Rating (2 out of 5)

Summary:  Muted tone colored drama/thriller, quirky presentation, ” Homecoming” barely kept me engaged, and if not for dogged persistence I wouldn’t have watched past episode 4.

Plot:  An organization called Homecoming prepares troops to re-enter society after their deployment. A Department of Defense investigation occurs after the program shuts down, focusing on Heidi (Julia Roberts) the program administrator and a client Walter Cruz (Stephan James), and we learn what really happened at Homecoming.

What I Liked:  The relationship between Walter and Heidi marked the highlight of the series. Heartwarming chemistry appeared during their counseling sessions. The two characters played pranks on each other and teased one another, demonstrating a growing personal relationship. Their camaraderie underlies all the conflict and resolution of the season 1.

What I Liked:  The storytelling mixes together the current time frame and past in the same episode. After the second episode, the audience understands the Homecoming wholesome program portrayed in the brochure and an event occurred which, the crux of the story. Slowly as they reveal more information, you could fill in the blanks. There wasn’t any big reveal at the end that surprises the audience.

The episodes are only 26 minutes long. While I appreciate the attempt something novel, just as we started to progress, the episode would end and fewer longer episodes might have worked better. The slow pacing of the 26-minute episodes leading to my perpetual boredom. We struggled to complete the series.

Outside of the relationship between Heidi and Walter, the characters themselves were dull and lifeless.