Amazon's Homecoming is a Uniquely Told Story, That Falters a Bit By The End

Director and writer Sam Esmeil has really made his mark on the television industry with his show Mr. Robot. A show that has received great critical response, all praising its unique storytelling, its dark and complex characters, and its unique visual style. With his new show, Sam Esmeil wants to prove that Mr. Robot is not his only accomplishment; that he still has great ideas and is a unique director. In seeing this new show, I can safely say that Esmeil is not a one-hit wonder; this show clearly shows that he has a lot of talent, great ideas, and even with some mishaps, is a creative television show director that has convinced me to start watching Mr. Robot (lol).

In Homecoming, Julia Roberts' character Heidi Bergman, is one of the heads of Homecoming, a facility that treats and helps soldiers transition back into civilization. Slowly throughout the 10 episodes, you realize that something is off about the Homecoming facility. This is shown very much so when detective Thomas Carrasco, played by Shea Whigham, investigates what's going on with the Homecoming facility. While it is a story that we have seen before, it is an entertaining show to watch with a unique way of telling it. The story and the mystery slowly starts to unfold, with a good amount of twists and turns to keep the audience occupied. Also accompanied with great performances by Julia Roberts, Shea Whigham, and Bobby Cannavale, Homecoming has a lot of good things going for it.

Probably the most unique aspect of the show is that of its visual style. A lot of use of long-takes, with the camera going from different rooms and levels of the facility, it is all pretty impressive. Even simple aspects of the visuals, like the way the camera faces characters in a shot-reverse-shot is always so interesting and unique. The way the camera will zoom in on certain characters or moments is very creepy and reminds me a lot of some of Kubrick's works. Every frame and camera placement of this show is handled phenomenally. The lighting in this show is also very well done. A lot of times, television shows tend to have bad lighting. A lot of shows tend to overlook this important detail when it comes to the visuals; most just light the show like a regular sitcom, even when the story of the show depends for something far different. Homecoming understood the dark story that it needed to portray, and thus had lighting that fit that dark storytelling. The show is visually darker than a lot of shows. The show looks as if the lighting was natural, coming from the environment a lot of times rather than from behind the scenes. Rather than having the entire character's face lit at all times, there are many times when there are clear shadows on the characters faces, adding a darker look to play with the dark theme of the show. There is just a lot of attention to detail in this show when it comes to the visual aspects.

Another unique aspect of this show is the music. One of the few times where I actually remembered the music in a show. It was so dark and mysterious, and it really made you feel uneasy throughout the entire season. It was like I was watching a horror film a lot of the times; and while this show does deal with dark themes, it is not a horror film so to have such a weird and creepy soundtrack really added a lot to the atmosphere and my overall appreciation for the show.

However, the show is not perfect. My main issue with the show is probably the story. I do not mind that this is something we have seen before, because there are a lot of twists and turns that do change things up a bit and make this show stand out. However, the script, while interesting and mysterious at first, dies down towards the end. Specifically, the last 2-3 episodes is when the show tends to go downhill a bit for me. Throughout the show, the mystery of the Homecoming facility is very intriguing; you want to know what is going on with the facility and why the detective is investigation the aftermath of the facility. However, once the mystery goes away and it is revealed what exactly going on, the remaining 2-3 episodes are sort of bland and uninteresting. All the suspense is gone, which is fine if we had something interesting to keep us going; however, we simply don't. By the end, we are left with some character interaction and thematic elements to keep the show going. By that point the thematic element has already hit you over the head numerous of times, and some of the character things end up not being that interesting either. Towards the end of the season, the show is still wrapping up some loose ends with some of the characters, and it is doing it in a way as if we don't know whats going on. But by that point, we already know what is going to happen; so instead of waiting to see what will happen, we are waiting to see when things will happen. The first couple of episodes really did hook me, the middle portion was taking long to get to where it was going, but the atmosphere and the mystery kept me hooked, but the last 3rd of the show was just pretty underwhelming as it took too long to wrap things up and explain stuff that we already knew before.

Overall, Homecoming is a very interesting show. I really would recommend you all to watch it; specifically, to see the great cinematography and to listen to the great atmospheric music and to be immersed in the mystery of the Homecoming facility. The show is gripping and mysterious, with a few mishaps and not-so-great dialogue throughout, but it really is, for me at least, the last 3rd of the show that brought it down a few points for me. But overall, a show I would recommend and if they make a season 2, I will definitely watch it.

Score: 7/10