The Way Home Season 3, Episode 8, “Smoke on the Water” Spoilers Ahead
Season 3 is almost over, but as The Way Home‘s “Smoke on the Water” shows us, we’ve still got a lot of questions left to answer! Things get downright terrifying in the 1800s, while our modern-day cast struggles with the consequences of time travel.
Magic in the Music
All season, I’ve felt like the series keeps trying to make itself “bigger” by constantly increasing the stakes. I get the impulse, but I also am not convinced it always works. As The Way Home Season 3, Episode 8, “Smoke on the Water,” shows, it’s best in the quiet, emotional moments. Fundamentally, this is a show about a family’s journey of grief, hope, and discovery. When we focus on that, it’s authentic and lovely. When we go too big, I think we lose the way.
So, unsurprisingly, a smaller set of scenes stand out this week. First up is our 1970s crew, where Colton records the demo we heard earlier in the season. We always knew Alice would sing with him, but it is lovely to see how their friendship and trust get to that point. Jordan Doww and Sadie Laflamme-Snow sound incredible. And then! Colton plays another song he’s been working on but never played for anyone… and it’s the song. The one he wrote for Del; the one older Colton taught Alice in Season 1. Evelyn overhears — both the song and Colton’s admission that he nearly proposed — and flees, heartbroken.
Related Content: Scene Breakdown: Colton Plays the Song He Wrote for Del in The Way Home’s ‘Smoke on the Water’
Alice is on the verge of tears, and so am I. Watching this season has coincided with a time of grief in my own life, as I’ve lost someone dear to me recently. The fantasy of getting to spend time with a thriving, vibrant, young version of her, sharing our common interests? This one hit hard, friends.
Sidekick in the Spotlight
Nick gets more to do in The Way Home Season 3, Episode 8, “Smoke on the Water,” than just cheerlead Elliot! Elliot spots the bracelet teen-Nick gave Alice (and she gave back) on Nick’s keychain. He sheepishly admits that his moms found it in his old stuff, and he’s just been forgetting to offer it back to her. When he finally does, they have a very heartfelt conversation, and honestly, can we all have a Nick for pep talks? The show has been doing a great job making the present-day Nick and Alice interactions sweet, not creepy.
What’s even sweeter is his interactions with Del. At the pond, Nick and Del briefly talk about what it feels like to be left behind. Nick conspicuously mentions Claire again, this time insisting he’d never tell Claire about time travel and that she’s a no-nonsense woman like Del. So… that level of denial definitely means Claire is more than she seems, right? Combine that with Elliot telling Nick that time travel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and I feel like Nick might be headed for another time travel-adjacent plotline.
A Triumph of Humanity
In The Way Home Season 3, Episode 8, “Smoke on the Water,” Susanna is in more danger than ever. A mob lurks at the gates of Lingermore, and Cyrus wants a distraction. His decision? To break his deal and scapegoat the Landrys.
(Oh, and he threatens to burn Susanna’s painting of Kat after finding the 1814 date. And he basically confirms that Susanna is in love with Kat?!)
He whips the mob up in a frenzy, claiming the Landrys made a deal with the devil. After all, why are their crops thriving? The answer, as we see, is that young Colton landed there a few years ago. He spends an idyllic day with Jacob and Susanna, then departs, but not before warning them to plant potatoes and rye.
Back in 1816, Kat and Jacob try to evacuate Landry’s farm. Elijah insists on talking things out with his neighbors until the mob arrives violently. Kat tries to talk down the mob, but they push past her to burn the farm. Cyrus runs in when he realizes Susanna is in there. Jacob goes to grab the almanac, and the men fight among the flames. By the time Kat and Thomas go after Jacob, the house is collapsing. Kat refuses to help a trapped Cyrus, and a mysterious figure drags out Jacob.
That man is young Colton, who Kat and Jacob recognize. Elijah, meanwhile, rescues Cyrus. He insists that enough humanity has been lost that night — no more. Colton runs off, horrified and mumbling that it’s all his fault. He flees back to the pond… where he emerges, and Alice finds him, putting more context into their interaction at the end of Episode 2 and the beginning of Episode 3.
Running To or Running From?
With every episode that passes, I’m more baffled by the romance subplots this season. And in The Way Home Season 3, Episode 8, “Smoke on the Water,” they really start to hurt Kat and Alice both. In my notes from this episode, I wrote verbatim: “I know the Landry women are flawed, but wow, they’re being really crappy to people who love them this week.”
Alice, being the overthinker she is, ghosts Noah and resigns herself to a future fated with Max. When Noah shows up with flowers, she dumps him. He may not be the most popular character, but he deserved better than this. By the end, Alice comes to her senses and tries to apologize, but she finds out he’s already left town. Instead, Max — who is maybe not a terrible person? — is holding down the fort (or, rather, food truck) and offers Alice some fries.
Meanwhile, Kat confesses to Elliot that she kissed Thomas. He (rightly) points out that it feels like she’s just trying to get even. She tells him that she wishes they didn’t have to try so hard to make things work, and they basically break up. Her next move is to pond-jump back, kiss Thomas, and tell him that, yes, she’s using the 1800s to run away from her problems.
Thomas’s line “but you’re running to me” is a good one! Someone on the writing staff knows their romance tropes. But are we supposed to agree with Kat, in the romanticized-TV-narrative sense, that if a relationship gets hard, it’s time to end it? Or are we supposed to disagree in the sense that real relationships actually do take work and aren’t just magic?
It’s no secret that I’ve always liked Kat and Elliot. But they have now, effectively, gotten together and broken up every season. I’ve sat through much worse on other shows — the days of seven-season network TV will-they-won’t-they back-and-forths were not for the faint of heart! But at a certain point, when does the drama become too much to recover from?
(Frankly, Kat currently has a healthier relationship with Susanna than with either canon love interest!)
What I’m Pondering
- As lots of people speculated, Casey’s name is actually “KC.” Guess away what that stands for!
- Kat chooses the clubhouse — their lifelong safe space — to tell Elliot she cheated on him. Babe… no.
- Nick looks so hilariously betrayed when he realizes even Elliot has time-traveled!
- Del has an interesting line about Colton perhaps feeling trapped back in the day. I think we’re about to get to the reveal of what, exactly, she did that she regrets.
- The Way Home Season 3, Episode 8, “Smoke on the Water” lampshades this, but seriously. What does Thomas do anymore when he’s not lurking at the pond or behind bushes? Is he still smuggling off-screen?
- Has it been made clear if Thomas has written the folk song yet, or if that’s still in his future?
- Alice tells Nick that she wishes, sometimes, she could go back to the ’90s. Foreshadowing??
- Evelyn is going full-gothic Lady of Shalott, lying in the pond. I hate the idea that her “start of darkness” is basically a broken heart as a teenager. But that does align with the myth…
- Despite everything, El still defends Kat to Jacob. And Jacob acknowledges it’s easier to be mad at Kat than at the vagaries of the pond.
- Max learned to play chess from Evelyn. Alice found a chess set in the attic where (presumably) Casey/KC was hiding. Significant?
- Given that the characters are certain KC is Alice’s kid… they definitely aren’t, right?
- Questions still to answer! What was Fern’s “the one” spiel about? What’s the meaning of Elliot’s clock? Who’s sending Del the creepy letters? And who was the baby at the pond in the prologue?
Now streaming on Hallmark+: What are your thoughts on The Way Home Season 3, Episode 8, “Smoke on the Water?” Let us know in the comments below.
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