‘Home Fires’ season 2, episode 4 review: David’s heartbreaking story; more Pat – Bob trouble

While we wish sometimes that we could see the characters on ITV’s “Home Fires” dance around happily in a bed of roses, the reality here is that this is not the nature of this show. It’s a realistic wartime drama, and the writing is grounded in what would actually happen in this era as opposed to what we want to happen.

Take, for example, David suffering from both injuries and post-traumatic stress after returning home. He is told that his back injuries are too severe for him to take work in manual labor, and as a means to prove himself, he later tries to carry large slabs of meat in the most heartbreaking way possible. It’s another reminder of the social mores that a man like David is pressured by to be the provider and the strong, physical soldier. It’s a part of why he chose to fight in the first place.

Meanwhile, the story of Pat, Marek, and Bob continues to devastate in its own way, mostly as it becomes more and more clear that Bob will stop at nothing to be the worst human being imaginable. He’s continuing to plot against her, and we cannot imagine that this season will end without some sort of catastrophe that alters the course of all we’ve seen to date.

In turning to the third depressing order of business, we continued to see Frances’ dealing with Helen and even little Noah remind us of just what sort of trouble Peter left behind. It wasn’t just about his secret life anymore; instead, it was also the financial ramifications of him having money that was to be left aside for other people.

As sad as “Home Fires” may make us at times, we’re still not going to deny that we enjoy it. It’s authentic, well-acted, and a very strong bit of storytelling on Sunday nights. Episode Grade: A-.

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