Welcome Back Home (Episode 10)

Episode 10 begins in East Los Angeles, where Suzanne shares her growing passion for creating an interdisciplinary major in urban ministry at USC. In conversation with Pastor Moses, she names the gaps she sees between academic training and the lived realities of urban communities—gaps she hopes to bridge through both study and hands-on experience. Their dialogue gradually shifts toward Michelle, whose recent behavior deeply troubles Suzanne. She worries that her friend is losing herself in the fast-paced world of Los Angeles and doesn’t know how to help without pushing her away. Pastor Moses gently counsels her that some ministry happens not through pressure, but through presence—through remaining steady even as someone else is spinning out.

In Kansas, Jeremiah and Liz watch Michelle’s latest American Idol performance. Her “Love to Love You Baby” routine shocks them—far bolder, more provocative, and more self-revealing than anything they ever imagined from her. Jeremiah receives messages from church members questioning what has happened to his daughter. Liz discovers she is blocked on social media. Their growing alarm leads Jeremiah into song, expressing heartbreak and confusion as he watches his daughter become unrecognizable to him. He wonders whether he failed her, or whether the world has simply claimed too much ground too quickly.

The episode closes with a tense phone call between Suzanne and Michelle. Suzanne reaches out, hoping to reconnect, but Michelle responds with defensiveness, dismissing both concern and correction. She frames her transformation as liberation—proof that she is finally more than the “little church girl from Kansas.” Suzanne pleads with her to remember her identity and the people who love her, but Michelle claims that going back means shrinking. The call ends with Michelle drawing a clear line: she is not returning to the world she came from. The episode ends with a painful distance—one friend trying to keep the door open, the other shutting it tightly.

A study guide for this episode can be found here.