Last season on Homeland, we were forced to endure an entire season of ridiculously unrealistic plot lines, boring love triangles, and annoying family members. Luckily, last season was also filled with intense action and spectacular acting. In the season 2 finale, Brody left the country and Carrie returned to a rather surprised looking Saul. This season picks up awhile after this, but the effects of the season finale are clear throughout the episode.
Carrie has been subpoenaed and is forced to testify on the case. In order to maintain security, her testimony is done without any cameras. This works in the favor of an aggressive leader of a commission that was organized in order to solve what occurred at the CIA bombing. Meanwhile, Saul is having trouble adjusting to his new life. His wife is back in town now (I don’t understand the point of her character) and as he has now assumed control of the CIA, he is very unsure of himself as a leader. He has good reason to be unsure of himself, as there is still a mole in the ranks. Who could it be?
Quinn, who was introduced last season, is doing a lot of running around and making bombs this season. He would seem to be the replacement for an absent Brody. All of the action scenes involve him. The coordinated attack was by far the most exciting part of the episode. It really goes to show you how even in a fictional story, how greatly war has changed.
In other news, the story line that absolutely no one cares about would seem to be going absolutely nowhere. Following her father’s outage as a terrorist, Dana fell down a deep hole of depression. Eventually it led her to attempt to take her own life. Now, a month later, Dana has been at a sort of “camp” for helping suicidal people. Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it) she has met a friend at this camp. It’s Zach Hamilton! Recently killed by The Brain Surgeon on Dexter, (I don’t want to talk about the finale.) Sam Underwood returns to a different Showtime TV show as Dana’s new boyfriend. When she returns home, her mother is struggling to keep a hold of herself; she has faced death threats and is having financial troubles. While I definitely pity them for their hardships, I also find myself… how do I put this? Uncaring. I don’t care what happens to Brody’s family now. To compare them to another show of Howard Gordon’s, they’re what would’ve happened if Teri Bauer had survived the first season of 24. Let’s just hope every episode this season doesn’t “jump the shark” (or cougar if I wanted to continue the 24 allusion). The Brody’s were only interesting when their father was part of the equation.
That brings us to the biggest problem I had with this episode. NO BRODY!! There have been rumors (POSSIBLE SEASON SPOILER) that he is scheduled to be killed off this season and if so, you can count me out of any future with Homeland. The only way I would continue to watch the show without Brody is if there were no Brody’s at all. I mean, if Nicholas Brody is killed off, why on Earth do I care about his family? The simple answer is… I don’t.
(ALL CLEAR FROM SEASON SPOILERS)
The Verdict: This show is slipping. Saul is indecisive, Carrie is still nuts, and Brody is nowhere to be found. It is essentially becoming a show with the Bauer’s without Jack Bauer. Yes, I realize that Nicholas Brody will return (at some point) this season, but the way that last season’s bombing changed the entire family dynamic has irrevocably altered the Homeland universe and I’m not sure it’s a universe I want to live in.
Rating : 7.4/10
Agree? Disagree? Be sure to share your opinion on SpoilerTV to let everyone else know what you thought of the episode.
Sign Up for the SpoilerTV Newsletter where we talk all things TV!
Recommendations
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
