The Landy-Augustine clan finally connected Fern’s riddle to Elliot’s mom’s disappearance. After so many years of wondering why Tessa left Elliot as a baby, we finally have some evidence. The Way Home season 4, episode 1 didn’t waste any time throwing Fern’s rambles into the mix. Because Kat and Alice couldn’t let it go, Alice’s venture to bury a capsule for her future little one led to the discovery of Tessa’s suitcase. A case of a treasure that essentially revealed her real age and connected her back to the 25 and 65 in Fern’s riddle to Kat.
With Fern’s mysterious ways, the Landry’s are thrown into different times when Alice jumps in after Kat. While her mom emerges as a young 1920s Fern, Alice finds the old Fern staring back at her. Elliot is stuck in the present, Alice is hanging out in the 70s, and Kat is all alone in the 1920s. All we can do is wait and see how time plays out.
The Present
A heartfelt moment with Del and Elliot was the perfect way to bridge the gap between the dramatic ending of episode one and the continuation of the story in episode 2. His bio mom may have left, but the Landrys have always loved him as one of their own. Honestly, it’s brave of him to realize he needs to talk to his dad about his mom, even though Del probably knew Tessa better. But Elliot doesn’t know about that picture Del has of her, Colton, and Tessa from before she left. I’m eager to find out what Del knows.
A flashback to the 90s shows us that Elliot came over all the time. As he leaves, Del tells Colton she wishes they had kept him when they had the chance, since that’s what Tessa wanted. Colton reminds her of the pact: to love and protect Elliot in their own way. They let on that Vic (Elliot’s dad) has been quiet all this time and that it’s not their truth to share. Which has to mean they all know more about Tessa than they are letting on. Yet, I understand why Del would want them to find out on their own because she promised Colton and Tessa that it wasn’t hers and Colton’s story to tell. She’s still honoring that all these years later.
Later on, Del comes over to Elliot’s house to grab him for something that needs doing. They reflect on better times when Elliot and Colton built the hideout in the barn, leading Elliot to tell Del about his five more minutes with Colton. Del reveals that Jacob told her, and she was a bit jealous. The time travel plants doubts in Del’s mind, but Elliot confirms he’s still planning to propose to Kat.
Out getting a thank-you drink, Del tells Elliot she didn’t really know Tessa, nor did she like that she left Elliot at the pond as a baby. Their conversation is interrupted by the waiter asking about Jacob, which throws her for a loop. The waiter tells her he got Jacob set up with a job and was wondering if he was settled in his new place. That stings Del even more since she hasn’t heard from Jacob in a while.
After a lot of drinking, Del confesses to Elliot that she thought Tessa left him with her and Colton because she wanted them to be his parents. She wishes she could have been his mom, and they agree he’s always been an honorary Landry. If my heart couldn’t melt more, Elliot wishes he could have asked both Colton and Del for Kat’s hand in marriage, since he’s been dreaming of marrying Kat since he was a teenager. Del reminds him that Colton knows and is with him every step of the way. Another part of the 90s flashback confirms that Colton ripped someone out of the picture whom Del thinks left with Tessa. He reminds them that they have to keep the secret.
Kat returns to the present-time farmhouse with no news of Tessa but more questions about Fern and why they never knew the father of Fern’s child. Del is sure she’d remember if he were a Goodwin. All she remembers is that the guy was a sailor with the backstory that Kat confirms was the plot of the film Fern was set to star in. Kat worries that Fern’s love story being from a script means she’s part Goodwin. Del cuts her worries off and directs her to comfort Elliot about not finding out anything about Tessa. Del comes clean and tells them about the pact she made with Colton as she lays the picture on the table. Although they were friends, Del doesn’t know where Tessa wound up, but she may know who took her.
The 1920s
A young Fern (Bianca Melchior) loves that her daddy was right about the pond’s magic as she welcomes Kat to the summer of 1925. Kat soon finds out that the Augustines are rats in this time, and Fern hasn’t heard of a 65-year-old woman named Tessa. After they confirm that mystery, we finally find out when Fern gave Kat the nickname Kitty Cat. I love that it was from the young Fern and carried out through time. Young Fern has never traveled because she’s a modern gal and the 20s are all the rage. She just moved out of the farmhouse, and a neighbor is renting it. She’s so excited that Kat is her first time traveler; little did she know there’d be more.
Fern stops a ride by showing some leg as they jump in the back of Augustine’s truck. They enter the paper, Fern’s ticket off the farm, and it looks incredible in this era. She covers all the parties, and there’s a big one tonight, so Kat needs to borrow something of hers. Kat finds out Fern lives in the paper’s office as she pulls down a Murphy bed. A man interrupts Fern and Kat as they try on dresses, bringing business for the Harod. They turn him down since the editor isn’t in the office for him to talk to about his business. Kat finds out that a Goodwin owns the paper and gave Fern her job.
Dressed to the nines, Fern and Kat walk into the party at the Lingermore Estate full of dazzling guests. They agree to enjoy the here and now when Kat sadly tells Fern her time isn’t as grand as the 20s. Kat has a first-row seat to Fern being announced as the lead of a lighthouse film. Fern sings for the crowd, making Kat realize how talented her relative is. Off to the side of the party, she knows the director (who was flirting with Fern) is getting heated with the Augustine men who picked them up when she first arrived in the 20s.
He acts as if nothing happened as he proposes to Fern in the middle of the dance floor. She says yes, that she would be proud to be a Goodwin, as Kat looks conflicted about Fern’s happiness. She confronts Fern about Grayson’s dealings with the Augustines, but Fern dismisses it and quickly changes the subject to Tessa. No one at the party knows of Tessa, which leaves Kat disappointed.
The party continues until the cops raid the house. They ditch the drinks and run. They stop a car that happens to be the guy from the Harod, Clifford (an inspector), who will be renting the farmhouse. Fern gets them out of a drinking fine by telling Clifford that Kat is a time traveler with no money, which is laughs at and lets them in the car.
At the pond, Fern apologizes for not giving Kat the answers she was looking for, but she knows she was here for a good reason. Fern promises to keep an eye out for Tessa Augustine, or her maiden name, Tessa Copper, as she jumps into the pond to return home.
The 1970s
Alice instantly knows Fern (Jill Frappier) is the one greeting her. Fern has déjà vu as Alice starts asking about Tessa (just like Kat did in the 1920s, except with a different age). Sadly, she confirms she’s only seen Alice at the pond today as she encourages her to find her reason and stay in the summer of 1976 a little longer. Neither of them knows why she’s there, as Fern tells her Del and Colton are visiting the in-laws while the other young ones are away. I love how Fern picks at Alice, saying she’s never met a time traveler with less sense of direction than her, a typical Fern moment.
After Alice leaves the farm in search of her reason, she runs into Evelyn (Devin Cecchetto), who confirms it’s been two years since they’ve seen each other. They peel off towards town in Evelyn’s car and arrive at Coyle’s, where Alice asks about Tessa. The owner thinks Tessa was a summer folk, but he remembers her because of how much they all missed her when she left and didn’t come back. Alice finds out about the 1926 explosion from a song from the book that inspired her to start writing. As she’s singing, Colton walks in and instantly sees his favorite girls.
They leave Coyle’s and go back to Evelyn’s (the Lingermore Estate), where every day’s a party. Colton and Alice meet Ash, Evelyn’s lover, whom she married after her world tour. He’s an odd fellow, and I think Colton is picking up on that as Ash reminds him that he was the boy left behind at the farm. He only gets odder as they learn more about their travels. To cut the tension between her longtime friends and new friends, Evelyn suggests they go exploring in the tunnels under the estate due to them being preserved over time.
A minute alone reveals that Colton wants Alice to believe that time travel isn’t real, even though she knows it is; she agrees, and they rejoin Evelyn. She confirms that her grandfather, Grayson Goodwin, was the family member who lived in the estate during the 1926 explosion. As everyone is leaving, claiming inspiration struck, Alice steps on a bullet casing, which only solidifies her fears of what her mom is in for in the 20s. After they get back upstairs, Colton heads to leave because he doesn’t want to say something he’ll regret, which causes a fight between him and Evelyn about Ash.
Alone in the study, Evelyn confesses to Alice that her marriage is falling apart, and she doesn’t think Ash is the one for her even after she found out she is pregnant. She’s scared about going it alone, but Alice knows she’ll be a great mom, even without telling Evelyn she’s from the future. She promises to come back soon to be with her. Alice meets up with Colton after her talk with Evelyn and makes him promise to look after her.
They switch gears to her singing him a song that he doesn’t see her heart in. He encourages her to write her love song. A motorcycle speeds by as Alice is getting up to leave. She hops in the truck with Colton as they follow the unknown driver. As they park in front of the farmhouse, Colton tells Alice the motorcycle belongs to his brother, Griffin Landry.
The next episode of The Way Home airs on Hallmark Channel on May 3 at 9/8c.
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