Homecoming Season 2 Review: A Near-Perfect Companion To The Brilliant First Season

Impending doom is the feeling that hovers over the events of the first season of Homecoming, where the show masterfully took the conspiracy thriller genre and turned it into an emotional story of pain. The second season of Homecoming has that same sense of doom hovering over it, but manages to spin it into something just as riveting while still keeping it all on an intimate scale.

Homecoming stars Janelle Monáe, starting with her awakening in a drifting boat, unsure of who she is or how she ended up there. It’s a fantastic jumping off point that manages to not only keep a compelling mystery, but also, piece by piece, build on the foundation of what we know and play with our expectations of what we think we know.

This isn’t to say everything is not as it seems, though there is part of that. But co-creators Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg are more interested in taking their time to settle in and tell a compelling story with revelation as its ultimate weapon. It’s not about twists, but about learning. The season goes down some fascinating paths, its seven episodes looking to challenge our view on these characters and their morality.

While the season starts with that initial mystery of “who am I,” there is a broadening of its scope that pulls back the curtain. The twist and turns are about getting down to someone’s truth, digging as deep as you can go to see who they really are.

Homecoming becomes a tale of ambition, that old tale of flying too close to the sun. One character even remarks on that story as an excuse for poor choices early on, a fun little comment that really drives home the growing theme of both Homecoming seasons.

There are some clever winks and nods to the first season, some small and some substantial, but always with that season’s sense of history in its heart. This isn’t looking to one-up its predecessor, but honor it by telling its story around it.

To mention beyond the initial starting premise would be to rob of its unfolding narrative, and so it’s best to stay vague. But the story sticks the landing by keeping true to its characters and always keeping in mind the emotional weight that they carry with them.

Kyle Patrick Alvarez directs the episodes with homage to Sam Esmail’s work, with incredible bird’s eye shots and slow zooms on something that’s meant to draw the eye. But he’s also creating his own sense of style on the show, where there’s this sense of danger that feels ready to burst at any moment. It’s a perfect marriage of building on what’s come before, keeping the style while bringing his own take to Horowitz and Bloomberg’s show.

One of the titan standouts of the season is by far its score. While the first season relied on classic film scores to build on its sense of paranoia and dread, the second season’s score is a breathtaking soundscape of inevitability and exciting passages that lift scenes up even higher. Composer Emile Mosseri adds so much to the show, and it will prove to be a score that’s added to film score fan’s playlists.

The writing is astute and clever, where characters are smart and the show is smarter. There’s this sense that you’re in good hands even when an episode is going in a direction you don’t expect, because there’s this trust that it will lead to somewhere even more interesting, and it always does. It always ties back to humanity.

Janelle Monáe’s character is an interesting sort of lead. She’s a blank canvas on purpose, where her temper and frustration are more the defining traits early on. But the show does broaden the scope of her character and rewards the audience as we learn more alongside her. Monáe fits into the show perfectly, her performance filled with ambiguity and a moral grey area that’s riveting to watch unfold.

Hong Chau turns out to be one of the most interesting performances of the season, as it’s a quieter role that demands authenticity. Chau nails this by combining vulnerability with a dash of cutthroat, just enough to make Audrey Temple a force to be reckoned with while she still retains this fragile image. It’s a great journey for a returning supporting character, building on what’s come before in smart ways.

Chris Cooper as Geist is not at all what you expect, and it’s a pleasant surprise. Cooper fits these sorts of roles so well because he delves deep into regret and his performances, especially here, hold the weight of choice on his shoulders. You can feel the character’s history on him, and it’s a marvelous job of Cooper, the direction, and the writing to make Geist this humbled but still viable figure.

But the towering giant of the show is yet again Stephan James. He is immensely likeable as Walter Cruz, and it’s best to leave things blank as to how he rejoins the show. But one thing is for certain: he lights up every scene with this earnest kindness and deep need for understanding. The show belongs to James, in a way, as he adds so much gravitas to both seasons and his performance is laser-focused in its empathy.

If there is one complaint for the show, it’s how quickly it’s over. The seven episode, half-hour run is over before you know it, and while it’s deeply satisfying and absolutely wonderful, there’s this small wish that there is more. The first season runs into the same problem, and it’s a fantastic problem to have, never wearing out your welcome.

Homecoming, with its second season, is one of the best of the year. Knowing who you are is a universal theme, and it’s one that Homecoming lands on with a complex, nuanced response over the course of its seven episodes. There’s a cyclical nature that corrodes at the heart of the story, and it is a near-perfect companion to a brilliant first season.

 

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Homecoming returns on Friday, May 22 on Amazon Prime Video.

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