What I’m Watching: Homecoming (Season Premiere)

Homecoming: Season 2, Episode 1 “People” (B-)

I was looking forward to the return of this show almost a year and a half after I finished the first season, which dropped in November 2018. Though I didn’t always love it, I did find the central storyline very intriguing and the way in which it was presented even more compelling. I knew that this new iteration wouldn’t feature Julia Roberts anymore but would bring back Stephan James and Hong Chau, and I was excited to hear about the casting of Janelle Monae. This opening half-hour was a bit of a disappointment since we didn’t see enough to really make anything clear about what’s going on, and that parting shot of Chris Cooper’s Mr. Geist hardly made it all worthwhile. I was pleased to see actor John Billingsley from “Star Trek: Enterprise,” who I recognized by his voice (though I always confuse him with “Star Trek: Voyager” cast member Ethan Phillips) in the role of Buddy, who was a helpful ally for Jackie until he decided that he wanted to take the money for himself. It was quite ominous that the cop who pulled her over wanted to bring her to the doctor, though she didn’t get taken to any secret facility where she wouldn’t have the right or ability to leave. I’m hopeful that future episodes will be more invigorating, but even if they’re not, I think I can handle making it through this shortened run of just seven episodes over the course of the next few weeks.