Diksha Sundriyal
Amazon’s ‘Homecoming’ is a psychological thriller that revolves around a company named Geist and its rehabilitation program for veterans. In its second season, the show picks up with the mystery of a woman who has entirely lost her memories. As she starts poking into her past, she finds some shocking things about herself. The finale changes everything for her, as well as for Geist. If you haven’t seen the show yet, head over to Amazon Prime. SPOILERS AHEAD
Plot Summary
After waking up alone on a rowboat in the middle of a lake, a woman retraces her steps to find out who she is and what happened to her. At first, she is identified as Jackie Calico, but later, she turns out to be a completely different person. It comes to light that her name is Alex, and she might be more of a bad guy than a victim.
In the end, Alex’s mystery comes full circle. But while the audience becomes privy to what really happened, she is still in the dark about it. At first, she refuses to believe she is the Alex she had been chasing all along. However, when several people address her with the name, she is forced to accept the reality of it. Audrey, too, is confused about what happened to her and where Walter Cruz fits in this situation. It becomes clear that Alex doesn’t remember her or anything else anymore.
The Ending
After Leonard’s failed attempt to warn people about the military’s plan of overtaking the Homecoming program and the essential berries, Bunda takes over the stage. We also find her with a couple of potential clients. It looks like she really will expand the prospects of the berry’s use as much as possible, just as she had promised Audrey. She acknowledges her involvement and talks about the promise this new venture brings them.
This is when Alex notices Walter dressed as a caterer. He recognizes her, but because she doesn’t remember him beyond the photograph that Audrey had shown to her only a few minutes ago, she does not react. However, her instincts warn her about Walter’s intent. Soon enough, she notices that the drinks being served to everyone are red, just like the juice of the berries. People start to fall one by one, and Walter and Leonard watch everything go down from a distance.
What does it mean for Geist?
The unethical nature of the Homecoming program was clear to everyone involved. When people like Heidi learned about it, they decided to either stop it or, at least, help the victims by blowing the whistle. When Leonard Geist learned about the misuse of the berries that he cherished so much, he decided to stop the whole thing and was ready to destroy the plant, making sure that it was not misused again.
However, some people don’t see anything but immense profit in it. People like Ron, Colin, and Bunda recognize the importance of the berries. Even if some people lose their memories and lives, it doesn’t matter if they get enough money in their pockets and influence with their names. Being in a powerful position, Leonard tries to stop them, but he can only do so much when the Pentagon gets involved in it. He realizes that as long as someone knows about the berries and what they can do, there will always be the possibility of the return of a program like Homecoming.
When Walter comes to him, he realizes that giving up is not an option anymore. Walter wants payback, and Leonard wants to stop this vicious cycle of sabotaging people’s lives through his products. At the last minute, Leonard decides to give that speech because he wants to implore people’s reasoning, hoping that they get the point, and he doesn’t have to go forward with the plan. But, they don’t, and so, Walter comes into the picture.
They dose the drinks with the berry juice, and because almost everyone at the party, at least all the important people, drink it, they become victims of the very thing they wanted to use to their own ends. This is a karmic payback that Walter inflicts on them. They took his memories from him; they did the same thing to a lot of soldiers before the program was forced to shut down. They were planning to do the same to a lot of other people. So, nothing could have been fairer than to do the same thing to them. Justice is served.
This also helps Leonard curb the entire thing in its nascent stage. All the important people involved with the plan were at the party. They don’t remember the plan or the berries, so they can’t return with another plan. Moreover, even if someone on the top knows about the berries, they would be better off than pursuing it further.
What happens to all those people, including Audrey and Alex, now? They’ll have to start again, live with the fact that their memories might never return, or wait for some stimulus to remind them, if possible. Leonard Geist has regained control of his company and will now focus on making soaps as he intended. On the other hand, Walter is ready to return to the world. He hasn’t fully regained his memories, and perhaps meeting with the people from his former life would help him. In the last scene, he has a list of the men he had served with. This search could also lead him to Heidi, sparking the hope of a reunion for them.
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