Did you really think Kat would be able to say no to more time in the past?

OK, so the end of The Way Home Season 1 Episode 7 only shows her before the pond in a moment of hesitation, but there is too much weighing on her from the past to walk away.

And now that they have shared their secret, Kat and Alice can work together if the need to do so arises.

It's been fairly easy to see how Jacob's disappearance tore apart the Landry family and even easier to understand why Kat blamed herself for losing him.

But seeing her crack at the New Year's Eve party was tough, and Kat admitting it in 2023 was tougher. She's never found peace in the wake of Jacob's loss.

I wish just once that my mom and dad could have acknowledged how much I lost that night, acknowledge how much I was hurting, but they couldn't because it was my fault.

Kat

• Permalink: I wish just once that my mom and dad could have acknowledged how much I lost that night,...

Kat felt abandoned by her parents when they stopped all semblance of normalcy after Jacob disappeared.

I wish the world really was ending tonight because I can't; I can't keep hurting like this.

Kat

• Permalink: I wish the world really was ending tonight because I can't; I can't keep hurting like this.

She missed their closeness, conversations, and family dinners. When Jacob disappeared, the family came unglued.

Seeing Jacob again was like opening an old wound.

Elliot: You got to have one more moment with him, Kat. I know that's not what you wanted, but it's still a gift.
Kat: That feeling, that is not a gift. So, yeah. I'm done. The past can just stay in the past.

• Permalink: That feeling, that is not a gift. So, yeah. I'm done. The past can just stay in the past.

You could tell how much Kat loved seeing her little brother again, but it's bittersweet knowing that she failed once again and that she will not spend another lifetime reconnecting with her little brother and best friend.

The recollection of her painful past and finding a note in Colton's shirt gave Kat the courage to talk to Del about it, and Del's experience was much different than Kat's.

I've seen since the onset that Kat ran away with Brady, but I've also understood where both women were coming from in their likely perception of it.

Kat ran because she blamed herself and had nobody but Brady to turn to, and Del thought Kat ran away, leaving her alone in the wake of a family tragedy.

Del's opinion of Colton was that he was cheating on her, but could he have done that to a woman he loved so completely, even if he felt unseen by her any longer?

I don't buy it. We've already got one cheating spouse in this story, and I have to believe that the other Landry marriage was untouched by infidelity. That doesn't mean it was any happier because being invisible to your spouse is painful nonetheless.

So if Colton wasn't cheating, then what was he doing with the money, and why was he at the cheap motel?

Well, that's not for us to know just yet, and that will be the catalyst for sending Kat back through the pond.

For now, that dangling thread got Del to Byron's office to find out why he let her down on her big night. She was ready for disappointment, only to see the lengths he was going to honor her.

Kat noticed that there is something happening between her and Elliot, and it was adorable how he teased a kiss that she was so ready to receive. He's right. He's waited a lifetime for that kiss, and it's going to be perfect.

I just hope it's not a well-crafted moment because there is something to be said for spontaneity. Taking the woman you adore by surprise with a warm kiss can be everything.

A good example would be how Nick swept Alice into a kiss on New Year's Eve. I'm still quite curious about how that relationship will end and what it meant to Nick to lose her.

At some point, Alice will want to stop returning to the past because of how much she loves her present. She started moving in that direction when Spencer invited her to dinner.

You didn't need to be Sherlock Holmes to recognize that Spencer was fibbing about Zoey. He's been into Alice since her first saw her walk out of Del's place in her slippers.

But being untruthful to either Alice or Zoey won't be a good look, so I hope he's either already ended things with Zoey or is in the process of doing so.

Oddly, I don't feel the same about Alice ending things with Nick because her life with him will only interfere with her present life through time away. She's still got something to learn with him, so that journey will probably continue for a while.

The very best thing that came out of "The End of the World as We Know It" is that Alice and Kat found each other again and have a new appreciation for their relationship.

Kat felt comfortable crying about Jacob with Alice, and Alice wanted to leave her only to be with her younger counterpart, who was hurting even more. When she said we were best friends, I felt my heart swell three times its size.

Now that they've realized their importance to one another outside of the traditional mother-daughter relationship, it could change their dynamic in so many ways, all of them beautiful from where we stand peering into it.

I swear, when Kat got dizzy in 1999, I suddenly wondered if she was going to experience a Freaky Friday situation between times. Did anyone else consider that?

Alex Hook knocked that scene out of the park. She looked so much like Chyler Leigh as she cried with her friend and pulled out so much gut-wrenching emotion.

It's another solid episode, and we are so happy that The Way Home was renewed for a second season.

What do you think the future holds for Kat and Alice?

Will Kat solve Colton's mystery to bring some peace to Del?

Share your thoughts below!

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.