The first season of “Homecoming” is not without its hiccups, but it is a bold, aesthetically mature step-forward, nonetheless, for the ominous mystery series– a subgenre that has started to outweigh its welcome since “True Detective’s” freshman installment created a new standard. Much like the HBO program, “Homecoming’s” acting arsenal and its strong sense of atmosphere are two of the show’s biggest draws, and, just like “True Detective’s” second batch of episodes, the sophomore go-around for “Homecoming” attempts to expand the horizon of its original vision, replacing A-list actors with other big-name performers, while misunderstanding part of what made the first season work so well in the first place.
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After awakening without her memory—stranded in a rowboat with no oars in the middle of a lake—the new season’s protagonist (Janelle Monáe) is taken to the hospital by local law enforcement, her tattoo, and other items on her person pointing to a military backstory. Desperate to find out who she is and what happened to her, a series of clues lead Monáe’s character to Audrey Temple (Hong Chau), who has taken over Colin’s (Bobby Cannavale) position at Geist after he took the fall for fumbling the Homecoming program at the end of the previous season.
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Once just a secretary, it now appears that Audrey has become a trusted confidant of Leonard Geist (Chris Cooper) the companies eccentric owner, living in isolation on his “A Scanner Darkly” farm behind the Homeland facility—where he spends his time growing berries with special healing properties that look like “goat nuts,” watching old war movies on a tiny screen, leaving business ideas such as “Aroma Bulbs” to the big heads. Turns out, Geist was completely oblivious to the Homecoming program even existing, and he is appalled to learn how his advancements in science have wounded so many who have served our country.
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When Audrey is called in to testify at a Department of Defense hearing, an oddball military figure, Francine Bunda (Joan Cusack) wants to continue the program, soon paying the facility a visit, to Geist’s clear dismay. So, where does Walter Cruz (Stephan James) fit into things? He’s still a key part of the story, though viewers will want to know as little as possible about his situation going into the season; James’ electrifying performance remains one of the best things about the show, and how he fits into everything is where the various puzzle pieces start coming together, if sloppily so.
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One of the most compelling things about the Julia Roberts-led first season is the intrigue brought about by its fractured structure, which was close to seamlessly tied to the primary concerns of the series: PTSD and the power of memory. However, there is no cutting back and forth between past and present throughout each episode this season. Instead, the narrative is fragmented to mirror memory loss in a different manner than the previous installment’s shifting aspect ratios (trading it in for a not entirely successful split-screen gimmick). Sadly, the renewed storytelling approach accidentally promises a totally different show than how the series progresses and unfolds – the first two episodes acting as an elongated cold open, which turns out to be nothing more than a major misdirect, albeit, one that is, initially, quite interesting but completely falls apart when the finale arrives to put the missing pegs in place.
Unsurprisingly, the cast assembled is outstanding (although Cusack can sometimes feel like she wandered in from another show). Unfortunately, the characters (with the exception of Walter and Audrey) feel underdeveloped this time; their level of importance within the story fabric, the eventual impact each of them has on the narrative (including Monáe, the season’s so-called lead), is maddeningly inconsistent due to the framework’s sleight of hand. (Apologies for being vague, but it’s next to impossible to discuss these elements without ruining the very conceit of the season’s twisty story.)
The plotting machinations/narrative manipulations do reflect the shifting/shady motives of several of the characters; still, it arguably breaks down too many illusory walls, leading to incredibly mixed results. The formal ambition of the season is rarely in question but the material is another matter entirely. There’s barely enough story bones to warrant a miniseries, as these seven half-hour episodes never really feel like a full season of television – playing more like a stretched out feature. It may explore more branches of the show’s world-tree but through a text that feels purposefully slighter than the first season (somehow, the new episodes found a way to make Alex Karpovsky feel even more pointless). Some mystery fans might give it extra points for going where the viewers likely won’t expect, but one never can tell if the creators see the sophomore season as a strange sort of experimental epilogue to the previous or like a bridge attempting to transform the show’s original DNA into a whole new entity.
Effectively, the second season of “Homecoming” reframes the series through the eyes of characters that would normally be seen as secondary, which is a noble aim but ends up being a double-edged sword. The strongest aspects of the story can be found in its portrayal of behind the scenes figures—women and minorities usually pushed to the periphery, typically relegated to administrative roles (Hong Chau’s character/role was pretty thankless until last season’s finale; the new season comes off as if it’s commenting on that)—seizing an opportunity on the social ladder once a crack is exposed. However, when it comes to execution, by constantly pulling the rug out from beneath its audience, the new episodes of “Homecoming” come off as sharply made but cheaply retroactive as a creative storytelling exercise, one that’s far too reliant on structural misdirection. [C]
“Homecoming” returns with Season 2 on Amazon Prime Video on May 22.
