Homeland Season 2 Episode 12 The Choice Review. Homeland: Season 2, Episode 12: The Choice began like an ordinary season wrap-up episode with a happy ending for Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) and Ex-CIA Officer Carrie Anderson (Claire Danes) then the show’s writers showed the viewer that this is no fairy tale.
Everything during The Choice was either happy, sad, or bitter-sweet until the pivotal moment in the episode: (spoiler) the explosion. The episodes greatest moment and its greatest flaw. No one noticed that Brody’s car had been moved right outside of the memorial service? That someone besides Brody had driven it there and left it in an area clearly not a parking area? The viewer will find this highly dubious, especially within the home base and compound of one of the most renowned intelligence agencies in the world. Something like that would never go unnoticed by their security people. Do you really think CIA lets cars roam around like that and park wherever they please? What about security protocol and a safety perimeter? Right out the window at that moment. Something far cleaner, something flawless, could have been thought of to place A and B together but it wasn’t. (end spoiler)
That eruption changed everything on the series and everyone’s life in it. None more so than Sergeant Brody’s life. The viewer may have seen people get screwed over before, but not like this. The CIA had given Brody his life back and brought Carrie into it. The terrorist that held him for eight years took it back again and changed his life forever. Changed is the wrong word. Destroyed is more accurate. The terrorist not only destroyed his Sergeant Brody’s life with (spoiler) that bomb (end spoiler), but his future with Carrie and his families’ life as well. His family will forever be the family of the Marine Jihadist that blew CIA headquarters, no matter what the truth really is.
Source: Full Review @ film-book.com
Everything during The Choice was either happy, sad, or bitter-sweet until the pivotal moment in the episode: (spoiler) the explosion. The episodes greatest moment and its greatest flaw. No one noticed that Brody’s car had been moved right outside of the memorial service? That someone besides Brody had driven it there and left it in an area clearly not a parking area? The viewer will find this highly dubious, especially within the home base and compound of one of the most renowned intelligence agencies in the world. Something like that would never go unnoticed by their security people. Do you really think CIA lets cars roam around like that and park wherever they please? What about security protocol and a safety perimeter? Right out the window at that moment. Something far cleaner, something flawless, could have been thought of to place A and B together but it wasn’t. (end spoiler)
That eruption changed everything on the series and everyone’s life in it. None more so than Sergeant Brody’s life. The viewer may have seen people get screwed over before, but not like this. The CIA had given Brody his life back and brought Carrie into it. The terrorist that held him for eight years took it back again and changed his life forever. Changed is the wrong word. Destroyed is more accurate. The terrorist not only destroyed his Sergeant Brody’s life with (spoiler) that bomb (end spoiler), but his future with Carrie and his families’ life as well. His family will forever be the family of the Marine Jihadist that blew CIA headquarters, no matter what the truth really is.
Source: Full Review @ film-book.com
Uh, there are these things called "moles" and "smart terrorists" ... most certaintly could the car have been moved.
ReplyDeleteNice review....
ReplyDeleteFor me your greatest and worst moment ruined anything after it honestly. I find it incredibly lazy of the writers to do something like that I guess. That or they had changed their direction so many times that they did not have time to do anything else?
[Begin Rant]
I know this creative team is notorious for constantly changing their scripts up even after they have filmed something for the season. Case in point Dana and Finn's fatal car accident. It's original intent was to be used as a tool for someone to blackmail Brody, but then they settled for it as a tool to drive a wedge between Brody and Dana. It certainly achieved that, but I think it was far too much time spent on an arc that went nowhere and could have been by some other means in a fraction of the screen time.
Also each season they have planned to kill Brody and made multiple changes to keep him alive and I think the scripts suffer for it.
Honestly this season started off strong, but then began meandering and the scripts got weaker as the season went on. I blame the constant tweaking of scripts for it and I think the writers are left with little choice in the final few episodes each year. They have to ignore plausibility because they did not build the backstory for the finale to be plausible. If that makes sense.
I love the performances and I think that the writers are good at writing scenes, but have severe issues with writing a coherent seasonal arc that makes sense from beginning to end.
[End Rant]
Apologies. XD
My favorite scene was just before the explosion. I LOVED the two completely opposite funerals juxtaposed against one another. I found it compelling to see two men (the VP hero and terrorist villain) who both went to extremes to achieve their goals laid to rest in such different manners.
I really enjoy Rupert Friend as Quinn in the episode. In the beginning of the season I could not get into his performance and felt it was overstated and heavy-handed. The writers made sure EVERYONE was aware he was not trustworthy and to me it was just too much. As the season went on though we got to see a more subtle, dynamic character and performance that culminated in a very funny and endearing scene where Quinn threatened Estes.
I also LOVED Mandy Patinkin in this episode. It was a tour de force in subtle acting! I sincerely hope that the possibility of less Brody (and Brody family) next year means there is a possibility of more Saul next year! For me personally he is the most compelling character on the series. He is not bi-polar and prone to outbursts, he is not suffering from PTSD, Stockholm Syndrome (and who knows what else) and prone to breakdowns, he is just a reasonably well-balanced, if not zen-like character that is the conscience of the series. I know most viewers watch for Danes' Carrie or Lewis' Brody, but for me Mandy Patinkin's Saul is the backbone of the series.
I'm glad the finale was an improvement over last year's mess and the previous couple episodes this year. I really enjoyed it, but I still think it was a cop out to NOT kill Brody this season.
I've only been to a handful events with the VP or President (one with an ex-President and one with the First Lady) but based on the security I saw then there is no way some car could be left unattended like that mere feet away from the event. There is so much security around any event of state and even more for the VP (dead or alive).
ReplyDeleteThe most recent time I was not allowed to park near the event location and the parking ramp we ended up in had security on each level when normally there is none. On the walk there most streets were blocked off to through traffic with huge concrete barricades and/ or police. On top of that there was the police presence and the number of men with neatly cropped hair in slightly too pressed clothing that were obviously Secret Service agents in plain clothes.
It is not a matter of how smart a terrorist could be, or whether said genius terrorist had inside help, no unauthorized cars would have been allowed outside that window. Period Any car driving up would have had multiple layers of security to get past and then would have drawn attention immediately upon arrival.
Good info/points. But doubt the vehicle was parked there for very long and I still standby a "mole" or ok "VERY smart terrorist" could make it happen. Especially under the circumstances such as it being Brody's car and the layout of the funeral.
ReplyDeleteAn easy way to fix that flaw is to have someone the security guards know well enough to not question the car being there.
ReplyDelete