Homecoming (TV Series) Stop (2018) User Reviews

Season One

[zkonedog · 10/10 · 3 July 2019]

It's a little tough to explain a show like "Homecoming". It starts off as what seems like a pretty straightforward tale of a veteran rehabilitation/transition clinic and quickly spirals into a X-Files-esque mystery where nothing is quite as it seems.

For a basic plot summary, "Homecoming" tells the story of Heidi Bergman (Julia Roberts), who (in the present) has just been hired by Colin Belfast (Bobby Cannavale) as a Counselor at the Homecoming facility, which is engaging in an experimental treatment to help returning combat veterans better process their emotions and return home. Heidi takes a particular interest in Walter Cruz (Stephan James), a patient so engaging that the chemistry is palpable. Despite some interference and pressure from Colin, Heidi truly feels as if she is helping Walter and all the other Homecoming patients.

At the same time all of this is going on, however, "future Heidi" is seen in flashbacks working as a waitress at a crab shack. When questioned by government paper-pusher Thomas Carrasco (Shea Whigham), she seemingly has no recollection of working for Homecoming in terms of what exactly transpired under her watch.

How can those two story paths be reconciled? That is what plays out over Homecoming's 10 episodes.

What makes this a five-star show for me, first and foremost, is the mystery behind all the plot elements. Nothing is ever quite what it seems, and you'd have trouble guessing how it all shakes out even if that was your express goal. It throws curveball after curveball to the audience and always seems to "zig" when you think it will "zag", setting up an engaging mystery that will likely have you enthralled to the very end.

The acting and general atmosphere are also top-notch. Roberts and James especially shine, while Cannavale and Whigham are perfectly suited to their roles as well. Plus, the entire spate of episodes has very much a creepy, mysterious vibe to it. The fact that each episode runs about 25-35 minutes allows me to classify it as sort of a serialized, X-Files type conspiracy/mystery, broken into little coherent chunks like, say, The Twilight Zone.

It all adds up to a show I can give only the highest marks to. The short running time for each episode makes it easy to binge (if that's your style), and if you are a fan of creepy mysteries this is one of the best I've seen in quite some time!

STANDING OVATION! - (10 stars out of 10)

[BJG-Reviews · 10/10 · 9 December 2021]

The stage curtains open ...

"Homecoming - Season 1, Episode 10: Stop" was the perfect ending to a near perfect Season 1. More than all of the other episodes, this one touched and warmed the heart and gave us closure the right way ... the way I was hoping for. It almost made me forget everything that led up to the final moments. Almost...

All loose ends are tied up effectively here. Colin gets his ... glad to see that. And now that Heidi has total recall ... she hits the road to find out what has happened to Walter. Along the way, we get closure with his Mom as well. I was happy to see where Walter ended up, even though Heidi kind of had to choose the lesser of two evils to get him there.

It all came to fruition in this memorable final episode. I couldn't have been happier. The acting throughout was top notch, the film work was excellent, the editing very, very good, and the screenplay was intelligent, witty, and with purpose. A well developed story that was delivered the way it should be.

I give this final episode a perfect 10 out of 10 stars with the highest recommendation possible. After it finished, I actually wanted to watch it again, to enjoy the last scene all over again. If you haven't seen this series, I recommend you find it, and enjoy.

Substance is not as strong as suggested, but style and delivery compensates when needed

[bob the moo · 16 August 2020]

With the names attached it was no surprise that there was lots of hype around this show, and as much as I tried to ignore it, I did come to it looking for what was trailed. What I found was a show that very much kept its podcast roots (not a good thing) but adds a lot of production value and directorial cleverness into it. Undeniably though, it is not as strong as it needed to be in the key areas of story, pacing, and delivery. The story is reasonably engaging, but I'm not sure it lasts for the whole season, relying instead on the delivery to make it work, It is redeemed by a responsible and satisfying ending, but otherwise it drags itself a bit too often.

The style and quality does help though. I really loved the sense of 1970's murder mystery drama, and Hitchcock, and I got the feeling that Esmail is enjoying it too. The show has great honking musical effects, but yet uses long lingering shots on scenes where little happens; in terms of style it is really worth watching it. The subtext also feels very modern in the way it leans towards the positive empowerment of the female characters. Beyond this though the conspiratorial plot doesn't have the legs to be played out over this length of time, and it really relies on the viewer being bought into the style and high production values. Fortunately I was, and I enjoyed what Esmail did, but also the quality in Roberts, Cannavale, Whigham, Mulroney, Jean-Baptiste, James, Chau, and others. It is a show that has a lot to recommend it for, and a lot that makes it work - but one that doesn't frankly have the material to make all of it work as well as the resources deserve.

The final stretch is strong, and it opens well, but this is hard to deny. Worth a look, and probably will be better viewed without the hype, but it is strongest in its superficial elements, less so at its core.

Stop - 110

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 17 December 2018]

I like the idea of us not really seeing management and who is truly behind the organization, but that concept also feels a bit dated. So many shows have done this for decades now.

The payoff with Walter being happy but not really remembering is not the poetic justice I think anyone hoped for.

An Untidy Ending

[lavatch · 5/10 · 14 November 2018]

In a ten-part series, the final episode is obligated to provide closure on all of the major plot strands. The results were uneven in this program.

There was a good attempt to bring the Walter Cruz narrative to completion in that he finally arrived at his destination of Fish Camp in California. But it made no sense why the extra portion of food that he received, due to Heidi's intervention, would apparently erase not only the memory of his traumatic war experiences, but all recollections of Heidi and the Homecoming facility. This required a greater explanation than his mother's pithy statement that Walter has returned to the place he was before the war.

There was no closure at all on the investigation of Thomas Carrasco, who does not even appear in the final episode. What was the result of his supervisor's sinister phone call to the Geist corporation? We never know. And, we are equally uncertain about the fate of the poor vets who served as the guinea pigs at the Homecoming center.

There was a clever attempt to bring the shady character of Colin Belfast to his just dessert in an effective scene where he meets with a subordinate who has been promoted within the Geist firm. Ron, whom we met in one episode, has left the organization. Now, Colin is faced with signing a severance form, apparently admitting malfeasance. But it is not clear whether he will face criminal charges in this act of "compliance."

Overall, this conclusion served the purpose of giving a sentimental touch to the series in the final restaurant conversation between Walter and Heidi. But it failed to resolve too many of the essential narrative strands that had been established in the previous nine episodes.