‘The Way Home’ Recap: ‘Long Time Gone’

2/26/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Sadie Laflamme-Snow, Chyler Leigh, and Andie McDowell as Alice ‘Ali’ Dhawan, Katherine ‘Kat’ Landry Dhawan, and Delilah ‘Del’ Landry in Episode 205 of ‘The Way Home’ – ‘Long Time Gone’. (Photo Courtesy of Peter Stranks/Hallmark Media.) ©2024 Hallmark Media.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘The Way Home’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

If there is one particular question that comes up during the healing process, it would be… why must we let go of the past? Which is, a valid question. After all, the past means a lot to us. For it is filled with memories both good and bad, that define the person we become. Not to mention, there’s always a worry that just letting go, means so much will be lost to the passage of time, and no one wants that to happen. So that question comes up, one that sadly… is grounded in a sense of misunderstanding. Because no one in the process of healing needs to outright forget their past and pretend it never existed, that’s impossible.

No instead, what we are misinterpreting in that shaky moment, is the need to let go of its power over us. So, we can view it objectively and understand its impact upon us in every way imaginable. So, we understand how to heal from it and how to make peace with it. Not to mention, its power over us… prompts us to miss out on a great deal… in the moment. For in the here and the now, there are people offering us support and love and we are missing out on relishing in the wonder of that. Plus, we’re just plain missing out on life and well, this conundrum is top of mind today, simply because it was put on full display in the next episode of The Way Home on the Hallmark Channel.

A feat that ‘Long Time Gone’ accomplished, by way of the arrival of Founders Day. An event where family and legacy were celebrated and that turned out to be the perfect way to explore what letting go of the power of the past, and the importance of living in the moment can in fact do for us. Because Alice took that healthy lesson to heart. For a day of reflection allowed for her to see her family and her life objectively and discover how much wonder surrounded her and all of them. Which prompted her to live in the moment and enjoy it and see all that it could offer, which was plenty. Since it meant the chance at a budding romance and joy, and even a chance to try and reunite Elliot and Kat in a romantic setting/manner. Because there’s no time like the present to start over, and well… that is the right way to look at this and experience life through and through, but not easy to embrace when you deeply hurt and aren’t ready to listen.

Because Kat… wanted no part of the moment. She was instead, laser focused on Jacob and the past, and the strange interactions the Landry’s of the past were experiencing with Thomas Crowe and well… that sadly… showcased the folly of not letting go of the past. For we came to learn over the course of her journey, that it can make us bitter and angry and unwilling to try new things. Since she spurned a chance to start over with Elliot to stay in the past. Wherein she learned that doing so… changes nothing. For what is done is done and those fixed moments cannot be changed, and even the Pond understood this, considering the harrowing manner in which this particular episode ended. Giving rise to real questions as to whether Kat can accomplish what she wants.

But while we wait to see what comes out of that shocker, we can celebrate another smart tale. One that showed both sides of the coin to that all-important question, while also showing us some of the work that goes into getting there. Since Elliot did struggle with letting go to be present in the moment but found a way to do so. All of which made for another satisfying and emotional episode, one that featured joy for Del as well, and truly put shock into our hearts with that ending. One that we will indeed be talking about for ages and will of course prompt us to tune in on time next week. To see how it is resolved and to also learn more about the healing process from a family in the thick of it. Until next time.

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