Made into a TV show, ‘Homecoming’ sets the bar high for scripted psychological thrillers (and involves David Schwimmer)
And you thought the show was good… “Homecoming” is the podcast that was adapted into the acclaimed Prime Original TV series by the same name. This podcast is what kicked all it all off, and it’s just as star studded as the show. The fictional psychological thriller centers on a caseworker, her ambitious boss, and a soldier eager to return home at the Homecoming Transitional Support Center, a facility that helps soldiers transition to civilian life. Though, what help they are getting is unclear, and the intentions of the of Operation Homecoming are even murkier.
“Homecoming” is 12 mind-bending chapters that will have you wanting more. They average out at about 25 minutes each, but you’ll wish they were longer. This 2016 podcast was Gimlet’s first venture into scripted podcasts and stars Catherine Keener, Oscar Isaac, David Schwimmer, Amy Sedaris, and David Cross.
The plot of “Homecoming” doesn’t become totally clear until you’ve listened to the first two or three chapters. Heidi Bergman had been a social worker at Homecoming Transitional Support Center, but four years later, she’s working as a waitress. When she’s approached by the U.S. Department of Defense about her involvement in the program, she has difficulty remembering much besides being misled about the true purpose of “Homecoming.”
We get thrust back and forth through time, hearing Bergman speaking to her mother about leaving Homecoming, although she’s never told her mother just why she left. Flashbacks of her time working with the soldiers and speaking about their time in the facility and in war send us back to the facility. Schwimmer plays the slimy Colin Belfast, Bergman’s boss who seems more interested in the data coming out of Homecoming than the soldiers’ well-being. Bergman constantly tries to talk him down from kicking out soldiers who aren’t reacting as well to the treatment as others, and it quickly becomes obvious that the two have very different goals.
The twisted, murky plot clears with each passing episode, as we hear the story through a collage of telephone calls, therapy sessions, and overheard conversations. The soldiers have been told they are in Florida, but some aren’t convinced. Those that question “Homecoming” end up eliminated midway through the program, something that Bergman thinks has drastic consequences. The Department of Defense is unequipped to handle the needs of their soldiers, or are they just uncaring? Or is it even worse than that?
Over 12 episodes, you’ll be fully immersed in the Homecoming Transitional Support Center. Recommended to us from both Alesha and Adam Scott, this is the scripted podcast that all other podcasts, like “Ghostwriter,” strive to match. And once you’re done with the podcast, you can check out the equally psychologically thrilling TV series starring Julia Roberts, Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, Shea Whigham, and more.
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