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HOMESTEAD: THE SERIES: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2: “The Wolves Circle” and “The Serpent Strikes”

What You Need To Know:

HOMESTEAD: THE SERIES is a direct continuation of HOMESTEAD, a post-apocalyptic action movie created and released theatrically by Angel Studios. Following the collapse of the United States, a small Los Angeles militia sets up a self-sustaining sanctuary called the “Homestead.” One day, a group of scavengers invades the enclave for supplies. Jeff Eriksson, the battle-hardened sheriff of the Homestead, declares war on the intruders. Meanwhile, Jeff’s community begins to disintegrate into despair and chaos. Will the families and people of Homestead be able to hold it together?

The first two episodes of HOMESTEAD are a brilliant “faith-based” spin on the “post-apocalypse” genre. The episodes feature top notch performances, writing, editing, and cinematography. They also deliver a strong Christian, moral worldview supporting family, prayer and perseverance in dark times. Jeff and his wife lead the community with perseverance and compassion, despite the circumstances. Moreover, there’s earnest discussion about PTSD, people’s declining mental health, and being able to forgive one’s enemies. However, the series features intense peril, violent shootouts and chaos. As a result, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for teenagers and sensitive adults.

Content:

(CC, BB, PP, VV, N, A, D, MM):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Strong Christian, moral worldview with strong patriotic values is tested in a post-apocalyptic setting where the main character is motivated by a sense of justice and love for his community, his allies pray openly to God for advice, the cast vows to protect their loved ones from outside scavengers, a pregnant therapist is married to a loving husband, the community holds a holy funeral for their fallen soldiers, a mentally unstable girl shares her “visions of God” with her parents, and a teenage boy vows to become a “better version” of himself for his love interest;

Foul Language:
No foul language;

Violence:
Moderate realistic violence throughout, two men rescue a girl from a trafficking operation, a teenage girl is chased by a scavenger, a man “imagines” shooting scavengers from a distance (his friend orders him not to attack), a father is shot in the shoulder and falls down, and a sheriff takes in an injured scavenger for questioning;

Sex:
No sex;

Nudity:
An older man takes off his shirt while shaving his beard;

Alcohol Use:
Two teenagers take a brief sip of wine;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
Two scenes of soldiers smoking cigars but no drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:
A man uses a dead racoon’s body to poison a river, a teenage boy sneaks away from his father, a man injects a poison into dying man’s hospital IV bag, a soldier incites a mutiny against his sheriff, and a man shuts down a surgery operation on a soldier bleeding to death.

More Detail:

HOMESTEAD: THE SERIES is a direct continuation of HOMESTEAD, a post-apocalyptic action movie created by Angel Studios. Following the societal collapse of the United States, a small Los Angeles militia sets up a self-sustaining sanctuary, the “Homestead.” One day, a group of scavengers invade the enclave for supplies. Jeff Eriksson (Bailey Chase). the battle-hardened sheriff of the Homestead, declares war on the scavengers. Meanwhile, Jeff’s community begins to disintegrate into despair and chaos. Will the community of Homestead be able to hold it together?

The series takes place weeks after the harrowing climax of the HOMESTEAD movie. For viewers who missed the movie, MOVIEGUIDE(R) recommends them to read our previous coverage on HOMESTEAD. That article provides the necessary context to understand this series. Also, this review contains FULL SPOILERS for episodes one and two.

In episode one, “The Wolves Circle”, a group of scavengers trespass the Homestead for food and supplies. They assault Georgie, Jeff Eriksson’s adopted daughter, in the process. Enraged, Jeff urges his Homestead soldiers to openly declare war on these aggressors. Meanwhile, Jenna Ross, a close ally to Jeff, welcomes a pregnant therapist to assist with the declining mental health of the community. At the same time, Abe Eriksson, Jeff’s adopted teenage son, begins dating Claire Ross behind his back. Will the community be able to hold the peace?

Episode One is a solid start. The acting is phenomenal, the characters are complex, and the worldbuilding of a war-torn America is incredible. In terms of production quality, this series is a home run. The lighting, the hand-held shaky camera footage, and the landscape shots are amazing. The episode presents \a real sense of “place,” given the franchise takes place within mountainous regions of California.

Episode One has some objectionable material. The Homestead soldiers and other scavengers engage in violent gunfights. Men and women shoot firearms at one another. A man’s corpse is shown with full blood. A man skins a dead animal and uses its body to poison a river. There’s no swearing or stabbings, but the action scenes are not for the faint of heart.

In Episode Two, “The Serpent Strikes,” the scavengers launch another attack on the Homestead. The scavengers are repulsed, but the defenders lose four men in combat. Cain, a hard-boiled marksman of the community, challenges Jeff as leader. Cain and his allies believe that Jeff’s unhinged and traumatic outbursts are a threat to everyone’s survival. Meanwhile, Jenna and the pregnant therapist begin to process the loss of their friends. On top of that, Abe breaks up with Claire and prays to God for advice. Will Jeff and his family succumb to tragedy?

Both episodes feature a strong Christian, moral worldview with strong patriotic values. The characters in the Homestead value the importance of family, protecting their neighbors and openly praying to God in times of crisis. Jeff and his wife lead the Homestead community with perseverance and compassion, despite the circumstances. The side characters discuss the importance of grief, trying to raise morale to their troops, and the responsibility of handling their firearms.

The most compelling aspect of this series is its compelling religious commentary. Jeff, Abe and Jenna debate whether God is looking out for them in these trying times. Abe tries to seduce Claire into eloping with him, but Claire rejects his offer and chooses chastity. Later, Abe prays to God, gets a vision and vows to be a more “mature” man for Claire. In another scene, a pregnant therapist admits she “doesn’t believe in God” but urges her friends to seek His guidance to keep them hopeful. Lastly, the show directly taps into the mental struggles of the cast. It doesn’t “sugarcoat” their desperation. As such, it makes the setting feel much more grounded and authentic.

HOMESTEAD: THE SERIES is a brilliant “faith-based” spin on the “post-apocalypse” genre. The first two episodes feature top notch performances, writing, and cinematography. The episodes deliver a strong Christian, moral worldview about family, prayer and perseverance in dark times. Moreover, there’s an earnest discussion about PTSD, people’s declining mental health, and being able to forgive one’s enemies. However, the series features intense peril, violent gun shootouts and chaos. As a result, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for teenagers and sensitive adults.


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Watch UNSUNG HERO
Quality: - Content: +1