Summary
Homecoming is gathering much-needed pace. “Redwood” is the best episode of the series so far as the characters begin to learn of their past.
This review of Homecoming Episode 4, “Redwood”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
Homecoming is gathering pace, with the repercussions of the facility starting to show strain on the characters. Not only has Heidi (Julia Roberts) discovered that she was dismissed and hospitalised from homecoming, but the Department of Defense auditor has smartly worked out that Walter Cruz (Stephan James) was discharged on the same day for violent conduct. Everything is a smelly coincidence, with “Redwood” the best episode of the series so far.
It always seems when Heidi and Walter arrange a conversation with each other in a professional environment that it turns into intimacy, with both characters patiently listening to each other’s words intently, their eyes concentrating to an uncomfortable degree. In “Redwood” Walter is aggrieved of Shrier’s dismissal, claiming that he deserved the same punishment for driving out of the facility with a stolen vehicle. Heidi pays Walter a personal visit in his dormitory, which ends with an embrace. It’s telling that both characters care for each other.
In the present day, the auditor Thomas Carrasco (Shea Whigham) pays the company that subcontracted Homecoming a visit. He has an unusual one on one with Colin, who hurriedly answers Thomas’s line of questioning and hustles him out of the building. As Thomas leaves him, he tells Colin that he will talk to Heidi and Walter instead, which clearly rocks him.
“Redwood” sees Heidi compelled to know the truth as she peruses her hospital notes and her old phone; eventually, she plucks up the courage to call Colin, who abruptly puts the phone down and stares into the distance. The past is catching up, and he knows it. Homecoming is coming to fruition.
