Going Home is a new and wonderful series, handling the delicate issue of death with caring and sensitivity. The idea of the Lord being with those who not only are saying good-bye, but with those who are departing this life, heading for the eternal, is nicely portrayed.
The acting is superb, with Cynthia Geary playing Charley Copeland, the supervisor in charge at Sunset. She is a no-nonsense woman with a big heart, and she takes newcomer Janey Richards (Cozi Zuehisdorff) under her wings. Janey is gregarious and caring, and Charley reigns her in on a few occasions. Janey adds to the warmth of the hospice center by doing such things as finding Charley’s “Nurse of the Year” award in the garbage and placing it back on her desk. Charley has the approach of “this is what we do,” and she doesn’t feel the need for awards, but Janey wants her to know she’s appreciated.
Filling out the remarkable cast is William Allen Young as Harry Cobb, and Vernon Davis as his dying son, Tyler Cobb. Tyler was a football star but has developed liver cancer, and the real challenge for this father and son is the fact that the wife/mother died some time ago. They both have unresolved feelings about it they need to work through, but their love for one another is evident and becomes more so as they have a dramatic and touching heart-to-heart in one episode. One can’t help but feel sorry for Harry, who not only lost his wife but now is about to lose his son. This episode might well bring a few tears to the eyes of sensitive viewers.
In one touching scene a patient named “Miss Olivia” went to be with the Lord, the staff is told, and a worker named Sophia is especially touched by her passing, especially when she learns Miss Olivia left a handwritten note for her, telling her of her appreciation for her. The staff prays and one lady lifts a hand up toward the Lord.
In their developing relationship Charley tells Janey that “if it’s not written down, it didn’t happen,” making sure she is keeping records of everything they do. She does, however, add that Janey has a nice smile, and that “people like nice smiles.” In another scene, Charley works with a dying patient named Edna, and tells her, “We’re going to work together to keep you comfortable.”
Tyler opens up at times, saying that his pain level is a three on a one to ten scale, and another time he says it’s 8 and three fourths! Tyler sends his dad, Harry, home at one point, to sleep in his own bed. Tyler says his father has a hard time sleeping in chairs.
In a cute scene Janey, who was a fan of Tyler’s along with her boyfriend, gets a signed football from Tyler, and to say she’s geeked is an understatement! She mentions his blocking a punt in one game, and Tyler smiles and replies, “That game put us in the title game.” Despite the serious subject of the series, there are light moments. In one scene Janey brings in a fan to cool Tyler off, and says, “I thought you might need a fan-I don’t mean me!”
Conversely, in one scene Charley is preparing Harry for Tyler’s death, and he says he misses his wife, and, speaking of Tyler’s impending death, says, “You’re going to sit there and ask me to embrace it? No, I can’t. I can’t.”
Tyler is forthcoming, admitting that he took a lot of Ibuprofen for pain when he injured his knee, and added a lot of alcohol to the mix. He believes this is what caused the liver damage. In one of Tyler and Harry’s heart-to-heart talks, in a touching scene, Harry tells Tyler he couldn’t save his mother, or him, and “forgive me.” But Tyler is now prepared for his homegoing, and in one scene he says he smells lilacs (his mother’s favorite), and “She wants to take a walk with me. Are you coming too, Dad?” “Why don’t you go on ahead, Son?” Harry replies. “I’ll catch up.”
In a beautiful scene near the end, Charley is sitting on her porch at the end of the day, watching a beautiful sunset, and she prays, thanking the Lord for being a refuge.
This series is wonderfully made, written, and directed and it has earned our Dove seal for Ages 12+, due to the mature nature of its look into death and preparing for the journey after life.
The Dove Take
This is a remarkable series with a sensitive glimpse into the death of loved ones, and for those who remain behind, but you might need some Kleenex as you watch.
