Summary
The Homecoming finale, “Stop”, provides a tragic ending, signing off a great Amazon Prime series with leading actress Julia Roberts.
This review of Homecoming Episode 10, “Stop”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
The calm after the storm is what accurately describes the Homecoming finale, “Stop”. Episode 10 reverts to the beginning before the series submerged us in the unknown. “Stop” gives the audience the final twist into the deep corruption of the company-run facility. Army representatives all gathered in a press conference room, and Colin Belfast (Bobby Cannavale) explains that after the memory loss has taken place, soldiers will be happy to return to work… in the army.
If you think about it, Homecoming shows us a world where we manipulate what we should treat holistically – mental health.
We also find out in “Stop” that Heidi had her lovely medicated meal with Walter Cruz (Stephan James) not only to remove her memory but also to cause her companion to have an overdose; this resulted in Walter unable to return to the army.
Colin, in the end, faces his final consequences. The company he has been loyal to have had a restructure at board level, and with the Department of Defense investigating the case of Walter Cruz, they require someone to take the hit. To his dismay, they choose Colin, and in a moment of exasperation he pleas for a reconsideration, which is denied with zero emotion.
Of course, “Stop” gave Heidi Bergman a bittersweet ending. It is worth pointing out that Julia Roberts’s character is hardly innocent, and when she visits Walter’s mother to explain her actions, she is met with no forgiveness.
Heidi, in the end, decides to take that road trip that she and Walter discussed intimately in the counselling sessions. It felt like a much-needed break for the character, but ultimately Homecoming was never going to give a “happily ever after” moment. She crosses paths with Walter in a cafe and he does not recognise her. In a number of shots, you can see her temptation to show him the road trip map to trigger his memory.
“Stop” was painful. A part of me wanted her to show him the map, but Heidi and the audience knows it is not the right thing to do. As he walks off to carry on his day, her eyes well up. They will never have that road trip together, but at least she got her one last conversation with him. At least she got closure.
Homecoming has been one of the best series of the year.
CHECK OUT OUR FULL SERIES COVERAGE.
