COTW: The Way Home Was Whimsical, Tracker Was Revelatory & the Rest? Game-Changing!

Some characters entertain us. Others completely hijack an episode, leaving us unable to stop thinking about them.

Our Characters of the Week delivered a little bit of everything: emotional revelations, undercover chaos, dangerous mind games, shocking truths, and even a reminder that joy can still exist amid everything.

From Nick embracing time travel like the adventure of a lifetime to Fríða quietly becoming the MVP of Black Sands, these were the characters who resonated this week.

Nick Oates – The Way Home

(©2026 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Peter Stranks)

When we first met Nick, he was a teenager. The character was written as humbled, talented, and an all-around good guy. Could lightning strike twice? It did, and the adult version of Nick is just as charming, perhaps more so.

Nick doesn’t live in Port Haven, so we only see him sparingly, but when he appears, he’s often the brightest light in any room. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise that, when given the opportunity, he’d make the most of his time traveling.

Nick is the first character to fully realize what an absolute gift it is to visit a different time. You could feel his excitement at the first hint that he could get the opportunity to jump through the pond.

He fully embraced the past on The Way Home Season 4 Episode 5, gaining valuable insight while having the time of his life. He was so deep in character that even Kat thought he’d gone too far. Nope. He was just using the time he had to achieve as much as possible.

Honestly, we could all use a Nick in our lives. The friend who points out the obvious we overlook. The gifts we take for granted. The joy you can get from something that becomes routine.

The Way Home is ending, and one of the worst parts will be losing Nick. Don’t even try to fight us on this one. That’s a fact!

OA Zidan – FBI

(Bennett Raglin/CBS)

It feels like OA has been going through it this season. And towards the end, we had the troubling situation with Greene staying on his back.

But FBI Season 8 Episode 22 is a thrilling episode that builds toward a shocking cliffhanger. It genuinely feels like OA has been pushed a bit too far when they have to stay mum about a bioweapon situation and ship poor, innocent people on that bus away and out of reach.

The entire Season has challenged OA’s morals and ethics, and it comes to a head in an interesting way during the finale. So much so that when he seemingly clashes with Greene, it feels legitimate.

The tension between the men was fraught, and then we got that gasp-worthy moment of OA telling Greene that he was a disgrace.

By the time we got to him being “fired” and leaving his friends behind, it felt like our entire world was tilted on its axis until it was evident that OA was going deep undercover.

It leaves OA in a fascinating place heading into a new season.

Serena Jukic – Tracker

(Darko Sikman/CBS)

We’ve been trying to figure out for multiple seasons what the truth is behind Colter’s father and all the things that he was wrapped up in.

And Tracker Season 3 Episode 21 does a lot of heavy lifting when revisiting the Shaw Family Drama and Mystery. The Shaw brothers come face-to-face with Serena, and she is who everyone and everything they’ve looked into has led them to thus far.

Serna is the key to everything, with all of her intel about an Alaskan government project exploiting gifted children that resulted in the death of one. It’s what prompted Colter’s father to go rogue and was the center of his downfall and eventual death.

And this is the most information we’ve gotten yet about all of this. Serena comes across as an incredibly guarded woman on edge, and Jeri Ryan is a refreshing face to see onscreen again.

She was a game-changer character, not just of the week, but of Tracker as a series.

Billy Fielding – Criminal Record

(Courtesy of Apple TV)

Billy has spent most of Criminal Record Season 2 feeling like a pawn, a cog in the machine, in his efforts to help Hegarty take down Cosmo.

But Criminal Record Season 2 Episode 5 flips the script in an exciting way that’s hard to predict. We got to see how quick on his feet Billy is, and that he’s a survivor even when the odds are against him.

The undercover mission turned into a bit of a crapstorm when Kieran accused Billy of working with the police. And just when it seemed like Billy’s exposure could potentially cost him his life, he locked in and flipped the script.

What was worrisome was that he did everything right, signaling for help just like the police told him to do, but due to many circumstances, they couldn’t get to him in time, and Billy was resigned to the fact that he was on his own.

He deflected well, tapping into the reputation he had as Billy the Kid, and then risked himself in that shed with the bomb.

But the shocking final moments found him setting off the bomb in a possible attempt to save the investigation — and maybe JP’s life — solidifying Billy’s wild card status.

Fríða Melsteð – Black Sands

(Courtesy of Viaplay)

Fríða is quietly becoming the MVP of Black Sands Season 2. The recent batch of episodes finds her digging deep into Helena’s death as it becomes abundantly clear that it’s far from an accident.

And that leads her to seriously investigate Davíð, but she has to tread carefully in how she goes about it. Watching the cat-and-mouse game as they circle one another during shared moments is nerve-wracking and puts you on edge.

But no matter how intense things get, Fríða has this calm quality to her, and you can see her piecing things together and being strategic with how she makes her every move.

However, it’s also been difficult for her to look into such a sensitive, layered case. Her efforts aren’t always appreciated, and she puts people on their guard, but her determination to get to the truth is clear in every move she makes.

And Fríða’s doing all of this while also being such a supportive friend to her partner, Tomas, trying to be a grounding force for Aníta, whose emotional state is on the brink of collapse, and juggling motherhood and tending to Erla.

Over to you, TV Fanatics. Did we miss anyone? Sound off below!

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