I went into “Homecoming” (Amazon Prime) pretty blind. I had seen a few quick ads for the show but had no idea what it was about, or who was involved in the making of it. I will avoid talking about the plot at all here, so you can do the same.
I was only a few minutes into the show when I knew there was something special going on. The cinematography is unusual and captivating. It reminds me a lot of some 1980s techniques that you see in movies like “The Shining.” Things like long, slow zoom-ins to the action, or a camera shot down a spiral staircase as someone descends — but rather than cutting to the person, we watch the person down the whole staircase. It’s a thing of beauty.
It turns out that one of the creators is Sam Esmail, previously of “Mr. Robot.” Esmail has a unique way of filming and directing, and it shows. Honestly, it makes the series watching for this reason alone.
We get 10 episodes that range from 25-35 minutes each. A mystery slowly unravels and is quite addicting, and the tension is thick. The finale leaves enough of an open ending that we could walk away happy, or watch another season. Turns out, “Homecoming” was initially picked up for two seasons, so there is no concern there; we’ll be getting more.
I recommend “Homecoming” for the technical aspects alone, but you’ll stay for the story and mystery as well. With Season 1 coming in at under five hours total, it’s worth the effort.