Homecoming Season 1 Ending Explained: Walter's Quiet Signal to Heidi and Audrey's Post Credits Twist

The ending of Homecoming season one hinges on a small gesture: when Walter leaves his final meeting with Heidi, he leaves something on the table askew. To me, that confirms he still carries his memories of the Homecoming facility, while the post credits scene sees Audrey turn the tables on Colin. Heavy spoilers follow, and I draw on points from director Sam Esmail in his interview with Thrillist.

Homecoming is a 2018 Amazon original from the producers of Mr. Robot, starring Julia Roberts. Season one follows Heidi Bergman, who works as a therapist at a facility rehabilitating military personnel suffering from PTSD.

Homecoming's 4:3 frame shows characters boxed in by lost memories

The story takes place across two time periods, 2018 and 2022. The aesthetic presentation choices hit instantly in the future timeline, where the screen is cut down to a four by three ratio. This not only symbolises that the characters feel boxed in after the events of Homecoming, but also adds weight to what has happened to them.

The Homecoming facility cured soldiers of PTSD by medicating them to the point that they lost their memories, ridding them of trauma. With a massive part of their lives missing, they cannot fill in all the details and are left with blank spots. Hence the box they now live in.

Heidi doubled Walter's dosage to protect him

Throughout the show, Heidi becomes attached to one of the soldiers, Walter, and that relationship is the main focus of season one. When Heidi discovers he is being redeployed, she doubles his dosage to save him from the trauma he would likely face.

Heidi is forced to leave Homecoming and finds other work, but she cannot escape her past. The government comes after her and questions her about what she remembers, which is very little. She manages to track Walter down, and in the final episode the two meet and exchange a conversation that, on the surface, seems like little more than chitchat.

The askew item proves Walter still remembers Heidi

After Walter leaves, Heidi notices that something on the table has been set askew. Walter did this before leaving, and it is a clear callback to an earlier episode in her office, when he did the same thing with a pen.

To me, it "really hammers home the fact that he indeed still carries the memories of homecoming", but he is lying low to avoid any persecution that could come. It is a nice and hopeful moment that lets us know for certain that Walter still remembers Heidi. When I wrote this, a rekindling of their relationship was definitely an avenue I could see season two travelling down.

Audrey turns the tables on Colin in the post credits scene

In the post credits scene, Audrey turns the tables on Colin. However, she also seems traumatised by the events she has been part of. Having been little more than background dressing for most of the show, she really comes into her own here and teases what could come down the line.

Speaking to Thrillist, Sam Esmail discussed the casting, saying: "I don't want to spoil anything for season two but we knew that the character was going to play a critical role." He explained he had been blown away by the actress's performance in Downsizing, adding that even in the background, "you are going to pay attention to her you're going to keep your eye on her and that's exactly what we wanted to do with the character."

The ending isn't cut and dry and is definitely open to interpretation, but we can surmise that Audrey would play a huge part down the line. When I wrote this, I couldn't wait to see how her role would come to fruition.

Heidi's care for Walter makes for a poignant ending

Now that Heidi knows Walter's location and that he is safe, she will likely want to keep him from danger. I can imagine her travelling home to make sure he is not persecuted by the people tracking her.

All Heidi wanted was Walter's happiness, and it is evident that he is now living a simple and peaceful life. This is a great way to end the show, and it is a poignant moment that really stuck with me. Whatever the two face, they shared a brief moment together, and it shows how much Heidi cared for him, something the soldiers didn't feel when coming back from conflict. It is a touching moment to end season one on.

How did you interpret the final exchange between Walter and Heidi, and what did you take from Audrey's post credits scene?