What the showrunners actually also said about the Claire thing
So I think there are some quotes from the showrunners being overlooked regarding the Claire thing in the finale. Yes it was “cheeky”…it wasn’t a total joke, guys. Here are a couple of quotes from one of the showrunners that aren’t being shared as much. Imo, she really might have considered doing this story for real and kept the idea in her back pocket, which I think is why it was never addressed before and they kept playing into it. So, they gave it the nod in the finale for fans and genuinely did leave it open for us to decide. But, dropped a few more Easter eggs for it into the episode, like Nick buying Colton’s (Alice’s grandfather’s) boat and the “we’ll be a regular Del and Colton” line. It’s mentioned below.
I’m sure I’ll get downvotes (unfortunately has become predictable in this sub anytime this story is mentioned) but I’m just sharing some of the other quotes that some people are not seeing.
Why did we never meet Nick's wife, Claire? Is there a mystery there?
CLARKE: It's funny because we love the trope of the person you'll never meet, the invisible character that people talk about, but you'll never meet. It's fun. It's the same with Brady's person. But then as we started withholding that and fans got wind of it ... this whole beautiful theory developed about it being Alice and I think that's amazing. Yeah, I'm not going to lie, we're a little cheeky about it in the finale because that's a great theory.
https://people.com/the-way-home-series-finale-ending-explained-exclusive-12003633
PCP: Nick (Kerry James) has been very cryptic about Alice meeting Claire someday. What can you tell us about who Claire really is?
AC: Again, I think that was us being a little bit of a wink and a nudge to the audience in that last little moment of Alice and Nick's scenes together. We are very much a “never say never”-type showrunner. I think the very fact that Nick is buying Colton's (Jefferson Brown) boat to bring it back to life and return to his boat tours and he even says, “We'll be a regular Del and Colton.” I think that is amazing and that history repeating itself is something that's very much a Way Home signature. To hear him say that and to know that boat will get out on the water, I think is a really poignant moment.
https://www.popcultureplanet.com/articles/g9qj5grkobu9d7na1m21fby30nz2q9#google_vignette