Homecoming - Podcast by Gimlet Media

 

Gimlet Media on Spotify presents Homecoming - A Psychological and thrilling series.

Homecoming is the story of a case worker/counsellor who tends to soldiers who have returned from war, to help them join back civilian life. She has been appointed to run this facility in Tampa.

The series is a lot of dialogue - phone calls and conversations - between different sets of characters, that helps progress the story. It is also one recording in particular, of conversations that happen between a Walter Cruz, a soldier and this case worker/counsellor, Heidi Bergman. 

In one set of conversations you will hear:

- Heidi either wanting to forget or feigning any memory of anything she had to do with the Homecoming project. 

- It is also possible that Heidi has at memory loss or has convinced herself to disengage or forget this phase of life. 

- Heidi has risked her relationships to be part of this facility and its workings.

- Colin, Heidi's boss (played by David Schwimmer of TV Series, Friends fame) comes across as a typical manager who only wants to know how the facility is running. He is not bothered of the methods used or consequences - as long as he sees results of how this facility should be working.

Heidi left the Homecoming project and facility years ago and currently works at a local restaurant. One day, she is approached by someone from the Government asking her about the project she was part of and what was the essence of it all. He wanted to know who her clients were, what really was the purpose of the facility and why she left the place.

The podcast then shifts to what we may assume that Heidi being in a therapy room with a 26 year old soldier, Walter and she is recording their session. Her job is to acquaint soldiers, who come to the facility, to talk about their military experience and slowly start going back to civilian life. Walter does let Heidi know that he was happy to be there and get some help as he had seen his comrade friends having a tough time post war and adjustment was very difficult.  

Colin, Heidi's supervisor gets an everyday update on what is happening at the facility. He is the one who gets sponsors for the facility. He is hardly bothered what really the soldiers go through but wants Heidi to provide a lot of data of how the facility was running and how the soldiers were responding. Many a times, he comes across as manipulative of how a certain therapy session should progress and Heidi complies, even though she is not liking the idea or believing in the same. Sometimes, it's about doing a job - you have to just do it, irrespective whether you like it or not, you approve of it or not, believe in it or not. You are getting paid for doing the job, so just do it.

Heidi tells Colin about the risks of having a soldier discontinue the programme in Episode 3 and suddenly your ears perk up to some important information, which you were surely doubtful about and now it seemed to be coming true.

Why was Colin so agitated? What did he want Heidi to do? Why does Heidi not believe in Colin's suggested method? What would Heidi do? Was there something fishy going on? Was this therapy center true to its motive of helping soldiers get back to normal life or was there something sinister brewing under the facade?

Would things reveal itself to us by the end of the season? The only way to know is to pay attention to this brilliant 12-episode series on Spotify. You won't regret it.