The Way Home Didn’t Just Let Go of Thomas — It Locked Him in the Past

It's been a month since The Way Home Season 3 seemingly finished Thomas Coyle's story arc, and I still can't let it go.

The post The Way Home Didn’t Just Let Go of Thomas — It Locked Him in the Past appeared first on TV Fanatic.

When The Way Home introduced Thomas, he wasn’t just another love interest.

 

He was a breath of fresh air — emotionally intelligent, grounded, and somehow even more compelling for existing entirely in the past. 

His connection with Kat felt unexpected but deeply earned, unfolding over time without the weight of nostalgia or expectations.

And then he was gone.

Well, not gone exactly. Thomas is still in the 1800s — right where we left him — but the show has made it clear that Kat’s story is moving on without him. 

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His arc was closed with a heartfelt goodbye in 1816, a wistful glance exchanged between him and Elliot, and the kind of narrative finality that feels more like a sigh than a period.

It was subtle, elegant, and, if we’re being honest, a little devastating.

Thomas Was Never Meant to Be a Distraction

Thomas was Jacob’s friend — someone Kat met during one of the most emotionally intense chapters of her journey through time.

 

He wasn’t there to pull focus from Elliot. He wasn’t a rebound. He was someone who offered Kat a love story rooted in the version of herself that had grown and evolved across timelines.

It wasn’t the kind of love that screamed to be noticed. It whispered and steadied. It showed up. 

And in the middle of all the chaos, Thomas provided something no one else could: the chance for Kat to choose something new, something outside the patterns she’d been reliving for decades.

But in the end, the pond didn’t let him follow her, and the show didn’t let him stay.

Goodbye Felt a Lot Like Closure — But Was It?

On The Way Home Season 3 Episode 7, Thomas tries to follow Kat through the pond but fails.

She says goodbye to him in 1816 during The Way Home Season Episode 9. 

And when Elliot shows up to help Elijah rebuild his cabin, he and Thomas exchange a glance that felt a lot like a symbolic baton pass.

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It was tastefully done, sure. But that’s also what stings.

Because while Elliot’s arc is still unfolding — full of longing, ambiguity, and open-ended emotional threads — Thomas was folded up and shelved like a finished book.

And yet, his story doesn’t feel finished. Not really.

Jasper’s mention of an ancestor who made his way to New York and eventually returned to Port Haven hints at a broader legacy. 

Could that be Thomas? If so, when did he leave? When did he come back?

Why introduce that breadcrumb if the writers don’t plan to follow it?

Thomas Deserved More Than to Be a Narrative Detour

Even if Kat’s path was always going to lead her back to Elliot (and I’m still not convinced it should), Thomas didn’t have to be forgotten in the process. 

He could’ve remained part of the show’s emotional tapestry — a symbol of what could’ve been, of how love across time changes you, even when it ends.

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Instead, we got a clean cut, a curtain drop, a bittersweet smile, and a closed door.

And if you were Team Thomas like I was — like a lot of us were — it’s hard not to feel like we lost something special.

We’re Still Talking About Thomas for a Reason

If Thomas really is gone, then I’ll take the story for what it was — a time-crossed romance that burned quietly and left its mark.

But I can’t help feeling like there was more to tell.

Maybe he made it to New York, maybe he built a life, and maybe the pond has plans we don’t understand yet. Or maybe The Way Home simply chose to leave him in the past so Kat could stop living there.

Either way, Thomas mattered. And we’re still talking about him because the show made us care.

If you have any lingering thoughts about Thomas’s arc, please share them in the comments below. Love Live Thomas Coyle!

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