Hallmark strays from its normal archetype in ‘The Way Home’

by Kerri Hoover Editor-in-Chief

Hallmark is best known for its stereotypical entertainment centered around unrealistic romance; however, the channel made a refreshing divergence from its traditional archetype in the latest television drama “The Way Home.”

“The Way Home,” which debuted on Jan. 15, follows the story of 15-year-old Alice Dhawan who recently moved to her matriarch’s hometown of Port Haven, Canada.

The move was prompted by her parents’ divorce, as well as her mother, Kat Landry’s, unemployment.

However, the new start is not as refreshing as expected.

Rebel teen Alice resents Kat for uprooting her life. Kat herself experiences a less than warm welcome home by her mother, Del Landry. The season’s pilot episode is filled with feelings of hostility among the three Landry women.

Viewers soon find out the reason behind all of the family drama.

Twenty years before returning home, Kat lost her father in a car crash. This incident occurred just three months after Kat’s 9-year-old brother, Jacob, went missing. Kat and Del both coped with the tragedies differently, and as a result, caused an unresolved rift in their relationship.

The family pond is a portal to the past. It possesses time traveling capabilities, but only when it wants Alice to go somewhere. Alice is not guaranteed to be transported back to 1999 every time she jumps into the water.

During her subsequent travels through time, Alice begins to learn about her family’s history that is often untold to her. She learns that the Landry farm was a place filled with happiness, love, and laughter; it was built on strong relationships. Alice also meets her grandfather, Jacob, Kat’s best friend Elliot, who is her current science