But the initial “Homecoming” focused on Heidi and Walter, the latter an innocent veteran who was experimented on by a greedy corporation as well as an uncaring government, and the former a woman who’s trying to make up for past mistakes she can’t even remember. Alex could’ve stopped General Bunda and Audrey, as well as any other misguided Geist employees, and there would’ve been a new hero to this new story. Is that reason enough to devote three hours to her story? Relying on empathetic, engaging characters (who also happen to have great chemistry) to unravel a horrifying mystery is one thing, but Season 2 relies on Alex and Audrey to usurp expectations before revealing their noxious backstories. Based on the eponymous Gimlet Media podcast, the Amazon Prime series debuted in November 2018 with Julia Roberts in the lead role. Mr. Geist concocts a big dose of memory-wiping drugs, and Walter spikes the punch at a company party with it. When he tries to pass off the memory attack as an after-effect of his brain surgery, the doctor tells Walter he never had surgery. “H.C.” Worse still, too many aspects of Season 2 suffer by comparison, leaving audiences with as many questions about why this new story had to be told as what the story itself has to say.“Homecoming” Season 2 opens with Janelle Monáe in a boat — so far so good!
So Walter goes hunting for his medical records, which leads him back to Geist, which leads Audrey to worry, which leads Alex to step in and say she’ll “fix” things with Walter.These kind of cover-ups and connections are exactly what conspiracy thrillers depend on, and they’re part of what made Season 1 so compelling. The Homecoming season 2 cast is different than season 1, and here's where audiences may have seen the actors before.
Even Monáe and Chau, two talented actors, are hamstrung by the limitations of their characters; Monáe spends most of the season either blank-faced and baffled, or blank-faced and hellbent on stopping Walter. Looking over a list of his fellow soldiers, he closes the file and drives off, leaving the Geist corporation and all its drugged employees behind — presumably to go help any survivors who are facing the same fuzzy past he once did. Everyone involved in crafting Season 2, including new full-time director Kyle Patrick Alvarez (“The Stanford Prison Experiment”), seems hellbent on telling a story that exists on the periphery of what came before. This season picks up the story right after Julia Roberts' character Heidi Bergman finds Walter Cruz working at the diner but this time around the mystery revolves around "Jackie", played by …
So just remember: Not having answers isn’t the same as needing them.OK, answer time: So it turns out Monáe is a fixer named Alex.
Alex can’t remember her past mistakes, but she’s not exactly trying to make up for them. But right at the top of that list is Heidi’s name. Still, this is the second season of “Homecoming,” and considering the first season focused on a drug that erased people’s memories, it’s a bit silly to spend any time questioning why Monáe doesn’t know her name. What a weird way to go.Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft.Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox CONFIRMED: Homecoming season two arrives on Amazon Prime Video on 22nd May 2020. Copyright © 2020 Penske Business Media, LLC. a list of 18 images to everyone working for General Bunda — but what really irks me is its conflicting messages: If Season 2 is about identity, recognizing the humanity all around us, and making people take stock of how their actions effect others (especially anyone “beneath” them), why is it OK for Walter to overlook the innocent Geist employees he drugs for “the greater good”?Similar oversights hamper other interpretations of Season 2, like when we’re asked to forgive The Geist Corporation The last shot of “Homecoming” sees Walter looking over his personal file from the war, rediscovering the memories that were taken from him as well as the men and women with whom he served.