The Way Home (2023) s04e07 Episode Script
Working My Way Back to You
1
Previously on The Way Home.
This one key is always a
little bit sticky.
I think we should
take a step back.
Don't confuse confidence
with carelessness.
Del!
It's you.
You remember me?
- A Landry and a Goodwin.
- So what's in a name?
You have to follow your gut.
New York. I can't do it.
You're going to
live your little life
with your fritter franchise king
and never leave!
Tessa Futura?
I think this is my mom.
Mom, stop! I'm your son.
GRUN
DRAMATIC MUSIC
BIRDS CHIRPING
SOMEONE CLEARS THEIR THROA
Mind if I join you?
Uh I usually play alone.
I know. Maybe mix it up
for a change?
SCOFFS
Bishop's opening, huh?
It's my signature move,
you must know your chess.
Look. I didn't come here
for a game.
I need your legal
expertise.
Um, sorry, have we met?
Sam Bishop? Casey Goodwin.
There. Now we've met.
So here's the thing.
I found this legal document,
and it's, like,
hundreds of
years old,
but I need to know if
it will still hold up in court.
And I need to know, like now.
Uh, yeah, I'm retired from
practising law,
- there's a firm in town
- No.
It has to be you.
And
checkmate.
How did you do that
in so few moves?
It's all about the
Bishop's Opening.
But you knew that, right?
CHUCKLES
Okay. How do you know my name?
My profession?
Not to mention
my chess moves?
Because I learned from you.
I don't know you.
Not yet.
Scar on your left heel?
Rusty nail you stepped on
when you were six.
All your pals in Toronto?
They thought you were nuts for
retiring early and moving here.
Secretly, you hate the city and
always dreamed of owning a farm.
And now there's a certain
neighbour you haven't been able
to get off your mind,
and she's the reason you now
take your coffee with honey.
How could you possibly know
any of that?
'Cause I'm from a future
where I know you both.
A future where you told me
I could count on you any place,
any time.
So, here I am needing
your help to save Del's farm.
Of course, I'd I'd do
anything to help Del.
Wait.
You say you know us both
in the future.
Does that mean
Del and I are together?
SHAKY EXHALE
WHOOSH
Quite the tragic figure,
sitting here all alone.
- SIGHING
- Want some company?
Not a lot to smile about, kiddo.
I'm losing confidence by the day
in this future
you promised me.
It's my fault.
This is why you never
tell someone their future,
it just messes with their head.
And in your case,
your entire relationship.
So, it's really over, then.
Del and I don't end
up together anymore?
Listen.
You know what happens
will always happen. Just
don't take it all for granted?
I may have told you your future
but that doesn't mean you
should stop trying to earn it.
Good luck, Sam.
SOFT MUSIC
DRAMATIC MUSIC
You have somewhere else
you'd rather be?
Yes. Mr. Capone doesn't take
kindly to a change of plans.
And this one is gonna cost me
dearly, all thanks to you.
We thought you were
in trouble.
Your son thought that
he was saving you.
And nobody even bothered to
mention that
you were the boss
running the whole operation.
So now you know.
What are you gonna do about it?
Are you gonna turn me in?
The thought's crossed my mind.
Expecting Cliff home
any time soon?
If and when Monsieur
Temperance Inspector arrives,
I'll handle him.
Don't bother.
I was just leaving.
Mm. Leaving again,
how original.
You're up.
How are you feeling?
Head's still pounding but
I'm okay.
SOMBRE MUSIC
How about we take a walk, huh?
DOOR OPENS
DOOR CLOSES
SIGHING
It's just a deferral.
Only a semester or two?
Leaving right now
just feels wrong.
Plus, mom and Elliot
are still MIA,
so it's not like I have a ride
to New York tomorrow anyway.
Travel logistics aside,
I'm worried you're shying away
from the unknown
PHONE RINGING
Seems like I'm not
the only one.
I'm sorry. Weren't we talking
about you and your future here?
Why are you avoiding Sam after
everything he did?
You could have died out there
in the field, alone,
but he found you
and carried you home.
EXHALE
I'll have you know I'm
planning on calling Sam
as soon as we finish talking.
Well, we are finished
because I have to get to work.
So, call him!
Don't you think telling me
first is going to get you
off the hook from telling
your parents.
SOFT MUSIC
Hmm.
JINGLING KEYS
DOOR OPENS
DOOR CLOSES
Uh I have a question
for you.
When you were working for Lewis,
did you ever meet
his daughter?
The golden child marketing
exec? No.
She stuck to Toronto. Why?
She's in town now.
We had a moment last night.
Now, I'm not sure if I should
call her, text,
or wait for her to text me.
Honestly, modern dating
eludes me.
Modern dating?
Yeah, yeah in the, uh, the community
I grew up in,
we had really traditional
customs.
If you were interested
in someone,
you went straight to her father
and made your intentions known.
Well, you definitely can't do
that with Abby Goodwin.
No. I suppose not.
Look. I still don't know
how you got off so easy
after trying to burn down
Lewis's vineyard,
but if you want my advice,
don't go poking that bear again.
But whatever you do,
you'll be okay, Jake.
Things always seem
to work out for you. Right?
Right.
My brother and I grew up
believing
the pond was our family secret.
My parents, my grandparents,
if they knew Auntie Coop
was a time traveller,
they never breathed
a word of it to me.
I feel like a fool
for not seeing it.
The books she'd bring me,
she always knew which ones
were going to be bestsellers.
Heck, she made her living
predicting the future.
The future she was from.
I loved her like family,
Kitty Kat.
How could she abandon
her own son?
Or be willing to kill him.
Or me.
She also had no qualms
dragging you into
criminal activities.
Oh, she didn't drag me into
any of this.
I idolized her.
She's the only woman
I've ever known
who didn't answer to
any man.
And I wanted the excitement.
The intrigue.
The chance to make something
of myself.
Hm. What about the film?
If it happens.
Grayson's investors want
Mary Pickford for the role now.
He thought a private acting
coach in Saint John
might help
change minds, but
So that's where you
disappeared to.
Not that it did any good.
About your engagement
to Grayson.
I would hate to see you
go through with it
just because
you felt like you owed him.
Hmm.
At this point in life,
all I want is a fellow
to rely on.
I used to feel so safe here.
Surrounded by family.
Now, I'm alone,
haunted by memories.
I know how that feels.
To lose a parent. A brother.
And to look around this farm
and still see them everywhere.
How tragic!
We're more alike
than I thought.
You do have family, Fern.
You know, the pond didn't
bring me here just to find Tessa.
It brought me to you.
SIGHS
I guess technically this is
the last place we were together.
Seems fitting for our reunion.
I know what you did.
How you left.
BIRD CAWING
Do you what happened to
Griffin?
No. I don't.
What about dad? You wanna know
what happened to Vic?
Or what I've done with my life
for the last 40 years?
I can't do this right now.
There's too much to do.
There's way too much at stake.
I don't think you and Kat
understand
the mess you've made
of everything.
We made the mess? Really?
Really.
You have thrown everything
into question.
And what's worse, you have put
everyone in danger.
And now it's up to me to fix.
You obviously don't understand
how many people rely on me here.
Maybe not.
But I can name two people
who should have been able
to rely on you back there.
Why did you do it? Why?
Because I thought it was the
best choice at the time.
SOMBRE MUSIC
DEL: Thank you for meeting me.
I'm always happy to hear
from you.
My accident and the aftermath,
there's a lot I don't remember.
Alice told me what you did,
how you got me home.
I wanted to say thank you.
Oh. So you don't remember what
you said to me
after I found you?
No well, you were
only half-conscious,
I was trying to keep you
talking, keep you awake.
I feel awful.
I'm so sorry I put
you in that position.
No, I was glad I was there.
Glad I could help.
So you just wanted
to say thank you?
I think so.
Well, if you remember
anything else
you know where to find me.
SOFT MUSIC
What is taking them so long?
SIGHS
I gotta go find Elliot.
SQUEALING BRAKES
Well, good luck Kitty Kat.
Mm-hmm.
Inspector Kane! There you are.
You've been out burning
the midnight oil, I see.
Chasing my own
tail is more like it.
Missed a big bust down at
The Cove last night.
FERN: Don't be
so hard on yourself.
I heard that the deal
fell through, anyways.
Now, I hope you don't mind
How do you know the deal
fell through?
Well, it's a small town.
People talk.
People like your fiancé?
How convenient that he asked me
to look after you
during the circus
when this all went down.
Hey now. What
are you getting at?
He's using you as some kind of
pawn, can't you see that?
Listen, mister.
I have two perfectly good eyes.
I can see it
for myself if I'm being used!
Not if you're being kept in
the dark, and you are!
Fern, you're a sweet girl.
You're the only light in this
crooked town,
I'll be damned if I'm gonna
see you get hurt in all this
You barely know me!
Why are you so twisted in knots
over my welfare?
I'd have thought that was
pretty obvious by now.
SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC
MUSIC SWELLS
Forgive me, Miss Landry.
You may be engaged
to a scoundrel,
but you're engaged all the same.
INHALES
BIRDS CHIRPING
MUSIC CONTINUES AND FADES
Hey. There you are.
Where's where's Tessa?
She took off.
I'm so sorry.
It's okay.
Let's let's go home.
I need answers.
This can't be it.
I get it, okay?
I'm supposed to be
driving Alice to college.
Right.
And, look! This isn't the end.
And we know from the screen test
that I come back,
so we'll just we'll come back
together.
Okay, you'll have more
time with Tessa.
You're right. I will.
SNIFFS
Time to go home.
Okay.
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
One, two, three.
MUSIC CRESCENDOS
Kat, wait!
DRAMATIC MUSIC
TENSE MUSIC
No! When am I?
1979!
Kitty Kat, oh!
You've come back to me.
Fern. Please.
I just left Elliot in 1925.
You were there.
You were on the farm, so can
can you tell me, is he okay?
So, you're in the middle of
all that then.
How curious that
the pond should bring you here.
Maybe because you know when
I go back there? To Elliot?
Give the boy some time
with his mother.
There's never enough of it.
How much time, Fern?
I mean, I can't just
leave him there!
But you already did!
Now, it's up to the pond,
isn't it?
- SIGHS
- Sometimes it's a gift,
and sometimes it's not.
Right, Kitty Kat?
- Fern?
- Mm-hmm?
After everything went sideways
with Auntie Coop,
you and I sat on the porch
and we talked.
- Do you remember that?
- Mh.
You were wishing for someone
that you could rely on.
Did you find him?
Landry are women are cursed
when it comes to true love.
BREATHES DEEPLY
You were a true friend.
I've missed you.
And I'm still grateful
to the pond for that.
If nothing else.
Wait. Fern, I don't know what
I'm supposed to do now!
You will.
The key is the key,
Kitty Kat.
Remember that?
EERIE MUSIC
MUSIC ON THE RADIO
DOOR CHIMES
EXHALES
Jacob. Hi.
I I was gonna say hi
but you looked busy.
Yeah.
Busy making a mess of this
Goodwin's Good Wine
presentation
Well, hey, maybe I can help.
I, I don't pretend to understand
marketing, but
I'm pretty familiar
with that vineyard.
Arguably a little
too familiar.
Wow
But, okay.
We're looking for a hook.
Something to make us
stand out from the crowd.
But my dad, a purist,
he just wants to drone on
about the land and his exciting
innovations
and natural soil fertilization.
I mean
I'm with him.
New Brunswick soil is special.
Tells its own story.
So you want me to write
a marketing pitch on soil?
It's it's not so easy
as to put into words.
Alright. Show me then.
GENTLE MUSIC
KAT: The pond won't let me go back.
It's all my fault, Mom.
I let go of him.
If anything happens
to Elliot back there
You're always saying that
the pond takes you someplace
for a reason,
and Fern gave you one.
Maybe Elliot just needs to
spend time with his mother.
But I'm supposed to leave
tomorrow with Ally for New York.
You two should really talk
when she gets home from work.
Is everything alright?
Oh. Oh sure.
Mom, you just sat here
listening to all of my woes.
Can I at least
return the favour?
SIGHS
It's just Sam. I
can't keep him
at arm's length forever.
Well, then, don't.
I care for him.
And he was there for me
during the accident.
But in the haze of it all,
your father kept coming to me
in a dream, a vision.
And he still gave me
butterflies.
Nobody can compete with
a dream, Mom.
Don't shy away from
future happiness.
Dad would never
have wanted that for you.
SOFT MUSIC CONTINUES
Hey! Casey!
CAR DOOR OPENS
What are you doing here?
Haven't quite
figured that out yet.
But the pond always has
a reason, right?
I did what you said, and
I deferred my acceptance.
So, now I'm just freaking out
about telling my parents.
I didn't tell you to defer,
Alice.
All I said was that you wouldn't
regret following your gut.
Wait. Did I make
the wrong choice?
Honestly, you are almost as bad
as Grandma Fern and her riddles!
You know, sometimes, I wish
you'd never caught me in that pond.
When everyone knows you're
a time traveller,
they ask too many questions
and expect sage wisdom.
Right. I will drop it.
But, hey, do you wanna come
inside and stay for dinner?
Casey! It's nice to see you
again.
Sorry I'm late everyone, I got
a little caught up at The Point.
By anyone in particular?
Um Abby Goodwin, actually.
Lewis Goodwin's daughter?
Huh.
We ran into each other.
That's all.
I would suggest that the next
time, you just keep walking.
CHUCKLES
Is everything alright
with you?
Mm. Well,
Elliot is trapped in 1925,
the pond won't take me to him,
and I was really hoping that
Casey could give me a
little intel, but
Mom! Casey is here to enjoy
a nice family dinner with
all of us. That's it.
- I'm sorry, Casey.
- Yeah.
And I'm sorry to you, Alice,
this is your last night
before you leave,
and we really should
just enjoy it as much as we can.
DEL: Mm.
Am I missing something?
Actually, Mom, I
decided to defer my acceptance
and stay here.
But please don't
freak out.
Ally. This is your
dream school!
This is the path that feels
right to me!
And Casey told me I wouldn't
regret following my gut, so
KAT: Hold on.
So, you can't even tell me
if Elliot is all right,
but you can tell my daughter
to blow off college?
Look at the time,
I should go.
Casey, wait.
No, Mom. Let me go.
SIGHS
Casey!
I'm sorry for putting you
in the middle of all that.
It's always about you
and your problems, Alice.
Have you ever thought about
how these trips affect me?
How I see things in my time?
It's kind of hard to imagine
since I don't know anything
about your time.
Well, let me tell you.
My Landry family loves
to go on
about the good old days,
but I'm not seeing
a lot of good here.
It's all just
fighting and secrets!
No era is perfect.
Especially not in the moment
for the people living it.
I just wanted to have a little
fun before everything changed.
What's about to change?
Everything is a countdown to
something, Alice.
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
Casey, wait!
PHONE RINGING
EXHALE
MUSIC SWELLS
INHALES
Magic Man by Heart PLAYS
LAUGHING
Cold late night
so long ago ♪
When I was not so strong
you know ♪
A pretty man came to me ♪
I'd never seen eyes
so blue ♪
You know ♪♪
Cheers, you two.
Anywhere in the world I could be
to ring in the new decade.
I wanted to be with family.
Funny, when you spent so little
of the last decade with us.
Perhaps this one
will be different.
It'll be so much better.
I can't see what the '80s bring.
Hard to believe that anything
can top this past decade.
SLIDE PROJECTOR WHIRRING
Forget decade, Jay, I mean,
this moment tops them all.
SONG FADES
SOFT, NOSTALGIC MUSIC
Excuse me, I need some air.
DOOR CHIMES
Hey, hey Dellie, wait.
Was it something I said?
No. Cole
It was the best day
of my life too.
What
But now that footage,
it just reminds me of
all the hopes and dreams we had
five years ago.
Dreams that haven't come true.
We should be home right now,
with our baby,
counting down to
the future as a family.
I know that!
You think I don't know that?
It's killing me too,
Dellie.
I'm sorry.
BOTH CRYING
We can't lose each other
in this. Okay?
We'll get through it.
One day we'll look back on
tonight as
our worst New Year's ever.
CHUCKLES
Go warm up in the truck,
I'll grab our coats, huh?
DOOR OPENS
DOORBELL CHIMING
DOOR CLOSES, BELL CHIMES
Thanks.
Uh, hey, sorry to duck
so early,
but yeah, we're not much in a
celebratory mood tonight, so
What happened to you two
was awful.
Grandma wrote me.
You didn't think
she knew either.
She knows everything
that goes on inside that house.
I came home as soon as I heard.
Thanks. For caring enough
to be here.
But I gotta get Del home, so
I'm here for you, Cole.
And if you wanna talk,
don't burden Del with it.
The last thing she needs is to
take on your hurt too.
It's like when dad died.
Mom and grandma needed us
to be strong.
And you weren't.
You took off first chance
you got.
And I was the one who had to
stay and pick up the pieces.
SCOFFS
You're right.
Yeah. You're stronger than me.
Now go be strong for her.
DRAMATIC MUSIC
Aren't you Colton's friend?
Hey, found another
stray outside.
Alice!
GASPS
You're really here!
Oh my goodness.
And looking like
you haven't aged a day!
You must tell me
your skincare regime.
I am so glad to be back,
I I really needed this.
Well, don't get too
comfortable.
Jasper's shutting
the place down.
Ever since Carter pardoned
the draft dodgers,
I've been feeling
it's time to head home.
Why do things have to change?
JASPER: Heck of a good run
we had here.
GASPS Look at us!
Just a couple of kids.
DRAMATIC MUSIC
Wait. I know her!
DOOR OPENS
Hey. You doing alright?
Nope.
I was already worried enough
about Elliot,
and now, Alice isn't
answering my calls,
so I can only guess
where she is.
Or when she is.
I'm sure she'll be home soon.
You'll feel better when
you talk to her.
You know, I sat in this exact
same spot once
waiting for Alice.
It was after
we both tried to save you,
the night of the fall carnival.
But Elliot was with me.
He's my person, Jake.
And I left him behind.
I can't imagine
that the pond would keep
you two apart for long.
So says the boy
that the pond kept from us
for 25 years.
For good reason.
Now you have to trust that
the pond has its reasons
with Elliot too.
SIGHS
Hey.
Play it again, Jasper?
She was here. At Coyle's.
Jay, do you know her?
Yeah, I got to know her
a little that summer. 1974.
- Her name's Kat.
- Kat?
Alice, the portrait that
we found in my attic?
My Katherine? Kat?
They're the same person.
That's her!
Um, maybe there's a vague
resemblance?
Vague? They they're
identical.
But isn't Kat your mom, Alice?
I could have sworn you two
were together.
Uh, no, you you must be
misremembering,
I've never seen her before
in my life.
But maybe we were both around
that summer?
That woman is the White Witch.
She is the one who saved me
when I nearly drowned as a kid.
There's no way I would not
remember her face!
Wasn't it the fairies that
saved you that night, Evie?
CHUCKLES You always
did have a crazy imagination.
Glad to see some things
never change.
EVELYN: No! She's real!
And this is proof
that she's been in this town
for hundreds of years!
Do, do you mind if I hold
on to that footage, Jay?
Sure.
DOOR CHIMES
Hey, drop the witch talk,
Evie.
Introduce me to your cute
friend instead?
Ugh, she's already taken,
Griff.
Hi. Sorry we're late.
Don't apologize. This party
desperately needs new blood.
Griffin. Welcome back, man.
This is Tessa Cooper.
My fiancée.
Hi.
Lucky man, Vic.
You two arrived
just in the nick of time.
Alright, gang. Let's bring in
the 1980s in 10
ALL: Nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one!
Happy New Year!
GLASSES CLINKING
CHEERING AND LAUGHING
Should old acquaintance
be forgot ♪
And never brought to mind ♪
Should old acquaintance
be forgot ♪
For auld lang syne ♪
For auld lang syne
my dear ♪
For auld lang syne ♪
SINGING CONTINUES, MUTED
Alice! What are you doing?
I I can explain.
Why you're leaving so early
without even saying goodbye?
I never know when I'm going to
see you again,
and your visits
are so rare these days.
I'm sorry, there's just
there's somewhere I have to be,
and I didn't want to interrupt,
you guys were all having
so much fun.
We used to have so much fun.
Summer of '74
SIGHS
Man, that feels like lifetimes
ago now.
Don't you wish that
we could go back to that?
TSK
I do.
And I wish time wasn't
passing so quickly.
But it does.
Evelyn?
Everything is a countdown
to something.
So don't forget to stop and
enjoy the here and now,
because, someday, you're gonna
look back at this time
as the golden days.
Yeah? You think so?
More than think. I know.
'Cause they're mine too.
Always.
SENTIMENTAL MUSIC
BIRDS CHIRPING
You slept in late. Big night?
I may have jumped in the pond
to avoid your wrath?
But it brought me to New Year's.
Well that does sound more fun
than arguing with your mother
about your future.
It was definitely a reminder
that we can't cling to
the good old days forever.
So does that mean you changed
your mind about New York?
No, Mom, I'm staying here.
- Please don't hate me!
- Ally!
Come on. I could never.
Look, I just I worry.
Mom. I am excited about
my future.
But I'm still figuring out
who I am and what matters to me,
and I feel like the best place
to do that is here.
And to think three years
ago I had to drag you here,
kicking and screaming.
Look, I love that
you love this place,
but at the risk of sounding
like my own mother,
you're gonna need a plan.
You know, you can't just hang
around doing nothing.
Oh, and
your dad's not gonna be
so understanding.
You might wanna get that call
out of the way.
I will.
But Mom, first,
there's something else that
happened in 1979
that I think
you should know about.
Evelyn recognized you in one of
Jasper's old film reels.
She what?
But don't worry, I I took
care of it.
DISTANT KNOCKING AT THE DOOR
Are you expecting anyone?
No.
Sorry, no one told me that you
were coming to fix this thing.
Well, the appointment was made
last week by
Elliot Augustine?
Is he here?
Uh, no. No, he's not.
Shouldn't take long.
He said there was a sticky key
he wanted to fix?
Sure.
SOFT MUSIC
This field was the first one
cleared and planted by my family
back in 1790.
And here you are,
carrying on the family legacy
hundreds of years later.
Farming's always been less
of a choice for me
and more of just a given.
It's in my blood.
But you clearly love it.
I do.
It's it's tangible.
It's logical.
You put in the work,
you get something back.
It's timeless, too.
I find that reassuring.
I also love being outside,
breathing in the fresh air,
hands in the soil.
Oh. That soil talk again.
- CHUCKLES
- So?
What's so special about this
New Brunswick dirt, huh?
'Cause
CHUCKLES
It seems like standard,
generic stuff to me.
Well, it's actually
notoriously bad for farming.
It's naturally acidic.
It's low in organic matter.
It's prone to erosion.
But when I hold it,
I'm holding our history.
I can feel the perseverance of
generations before us,
the love that's gone into
this land.
All that from a handful of
dirt?
You don't believe me, do you?
LAUGHS I want to believe you!
So try it.
SOFT MUSIC
What do you think?
Um I definitely feel
something special.
There we go.
This guy's the culprit.
Yeah.
Looks like something got wrapped
around this key.
A NOTE PLAYS
Strange.
Do you mind?
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
This was hidden in Fern's
piano.
This is the intro page that
was missing from my Alice book.
Yeah.
The book that Tessa gave Fern.
I mean, I saw it there
in 1925.
I mean, look, that's
her inscription.
But this wasn't there before.
What are these words?
There doesn't seem to be
any connection.
The letter comes after.
"Dear Fern, I lie alone every
night in this house, your home,
dreaming of you.
Yearning for the day when
we can share a life together
and call this home
for the both of us.
Forever yours, Cliff."
Cliff loved Fern?
I think she loved him too.
The key is the key.
Maybe she meant this is
the key to her heart?
Or her love story?
So Cliff could be Colton's
grandfather?
Well, if he is,
then why hide his love note
in a piano?
Why keep it a secret?
DRAMATIC MUSIC
Cole? Jacob?
MOAN
THUD
Del!
Wake up. Wake up, Del.
We're just gonna get you home,
okay? Alright.
MOANS
I love you.
EXHALES
Come on, boy.
In the spirit of market
research,
everything is from
local farms and shops.
I'd like the vineyard's menu
to really celebrate the area.
And this wine is from
Verona.
Okay, I love my dad.
But our family hasn't been
running a vineyard
for seven generations.
Well, cheers.
To market research.
Cheers to overcoming
familial grudges.
You think it's possible?
SOFT MUSIC
Because to tell
you the truth, Abby,
there's nothing I'd love more
than to take you on a date.
But you already did.
Wait, so you asked me over
for a sunset picnic on your farm
just to help me with a work
presentation?
No. No, I mean
CHUCKLES
I mean, yes, uh
This is perfect.
I just, I didn't want to assume.
Well, now would be the perfect
moment to kiss me,
in case you were afraid of
assuming that too.
SOFT MUSIC
SAM: Del.
Sam. I was just going to
look for you.
Oh. Well, here I am.
Yes, you are.
And you're always here for me.
I love you.
I meant it when I said it before
and I mean it now.
It sounds even better
the second time.
And I love you.
I've been sure of that since
we first met.
Maybe a little too sure.
Because you're right,
it's a gift.
I don't want you to
ever think that
I'm taking what we have
for granted.
Come on. Hmm?
Oh. Sam!
Look, I know I'm a man of
routine, often times to a fault,
but I can be romantic.
You know, with a little nudging.
CHUCKLING
Oh, Sam. It's perfect!
So what are we going to watch?
The next film on our
Criterion List, obviously.
Some Like It Hot.
Ah!
GIGGLES
Of course!
LAUGHS
Ah. I'll be right back.
I left a bottle of wine
chilling inside.
Oh, okay.
Hang on.
SIGHS
So you took my advice, I see.
You knew I would, didn't you?
But thank you, kid.
You know, you mean a lot
to me. In my time.
Well, that's something to
look forward to.
No don't don't go.
I feel like I'm getting a
second chance here with Del.
And I'm not taking it lightly.
I wanna be completely honest
with her this time.
I wanna tell her everything.
I know you do. Just be
careful with how much you share.
About the future and everything.
Point taken, but
I'm a bit surprised you're not
fighting me harder on this,
after all this time.
I guess that time's up.
GRUNTS
Mm. I'm sure your parents are
going ballistic about you deferring.
You always have a job here
if you still want it, Alice.
Thank you, Monica.
What's in the box?
Oh, I have been collecting
loads of memorabilia.
GIGGLES
For our 45th anniversary party
next month?
You know, photos, videos
I thought it would be a fun
salute
to the illustrious
history of the café.
So wait, The Point opened
in 1981,
a year after Jasper closed
Coyle's?
Yeah.
Wow, I'm surprised that you know
something that far back.
Oh, um, Del just told me all
about it.
Sounds like it was a
pretty cool spot back then.
Be right back.
PHONE RINGING
Your dad's not taking it too
well, I'm guessing.
He's probably calling back to
yell at me again,
but at least I know he cares.
Alice, come on,
you know I care.
I'm so happy you're staying.
Really? 'Cause with you gone
now, we're still long-distance.
Yeah, but not New York long.
It's like medium distance.
It's fine, it's fine!
It's nothing we can't handle.
Alice, I know you're worried
about everything changing,
but nothing has to.
At least, not with us.
SOFT MUSIC
OMINOUS MUSIC
ALICE: Mom?
INHALING SHAKILY
Are you okay?
It still won't work.
I kept trying, but the pond
won't take me.
What if he thinks that
I'm not coming back?
No, but the screen test.
Mom, you do go back.
We know that, Elliot knows that.
I know, but we don't know when
in 1925 the test was filmed.
What if it's months from now?
I mean, anything
could happen to him!
SIGHS
Grandma Fern said that
Landry women were cursed
when it came to love.
I mean, I wonder if she
was talking about me too.
PHONE RINGING
Oh.
Oh my god.
Ally, this is the school
calling Elliot!
I I didn't even
think to cover for him!
BEEP
Hi, uh, this is this is Kat,
Elliot's girlfriend.
Yeah he's super sick so he
he can't come to the phone,
I Sorry?
His sabbatical was approved?
Um, wow, that's no,
that's good to know.
I will, I will definitely
I'll tell him. Okay, thanks.
BEEP
Elliot asked for
this semester off.
Why would he do that?
DISTANT MUSIC BOX
Huh
Oh
These are all Fern's
society columns.
Why? What was
Elliot looking for?
Oh my god.
Mom, it's it's Elliot!
Why is he being arrested
as the Big Fish?
And why are they calling him
Tom Buchanan?
I don't know.
But he he knew
about this photo, Ally.
Before we jumped.
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
The sabbatical.
Elliot planned to be gone.
What if I didn't
leave him behind?
What if he let go
on purpose?
He knew he was gonna stay
there?
Even before he jumped?
He knew.
MUSIC SWELLS
And he didn't tell me.
MUSIC CRESCENDOS
DRAMATIC (THEME) MUSIC
Previously on The Way Home.
This one key is always a
little bit sticky.
I think we should
take a step back.
Don't confuse confidence
with carelessness.
Del!
It's you.
You remember me?
- A Landry and a Goodwin.
- So what's in a name?
You have to follow your gut.
New York. I can't do it.
You're going to
live your little life
with your fritter franchise king
and never leave!
Tessa Futura?
I think this is my mom.
Mom, stop! I'm your son.
GRUN
DRAMATIC MUSIC
BIRDS CHIRPING
SOMEONE CLEARS THEIR THROA
Mind if I join you?
Uh I usually play alone.
I know. Maybe mix it up
for a change?
SCOFFS
Bishop's opening, huh?
It's my signature move,
you must know your chess.
Look. I didn't come here
for a game.
I need your legal
expertise.
Um, sorry, have we met?
Sam Bishop? Casey Goodwin.
There. Now we've met.
So here's the thing.
I found this legal document,
and it's, like,
hundreds of
years old,
but I need to know if
it will still hold up in court.
And I need to know, like now.
Uh, yeah, I'm retired from
practising law,
- there's a firm in town
- No.
It has to be you.
And
checkmate.
How did you do that
in so few moves?
It's all about the
Bishop's Opening.
But you knew that, right?
CHUCKLES
Okay. How do you know my name?
My profession?
Not to mention
my chess moves?
Because I learned from you.
I don't know you.
Not yet.
Scar on your left heel?
Rusty nail you stepped on
when you were six.
All your pals in Toronto?
They thought you were nuts for
retiring early and moving here.
Secretly, you hate the city and
always dreamed of owning a farm.
And now there's a certain
neighbour you haven't been able
to get off your mind,
and she's the reason you now
take your coffee with honey.
How could you possibly know
any of that?
'Cause I'm from a future
where I know you both.
A future where you told me
I could count on you any place,
any time.
So, here I am needing
your help to save Del's farm.
Of course, I'd I'd do
anything to help Del.
Wait.
You say you know us both
in the future.
Does that mean
Del and I are together?
SHAKY EXHALE
WHOOSH
Quite the tragic figure,
sitting here all alone.
- SIGHING
- Want some company?
Not a lot to smile about, kiddo.
I'm losing confidence by the day
in this future
you promised me.
It's my fault.
This is why you never
tell someone their future,
it just messes with their head.
And in your case,
your entire relationship.
So, it's really over, then.
Del and I don't end
up together anymore?
Listen.
You know what happens
will always happen. Just
don't take it all for granted?
I may have told you your future
but that doesn't mean you
should stop trying to earn it.
Good luck, Sam.
SOFT MUSIC
DRAMATIC MUSIC
You have somewhere else
you'd rather be?
Yes. Mr. Capone doesn't take
kindly to a change of plans.
And this one is gonna cost me
dearly, all thanks to you.
We thought you were
in trouble.
Your son thought that
he was saving you.
And nobody even bothered to
mention that
you were the boss
running the whole operation.
So now you know.
What are you gonna do about it?
Are you gonna turn me in?
The thought's crossed my mind.
Expecting Cliff home
any time soon?
If and when Monsieur
Temperance Inspector arrives,
I'll handle him.
Don't bother.
I was just leaving.
Mm. Leaving again,
how original.
You're up.
How are you feeling?
Head's still pounding but
I'm okay.
SOMBRE MUSIC
How about we take a walk, huh?
DOOR OPENS
DOOR CLOSES
SIGHING
It's just a deferral.
Only a semester or two?
Leaving right now
just feels wrong.
Plus, mom and Elliot
are still MIA,
so it's not like I have a ride
to New York tomorrow anyway.
Travel logistics aside,
I'm worried you're shying away
from the unknown
PHONE RINGING
Seems like I'm not
the only one.
I'm sorry. Weren't we talking
about you and your future here?
Why are you avoiding Sam after
everything he did?
You could have died out there
in the field, alone,
but he found you
and carried you home.
EXHALE
I'll have you know I'm
planning on calling Sam
as soon as we finish talking.
Well, we are finished
because I have to get to work.
So, call him!
Don't you think telling me
first is going to get you
off the hook from telling
your parents.
SOFT MUSIC
Hmm.
JINGLING KEYS
DOOR OPENS
DOOR CLOSES
Uh I have a question
for you.
When you were working for Lewis,
did you ever meet
his daughter?
The golden child marketing
exec? No.
She stuck to Toronto. Why?
She's in town now.
We had a moment last night.
Now, I'm not sure if I should
call her, text,
or wait for her to text me.
Honestly, modern dating
eludes me.
Modern dating?
Yeah, yeah in the, uh, the community
I grew up in,
we had really traditional
customs.
If you were interested
in someone,
you went straight to her father
and made your intentions known.
Well, you definitely can't do
that with Abby Goodwin.
No. I suppose not.
Look. I still don't know
how you got off so easy
after trying to burn down
Lewis's vineyard,
but if you want my advice,
don't go poking that bear again.
But whatever you do,
you'll be okay, Jake.
Things always seem
to work out for you. Right?
Right.
My brother and I grew up
believing
the pond was our family secret.
My parents, my grandparents,
if they knew Auntie Coop
was a time traveller,
they never breathed
a word of it to me.
I feel like a fool
for not seeing it.
The books she'd bring me,
she always knew which ones
were going to be bestsellers.
Heck, she made her living
predicting the future.
The future she was from.
I loved her like family,
Kitty Kat.
How could she abandon
her own son?
Or be willing to kill him.
Or me.
She also had no qualms
dragging you into
criminal activities.
Oh, she didn't drag me into
any of this.
I idolized her.
She's the only woman
I've ever known
who didn't answer to
any man.
And I wanted the excitement.
The intrigue.
The chance to make something
of myself.
Hm. What about the film?
If it happens.
Grayson's investors want
Mary Pickford for the role now.
He thought a private acting
coach in Saint John
might help
change minds, but
So that's where you
disappeared to.
Not that it did any good.
About your engagement
to Grayson.
I would hate to see you
go through with it
just because
you felt like you owed him.
Hmm.
At this point in life,
all I want is a fellow
to rely on.
I used to feel so safe here.
Surrounded by family.
Now, I'm alone,
haunted by memories.
I know how that feels.
To lose a parent. A brother.
And to look around this farm
and still see them everywhere.
How tragic!
We're more alike
than I thought.
You do have family, Fern.
You know, the pond didn't
bring me here just to find Tessa.
It brought me to you.
SIGHS
I guess technically this is
the last place we were together.
Seems fitting for our reunion.
I know what you did.
How you left.
BIRD CAWING
Do you what happened to
Griffin?
No. I don't.
What about dad? You wanna know
what happened to Vic?
Or what I've done with my life
for the last 40 years?
I can't do this right now.
There's too much to do.
There's way too much at stake.
I don't think you and Kat
understand
the mess you've made
of everything.
We made the mess? Really?
Really.
You have thrown everything
into question.
And what's worse, you have put
everyone in danger.
And now it's up to me to fix.
You obviously don't understand
how many people rely on me here.
Maybe not.
But I can name two people
who should have been able
to rely on you back there.
Why did you do it? Why?
Because I thought it was the
best choice at the time.
SOMBRE MUSIC
DEL: Thank you for meeting me.
I'm always happy to hear
from you.
My accident and the aftermath,
there's a lot I don't remember.
Alice told me what you did,
how you got me home.
I wanted to say thank you.
Oh. So you don't remember what
you said to me
after I found you?
No well, you were
only half-conscious,
I was trying to keep you
talking, keep you awake.
I feel awful.
I'm so sorry I put
you in that position.
No, I was glad I was there.
Glad I could help.
So you just wanted
to say thank you?
I think so.
Well, if you remember
anything else
you know where to find me.
SOFT MUSIC
What is taking them so long?
SIGHS
I gotta go find Elliot.
SQUEALING BRAKES
Well, good luck Kitty Kat.
Mm-hmm.
Inspector Kane! There you are.
You've been out burning
the midnight oil, I see.
Chasing my own
tail is more like it.
Missed a big bust down at
The Cove last night.
FERN: Don't be
so hard on yourself.
I heard that the deal
fell through, anyways.
Now, I hope you don't mind
How do you know the deal
fell through?
Well, it's a small town.
People talk.
People like your fiancé?
How convenient that he asked me
to look after you
during the circus
when this all went down.
Hey now. What
are you getting at?
He's using you as some kind of
pawn, can't you see that?
Listen, mister.
I have two perfectly good eyes.
I can see it
for myself if I'm being used!
Not if you're being kept in
the dark, and you are!
Fern, you're a sweet girl.
You're the only light in this
crooked town,
I'll be damned if I'm gonna
see you get hurt in all this
You barely know me!
Why are you so twisted in knots
over my welfare?
I'd have thought that was
pretty obvious by now.
SOFT DRAMATIC MUSIC
MUSIC SWELLS
Forgive me, Miss Landry.
You may be engaged
to a scoundrel,
but you're engaged all the same.
INHALES
BIRDS CHIRPING
MUSIC CONTINUES AND FADES
Hey. There you are.
Where's where's Tessa?
She took off.
I'm so sorry.
It's okay.
Let's let's go home.
I need answers.
This can't be it.
I get it, okay?
I'm supposed to be
driving Alice to college.
Right.
And, look! This isn't the end.
And we know from the screen test
that I come back,
so we'll just we'll come back
together.
Okay, you'll have more
time with Tessa.
You're right. I will.
SNIFFS
Time to go home.
Okay.
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
One, two, three.
MUSIC CRESCENDOS
Kat, wait!
DRAMATIC MUSIC
TENSE MUSIC
No! When am I?
1979!
Kitty Kat, oh!
You've come back to me.
Fern. Please.
I just left Elliot in 1925.
You were there.
You were on the farm, so can
can you tell me, is he okay?
So, you're in the middle of
all that then.
How curious that
the pond should bring you here.
Maybe because you know when
I go back there? To Elliot?
Give the boy some time
with his mother.
There's never enough of it.
How much time, Fern?
I mean, I can't just
leave him there!
But you already did!
Now, it's up to the pond,
isn't it?
- SIGHS
- Sometimes it's a gift,
and sometimes it's not.
Right, Kitty Kat?
- Fern?
- Mm-hmm?
After everything went sideways
with Auntie Coop,
you and I sat on the porch
and we talked.
- Do you remember that?
- Mh.
You were wishing for someone
that you could rely on.
Did you find him?
Landry are women are cursed
when it comes to true love.
BREATHES DEEPLY
You were a true friend.
I've missed you.
And I'm still grateful
to the pond for that.
If nothing else.
Wait. Fern, I don't know what
I'm supposed to do now!
You will.
The key is the key,
Kitty Kat.
Remember that?
EERIE MUSIC
MUSIC ON THE RADIO
DOOR CHIMES
EXHALES
Jacob. Hi.
I I was gonna say hi
but you looked busy.
Yeah.
Busy making a mess of this
Goodwin's Good Wine
presentation
Well, hey, maybe I can help.
I, I don't pretend to understand
marketing, but
I'm pretty familiar
with that vineyard.
Arguably a little
too familiar.
Wow
But, okay.
We're looking for a hook.
Something to make us
stand out from the crowd.
But my dad, a purist,
he just wants to drone on
about the land and his exciting
innovations
and natural soil fertilization.
I mean
I'm with him.
New Brunswick soil is special.
Tells its own story.
So you want me to write
a marketing pitch on soil?
It's it's not so easy
as to put into words.
Alright. Show me then.
GENTLE MUSIC
KAT: The pond won't let me go back.
It's all my fault, Mom.
I let go of him.
If anything happens
to Elliot back there
You're always saying that
the pond takes you someplace
for a reason,
and Fern gave you one.
Maybe Elliot just needs to
spend time with his mother.
But I'm supposed to leave
tomorrow with Ally for New York.
You two should really talk
when she gets home from work.
Is everything alright?
Oh. Oh sure.
Mom, you just sat here
listening to all of my woes.
Can I at least
return the favour?
SIGHS
It's just Sam. I
can't keep him
at arm's length forever.
Well, then, don't.
I care for him.
And he was there for me
during the accident.
But in the haze of it all,
your father kept coming to me
in a dream, a vision.
And he still gave me
butterflies.
Nobody can compete with
a dream, Mom.
Don't shy away from
future happiness.
Dad would never
have wanted that for you.
SOFT MUSIC CONTINUES
Hey! Casey!
CAR DOOR OPENS
What are you doing here?
Haven't quite
figured that out yet.
But the pond always has
a reason, right?
I did what you said, and
I deferred my acceptance.
So, now I'm just freaking out
about telling my parents.
I didn't tell you to defer,
Alice.
All I said was that you wouldn't
regret following your gut.
Wait. Did I make
the wrong choice?
Honestly, you are almost as bad
as Grandma Fern and her riddles!
You know, sometimes, I wish
you'd never caught me in that pond.
When everyone knows you're
a time traveller,
they ask too many questions
and expect sage wisdom.
Right. I will drop it.
But, hey, do you wanna come
inside and stay for dinner?
Casey! It's nice to see you
again.
Sorry I'm late everyone, I got
a little caught up at The Point.
By anyone in particular?
Um Abby Goodwin, actually.
Lewis Goodwin's daughter?
Huh.
We ran into each other.
That's all.
I would suggest that the next
time, you just keep walking.
CHUCKLES
Is everything alright
with you?
Mm. Well,
Elliot is trapped in 1925,
the pond won't take me to him,
and I was really hoping that
Casey could give me a
little intel, but
Mom! Casey is here to enjoy
a nice family dinner with
all of us. That's it.
- I'm sorry, Casey.
- Yeah.
And I'm sorry to you, Alice,
this is your last night
before you leave,
and we really should
just enjoy it as much as we can.
DEL: Mm.
Am I missing something?
Actually, Mom, I
decided to defer my acceptance
and stay here.
But please don't
freak out.
Ally. This is your
dream school!
This is the path that feels
right to me!
And Casey told me I wouldn't
regret following my gut, so
KAT: Hold on.
So, you can't even tell me
if Elliot is all right,
but you can tell my daughter
to blow off college?
Look at the time,
I should go.
Casey, wait.
No, Mom. Let me go.
SIGHS
Casey!
I'm sorry for putting you
in the middle of all that.
It's always about you
and your problems, Alice.
Have you ever thought about
how these trips affect me?
How I see things in my time?
It's kind of hard to imagine
since I don't know anything
about your time.
Well, let me tell you.
My Landry family loves
to go on
about the good old days,
but I'm not seeing
a lot of good here.
It's all just
fighting and secrets!
No era is perfect.
Especially not in the moment
for the people living it.
I just wanted to have a little
fun before everything changed.
What's about to change?
Everything is a countdown to
something, Alice.
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
Casey, wait!
PHONE RINGING
EXHALE
MUSIC SWELLS
INHALES
Magic Man by Heart PLAYS
LAUGHING
Cold late night
so long ago ♪
When I was not so strong
you know ♪
A pretty man came to me ♪
I'd never seen eyes
so blue ♪
You know ♪♪
Cheers, you two.
Anywhere in the world I could be
to ring in the new decade.
I wanted to be with family.
Funny, when you spent so little
of the last decade with us.
Perhaps this one
will be different.
It'll be so much better.
I can't see what the '80s bring.
Hard to believe that anything
can top this past decade.
SLIDE PROJECTOR WHIRRING
Forget decade, Jay, I mean,
this moment tops them all.
SONG FADES
SOFT, NOSTALGIC MUSIC
Excuse me, I need some air.
DOOR CHIMES
Hey, hey Dellie, wait.
Was it something I said?
No. Cole
It was the best day
of my life too.
What
But now that footage,
it just reminds me of
all the hopes and dreams we had
five years ago.
Dreams that haven't come true.
We should be home right now,
with our baby,
counting down to
the future as a family.
I know that!
You think I don't know that?
It's killing me too,
Dellie.
I'm sorry.
BOTH CRYING
We can't lose each other
in this. Okay?
We'll get through it.
One day we'll look back on
tonight as
our worst New Year's ever.
CHUCKLES
Go warm up in the truck,
I'll grab our coats, huh?
DOOR OPENS
DOORBELL CHIMING
DOOR CLOSES, BELL CHIMES
Thanks.
Uh, hey, sorry to duck
so early,
but yeah, we're not much in a
celebratory mood tonight, so
What happened to you two
was awful.
Grandma wrote me.
You didn't think
she knew either.
She knows everything
that goes on inside that house.
I came home as soon as I heard.
Thanks. For caring enough
to be here.
But I gotta get Del home, so
I'm here for you, Cole.
And if you wanna talk,
don't burden Del with it.
The last thing she needs is to
take on your hurt too.
It's like when dad died.
Mom and grandma needed us
to be strong.
And you weren't.
You took off first chance
you got.
And I was the one who had to
stay and pick up the pieces.
SCOFFS
You're right.
Yeah. You're stronger than me.
Now go be strong for her.
DRAMATIC MUSIC
Aren't you Colton's friend?
Hey, found another
stray outside.
Alice!
GASPS
You're really here!
Oh my goodness.
And looking like
you haven't aged a day!
You must tell me
your skincare regime.
I am so glad to be back,
I I really needed this.
Well, don't get too
comfortable.
Jasper's shutting
the place down.
Ever since Carter pardoned
the draft dodgers,
I've been feeling
it's time to head home.
Why do things have to change?
JASPER: Heck of a good run
we had here.
GASPS Look at us!
Just a couple of kids.
DRAMATIC MUSIC
Wait. I know her!
DOOR OPENS
Hey. You doing alright?
Nope.
I was already worried enough
about Elliot,
and now, Alice isn't
answering my calls,
so I can only guess
where she is.
Or when she is.
I'm sure she'll be home soon.
You'll feel better when
you talk to her.
You know, I sat in this exact
same spot once
waiting for Alice.
It was after
we both tried to save you,
the night of the fall carnival.
But Elliot was with me.
He's my person, Jake.
And I left him behind.
I can't imagine
that the pond would keep
you two apart for long.
So says the boy
that the pond kept from us
for 25 years.
For good reason.
Now you have to trust that
the pond has its reasons
with Elliot too.
SIGHS
Hey.
Play it again, Jasper?
She was here. At Coyle's.
Jay, do you know her?
Yeah, I got to know her
a little that summer. 1974.
- Her name's Kat.
- Kat?
Alice, the portrait that
we found in my attic?
My Katherine? Kat?
They're the same person.
That's her!
Um, maybe there's a vague
resemblance?
Vague? They they're
identical.
But isn't Kat your mom, Alice?
I could have sworn you two
were together.
Uh, no, you you must be
misremembering,
I've never seen her before
in my life.
But maybe we were both around
that summer?
That woman is the White Witch.
She is the one who saved me
when I nearly drowned as a kid.
There's no way I would not
remember her face!
Wasn't it the fairies that
saved you that night, Evie?
CHUCKLES You always
did have a crazy imagination.
Glad to see some things
never change.
EVELYN: No! She's real!
And this is proof
that she's been in this town
for hundreds of years!
Do, do you mind if I hold
on to that footage, Jay?
Sure.
DOOR CHIMES
Hey, drop the witch talk,
Evie.
Introduce me to your cute
friend instead?
Ugh, she's already taken,
Griff.
Hi. Sorry we're late.
Don't apologize. This party
desperately needs new blood.
Griffin. Welcome back, man.
This is Tessa Cooper.
My fiancée.
Hi.
Lucky man, Vic.
You two arrived
just in the nick of time.
Alright, gang. Let's bring in
the 1980s in 10
ALL: Nine, eight, seven, six,
five, four, three, two, one!
Happy New Year!
GLASSES CLINKING
CHEERING AND LAUGHING
Should old acquaintance
be forgot ♪
And never brought to mind ♪
Should old acquaintance
be forgot ♪
For auld lang syne ♪
For auld lang syne
my dear ♪
For auld lang syne ♪
SINGING CONTINUES, MUTED
Alice! What are you doing?
I I can explain.
Why you're leaving so early
without even saying goodbye?
I never know when I'm going to
see you again,
and your visits
are so rare these days.
I'm sorry, there's just
there's somewhere I have to be,
and I didn't want to interrupt,
you guys were all having
so much fun.
We used to have so much fun.
Summer of '74
SIGHS
Man, that feels like lifetimes
ago now.
Don't you wish that
we could go back to that?
TSK
I do.
And I wish time wasn't
passing so quickly.
But it does.
Evelyn?
Everything is a countdown
to something.
So don't forget to stop and
enjoy the here and now,
because, someday, you're gonna
look back at this time
as the golden days.
Yeah? You think so?
More than think. I know.
'Cause they're mine too.
Always.
SENTIMENTAL MUSIC
BIRDS CHIRPING
You slept in late. Big night?
I may have jumped in the pond
to avoid your wrath?
But it brought me to New Year's.
Well that does sound more fun
than arguing with your mother
about your future.
It was definitely a reminder
that we can't cling to
the good old days forever.
So does that mean you changed
your mind about New York?
No, Mom, I'm staying here.
- Please don't hate me!
- Ally!
Come on. I could never.
Look, I just I worry.
Mom. I am excited about
my future.
But I'm still figuring out
who I am and what matters to me,
and I feel like the best place
to do that is here.
And to think three years
ago I had to drag you here,
kicking and screaming.
Look, I love that
you love this place,
but at the risk of sounding
like my own mother,
you're gonna need a plan.
You know, you can't just hang
around doing nothing.
Oh, and
your dad's not gonna be
so understanding.
You might wanna get that call
out of the way.
I will.
But Mom, first,
there's something else that
happened in 1979
that I think
you should know about.
Evelyn recognized you in one of
Jasper's old film reels.
She what?
But don't worry, I I took
care of it.
DISTANT KNOCKING AT THE DOOR
Are you expecting anyone?
No.
Sorry, no one told me that you
were coming to fix this thing.
Well, the appointment was made
last week by
Elliot Augustine?
Is he here?
Uh, no. No, he's not.
Shouldn't take long.
He said there was a sticky key
he wanted to fix?
Sure.
SOFT MUSIC
This field was the first one
cleared and planted by my family
back in 1790.
And here you are,
carrying on the family legacy
hundreds of years later.
Farming's always been less
of a choice for me
and more of just a given.
It's in my blood.
But you clearly love it.
I do.
It's it's tangible.
It's logical.
You put in the work,
you get something back.
It's timeless, too.
I find that reassuring.
I also love being outside,
breathing in the fresh air,
hands in the soil.
Oh. That soil talk again.
- CHUCKLES
- So?
What's so special about this
New Brunswick dirt, huh?
'Cause
CHUCKLES
It seems like standard,
generic stuff to me.
Well, it's actually
notoriously bad for farming.
It's naturally acidic.
It's low in organic matter.
It's prone to erosion.
But when I hold it,
I'm holding our history.
I can feel the perseverance of
generations before us,
the love that's gone into
this land.
All that from a handful of
dirt?
You don't believe me, do you?
LAUGHS I want to believe you!
So try it.
SOFT MUSIC
What do you think?
Um I definitely feel
something special.
There we go.
This guy's the culprit.
Yeah.
Looks like something got wrapped
around this key.
A NOTE PLAYS
Strange.
Do you mind?
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
This was hidden in Fern's
piano.
This is the intro page that
was missing from my Alice book.
Yeah.
The book that Tessa gave Fern.
I mean, I saw it there
in 1925.
I mean, look, that's
her inscription.
But this wasn't there before.
What are these words?
There doesn't seem to be
any connection.
The letter comes after.
"Dear Fern, I lie alone every
night in this house, your home,
dreaming of you.
Yearning for the day when
we can share a life together
and call this home
for the both of us.
Forever yours, Cliff."
Cliff loved Fern?
I think she loved him too.
The key is the key.
Maybe she meant this is
the key to her heart?
Or her love story?
So Cliff could be Colton's
grandfather?
Well, if he is,
then why hide his love note
in a piano?
Why keep it a secret?
DRAMATIC MUSIC
Cole? Jacob?
MOAN
THUD
Del!
Wake up. Wake up, Del.
We're just gonna get you home,
okay? Alright.
MOANS
I love you.
EXHALES
Come on, boy.
In the spirit of market
research,
everything is from
local farms and shops.
I'd like the vineyard's menu
to really celebrate the area.
And this wine is from
Verona.
Okay, I love my dad.
But our family hasn't been
running a vineyard
for seven generations.
Well, cheers.
To market research.
Cheers to overcoming
familial grudges.
You think it's possible?
SOFT MUSIC
Because to tell
you the truth, Abby,
there's nothing I'd love more
than to take you on a date.
But you already did.
Wait, so you asked me over
for a sunset picnic on your farm
just to help me with a work
presentation?
No. No, I mean
CHUCKLES
I mean, yes, uh
This is perfect.
I just, I didn't want to assume.
Well, now would be the perfect
moment to kiss me,
in case you were afraid of
assuming that too.
SOFT MUSIC
SAM: Del.
Sam. I was just going to
look for you.
Oh. Well, here I am.
Yes, you are.
And you're always here for me.
I love you.
I meant it when I said it before
and I mean it now.
It sounds even better
the second time.
And I love you.
I've been sure of that since
we first met.
Maybe a little too sure.
Because you're right,
it's a gift.
I don't want you to
ever think that
I'm taking what we have
for granted.
Come on. Hmm?
Oh. Sam!
Look, I know I'm a man of
routine, often times to a fault,
but I can be romantic.
You know, with a little nudging.
CHUCKLING
Oh, Sam. It's perfect!
So what are we going to watch?
The next film on our
Criterion List, obviously.
Some Like It Hot.
Ah!
GIGGLES
Of course!
LAUGHS
Ah. I'll be right back.
I left a bottle of wine
chilling inside.
Oh, okay.
Hang on.
SIGHS
So you took my advice, I see.
You knew I would, didn't you?
But thank you, kid.
You know, you mean a lot
to me. In my time.
Well, that's something to
look forward to.
No don't don't go.
I feel like I'm getting a
second chance here with Del.
And I'm not taking it lightly.
I wanna be completely honest
with her this time.
I wanna tell her everything.
I know you do. Just be
careful with how much you share.
About the future and everything.
Point taken, but
I'm a bit surprised you're not
fighting me harder on this,
after all this time.
I guess that time's up.
GRUNTS
Mm. I'm sure your parents are
going ballistic about you deferring.
You always have a job here
if you still want it, Alice.
Thank you, Monica.
What's in the box?
Oh, I have been collecting
loads of memorabilia.
GIGGLES
For our 45th anniversary party
next month?
You know, photos, videos
I thought it would be a fun
salute
to the illustrious
history of the café.
So wait, The Point opened
in 1981,
a year after Jasper closed
Coyle's?
Yeah.
Wow, I'm surprised that you know
something that far back.
Oh, um, Del just told me all
about it.
Sounds like it was a
pretty cool spot back then.
Be right back.
PHONE RINGING
Your dad's not taking it too
well, I'm guessing.
He's probably calling back to
yell at me again,
but at least I know he cares.
Alice, come on,
you know I care.
I'm so happy you're staying.
Really? 'Cause with you gone
now, we're still long-distance.
Yeah, but not New York long.
It's like medium distance.
It's fine, it's fine!
It's nothing we can't handle.
Alice, I know you're worried
about everything changing,
but nothing has to.
At least, not with us.
SOFT MUSIC
OMINOUS MUSIC
ALICE: Mom?
INHALING SHAKILY
Are you okay?
It still won't work.
I kept trying, but the pond
won't take me.
What if he thinks that
I'm not coming back?
No, but the screen test.
Mom, you do go back.
We know that, Elliot knows that.
I know, but we don't know when
in 1925 the test was filmed.
What if it's months from now?
I mean, anything
could happen to him!
SIGHS
Grandma Fern said that
Landry women were cursed
when it came to love.
I mean, I wonder if she
was talking about me too.
PHONE RINGING
Oh.
Oh my god.
Ally, this is the school
calling Elliot!
I I didn't even
think to cover for him!
BEEP
Hi, uh, this is this is Kat,
Elliot's girlfriend.
Yeah he's super sick so he
he can't come to the phone,
I Sorry?
His sabbatical was approved?
Um, wow, that's no,
that's good to know.
I will, I will definitely
I'll tell him. Okay, thanks.
BEEP
Elliot asked for
this semester off.
Why would he do that?
DISTANT MUSIC BOX
Huh
Oh
These are all Fern's
society columns.
Why? What was
Elliot looking for?
Oh my god.
Mom, it's it's Elliot!
Why is he being arrested
as the Big Fish?
And why are they calling him
Tom Buchanan?
I don't know.
But he he knew
about this photo, Ally.
Before we jumped.
SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC
The sabbatical.
Elliot planned to be gone.
What if I didn't
leave him behind?
What if he let go
on purpose?
He knew he was gonna stay
there?
Even before he jumped?
He knew.
MUSIC SWELLS
And he didn't tell me.
MUSIC CRESCENDOS
DRAMATIC (THEME) MUSIC