Homecoming - Recap

The Present

Political analysts Jane Cleaver and David Murch are driving into Washington D.C. A veteran soldier is on the road ahead of them, missing a leg and walking on crutches. Jane says "he's one of them," grabs the wheel, and runs the soldier down. They go out of control and into the ditch, with the soldier laying across the windshield. Although clearly dead, he opens his eyes and gets off. The two analysts get out and spot a military truck coming down the road. They wave it down... and more undead soldiers get out of the back and start coming toward them. Jane grabs a shotgun from the trunk and starts shooting them down. A drunken Dave takes out a pistol, comes up behind her, and blows out her brains.

Four Weeks Earlier

Jane and Dave are appearing together on a talk show hosted by commentator Marty Clark. The topic is political protest and the First Amendment, and Marty conducts an interview with Janet Hofstader, the mother of a dead soldier who has died in the current war in the Middle East. She says she went to a Presidential speech and he refused to answer her question about what her son's death was worth. Jane is shrill and obnoxious but Dave expresses his respect for Janet and her son, noting that his brother Philip served in Vietnam and died in the service of his country. Dave says that if he had one wish, it would be for her son Gordon to come back so he could say what his sacrifice was worth. Later, Dave goes out for drinks with Janet and she talks about everyone fears her as a strong aggressive woman. He finally admits that he wasn't any more sincere then she was but he's better at pretending, and he gives her a few hints. They end up in bed with Jane as the dominatrix but they're interrupted when Dave gets a call from Presidential chief of staff Kurt Rand, who congratulates Dave on his phrase and promises the President will be using it in his upcoming speeches.

Later, Jane and Dave watch one such speech, unaware at the time that a new group of caskets are brought back from the Middle East and left at a hanger at an Air Force base. A guard hears a noise and thinks it's a civilian trying to get photos. Checking out the noise, he finds it's coming from a coffin and the occupant bursts out, clearly dead but walking. The guard shoots it without effect and it approaches him as other soldiers emerge from their coffins. They advance on the first guard as another one comes in and shoots, hitting and killing his partner. The zombie soldiers simply walk past the second guard, telling him "at ease, soldier."

Dave and his mother go to the cemetery to visit Philip's grave, and she mentions a neighbor woman who mentioned seeing her dead son outside her house. Dave spots someone digging up a grave and confronts them, only to find it's a zombie soldier. Other zombies come toward them and Dave gets his mother into the car and they get away. Rand calls Dave in and reveals that the government is doing experiments on one of the zombies. There's no way to kill them: even when cut up the pieces animate on their own. The zombie feel pain and Dave wonders what they want.

They find out when the next day a resurrected soldier goes to an early voting center, casts his vote for President, then falls over dead. Other undead soldiers are voting across the country. Jane goes back on Marty Clark's show along with a minister and they talk about how the zombies are a sign from God that he favors the United States, and should be allowed to vote. Dave watches and is impressed how much she's learned from him. Rand is also impressed but Dave warns him that things could turn against them. It turns out he's right when later an undead soldier is interviewed and says that he died for a lie, and he and the others are voting for anyone who will end the war. Jane and the minister promptly switch tracks and condemn the soldiers as demon spawn who shouldn't be allowed to vote. The government starts collecting the soldiers and putting them in internment centers, claiming they're a health risk.

The American people begin to embrace the undead soldiers, who are wandering the streets. People are taking them in and listening to the ones who can still speak. Rand is angry they're not acting like real zombies so he'd have an excuse to take extreme measures against them. The President's ratings are dropping and they can't find any undead soldiers who will speak on his behalf. Rand comes up with a plan and they go to an internment center where the undead Gordon Hofstadter is being kept. Rand wants him to sign a statement supporting the President but Gordon refuses. In response, Rand puts Gordon's mother Janet on the phone and then threatens to hurt her. Gordon prepares to sign the statement.. then grabs Rand and brutally kills him. Dave hastily has Janet released.

Jane is trying to use Dave as a connection so she can become a member of the administration, while Dave tries to figure out what the answer to their problem is. When he's on Marty Clark's show, the host provides a report saying that his brother Philip died in the States after an honorable discharge. Dave denies it and goes to see his mother. She explains that Philip came home unstable and considered shooting himself. A younger Dave got hold of Philip's gun and inadvertently shot his own older brother, killing him. Dave blocked out the memory and promised his mother at Philip's grave that his brother would come back and assure her he was okay. Dave's mother wonders if Philip might come back like the other zombies.

The government doesn't stop the soldiers from voting, and on Election Day they cast their votes and then die once and for all. All of them vote against the President, as Dave realizes that the ones that feel they died for a noble cause have no reason to come back. Rand's protege, Kathy Hobart, vows to make sure they win anyway. The administration makes sure that they count the votes in their favor. A depressed Dave is drinking heavily as he goes out with Jane to celebrate. She reveals that Kathy has hired her... to replace Dave, who is becoming increasingly unstable. Dave doesn't know about this until Jane tells her, and he kisses her furiously. However, they're interrupted when a vast scream echoes across the country: all the dead soldiers of every war are now emerging from their graves to wipe out the administration that denied them a vote.

The Present

Dave prepares to kill himself as the undead soldiers advance on him. However, they stop and he realizes they don't plan to kill him. The lead soldier says he betrayed them, but asks him to join their cause. Philip is with them and says he'd be glad to fight beside Dave. Dave seems at peace... and then Philip breaks his neck.

Later, the undead drive the administration out of the country and a zombie Dave warns that if anyone ever sends soldiers to die for a lie, the undead will show them the true face of war: the face of Hell.

Share this article with your friends