GOING HOME: Episode 101: “Charley’s Way”

Here's the decision. This opening episode of a Pure Flix series is one of the most quietly moving hours you'll find — a drama about daily life inside a hospice, anchored by head nurse Charley Copeland. It's written and directed by Dan Merchant, who lost his father the year before production, and that grief shows up as accuracy: this is what dying with dignity, and faith, actually looks like.

The worldview is strongly Christian. Scripture is read. Prayer runs through the whole episode. And the show's gentle argument — that death is not the end of life but a step on the journey home to God — is one the whole family can sit with.

The only caution is the subject. A patient dies, tastefully but truthfully, and sensitive younger children may find those moments hard. If you're a parent, plan to watch alongside them and talk afterward. For older kids and adults, this is well worth your evening.

Charley Copeland is the head nurse at Sunset House, an inpatient hospice — and she's just been named Hospice Nurse of the Year, an honor she plainly wants no part of. Her whole philosophy, the one that gives the episode its name, is that the work is never about her.

Her day begins with a jog to work, a shift report, and a new arrival: a beloved hometown football player and the family bracing for his last days. Charley tells him there's still work to do — and turns her attention to the grief his loved ones are only beginning to face.

Four stars, and they're earned. This is an incredibly well-written drama, and the personal loss behind it gives every scene a lived-in truth. The acting is fully up to the task, reaching past the viewer's attention to the heart. The cinematography is captivating — outdoor scenes shot on location, and intimate indoor conversations framed with care.

Even the hospice interiors, which appear to be filmed on a set, never pull you out of the story. Nothing here distracts from the episode's quiet aim: to nudge viewers toward embracing death as part of the journey to meet our Maker. It's an hour that engages your attention, and then your soul.

This episode carries a strong, unmistakably biblical worldview. Scripture is read aloud, and prayer is woven throughout. Before entering a patient's room, Charley prays for the Holy Spirit to guide the moments ahead. Alone at sunset, she talks to God about her day, asks the questions still troubling her, and affirms His goodness, power and grace.

Those spontaneous prayers reach again and again for the Psalms — "in the shadow of your wings," "the apple of your eye," the language of blessing. The hospice staff pursue peace, joy and reconciliation, guiding each patient toward their true home with God. Death here is not defeat; it's a doorway.

The episode is honest about grief, too. Families move through denial, guilt, anger, depression and bargaining, and those emotions are shown, not smoothed over. That honesty is part of what makes the faith feel real rather than sentimental.

The whole hour rests on a single conviction: that our forever home is with the Father, and dying is the road there. Scripture says as much — "For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come" (Hebrews 13:14).

This is rare television: a drama that tells the truth about dying and still overflows with hope, made by someone who clearly knew the sorrow firsthand. Watch it with your older kids, keep a hand on the harder moments, and be ready to talk. Our verdict stands — worth watching.