A City Called Heaven: The Long Road Home Tells Tomas Young’s Story
This article contains spoilers of episode six of National Geographic Channel’s The Long Road Home which will air on Tuesday December 5, 2017.
At its best, television is not simply entertainment or escapism, but art that makes the viewer think, question, and feel. Bold and jarring, The Long Road Home keeps its audience at the edge of their seats while painting a picture of war that is not often on display. While the miniseries is rife with heart pounding action sequences, it is the portrait of the soldiers and their families that renders The Long Road Home a masterpiece. As tender as it is tenacious, the series explores the hardships of war, and how often they continue long after the soldier returns home. One such soldier, who gave courageously to his country both in Iraq and after, was Pfc. Tomas Young.
During the Black Friday ambush in Sadr City, which occurred just five days after he arrived in Iraq, Young was wounded and paralyzed by a bullet to the spine. Though he suffered immensely from the physical and emotional consequences of war, Young’s bravery extended far beyond the battlefield. As an outspoken anti-war activist, Young shed light on America’s unsatisfactory treatment of veterans, who sacrificed for their country only to have their country turn its back on them in their time of need. Notably, a documentary called Body of War by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue and biography, Tomas Young’s War by Mark Wilkerson, relay Young’s message while delving deeper into the challenges he faced after Iraq. With care and candor, episode six of The Long Road Home “A City Called Heaven” sought to do the same, and succeeded mightily.
Written by Mikko Alanne (The 33, Voice of Dissent) and Alan DiFiore (DaVinci’s Inquest, Grimm) and directed by Emmy award winner Phil Abraham (Mad Men, Daredevil), “A City Called Heaven” is a tour de force that tells Young’s story in a graceful and gritty way. Flashbacks and flash-forwards, which illuminate the idealism of Young’s pre-war views and the realities of his post-war life, are punctuated by scenes in Sadr City, where we watch Young, played masterfully by Noel Fisher (Shameless, The Riches), weep in an open-bed LMTV truck as he copes with the pain and possible prognosis of his injury.
Each scene in “A City Called Heaven” carries weight, particularly those that show Young’s life after the war. From his wedding, where we hear his mother, Cathy Smith (Katherine Willis), express her fears regarding the difficulties of her son’s future, to his heart-wrenching breakdown to then wife, Brie (Sara Ramos), following a callous comment from a cowboy at a gas station, Young’s story is layered and poignant. Both Willis and Ramos portray the women in Young’s life with empathy and regard, while Fisher demonstrates his transcendent ability to shine on screen as he disappears into the man he sought to embody. He portrays Young’s grief, strength and hope with the dignity and consequence the valiant veteran deserves.
The Long Road Home airs on Tuesdays at 10/9c on National Geographic Channel. It is also available on National Geographic’s website and Hulu.
The National Geographic miniseries is based on the best-selling book The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family by Martha Raddatz.
