Summary
“Work” is gloomy and depressing but it serves its point as the characters come to terms with the past in a much-needed episode of Homecoming.
This review of Homecoming Episode 9, “Work”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
“Work” gives a depressing outlook on the characters in Homecoming.
Heidi Bergman (Julia Roberts) seems to be diminished, feeling a heavy weight of guilt due to her involvement in the facility, spending most of the ninth episode beside herself, trying to give herself closure. But it is impossible; the present day and the past has emerged, like one single nightmare.
By developing feelings for Walter Cruz (Stephan James) derailed Heidi and her role at Homecoming, realising that ridding important memories from returning soldiers is morally wrong, even if the end objective is to aid transition back to a normal life.
There’s a scene in particular in “Work”, on Walter’s last day, where she decides to have a canteen meal with him. Staff eating in the restaurant is frowned upon as they are not permitted to eat meals with the ex-soldiers. We can fathom why; they are laced with the experimental drug that weighs heavy on Heidi’s shoulders. It seems that Heidi wants to forget everything as well.
The penultimate episode of Homecoming shows the actuality of their situations. The facility was created under shackles of bureaucracy and outsourced by the Department of Defense. The work of Thomas Carrasco (Shea Whigham) is provided with the correct intentions, but unfortunately, his faith in the system has dwindled. In “Work”, he tentatively signs off his investigation, with his manager seemingly showing no desire to follow it through properly and instead makes a call to state there is a “problem”.
“Work” is not the most significant episode in what is a compelling series, but it was made to demonstrate the effect of being part of a corrupt system. Its gloominess is forceful.
