‘Homecoming’ Recap: ‘People’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

There are few things in this world, that we cherish more than our memories. Because those all-important moments that we carry in our mind, more or less help to define precisely who we are. For these snippets of the past, helped to form our ideologies and our moral code, and there are also important moments present in our minds that taught us basic life skills and critical lessons that allow for us to function today. Which is why so many of us, fear the possibility of losing control over our minds, because we haven’t a clue what we would become without all of the formative good and bad memories present within the confines of our brain.

But thankfully, fiction is there to help us explore such terrors and it just so happens that the loss of our memory and all the horrors that can come with that, serve as the focus of the season two premiere of the Amazon Prime series, Homecoming. Because ‘People’ wastes zero time introducing us to a soldier named Jackie who awakens on a boat, in the middle of a lake with no memory of who she is and where she has been recently, and that makes for one fascinating and unsettling story for certain. For this is a tale that is grounded in notions of uncomfortable discovery, something that is quickly established by the fact that neither Jackie, nor the audience have a clue what her name even is. At least not until a nice police officer takes the time to check on our wandering protagonist.

But what makes her journey in this story even more worrisome, is that it quickly becomes obvious that Jackie is embroiled in some kind of trouble, since there are fresh track marks on her arm, the kind that force her to flee the hospital when the doctor goes to inform the friendly officer what he’s found. Plus, it seems that everyone she encounters, remembers her well for causing trouble with an enigmatic man that she briefly saw on the shore of the lake she woke up upon, and this lack of information prompts Jackie to go the extra mile to get some answers. And that’s precisely when this opening chapter surprises all of us. Because a fair chunk of us believed that the Geist Corporation and their sneaky and underhanded plans to wipe memories and reuse soldiers, came to a close at the end of season one when all was revealed.

But a return to a hotel, one that said mystery man was staying at, revealed the fact that Geist’s plans are alive and well. For an empty vial of the memory wiping chemical was discovered in the room, along with a boatload of cash and a haunting photo that implicates her as some kind of a target. Leaving one to believe that Geist is perhaps tying up some loose ends, and this part of the plan may have gone wrong as well, and this is a smooth way to reintroduce us to this universe and the unsettling acts of a corporation run amuck. Because just like that, it feels like old times once again in regard to Geist and since there is little to no resolution at the end of this tale, you’re immediately eager to learn more about Jackie’s situation and that really is a wonderful way to kick off season two.
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Plus, setting the stage for a grand mystery, leaves the viewer hopeful that they are about to embark on a powerful journey, one that makes season one proud. And it would also seem that we are going to be treated to some worldbuilding as well this season, since we finally had the chance to meet the face of this company, and see where this memory fruit is farmed and well, while it would be fun to speculate what kind of twists and turns we might expect from what we’ve seen here… there’s simply no point in doing so. Because Homecoming is a wonderfully crafted series that always knows exactly when to reveal its secrets, so it’s best we just settle in and enjoy the ride and let the surprises wash over us, and on that note, it’s time for this reviewer to hit play on the next episode and see where this journey will take us next. Until next time.    

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