Homecoming

Homecoming is the first episode of season one. Content warnings: jump scares, aggressive dogs, animals in peril (but not hurt), creepy noises, uncomfortable social situations, threatening whispers, broken bones, and automobile scares.

The transcript can be found here.

Episode Description
Lily Harper comes "home".

Summary
The episode opens with Dot saying goodnight to Russell Epstein and heading home. As she walks, she hears various from her memory saying good night to her, and then saying hello and saying her name. This continues for around forty seconds before a truck blares past blowing its horn. Startled, Dot falls, and there is a crack as her ankle breaks. Wes appears, and phones an ambulance for her.

The scene transitions to Lily driving to Mount Absalom. Her father, Dale, calls to see how she is, and asks how long she expects to be away. Lily says between six and eight weeks, and mentions how tricky it is to find the turnoff into Mount Absalom.

Lily ends the call early because a dog darts out in front of the car and onto the hood, quickly joined by another. She tries shooing them away with the windshield whippers, with no effect. After a few seconds, the dogs jump off as their owner, an old man, approaches and apologises. He gives directions to the turnoff when Lily asks, then begins telling a local story about a young girl who gets lost in the woods, who looks up and sees that all the trees have a single branch pointing in the same direction. Lily continues the story; how the girl's father was a woodcutter who goes into the forest to get firewood, that the girl figures that her father must have left the branches that way to lead him out, so the girl follows the branches back home.

The old man wishes Lily a pleasant visit, and Lily drives off.

She arrives at Fenwood House some time later, and is greeted at the door by Wes, a teenager who works at the house part-time. He presents her with a casserole, a traditional welcoming gift in Mount Absalom. Lily points out that under his desk wasn't the best place to store a casserole.

As Wes goes to put the food in the fridge, Lily is greeted by Chester Warren, assistant to the mayor and her official welcoming party. He comes bearing another casserole, as well as gift certificates for the local ice-cream parlour, auto mechanic, and movie rental shop, as well as a free admission to the Celery Festival.

After Chester leaves, she is directed to the third floor, where her mom is preparing a room for an upcoming boarder. As she climbs the stairs, Lily hears Dot moaning in pain; she and Wes hurry up, finding that Dot is fine, and was testing to see how quickly Wes could make it upstairs. She then directs Wes to perform CPR on a bag of potatoes.

After Wes goes back downstairs with the potatoes, Dot shows Lily to her room, which looks exactly how Lily left it fourteen years ago - Dot had taken everything out of storage and recreated the room from photos. On the way, Dot asks if Lily's still working at the alpaca farm, and Lily replies that she now works at a call centre for a company called Spoodle. Lily then asks about Wes, concerned that someone so young is working at the boarding house. Dot points out that Lily was working multiple jobs when she was at a similar age.

Wes then calls up, telling them to look out of the window. An unofficial welcoming party, led by Russel Epstein, are outside bearing gifts - including more casseroles.

Post-Credit Fact
According to disputed filings in the State Historic Preservation Office, the Fenwood House is the oldest continually inhabited residence in all of Ohio

Cast

 * Clarisa Cherie Rios as Lily Harper
 * Marsha Harman as Dot Harper
 * Bethany Hart as Cynthia Harper
 * LaQuin Groves as Dale Harper
 * Michael Turrentine as Wes
 * Pat King as Chester Warren
 * Mark Soloff as the Old Man
 * Clint Worthington as Russel Epstien
 * Sebastian Orr as [REDACTED]
 * Ele Matelan as [REDACTED]

Additional voices

 * Alex Brown
 * Jeff Van Dreason
 * Eric Silver
 * Julia Schifini
 * Amanda McSweene-Geehan
 * Michelle Nickolaisen
 * Jack Pevyhouse
 * Paul Miscagave
 * Bridge Greene

Crew

 * Writer: Jim McDoniel
 * Sound design: Ryan Schile
 * Director: Jeffrey Nils Gardner
 * Music composer: Stephen Poon
 * Recording engineer: Mel Ruder
 * Lead sound designer: Ryan Schile
 * Executives Producers: Eleanor Hyde and Jeffrey Gardner
 * Theme performed by:
 * Stephen Poon
 * Lauren Kelly
 * Gunnar Jebsen
 * Travis Elfers
 * Mel Ruder
 * Betsey Palmer