What's satisfying isn't that the roommates have evolved to become what Kevin calls woke, so much as that (in Homecoming's premiere, at least) they come off as thoughtful, empathetic, reasonably intelligent and self-aware adults.
The show feels a little like going to your college reunion. You are just glad to see everyone and check in on how they are doing, but overall the premiere-a throwback to the kinder, gentler days of reality TV-is a little, dare I say it, boring.
There is definitely an innocence to that long-ago first season that can never be recaptured, but the new series acknowledges that, and I'm already fascinated to see all these foundational "characters" recontextualized for our new reality.
It's a wormhole between this pandemic year and my teenage years, allowing instant passage back and forth, so we can live in two places at once. And it's perfect.
There's a palpable feeling of warmth between all of them and maybe, depending on how things unfold in the next five episodes, a greater willingness to hear one another and see beyond the youthful overconfidence that can close open minds.
To get the obvious question out of the way first: No, I can't imagine this being of much interest to people who didn't watch the first season of The Real World, either in its original airing, during subsequent reruns, or on DVD.
The idealism of the project then is what makes this concept, and this cast, worth revisiting today. And even though Eric can't participate, that's part of what makes it real.
