While the title of this program is "Protocol," a better capsule would be "Meltdown!" Indeed, the protagonist Heidi Bergman has a double meltdown in this episode.
With the cinematic technique of the "half screen" used to denote the present and the "full screen" used to denote the past, Heidi has a meltdown in each of the timeframes. In her past, it is finally revealed that Heidi's mental collapse occurred on the day when she recognized that the Geist Corporation was drugging and duping the vets and the purpose behind the operation was to erase their minds so that they would serve an extra tour of duty.
In the present sequence, Heidi reaches rock bottom when she returns to the Homecoming headquarters outside of Tampa. But suddenly, her memory returns when she walks the halls. Her recall begins to return with the connection that she makes with Colin, whom she now shoves into the pond outside the facility.
In the meantime, Carrasco has also been walking through the old Homcoming facility in the area that has not yet been completely renovated. In a surreal experience, he even wanders into the old office of Heidi.
Finally, Heidi begins to acknowledge that Carrasco is well-intentioned in his concern for what happened to Walter Cruz. But the cocky Colin is brazen in his assertion that there is nothing that Carrasco and the functionaries at the DDO can do. He has covered his tracks so carefully that he was never even in the facility during the Homecoming operation. Carrasco despondently informs Heidi, "He's right."
With the cinematic technique of the "half screen" used to denote the present and the "full screen" used to denote the past, Heidi has a meltdown in each of the timeframes. In her past, it is finally revealed that Heidi's mental collapse occurred on the day when she recognized that the Geist Corporation was drugging and duping the vets and the purpose behind the operation was to erase their minds so that they would serve an extra tour of duty.
In the present sequence, Heidi reaches rock bottom when she returns to the Homecoming headquarters outside of Tampa. But suddenly, her memory returns when she walks the halls. Her recall begins to return with the connection that she makes with Colin, whom she now shoves into the pond outside the facility.
In the meantime, Carrasco has also been walking through the old Homcoming facility in the area that has not yet been completely renovated. In a surreal experience, he even wanders into the old office of Heidi.
Finally, Heidi begins to acknowledge that Carrasco is well-intentioned in his concern for what happened to Walter Cruz. But the cocky Colin is brazen in his assertion that there is nothing that Carrasco and the functionaries at the DDO can do. He has covered his tracks so carefully that he was never even in the facility during the Homecoming operation. Carrasco despondently informs Heidi, "He's right."