In the third episode of the conspiracy-heavy TV series, Homecoming, recovering veteran Joseph Shrier convinces his former comrade Walter Cruz that they need to escape Mirror Pond's wellness center/Homecoming program, believing that something nefarious is happening. Shrier wants to prove to Walter that they may not even be in Florida, like they have been told.
The two then steal a van and take a little [thematic] road trip. It takes them a long time, travelling from day to night, before they come across a small village, which results in Shrier almost killing a man, mistaking a flashlight hanging from his belt as an offensive weapon. Later, after going back to the wellness center, they are told that this is retirement community.
But is this really a retirement community?
Things to consider:
- Geist (Mirror Pond/Homecoming) is a military contractor doing something nefarious to veterans.
- The Village seems like a throw back to an earlier time period and reminds me of other military exercises (like Russian Sleeper Agents role-play scenarios). While driving, Shrier points out that the military has done stuff like this before. (build replicas)
- The Wellness Center plays up the idea of rehabilitation by making the recovering vets role-play common workplace scenarios like "Shoe Store Job Interview"
- The village scene only showed viewers one man, we never see any other people.
- Joseph Shrier is kicked out of the program right after this incident.
- The Mirror Pond facility is later recontextualized to incorporate a "mall-like" scenario. (aka "store front")