Homecoming Recap

This recap contains spoilers for the Amazon Prime Original Series.

The Past

Homecoming is about a facility that helps soldiers adjust to being back home. Activities in the program include preparing for social outings and job interviews. The story surrounds a counselor named Heidi, played by Julia Roberts, and veteran Walter, played by Stephan James. The story of the past events at Homecoming run simultaneously with the present.

Homecoming is a new facility ran by Heidi as an administrator who takes direction from Colin, her boss at Geist Corporate. Heidi holds regular counseling sessions with the soldiers to talk about their time in the military and the things they are looking forward to now that they have returned home.

Walter’s friend Shrier is also in the program but does not adjust well, believing the program is too restrictive for a volunteer program. Shrier has an outburst and is removed from the program. This becomes suspicious to Walter as he sees the staff throw Shrier’s belongings into a trash bag, including his beloved harmonica. Colin first suggests that Walter should be removed from the program as well, but Heidi convinces Colin that Walter is important to the program.

Though the Homecoming program is volunteer, soldiers are not allowed visitors and may only contact loved ones through video calls in a shared space. Out of concern for her son’s wellbeing, Walter’s mother shows up unexpectedly. Though against the rules Heidi allows Walter to visit with his mother who pressures him into returning home. During this time is when we find out if Walter leaves the program he will go through withdrawal due to suddenly stopping his medication. Due to the relationship built between Walter and Heidi, Heidi is able to convince him it is in his best interest to remain in the program.

At this point Walter’s mother files an anonymous complaint with the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General, claiming the Homecoming program will not allow her son to leave.

During Walter’s next session with Heidi she wants him to discuss an incident where he lost a friend and prank played on the friend where they convince him there is a sequel to the movie Titanic. As she begins to question him more Heidi realizes that Walter is unable to recall the event. Heidi becomes concerned quickly places a call to Colin. Colin believes this is great news. He believes the medication should be adjusted as it was not intended for the soldiers to lose months of memory but only to improve their disposition so they may be redeployed. Heidi becomes further concerned, she was not aware the soldiers would be redeployed.

Heidi is so distraught over this discovery that she comes up with an escape plan. She begins to pack up her office and cuts up her session tapes, but opts to mail Walters tapes to his mother. Heidi then schedules a session with Walter. Heidi is aware that the medication is administered through the soldiers’ meals and heads down to the cafeteria for a meal with Walter.

As Heidi enters the kitchen the staff, protected by masks and gloves, is shocked to see her grab a tray of ‘Week 6’ dosed food, and fix two large plates. She and Walter clean their plates as they discuss taking a cross country trip. The audience is unaware of what will happen to Heidi. Walter expresses that he has already eaten, but will eat with her, so he is now having a second dose of medication and Heidi is eating a ‘Week 6’ dose so she will be way over medicated as well.

Colin hears of Heidi’s actions and states that Walter will be incapacitated for some time and not be able to be deployed, which was Heidi’s intention. Heidi drives home but appears to almost be in a state of incapacitation as well.

The Present

Fast forward several years and we see DoD staff Thomas Carrasco investigating a complaint of the Homecoming program. Oddly enough when he shows up to question Heidi, she does not recall any of her time at Homecoming, not does she remember Walter or Colin. Specifically, Thomas questions the fact that Walter was removed from Homecoming (stating an act of violence occurred) the same day that Heidi was removed (the cause of removal stated hospitalization). This is intriguing as this is running parallel to scenes from the past, so at this point the audience is unaware of the cause of Heidi’s memory loss.

Heidi, now curious about her forgotten past, begins to go through a box of items from the back of her closet. Heidi locates an old cell phone with several calls to Colin. She calls the number and attempts to explain who she but Colin immediately hangs up the phone.

Thomas also attempts to speak with Colin and Walter’s mother who give him a cold shoulder as well. After telling his boss there may be nothing to this complaint, Thomas goes with his gut and takes a trip to see Walter’s mother in person. After falling on his behind he convinces her to give him so key pieces of evidence.

After Thomas leaves Colin’s office Colin heads down to Florida to confront Heidi, believing she must be cooperating with Thomas. He arrives at the diner where Heidi works and realizes she has no recollection of him at all! He of course uses this opportunity to further deceive her to see what she does and doesn’t remember, and what her intentions are. Colin befriends Heidi, leading her to believe he is a veteran.

Thomas, with evidence in hand, heads to Heidi’s home. Walter’s mother provided Thomas with the envelope and tapes of Heidi’s sessions with Walter. Heidi becomes agitated by the line of questioning and the fact that she hears her voice on the tape but cannot recall the events. She steals the envelope with the Homecoming address on it and her mother makes up an excuse to get Thomas out of the house, as Colin sits outside watching from his car.

He calls Heidi, concerned about what she revealed to Thomas. Heidi is noticeably distraught and says she needs to get to Homecoming immediately to find Colin, still unaware she is speaking to Colin. Colin drives her to Homecoming, most of the facility has been turned into a wellness office park. Heidi searches the facility top to bottom, believing she will come across something to jog her memory but no one there knows what Homecoming is.

Thomas realizes the envelope is missing and heads back to Heidi’s house. Her mother is reluctant to tell Thomas anything, but he puts two and two together, realizing Heidi has gone to find Homecoming, and heads to Tampa to the facility. Thomas wanders around and locates an older part of the building in the process of being renovated with Homecoming signs on the door.

As Thomas is inspecting the facility, he looks out the window and sees Colin and Heidi in another building across the courtyard. As Heidi is taking a beat, realizing that the building isn’t the same and no one can point her in the direction of Colin, she hears a screeching bird. The same bird she would hear every day outside of her office at Homecoming. In an instant Heidi’s memories come back! She now knows the man standing in front of her, deceiving her, IS Colin.

Heidi escapes Colin, running outside. Thomas runs into them outside and questions what they’re doing there. Colin obviously has no respect for Thomas, pointing out that Thomas can’t arrest him. Heidi gets angry and pushes Colin into a fountain.

Thomas takes his findings to his boss who pushes it up the chain. Realizing that there isn’t much Thomas can do immediately, she sets out to find Walter to tell him what really happened. Walter’s mother turns Heidi away, believing remembering the past won’t benefit him.

Heidi is determined to find Walter. She sets out on a trip across country in search of Walter, finding an old map he gave her before he left Homecoming. When Heidi finally reaches Walter it is clear he has no memory of her, as he orders a coffee to go and she looks on from her booth. As he comes over to her and speaks about his life, alone in his cabin, she realizes reminding him of the past is not what’s best for him.

Colin believes he is meeting with his boss Ron, only to be interrogated by Audrey, his, Colin’s, assistant. Audrey’s “new roll” apparently is COLIN’S BOSS! Audrey’s sinister smile tells the audience what’s to come next. Ms. Audrey has an in with Mr. Geist and informs Colin of what he must do to remain an asset to the company, take the fall for all the events of Homecoming.

In the closing scenes, as Walter walks away Heidi notices he has moved her fork slightly at a 45 degree angle, something he used to do before his memory was wiped.

Watch this with me?

Yes! I give it a 4 out of 5.

I enjoyed the series. The acting was great and there was a tone of suspense, intensified by the music, that carried through the whole series. Each episode kept you on your toes, wondering what Heidi did or did not know. There was never a dull moment. On the flip side I was conflicted with being angry and annoyed with Heidi for what she was doing, while also feeling sorry for her. She wanted to believe she was doing something good, but ultimately knew it was all an experiment. I also wish they had explained more about the medicine. They showed shots of plants but didn’t explain it well, if at all.

I think there is definitely opportunity for a second season. Walter’s memory may not be completely gone, so there could possibly be a future for he and Heidi. Thomas’ investigation has not been completed so we don’t know what else that will uncover.

For those of you who missed it, there is a scene following the end credits where Colin signs the admission of wrong doing, giving the company a scapegoat. We see Audrey rub something on her wrists to calm her, seemingly related to the Homecoming drugs. This may be some foreshadowing for season two.