The Way Home Stars, EP Reflect on Season 2’s Kat/Elliot/Thomas Love Triangle and Who’s ‘So Meant to Be’

Vlada Gelman

25 December 2024 at 10:00 am·4-min read

The only thing that might be more complicated than the time-travel mysteries on Hallmark Channel’s The Way Home is the love triangle that developed in Season 2 between Kat, Elliot and Thomas.

While Kat and Elliot kissed and fought in the present day, Kat also fought with and kissed (in that order) rum smuggler Thomas in 1814 after growing closer to the man that helped her brother Jacob survive in the past. As the season closed, Kat returned to her time and said goodbye to a vision of Thomas, thinking that he had been shot dead, but then Jacob appeared and revealed that Thomas survived. To complicate matters, Elliot had just kissed Kat and asked her to choose him.

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Just knowing that Thomas is alive is something of “a big thank you” for Kat, star Chyler Leigh told TVLine earlier this year. “If you’re alive and you feel strongly for somebody, to actually see them walking and moving and breathing… I think that she would just want to know that she could see his face, and then probably punch him in the arm really hard for not telling her [he had armor on when shot].”

So will that bit of information about Thomas’ surprise survival change how Kat feels about Elliot?

“I think there’s always going to be a question of, ‘What if…?’ But Kat and Elliot are so meant to be,” Leigh says, adding, “But I do love Kris Holden-Ried. He’s done such a phenomenal job with Thomas.”

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As for the other half of the love triangle, after Kat asked Elliot for some time to take in his words at the end of Season 2, “I think Elliot is in a position of strength, where he’s made himself clear, and he’s not chasing,” his portrayer Evan Williams says. “The rest of it is up to Kat, and she now needs to get clear on what she wants. It’s interesting in how we kind of were leapfrogging each other in this relationship, but I think it’s true love, so I’m rooting for them to the end.”

Also championing the childhood friends is Kat’s daughter, Alice, who first learned of Thomas as the man who pulled a gun on her mom at the beginning of the season.

“I don’t know that she would be so keen to have her mom be with someone who actually harmed her,” says Sadie Laflamme-Snow, who plays the teen. “I also think Alice understands that teen Elliot was in love with Kat since the very beginning. I think it would still be a hard pill for her to swallow because he is her friend. He’s her teacher. He’s part of her family, and it would be difficult. There are challenges on both sides.”

While Alice is not Thomas’ biggest fan, co-showrunners Alexandra Clarke and Heather Conkie were thrilled and relieved that the audience embraced the newcomer (and the rest of the 1800s ensemble) so whole-heartedly.

“It’s been so lovely to see the viewer response to these new 1800 characters, because it’s a leap of faith to introduce a whole new cast,” Clarke told TVLine following the finale. “We were very certain in who we cast, and they were an incredible addition to our family as we were shooting, and everyone welcomed them with open arms. It was a seamless, beautiful transition of the newbies coming in.”

“But you never know how an audience will react to a potential new love interest for Kat,” Clarke continues. “You’re taking a risk, and it was so lovely to see it pay off… But also, it’s been really fun to see the hashtag #ThomKat or #Katmas or whatever they’re calling it crop up on Twitter and not just see the hashtag #Kalliot. We’re really proud of that, we’re really proud that people have invested in that world.”

The Way Home Season 3 premieres Friday, Jan. 3 at 9/8c on Hallmark Channel.

Additional reporting by Megan Vick

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