonged to Evelyn Goodwin.
Lewis admitted he wished he appreciated his mother more, as it was just the two of them against the world growing up, and while Evelyn’s life had its fair share of lows, we also see her re-live the highs with Alice, who visits her as she’s an adult, wheelchair bound and living all alone in Lingermore.
Alice, Kat and Elliot realize that Evelyn was the one who cut them out of the reel, as Elliot admitted he gave that tape to her after finding it in a box of his mother’s things in the basement, after they trashed Lingermore when they were teens, as a peace offering.
While Evelyn is disappointed she never knew that the magic existed when they were younger, feeling lied to by their friends, she was also happy to finally be in the know and see her dearest friend again, expressing that while she’s reached the end of the road, Alice still has so much time left.
This was one of the only moments in the finale that made me bawl my eyes out, especially when Alice was seemingly talking to the younger version of Evelyn—one of the best friends she’s ever had. If this isn’t proof that the pond is a gift, I don’t know what is.
It also brought things right back to the first season, when Evelyn died and unexpectedly left everything to Kat at The Harold. At the time, they couldn’t figure out why, since they barely had a relationship with Evelyn, but now, knowing how close she and Alice were across the decades, it was the best way to honor their bond across time. Even “My Katherine,” which was fitting that she ended up leaving it all to The White Witch in the end.
The only thing I couldn’t truly figure out was why the series included the mural at Lingermore of Grayson and his sister, Cass, with the White Witch. Is it supposed to be proof that Kat went back to a different timeline and we haven’t seen it yet? The whole Cass storyline didn’t make much sense to me —it’s possible I missed something. He mentioned Cass loved coming to the pond, which is also something Lewis mentions, so I do wonder if they were all involved in time travel somehow.
The Love Stories
The other moment that brought me to tears was Colton and Del’s moment in the summer of 1999, as she traveled via pond with Casey Goodwin, to get some closure.
It was a reunion that had been long in the works, though Del was never brave enough to make the jump or face him.
Del hasn’t ever been too fond of the pond, but she finally saw the appeal when she was reunited with her soulmate, whom she’s been mourning for years. They finally got a proper goodbye, as she confirmed to him—seemingly hours before his death—that Jakey did finally come home, he remembers his father, and that the kids are happy in the present.
They shared one final dance and a goodbye kiss, which allowed Del to close the chapter and officially move on with her life with Sam.
A lot of the moments, questions I had throughout the season, seemed so obvious in retrospect, including the moments that made me go “duh” when Alice paid a final visit to the 1970s/80s.
She encounters Tessa burying her blue luggage just before she jumps with Griffin, leaving behind Elliot and Vic. Tessa, who has been suffering from postpartum depression and thinks she’s a bad mother, explains that the reason she’s making the choice is out of love, because she thinks this is the best thing for her family, which is heartbreaking. Alice tries to change her mind, explaining that she’s not alone and telling her she’ll never be able to come back, but Tessa isn’t to be swayed, simply asking Alice if a Landry will come for Elliot soon after she jumps, to which Alice assures her that Elliot will be just fine. Before Alice goes, Tessa rips the photo Griffin took of the two of them with baby Elliot, vowing to keep her secret and giving Alice her half of the photo.
Alice later sees Griffin at the Augustine house, leaving a note for Vic, after the pond pushed back on him returning to the 1920s to save Tessa, keeping her in that timeline forever. He explains that he left the note saying she died to give Vic and Elliot some closure, along with the ring that Tessa wanted her son to have, which Elliot later uses to finally propose to Kat.
This moment has also been a long time coming—but the wait was worth it. Sadly, despite following every detail of Kat and Elliot’s romance from when they were teens, we won’t see their wedding come to life unless the series is saved by a streamer.
Alice helps Elliot with the big moment, playing them the song that she wrote, inspired by her grandparents, and the one Max thought was about him. She told him it was about the kind of relationship she wants, before confirming to him that she wants that relationship with him.
I was on board with Max and Alice in the beginning, but after his outburst at her, I can’t say I’m rooting for them. The kiss didn’t do it for me because it felt forced, without too much build-up or even chemistry between them.
It’s possible my mind would’ve been changed in a future season, especially if we got to explore the connection a bit more, or if we saw Max also take advantage of the pond to meet Evelyn. There are some missed opportunities there for sure due to the time constraints.
I also wonder if Alice’s decision to finally go to New York would have her cross paths with a Coyle, as that would also be fun to explore in another season.
See, there’s plenty more story left to tell!
The Letdowns
Griffin was underutilized as a character, mostly serving as a plot device, which was unfortunate because there was so much potential. His only purpose was to help Tessa time-travel, and he didn’t really play much of a role in Colton’s life. I feel like they should’ve done more with the character.
Another letdown was the series never giving Sam Bishop a backstory that made sense in the context of Port Haven and the magic of the pond. There were so many theories that he was somehow connected to all of this, possibly even a descendant of Thomas Coyle, but instead, he was just a person who moved in next door and fell in love with Del, who played a huge role in Casey’s life in the future, hence finding out how it all goes. It was also kind of strange that there were never any repercussions for Casey telling him the future, as there usually are with time travel shows.
This Is How It Happens
Jacob realizes that Abby is his future, but he wishes he had a special family ring to give to her, which is when Alice hands him her parents’ wedding ring. The realization hits both of them as Alice exclaims, “This is how it happens,” revealing that Casey Goodwin is Jacob and Abby’s child.
However, a few things about this remain a mystery—if the ring is for Abby, why does Casey have it? In one episode, they mentioned that things at home were difficult, so maybe in the future, Abby is sick or dying? We also know, from EPs, that Casey is supposed to be the unity of all 3 Founding Families—a Landry, Goodwin and an Augustine–but where is the Augustine part? It could be Abby’s mother, as we never got insight into who Lewis married and welcomed Abby and Max with.
Many of the main storylines were tied up in a neat bow as the series covered its bases, but sprinkles of what a future season could tackle remained.
It felt like a goodbye, yes, but it also felt like a possible see you later.
The series ended with Abby and Jacob’s wedding, in front of the pond, coming full circle to where it all started. They were surrounded by all of their loved ones—and the spirits of those who helped shape them, including Thomas, Susannah, Elijah, Fern and Cliff.
It’s unclear whether Jacob ever confided in Abby the truth of the pond, but since Casey knows about it, it seems that it didn’t remain a family secret.
Did he tell her where he was all those years when he went missing? Did he tell her all about his experiences with his ancestors and her family? I would’ve loved to see this conversation pan out. It feels like we were cheated a bit on exploring the Jacob and Abby love story, just like we were cheated with Max and Alice.
Five went in, and four came out applies not only to the explosion at the tunnels, but also to The Way Home’s seasons.
While I felt content with the finale (and appreciate that they did their best to give us a satisfying conclusion if this is the end of the road), selfishly, I want more.
We always want more time, as they say, and the pond was the gift that kept giving. Maybe Netflix will be, too.
What did you think of the series finale? Are you bummed it’s over? What would you have liked to see? Let us know in the comments.