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For today’s high school graduates, the path to true independence can seem daunting. With rising housing costs, potential student debt, and an ever-competitive job market, many young adults find themselves living in their parents’ basements long after graduation. But financial independence is possible with strategic planning and smart decisions. Here’s how to build a life that includes your own space, transportation, social connections, and even savings—without moving back home.
Smart Choices Before the Bills Arrive
Housing: Your Biggest Expense
The single largest expense most graduates face is housing. The national average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is approximately $1,700 per month, but this varies dramatically by location. Two key strategies can make this manageable:
Find roommates: Splitting rent three ways can reduce your housing costs by 50-65% compared to living alone.
Consider location strategically: Moving just 15 minutes outside major metropolitan areas can reduce housing costs by 20-30%.
Transportation: Freedom Without Financial Chains
The average car owner spends $10,700 annually on their vehicle—including payments, insurance, maintenance, and fuel. Consider these alternatives:
Public transportation: Living in a transit-friendly city can save you $10,000+ annually compared to car ownership.
Car-sharing services: For occasional car needs, services like Zipcar or Turo provide access without ownership costs.
Bicycle commuting: Beyond saving money, cycling to work offers health benefits that reduce long-term healthcare costs.
Host potluck gatherings instead of restaurant meals
Take advantage of free community events found on platforms like Eventbrite
Student discounts: Your college ID can unlock savings of 10-20% at many retailers and venues for years after graduation
The Real Numbers: Can You Actually Afford Independence?
Let’s analyze what financial independence looks like for a recent graduate with an entry-level position:
Average Starting Salary For College Graduates (2025)
The median starting salary for bachelor’s degree graduates is approximately $55,800 annually, or $4,650 monthly before taxes. After taxes (approximately 22%), your take-home pay is about $3,627 monthly.
Cost savings on expenses
Scott White
With strategic choices, your monthly expenses drop from $4,145 (which exceeds your take-home pay) to $1,965—leaving you with $1,662 for savings and student loan payments.
Adding Student Debt To The Equation
The average graduate leaves college with approximately $33,000 in federal student loan debt. Typical repayment terms include:
Standard 10-year plan: Approximately $380 monthly
Income-driven repayment: Can reduce payments to 10-15% of discretionary income
Graduated payment plans: Start with lower payments that increase over time
The Stafford Loan Threshold: A Critical Borrowing Limit
Federal Stafford Loans have annual borrowing limits ($5,500-$7,500 for dependent students, $9,500-$12,500 for independent students). These limits exist for a reason.
Why staying within Stafford limits matters:
Federal loans offer more flexible repayment options
Interest rates are typically lower than private loans
Payment calculations ensure debt remains proportional to income
The danger zone: Private student loans
When students exceed federal loan limits, they often turn to private loans with:
Higher interest rates (often 7-14%)
Fewer repayment options
Stricter terms during financial hardship
A student who borrows $20,000 beyond their federal loans at 10% interest adds approximately $260 monthly to their debt burden—potentially consuming the budget margin that would allow independent living.
Putting It All Together: The Independence Calculation
With our cost-saving strategies in place, the financial picture for a new graduate looks like this:
Standard student loan payment (federal only): $380
Remaining for savings: $1,282
This allows for both debt repayment and building an emergency fund—keeping you safely out of your parents’ basement.
However, adding just $20,000 in private loans changes the equation dramatically:
Additional monthly payment: $260
Remaining for savings: $1,022
While still manageable, this reduces your financial security and may make emergencies more difficult to weather.
The Bottom Line
Financial independence after graduation is absolutely achievable—even with student debt—but requires deliberate choices. By keeping student debt within federal limits, embracing strategic housing choices, and adopting reasonable lifestyle adjustments, you can build a life of independence without sacrificing your financial future.
The key is thinking ahead: every financial decision during and immediately after college shapes your path to independence. Make choices today that your future self will thank you for—preferably from the comfort of your own apartment, not your parents’ basement.
India is celebrating its Champions Trophy 2025 victory over New Zealand, with Bollywood stars congratulating Team India. Mom-to-be Athiya Shetty cheered for her husband KL Rahul, praising his performance. She also shared a sweet picture flaunting her baby bump while enjoying the thrilling match. Check out her post here:
Sunday was all about celebrating India’s Champions Trophy 2025 win! Like many, Athiya Shetty enjoyed the match from home. After Team India’s victory, she shared an adorable picture, leaving fans gushing over her sweet moment. The actress shared a heartwarming moment on her Instagram Stories, proudly flaunting her baby bump while cheering for her husband, KL Rahul, a key player in India’s Champions Trophy 2025 victory. Athiya also lauded Team India’s victory in another post. Her father, Suniel Shetty, expressed his pride in son-in-law KL Rahul’s stellar performance, taking to X to applaud his talent. Check out the post here: Veteran actor Anil Kapoor also joined in celebrating Team India’s victory. The Fighter star shared on social media, “What a match, what a win! Congratulations Team India. A phenomenal game—unbreakable spirit and a well-deserved victory!”
Abhishek Bachchan wasn’t behind in heaping praise on the team India. In his Instagram Stories, the actor expressed, “The trophy is coming home. A masterclass of skill, grit and passion by Team India. On top of the world.”
Several well-known personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bobby Deol, Ajay Devgn, Genelia Deshmukh, Varun Dhawan, Chhaava star Vicky Kaushal, Sushmita Sen, Sidharth Malhotra, Ayushmann Khurrana, Raghav Chadha, and Suhana Khan, praised Team India’s victory. The team secured a thrilling four-wicket win against New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Athiya Shetty and KL Rahul are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first child. The couple took the internet by storm on November 8, 2025, when they officially announced their pregnancy with a heartfelt post.
The father of a 15-year-old boy found dead in a city street last night said he was not ready ‘to fully comprehend this devastating loss’.
Amen Teklay was found seriously wounded in Glasgow on Wednesday evening. Emergency services attended but the schoolboy died of his injuries.
At at a vigil for his son on Sunday, Teklay’s father urged the assembled community to ‘work together to ensure this does not happen again’.
The grieving parent, who fled to Scotland with his family as Eritrean refugees, was unable to address the crowds directly, explaining that he needed time to process his grief.
Instead, community support worker Jamie O’Neill, who had worked with the teen in his local neighbourhood of Knightswood, read out a statement on his father’s behalf.
He said: ‘This city is our home, and it is only through working together that we can make it safer for everyone.
‘Let us find justice for Amen and make our city safer for all.’
‘We are gathered today in sorrow, mourning the tragic and unexpected loss of my son, Amen, who was proudly a member of this community.
‘We are all still in shock, and none of us are ready to fully comprehend this devastating loss.
Amen Teklay, 15, died after being found with serious injuries in a Glasgow street
Members of the community gathered at a vigil for Amen
‘Amen was a remarkable young man, loved by everyone who knew him, and it breaks our hearts that such a tragedy has occurred. This should not happen to anyone.’
The statement continued: ‘We have lost our son, but it is important to remember that one or more lives will be affected by the loss of Amen.
‘His death is not only a tragedy for our family but also a tragedy for the person or people responsible. This cycle of violence must be stopped.’
The speech was delivered to crowds at a vigil arranged by Teklay’s peers at the Kingsway Community Connections charity.
Relatives and friends gathered at a football pitch where the teen had played, and campaigned to save from redevelopment several years previously.
Some of the assembled youngsters wore T-shirts bearing Teklay’s image and reading the words ‘Forever 15’.
They explained that they had designed the tops, which were available to buy at the memorial, to raise funds for their friend’s funeral.
After a moment of silence, crowds of mourners released balloons into the sky to muted applause.
Leading the memorial, Mr O’Neill stressed that the event was an opportunity for his community to celebrate Teklay’s life, and outlined possible plans to rename the park in his honour.
He said: ‘This vigil is an opportunity for so many different people that loved Amen to get together to reflect on his life, and to share in that love and energy.
‘Whether we make a park or dedicate a bench next, this is the start of something: we will keep meeting up and speaking so these young people can see visually that this is your community.’
The memorial comes after Police Scotland revealed that a 15-year-old has been arrested and a 14-year-old has been charged in connection with Teklay’s death.
Tributes were laid out to the teenager by friends and family
The 14-year-old boy is due to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Monday, with police treating Amen’s death as murder.
Mr O’Neill cautioned the gathered community against speculation on social media, stressing that doing so could jeopardise a trial.
Local councillor Malcolm Mitchell added: ‘There is nothing that we can ultimately say that will offer enough comfort to the family. In such a short life, Amen touched so many people.’
Detective Chief Inspector Campbell Jackson said: ‘Our thoughts remain with Amen’s family and friends at this very difficult time. I would also like to thank the community for their support so far.
‘Our investigation continues and I would ask anyone, who may have information which could help us and who has not yet come forward, to please contact us.’
Superintendent Christopher Stewart said: ‘We are continuing to support Amen’s family and continue to engage with the local community affected by this incident.
‘There will continue to be a visible policing presence in the area and I would urge anyone with questions or concerns to approach a local officer – they are there to help.’
In an unforgettable moment from the Champions Trophy 2025 final, India made history by defeating New Zealand by 4 wickets, claiming their third Champions Trophy title. This victory not only marked a major achievement for Indian cricket but also highlighted the strong camaraderie and respect between players, as seen in a heartwarming gesture from India’s star batsman, Virat Kohli.
Virat Kohli’s emotional moment
Amidst the celebrations of India’s historic win, a touching moment between Kohli and Mohammed Shami’s mother, Anjum Ara, went viral on social media. After the match, Kohli was seen meeting Shami’s mother, who had come to Dubai to watch her son’s return to international cricket after a year-long injury break. The video captured Kohli, filled with emotion, as he approached Shami’s mother and touched her feet in a sign of respect, seeking her blessings.
An endearing gesture of respect
The video, which quickly spread across social media, shows Mohammed Shami proudly walking with his mother toward Kohli. Upon meeting Shami’s mother, Kohli’s joy and warmth were visible. Kohli then bent down to touch her feet—a traditional gesture in Indian culture to show respect and seek blessings.
Shami, who had worked hard to return to peak form after his injury, and his mother’s presence at the final added an emotional layer to India’s remarkable victory. For Kohli, this was a moment to honor a player’s family and show appreciation for the sacrifices made off the field, further solidifying his role as a leader not just on but also off the field.
Adding to the joy, Kohli and Rohit Sharma were seen breaking into a joyful dandiya dance with the match stumps as props, following Ravindra Jadeja’s winning boundary. Their spontaneous dance exemplified the camaraderie and unity within the Indian cricket team, with the players celebrating their historic win in a fun and vibrant way.
A night of celebrations and heartfelt moments
India’s triumph in the Champions Trophy 2025, where they defeated New Zealand by 4 wickets to claim their third title, was filled with joyous celebrations, but it was Virat Kohli’s emotional moments that captured the hearts of fans worldwide.
From Kohli’s embrace with Anushka Sharma to his emotional gesture with Shami’s mother and the celebratory dance, the night of India’s Champions Trophy 2025 win was a testament to the emotional depth and unity that drives the team both on and off the field. The viral moments from the celebration have captured the essence of this historic win, making it a truly unforgettable night for the players and their fans.
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Hailey Bieber celebrated International Women’s Day by taking a look at her motherhood journey so far. The star rang in the holiday with her 54.3 million followers, giving them a rare glimpse of her son Jack Blues Bieber, whom she shares with husband Justin Bieber.
Hailey uploaded the candid post on Saturday, March 8, showing a picture of her baby son from behind while wearing a red crochet cap.Though Jack Blues’s face was hidden, the couple have kept the peeks at their little one to a minimum, making any post exciting for supporters.
In the same snap, Hailey could be seen wearing a straw hat as she held her son in her arms. The baby, who also wore a lavender shirt, put his hand on his mom’s face in the outdoor snaps, showing just how much he was enjoying the moment. The Rhode beauty founder captioned the two-photo post with a simple fiery heart emoji, going on to open up about what becoming a mother meant to her in her Instagram Stories.
While wishing her fans a happy International Women’s Day, the model made a post throwing it back to her pregnancy days as she shared a photo of her with her baby bump. At the time, a fresh-faced Bieber showed off her growing bump in a light pink tank top and a pair of low-rise yoga pants, letting her belly shine. Hailey called becoming a mom the “wildest, coolest thing I’ve ever done,” in her caption, adding a pink bow emoji.
This post from Bieber comes at an important time in her relationship, as rumors about divorce and health concerns over Justin have been running rampant on social media. Her husband was absent from her posts, but the singer did post to Instagram on March 8 to respond to concerns about his health and appearance in recent photos.
“We have nothing to prove today” Justin began his cryptic post in all capital letters.. “Just the gift of life today to accept and [receive]. Nothing is owed to us and we [don’t] owe anyone anything.”
On Saturday, JD Vance tweeted about being confronted by a group of protesters while walking with his 3 year-old daughter, who “grew increasingly anxious and scared” as the demonstrators “followed us around and shouted.” Vance engaged with the group, he claims, to keep them from further scaring his toddler, but that “if you’re chasing a 3-year-old as part of a political protest, you’re a shit person.”
What about forcing 10-year-olds into childbirth? Does that make you a shit person, too? Because while I don’t want any child afraid for any reason, I have to point out that quite a few American daughters are feeling “increasingly anxious and scared” these days. And it’s not protesters they’re afraid of.
While Vance cosplays as ‘protective dad’ online, his beloved abortion bans are regularly forcing little girls into childbirth. We’re talking about children with bodies too small to ride a roller coaster, now legally mandated to carry pregnancies to term.
Does Vance believe in protecting little girls from broken pelvises and fistulas? Or his bravado reserved for children he can use as political shields?
What’s particularly sickening is seeing comment after comment on Twitter lauding the vice president. “Family is always off limits, especially children,” one user writes. Another calls on protesters to “leave the kids alone.” The one that sent me over the edge, though, was from someone who gushed, “it is nice to hear that your young daughter, who was scared, saw her role model stand up to the people scaring her.”
Give me the biggest fucking break. Vance does not “stand up” for his daughter. Every day, he makes the world more dangerous for his children—especially his daughter, who will grow up in a country with fewer rights than her mother had. There’s no Father’s Day card for men who turn their daughters into second-class citizens.
Let’s be real: JD Vance is a terrible father. How many little girls will grow up able to say their dad traded their rights away for a bit of political power and a pat on the head from the world’s worst man? When Vance’s daughter looks back, I doubt she’ll care much about his ‘protective’ tweets—but she might wonder why he let women die of sepsis.
The truth is that Vance’s protective posturing perfectly captures the empty masculinity of the Republican Party. It’s all bluster and showmanship with no real ‘protection.’ Conservative men love to play savior, so long as they don’t actually have to save us.
It’s the ‘protector’ label they love, not women.
After all, just look at the men running this country. Donald Trump has repeatedly sexualized his daughter Ivanka, saying she has “the best body” and that if they weren’t related, “perhaps I’d be dating her.” According to a book by Miles Taylor, former chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, Trump also spoke to aides about Ivanka’s breasts, her backside, and “what it might be like to have sex with her.”
Then there’s Elon Musk, who has at least 14 children with four different women and is estranged from his 20-year-old daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson. Musk has repeatedly and publicly misgendered Wilson, who is trans, calling her “dead, killed by the woke mind virus.” She has since spoke out about Musk’s “vicious” and “cruel” treatment of her as a child—like berating her for having a high voice.
Do these sound like the actions of men who love and ‘protect’ their daughters?
It’s no surprise that videosreleased today of Vance’s exchange with protesters don’t show his daughter being shouted at or followed. And as others have pointed out, it’s unlikely that Secret Service would allow anyone aggressive near the vice president and his toddler.
Still, I don’t think Vance completely fabricated his child’s fear—when my daughter was young, a group of protesters would have unsettled her, too. But if I asked her now, at 14, what scares her most, I know what she’d say.
Like me, she’s terrified for her future and the future of her friends. She’s afraid she’ll have to risk her health or life if she wants to have children one day. She worries about her trans classmates, who confide in her about their fear of losing access to life-saving healthcare. Most of all, she fears that the country she lives in doesn’t see her as a full human being.
It’s easy to ‘protect’ your daughter in a tweet. Making the world safe for them is a harder task—especially in a country run by men whose concern for their daughters only stretches as far as their political usefulness. Something tells me that when Vance’s daughter gets older, she’ll have the same fears that mine does. But what do I know? I’m just a woman, and we all know how the vice president feels about those.
Every few months Catherine Todd receives a letter from the health officials letting her know there are no available places for counselling she has asked for to try and come to terms with the Covid-related death of her son.
Ziggy Todd died in his mother’s arms aged just one day in July 2021. On Sunday, Ms Todd, along with Ziggy’s two younger sisters, took part in a remembrance day for the deceased baby, one of many victims of a pandemic that remains now just a memory for most, but a continuing trauma for those who lost loved ones.
A remembrance concert, organised by Memory Stones of Love to mark the Covid Day of Reflection, was held in Royal Avenue in Belfast on Sunday afternoon, while bereaved families walked to the City Hall to light candles for those who lost their lives.
The Rock Choir perform at the remembrance concert at 2 Royal Avenue, Belfast on Sunday.
PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
The city hall, along with council and other buildings across the north, were illuminated in yellow as part of a day of reflection, five years after deaths linked to Covid began to happen in Ireland and Britain.
Catherine Todd was approximately seven months, or 28 weeks, pregnant when she contracted Covid in the summer of 2021.
She told the Covid inquiry about her multiple calls to advice lines and being told to take paracetamol, a fizzy drink and to lie on her side.
When she was admitted to the Ulster Hospital, in the South East trust area, there was a 10 hour wait before being moved to the maternity unit. Despite being prepped for an emergency caesarean section, it was delayed as another baby had an 80% chance of survival, while Ziggy had just a 10% chance, she told the inquiry.
Catherine Todd, mother of Ziggy.
PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
Ziggy was born following a C-section but died the following day. Ms Todd said he died in her arms and she was holding him for two hours before he was taken away. She now suffers from PTSD. She needs counselling.
“To be quote honest with you I am really angry still to this day,” the mother of Vogue (2) and Binky, aged four months, told the Irish News.
“It’s something that’s never going to change for us. I never would have said I would still be in this position trying to get justice for Ziggy.”
Wall of HOPE, remembering those who died in the pandemic. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
Ms Todd added: “That is what has happened, four years and have still not received any support really. The only thing that is good is the Memory Stones of Love.
“Every few months I receive letter saying they have long waiting times and you are on the list.”
Ziggy was born on the night of July 20. He was taken to a separate room, said Ms Todd, who was then told all his breathing and other support was removed. She and her partner thought he was doing better.
The following day, the baby was bought to her. Mrs Todd was able to hold him but he died in her arms. She said the baby was dead for approximately two hours before he was taken away.
From left to right, Brenda Doherty, who lost her mother Ruth died, Cathy and Catherine Todd, the grandmother and mother of Ziggy, with Vogue and Binky. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
A post mortem was carried out, but it took place in Alder Hey in Liverpool. While Ziggy tested negative for the virus, ultimately the death was linked to Covid contracted by his mother.
“It’s never going to change. Ziggy was our first. Even with the two wee girls, you are watching them play and knowing he should be with them,” said Ms Todd.
On Sunday, the repainted Memory Stones of Love, restored by Marie Gibson, were laid out, a sign with pictures of those lost during the pandemic was erected, reflections were heard from bereaved families, poems read and music played by NACN and the Rock Choir.
Then at 6pm, bereaved family members walked to the City Hall to see the building illuminated. Candles were lit.
Memory Stones of Love. PICTURE COLM LENAGHAN
Hundreds of events and spaces for reflection were also organised across Britain to remember those who died after the pandemic swept out of Wuhan in China and spread across the world.
The cries of Liliana Olivero watching from Venezuela through a cellphone pierced through the somber Christian music and gusts of wind as her son’s casket was lowered into the ground.
Gustavo Alfonso Garcia Olivares died at 24, drowning in the Rio Grande not far from where he was buried Thursday at the Maverick County Cemetery in Eagle Pass, a Texas border town of about 30,000 people. About 10 people attended the service, which was streamed live to his parents in Venezuela.
It was the first funeral service for a migrant by Border Vigil, a human rights organization on the U.S.-Mexico border, one of the world’s deadliest.
“Today we’re trying to bring back some of that humanity not just by giving his name but also by having his photo and having his family in the service,” said Amerika Garcia Grewal with Border Vigil, which is supported by Frontera Federation.
AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez
AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez
Immigration advocates hold a funeral in Eagle Pass, Texas on Thursday, February. 6, 2025, for Gustavo Alfonso Garcia Olivares, who drowned in November 2023 after crossing the Rio Grande into the U.S. (AP Photo/Valerie Gonzalez)
It came a day after Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Eagle Pass, which became a flashpoint between the Biden administration and Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, over who polices the border and how. The Trump administration and Abbott are closely aligned on border policy.
Border Vigil started in 2023 amid an increase in border crossings that led to many migrant deaths. The International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project has tallied 6,438 dead and missing on the U.S.-Mexico border since 2014.
The U.S. Border Patrol’s published data goes through the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, 2022, when 895 bodies were discovered by its own agents and other government agencies.
Garcia Olivares’ parents last saw their son alive in a video shared by a friend showing him crouched in a corner of a fast-moving train heading to Mexico’s northern border in 2023.
Victor Garcia recalled their last conversation: “Dad, I’m going to make it, Dad. Don’t worry because you won’t be in need anymore. I’ll buy Mom a house and I’ll help improve your business.”
He described his son as brave and ambitious, having learned to become a barber at 14. He encouraged his son to go to college, but he decided to seek a life in the United States. His mother never had a chance to say goodbye. Not until Thursday.
The ceremony “was very sentimental, sad, but at the same time we are able to breathe a sigh of relief,” the father said.
Garcia Olivares’ body was swept up in the river and identified through Operation ID, an academic organization that partners with state, federal and international agencies. Although his family preferred to have him buried back home, they could not afford the nearly $9,000 cost.
A church volunteer built the white pine paneled coffin. As the ceremony closed, a backhoe shoveled dirt into the grave and a placard was placed by a simple, white cross near two dozen similar crosses laying nearby in a corner lot of the cemetery near a maintenance shed.
SPOILER ALERT:This post contains spoilers from “If You Could Read My Mind,” the Season 3 finale of Hallmark’s “The Way Home,” which streams on Hallmark+ and Peacock.
“The Way Home” kicked off its third season with the abandonment of a mysterious baby, and fans have waited all season to get more information about the enigmatic scene. By the end of the Season 3 finale, we know one key thing about the baby: who he was. It turned out that the cooing infant was Elliot (played by Evan Williams as an adult) as a baby. He was left by the pond by his time-traveling mother, who jumped into the frigid waters with someone who must be a male Landry, but whose face we never see.
Why they left Elliot by the pond and what connected Elliot’s mother to the as-of-yet unidentified Landry are questions to be explored in “The Way Home” Season 4 — Hallmark announced the show’s renewal the day before the finale. As Kat (Chyler Leigh) and Elliot investigate his family’s relationship with the pond, Del (Andie MacDowell) will be busy looking for Jacob (Spencer Macpherson) who disappeared after Lewis Goodwin (Philip Riccio) threatened to press attempted arson charges against him. We can’t imagine that Del will be too pleased to learn that her boyfriend, Sam (Rob Stewart), knows a lot more about Jacob’s time travels than he’s let on, but it was gratifying for viewers to have it confirmed that Sam has his own relationship with the pond, which was confirmed in the finale as well.
While many questions still linger about Elliot, Jacob’s disappearance, Sam, and KC Goodwin (Vaughan Murrae), the Season 3 finale did answer a number of them about Colton (Jefferson Brown) and his time-travel adventures. Alice (Sadie Laflamme-Snow) took an unexpected trip to the ’90s to have a heart-to-heart with her grandfather and get answers her family desperately needed about what the patriarch knew about the pond when Jacob disappeared.
Variety caught up with showrunners Heather Conkie and Alex Clarke to talk about the baby twist, Easter eggs, closure, and what all the finale developments mean for Season 4 and “The Way Home” moving forward.
What does this ending mean for Elliot and his relationship with time travel?
Alexandra Clarke: It got a heck of a lot more personal, which is a fun new layer to all of this. It’s a really fun launching pad. As much as he enjoyed his five more minutes with Colton, and he’ll never forget that, Elliot has always been someone who kept time travel at arm’s length. To make this realization, or create this theory that involves his own family, takes that to the next level.
Elliot and Kat also seem to take their relationship to the next level after an important conversation in this episode. Are they in a better place to actually make this relationship work than they were at the beginning of the season?
Heather Conkie: It’s them coming to terms with the reality of who they are as people. They are not the same people that they knew in 1999; they have to shift gears. Alex wrote that wonderful scene. It’s one of those scenes that I think anyone who is having bizarre realignment problems in their relationship should watch, because it’s a master class.
Clarke: We started this season with them in love. They realized through the course of the season that it’s not a love that’s fully formed yet. They both do a lot of growing in this season and make mistakes, and do impulsive things. All of the arguments that they have aren’t really arguments. They are recognizing they’re at an impasse, and they need to work on themselves before they can work on them as a unit. I think this heartfelt conversation is the crescendo of that. They are realizing that to really love each other, they have to love who they are now and not who they were.
Going to the past is all well and good, but they can’t love each other with the past in mind. They can travel to the past, but they can’t live there. Elliot acknowledges that he’s always put her on a pedestal because her family was perfect, so any mistake she made he held against her because she was supposed to be perfect. Conversely, Kat realizes that she always took Elliot for granted because that’s how he was when they were kids. He was always there, and he never faltered. Her realizing she needs to appreciate that is really lovely too.
Courtesy of Peter Stranks/Hallmark Channel
Elliot isn’t the only one we learn has a deeper connection to the pond in this finale. You validated everyone who has theorized that Sam at least knows what the pond can do by showing him standing there when he’s talking to Del. What can you tease about Sam’s relationship with the pond?
Conkie: We put him in the exact position with almost the exact words as we had Elliot in at the end of the pilot. If you put the two shots together, they’re identical, literally. The lines are identical.
Clarke: That was a very purposeful choice to mirror. Our show is all about the echoes of the past and the present. The past is never gone. We love the call back to our first episode because the whole finale is about going back to the start, which is why we chose Coldplay’s “The Scientist” right off the top. We’re showing the audience that this has been in the works for a while. We’ve had these ideas since Season 1 and we’re finally showing it to you.
So many loose threads with Colton were tied up in this finale. Does it fully close the loop on his time traveling, or is there more to discover there?
Clarke: I don’t think you can ever count Colton out. The lore of Colton is the foundation of our show. He is such a fascinating character, and we do definitely reveal a lot between Episodes 9 and 10 about his experience with time travel, and why he made the choices he did. There’s always more to the story with Colton. There are so many questions that I hope people ask about those final moments of the episode with younger Del, and Colton taking Elliot in. What are the implications of that? That’s part of Elliot’s story that certainly our audience hasn’t been aware of. There’s definitely more secrets to unveil.
One of the things we did confirm in this episode is that Colton knew who Kat was at the crash site and he didn’t just forgive her, but always loved her. What does having that knowledge do for Kat going forward?
Conkie: It certainly frees her of the intense guilt that she’s been feeling ever since she made that fateful decision to try and change things. I think it’ll change her in some ways, but Kat is also very “onto the next.”
Clarke: One of the things that’s really intriguing about Season 4 is what Kat looks like after getting closure. Colton knew he was going to die, and he stopped Alice from telling him anything about how it was going to happen. He was willing to do whatever needed to be done in order to bring Alice into this world and have this moment with him in February 2000. He was resolved in his decisions. That is going to free Kat in a way that we haven’t seen her be free before. I’m intrigued to know what that means for her, whether it means looking for the next or whatever it means for her confidence. There’s a lot of roads to go down with her after this.
Courtesy of Peter Stranks/Hallmark Channel
Del also got some closure in this season. She finally jumped in the pond! What does the trip back to the ’70s do for Del and her relationship to the pond?
Conkie: The pond has been the enemy. This was the first time she realized it could be absolute magic. The wedding is one of my favorite scenes in the entire life of the show. I loved the music. I love the way it was filmed. It’s really quite something, and very emotional.
Clarke: She needed that trip to be a gift in order to see the pond in a new way. She’s only ever known it as a vessel that takes people she loves away. Giving her the gift of seeing those people for five more minutes is going to allow her to see it in a different light moving forward. She’s a very practical woman. She’s not going to become obsessed the way that Kat or even Alice are, but she needed to have a positive experience with the pond to move on.
We also learn that Susannah left Lingermore to the Landry family. What can you tease about what that means for Season 4 and the Goodwin/Landry feud?
Clarke: It’s such a delicious way to end that story right now. They have this paper in hand — what are they going to do with it? Do they actually want to go down that road? It opens up a lot of questions about the relationship between the Goodwin and the Landry families. Don’t forget, Louis Goodwin already knows that the will exists —KC showed it to him in Season 2. What will it mean if it comes back to haunt him? Those are exciting questions to be faced with.
KC returns in this episode and confirmed that they not Alice’s daughter. We still don’t know exactly who they are though, so why did you want to give that tidbit of information?
Conkie: This clears the slate for Alice. She’s been ruminating and dreading all season that she ends up with Max Goodwin. Is that really the future and is everything preordained, or does she have a choice left in this world? Then she finds herself actually being attracted to this guy and it’s a relief to her to know she still has a future she can choose, just like Elliot and Kat now have a future they can choose together.
Clarke: In the writers’ room, we always try to associate these three incredible female characters with the past, present, and future. This was a season where Del was questioning her past. Kat was questioning her present and where she fit now that her mission to bring Jacob home was over. Alice was really questioning her future because of the existence of KC and what that meant. At the end, we wanted to see these characters get a sense of freedom from those questions. Del was free of her questions because she got to go back to her wedding and it was exactly like she remembered. Kat and Elliot having this incredible conversation, and arguably through her experiences with Thomas this season, she was able to free herself to be in the present. Alice — because of the KC of it all, and the closure they give her — is free of any doubt she may have had about the future. It was important to show in our finale that they are now all free.
The idea comes up this season that the pond can punish people for breaking the rules. Obviously the pond makes choices about when and where to send people back in time, but is it a thing that can punish or reward travelers for their behavior in the past?
Clarke: That was Colton’s explanation to Alice and his logic for why he kept it to himself, why he was ashamed, and why he thought it didn’t work for his family. These are all lessons in communication. Colton didn’t know the full story about the pond. I think the pond teaches lessons, but it is all about reflection. It takes you where you need to go. I think it’s a passive entity versus an aggressive one. Colton tells Alice he made a terrible mistake, and he did. We are all capable of making terrible mistakes, even an incredible character like Colton. That’s why this show resonates with people because even the characters with the best intentions that are nothing but pure good are also capable of falling down and getting it wrong. And that’s okay. I think that’s a very powerful message.
