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The Long Road Home Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
8 Episodes 2017 - 2017
Episode 1
The Road To War
Tue, Nov 7, 201745 mins
After Saddam's defeat, rookies Allied troops fear a 'boring' job compared to the Afghan front, but veterans realize dangers still lurk all around. 1st Cavalry Lt. Shane Aguero leads a 'routine' Task Force Lancer patrol of US light armored vehicles into the Sadr Bureau sphere of interest. Shortly after diplomatic interpreter Jassim Al-Lani helps them confiscate without bloodshed the arms of mosque guards, and return them under proviso to keep those inside, the patrol is under heavy fire and gets split up. With wounded and two vehicles disabled, they must regroup, seek shelter and wait for help, which may take very long as contact was lost before their position was pinned.
Episode 2
The Eye Of The Storm
Tue, Nov 7, 201750 mins
Lieutenant Shane Aguero can do little more then seize a Sadr City home for shelter and order eliminating any threat, even a teen boy pointing a machine-gun probably mindlessly, then his irate father and finally grandfather. Meanwhile two men risk their lives backtracking to pick up flairs to finally signal their position. Without waiting for that, colonel Volesky orders a major rescue task force. Captain Denomy, who left his newborn son behind to start on this Iraq tour, finds Aquero's trail, but his rescue team pays a bloody price for walking in the same trap, the others aren't much luckier. Even idealistic private 1class Tomas Young's principles are grimly tested by fire baptism while often innocent 'collateral' civilian victims create an ever more hostile context. The home front can only shiver awaiting scarce news.
Episode 3
Into the Unknown
Tue, Nov 14, 201747 mins
Lieutenant Shane Aguero's platoon is part of 'routine' patrols in Baghdad's unruly Shiite sector Sadr City, but gets cut off and isolated, surrounded by hostile militia. As they seek uninvited shelter in the home of Alim, suspicion of treason is quickly raised against local translator Jassim, who firmly denies and is duly defended by Aguero, but has just a hard time with the family's biter collaboration reproaches as they become prisoners at home just for being locals. Colonel Volsky hears about their predicament and charges captain Denomy with a major rescue mission, which requires armored protection.
Episode 4
In the Valley of Death
Tue, Nov 21, 201745 mins
Staff sergeant Robert Miltenberger was traumatized on earlier deployment in Bosnia by a desperate mother who chose to walk with her dead baby into a mine field, believing his similar death in Iraq will be heralded by crows as he saw the first time. Responding in Sadr City to such flight, to his baffled mates' astonishment, spares his armored car falling into a trap, but also sees them cut-off from their patrol, further complicating colonel Volesky's dilemma whether to split up rescue further. Cornered men camp in an occupied house, cuffing the inhabitants and even translator Jassim Al-Lani, must deal with mounting anxiety, temporarily alleviated by Young's Great war poetry, one even is disabled by shell-shock under fire which renders the medic sadly busy, and a sentinel is traumatically forced to shoot a kid who playfully handles a found machine gun pointed at the soldier, after his death the father and grandfather who can't control their grief. On the Texan home front, mounting insecurity about deployed spouses renders potential widows desperate, some aggressive calling the official notice policy lies, but the officer wives patiently keep some control despite children crying themselves to sleep.
Episode 5
The Choice
Tue, Nov 28, 201748 mins
Jassim and his kin buddy Humam were not impressed with the allied order since their occupation made daily life worse then under Saddam, so tempted by scares supplies freely offered in the mosque, they joined Sadr's Shiite movement. Loyal Jassim nearly rose to deputy, but was shattered and disgusted when his critical mate was executed as 'renegade' and took an interpreter job. Now he's again treated as if unreliable by the troops, considered a traitor by his own people, but proves diplomatic enough to prevent cocky sergeant Jackson guarding their involuntary host family stopping life-saving medication for cardiac patient Alim. Sadr's militia ceases the inconclusive sniper siege, seemingly withdraws, but returns with numerous civilians as human shields, including children. Jassim bravely and wisely pleads reason and Coranic virtues impressing his compatriots, but a single hothead officer resumes the advance, so close that shocked lieutenant Shane Aguero is forced to order firing.
Episode 6
A City Called Heaven
Tue, Dec 5, 201752 mins
After the funeral of their grandfather, a Korean war hero, Texan rowdy brothers Tomas and Nathan 'Nate' Young signed up, Tommy first scoring and wedding former hippie classmate Brie. After the children shield carnage, the siege in Sadr City continues to exact casualties while Denomy's rescue force has trouble locating them and comes under bad fire, even getting split up and pined down themselves. Sergeant Jackson shot a member of the host family, misreading an innocent movement, and is disarmed by lieutenant Aguero. Repatriated in a wheelchair, Tomas wrestles with excruciating pain, piles of medication, seeking (pacifist) purpose but mostly helplessness and his shaken marriage, as he doesn't want Brie to remain with him as frustrated 'private nurse'.
Episode 7
Abandon Hope
Tue, Dec 12, 201744 mins
Sergeant Eric Bourquin had a lousy youth in a poor, dysfunctional Texas small town family, feeling close and relatively safe only with kid brother Danny, bullied at school despite talent until he dropped out and left home to join the army, seeing no future in civilian life. He's now the respected medic -a tower of strength- in badly injured lieutenant Shane Aguero's desperately surrounded red platoon, which runs out of ammunition while incurring bullet wounds and casualties, so their extraction becomes urgent, yet even signaling their position may be hopeless. Meanwhile Jassim translates fellow Shiite Alim's horrible story of arbitrary abuse under Saddam and devout vow never to take armed revenge. Finally the rescue helicopters approach.
Episode 8
Always Dream of Me
Tue, Dec 19, 201751 mins
(Garza) With ammo running out after every regular location attempt failed, the armored platoon passes lieutenant Shane Aguero's beleaguered men, but his desperately-heroic surge carrying a simple flash-lamp saves them last minute, Alim's 'host' family is released. The regiment licks its many wounds and mourns several body-bags, preparing for repatriation. tense mounts at the home-front, as the finalized body count is to be followed by final notifications of deaths in action. Having found his family moved-out, Jassim joins as regular soldier. The official welcome ceremonies are again torment for families waiting to be reunited, but spouses already sense these trauma-induced guilt etc. will never truly go away, whether the men reenlist or leave the army, in Young's case even as peace activist.
