Home Front

The first week of May, Michael enters a not-guilty plea to first-degree murder for Keith and begins researching the case. Keith still refuses to respond to Michael’s questions. Michael is also frustrated by the numerous tasks Jolene has given him to complete while she is gone. He struggles to understand his wife’s duty to the military and is angry that he must take charge of their family in addition to his legal work.

One day, Michael meets with Brad Hildebrand, the prosecuting attorney in Keith’s case. Brad tells Michael about a witness to Keith’s confession. Michael doubts the witness, Keith’s cellmate, but Brad says it is enough proof for conviction.

After washing dishes, Jolene goes to her bedroom to record videos for her daughters. When she tries to record one for Michael, she cannot think of anything to say. She then goes to her desk and finishes writing her letters, placing them and her wallet and driver’s license in a metal lockbox. Betsy enters the room as she packs and says she should not be leaving her family. When Jolene cannot promise she will return safely, Betsy cries and runs out of the room.

Jolene spends her final day with her daughters. The family goes to the Crab Pot, their favorite restaurant, for dinner. Lulu points out their family photo tacked to the wall when they arrive. Only Jolene and Lulu talk during the meal. As they finish, the Flynns enter. Jolene takes a family picture with a Polaroid camera, and Carl tacks the photo to the wall. Tami then photographs the Zarkades family.

Back at home, Jolene follows Betsy to her bedroom. They synchronize an alarm on their watches so they will think about each other simultaneously each day. They hold each other, and Jolene wishes she could tell Betsy everything she needs to know about life. Jolene then bathes Lulu and puts her to bed. Afterward, she finds Michael standing on their dock. Michael tells her he is scared and does not think he can handle so much responsibility. When he tells her not to get hurt in a caring tone, she has hope for their relationship. They kiss, but she feels him holding back. Jolene tells him to take care of their girls and walks away.

The next day, Tami picks up Jolene, leaving Michael alone in his bedroom. He falls back asleep and when he wakes again, he struggles to prepare his daughters for Jolene’s deployment ceremony. As the ceremony begins, the hangar doors open to reveal the 66 members of the Raptors flight unit. After the governor’s speech, the soldiers visit with their families. Michael hangs back, seeing the courage and heartbreak around him. He begins to realize the weight of Jolene leaving and takes her hand as he tries to control his emotions. Someone calls the soldiers to the buses, so Jolene lets her family go.

The next morning, Michael struggles to get his daughters ready for school on his own. The girls wake up late, and after scrambling to get them dressed and fed, he sees the school bus stop briefly at his house before driving away. Betsy refuses to go to school late because she does not have time to prepare properly, but he eventually gets both girls in the car and on their way.

Michael’s first week alone forces him to see how much Jolene does to keep the household running. Thankfully, Mila helps enough to keep everything from falling apart. Keith’s case is also going badly. One day, Edward Keller visits Michael at the office. Ed says Keith will not talk to him. When Michael asks when Keith’s marriage to Emily fell apart, Ed says it never did. He explains that Keith did two tours in Iraq but changed when he returned from the second. Michael realizes Keith has PTSD and asks Ed to help get Keith to talk to Michael and a psychiatrist. Otherwise, Keith will go to prison for life.

Jolene travels to Fort Hood in Texas to complete her training. After a day of training, Jolene and Tami go to the phone line, where Smitty is saving a spot for them. Jolene calls home and talks to Betsy and Lulu before talking briefly to Michael. When her time is up, she and Tami hit the showers and go to dinner. They talk about letting go of their family concerns to better focus on the job ahead of them.

By the end of May, Michael determines to get ahead of his daily schedule after running late all month. Despite his efforts, Betsy is still angry, and Lulu continuously cries. He tries to catch up at work but has too much to do. Mila calls to tell him she has a flat tire and cannot pick up Betsy or Lulu. Michael cancels his next appointment and rushes to the busy ferry terminal. He decides to drive around the Sound instead but gets stuck in traffic on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. He finally picks up Lulu, who is upset by his lateness. When they get home, Michael realizes Betsy is not there. He eventually goes next door to see if Carl has seen her, but Seth says he knows where she might be. He goes to the beach and brings Betsy home. Michael thanks Seth and apologizes to Betsy for not being home on time. The phone rings, and Lulu says it is Jolene. She says she is leaving for Iraq and will keep in touch as best she can. When Michael hangs up, he orders pizza for dinner. When Mila arrives later, she tells Michael he needs to do better.

The next morning, Michael goes to the jail to talk to Keith. Keith does not remember shooting Emily. He describes how he and his wife went to Pike Place in Seattle and how the crowd made him increasingly jumpy. He drank tequila to calm his nerves, but it only left him intoxicated. As the couple tried to leave, a homeless man jumped in front of Keith, and he hit him. The next thing Keith remembers is seeing Emily dead in their living room. Keith agrees to talk to a psychiatrist, and Michael realizes how much Keith needs his help.

Jolene and the Raptors arrive at Balad Air Base in Iraq. She and Tami room together in a small trailer. They begin to settle in as an alarm sounds. The two women run to the nearest bunker and sit on the floor as explosions go off around them. After the attack, the women leave the bunker and realize everyone else continued with their normal routine. The alarm sounds again, but Jolene and Tami do not react. They realize they could die at any moment.

That night, Jolene is too wired to fall asleep. She writes a letter to her family and then opens the journal Betsy gave her for her birthday. Jolene writes the first entry, describing her struggle to be a good soldier and mother. She also admits that she fears dying before returning home.

Michael drives from the office to the psychiatrist’s office and meets Dr. Cornflower. He specializes in PTSD and saw the news story about Keith’s case. Dr. Cornflower explains that PTSD is prevalent among soldiers returning from Iraq because there are no safe havens and no front line. He then tells Michael about what PTSD is and how it works. He supports Keith’s story because PTSD can impact a person’s thought processes. Michael realizes this could be a solid defense, but he knows juries are skeptical of diminished-capacity defenses.

Dr. Cornflower asks about Jolene. He describes to Michael the intensity of the war zone and says that no one comes back the same. Dr. Cornflower agrees to see Keith for a diagnosis. Michael returns home and reads a letter from Jolene with Betsy and Lulu. Jolene includes a picture of her and Tami. Michael looks at the picture and cannot help thinking about what Dr. Cornflower told him about the war. In June, Michael decides to work from home three days a week to be present for the girls. He also moves some of his smaller cases to his associates to focus more on Keith’s case.

Michael and his daughters have established an effective routine by the end of July. One night, Michael reviews Keith’s case and his traumatic experience in Iraq. He goes outside and sees Seth bicycling home. The boy rides over to Michael and they discuss what happened between Seth and Betsy. They then talk about their fear for Jolene and Tami.

Michael takes Betsy and Lulu shopping for a birthday gift for Betsy’s friend. While in Walmart, Betsy suddenly starts her period. Michael helps her the best he can before they resume their shopping. Michael feels bad that Jolene is not here to help Betsy through this situation, so he offers to get Betsy’s ears pierced.

In mid-August, Dr. Cornflower diagnoses Keith with extreme PTSD and says he is competent to stand trial. With a court date set, Michael assembles his defense team and tells them they need eyewitness accounts, experts, and statistics to win this case. He leaves work and goes to Mila’s gardening shop. She tells him that Betsy is upset because she heard that a female pilot was killed in Iraq today. Michael finds his daughter outside and tries to reassure her that Jolene is okay. Betsy says she is forgetting her mom, so Michael holds her hand.

Michael takes the girls to the Crab Pot for dinner, but it turns out to be very emotional for them. At home, Michael tries to comfort the girls, but he is also overwhelmed by the emotional toll Jolene’s deployment is taking. He carries Lulu into Betsy’s room and shows them one of Jolene’s photo albums. After showing them a video of Betsy’s birth, Betsy suggests they send Jolene a care package. Michael agrees, his eyes filling with tears.

Jolene pilots her Black Hawk toward Baghdad with Tami beside her. Suddenly, the helicopter starts taking bullets from a machine gun propped on a rooftop. Jolene banks right as the helicopter next to her explodes and falls to the ground. She lands her aircraft in safe territory and prays for the fallen crew. Jolene and her team have dinner, refusing to talk about the attack. At midnight, Jolene flies her crew back to Balad. Tami and Jolene call home when they land, hoping it will help them feel better. Jolene wants to open up to Michael about her experience that day, but she suppresses it, thinking he does not care. Instead, she lies and says she is safe. The women then shower and chat with crewmates Smitty and Jamie about the fallen crew, calling them heroes. Tami and Jolene return to their trailer and discuss their fear and desire to make it home alive.