Falling Behind

I've gotten a bit slack lately. Whether it be my frequent trips away from home or the fact I've suddenly developed a life - totally overrated, by the way - I've completely and unavoidably fallen behind.

I'm near obsessive compulsive, by the most head-on way to deal with that condition is to totally fuck up my intricate and important systems for doing anything. In the case of this blog, that means I have to do something I swore I'd never do: skip a few episodes. I haven't quite decided what will be dealt with and what won't be, I do know that anything I watch this week will not be reviewed in depth for this site, with a few exceptions.

The episodes I will not be detailing are (I'll update this list as it grows):

'Two Hats' - Homeland, Season Two, Episode Nine
Simply put, I did actually enjoy this episode quite a lot. It was intense and emotional. The rekindling of Mike and Jess' affair was a long awaited development that was deftly handled and suitably resonant, yet understated. Meanwhile, the eventual apprehending of Roya Hammad was well-worth the wait, even if it did rob us of a major terrorist event.
Score: 8.5

Episodes I will be reviewing despite watching in my anti-work period include the Boardwalk Empire finale, simply because it is the big finish for the season, and anything I watch that is Fringe-related, because this thirteen-episode season is essentially the show's much longer finish.

'A Gettysburg Address' - Homeland, Season Two

Homeland

Season Two

Episode Six

'A Gettysburg Address' -  7.0

'Remember that time we spent in backseat heaven? Welcome to front seat hell.'

I thought last week was intense! Hello, machine gun-wielding men in black! 

I had come to the conclusion that Galvez was actually the mole, so imagine my surprise when he was gunned down just as haphazardly as Quinn, Chapman and the four or so other agents sifting through the deceased tailor's digs. Of course, Quinn doesn't die, at least not blatantly, so we can expect to see a bit more of him. 

It all went down because someone was clearly watching the tailor's place to ensure that it wasn't raided, so when it was they had to rush in a retrieve whatever big of incriminating evidence lay behind the false wall. My question however, is why they didn't retrieve it earlier? Why wait until the CIA were actually in the building before moving in. Did they want to make an example out of the CIA? Hopefully this is the case, as it makes a lot more sense than 'we waited two weeks and suddenly it became urgent'. When Roya points out that it had taken two weeks before it was investigated properly hints that maybe this was the reasoning.

Can I just say how much better Roya Hammad is now that she is a known enemy, rather than the mysterious middle man for Abu Nazir? Everyone knows she's evil, but she doesn't know that she's been made. It is entirely against her controlling, dominating character and it is pleasurable waiting for her to start squirming, even if I have to endure Brody squirming all the while.

There is just this one issue, and I have been over it before: why trust Brody? He's a confessed jihadist and someone with a known desire to cripple America, why recruit him into the fucking CIA? You have to question whether jeopardising every single operative on the team is worth the possible link to Abu Nazir.

Just so you know, I'm currently talking to Centrelink on the telephone as I try to concentrate on writing this review. I'm pretty new to this adult responsibility thing, but I see why everyone hates to talk to this crazy corporation. I've been listening to awful hold music for the duration of my time at the desk here, interspersed with the jarring ring tone and almost motivational slogans only a government organisation would throw at you. 'Sick of rebellion? OBEY THE AUTHORITY!!! Live happy!'. Ok, it's nothing like that, but you get the idea.

In the world of Dana Brody, things are just as complicated. Well that's a giant lie, as her plot seems ripped straight from the pages of any soap opera script. Dana gets all emotional and flighty after talking with the daughter of the woman they ran over last episode, and once again we find the main character being the moral compass in a crime duo, with the little known boyfriend being the dick. Why is the main cast always so righteous? Discounting the fact she should have gone to the police by now, we are clearly supposed to be on her side in this whole mess, but it's such a tired storyline that I'm not really on anyone's side.

All I want from you, Homeland, is to give us a story about Brody and Carrie. If this hit-and-run plot is going to tie in beautifully with theirs then go about your business, but if you are going to wrap this up with no ultimate connection then FUCKING GET IT OVER AND DONE WITH. Dana-schmana. I kind of wanted Carrie to strangle her in the season finale anyway.

'Q&A' - Homeland, Season Two

Homeland

Season Two

Episode Five

'Q & A' - 9.5

I had so much trouble locating an interesting image from this episode, so endure a photo of Morena Baccarin. 

Like 'The Weekend', 'Q & A' shows Homeland doing what it does best: showcasing its uber talented cast and crew, with the writers and actors being at the forefronts of their respective fields. Claire Danes and Damien Lewis have been almost consistently fantastic, so it would be almost redundant to heap praise on them like dirt on a fresh grave, but they truly, truly deserve it, especially considering that most of their scenes tonight are spent in one location, having one extended dialogue.

Oh, and what a dialogue it was. When Carrie walks into her home once it's all said and done, then takes out a bottle of wine and pours herself a glass it was possibly the most deserved drink of all time. That was some prime delivery of some amazing writing, it is possibly impossible to pick which one of the two actors was stronger. I can imagine how tough that would have been to film. Well, I can't really, but it sure as hell didn't look easy. 

I actually stopped taking notes during the interrogation because it was all in the eyes, and looking down at a page I was just missing out on the awesome. Just the sheer emotion, weariness and desperation that was contained in both pairs was astounding, and I was happy to see the tears took forever to come out. Tears are the easiest emotion to fake, in my book. I can fake cry and I've never had a single acting class outside of compulsory school drama. Luckily 'Q & A' waited until the tension and drama reached an absolute peak before bringing out the water works in both Carrie and Brody. 

It was highly pleasing to see Brody give in and admit to it all. Sure, it leaves us wondering where we can go from here, but I have been wondering where we're going since about the third episode. One ultimately negative aspect about this series is the finite premise, which will one day be forced to retire or fade into dragging, convoluted nonsense that people will eventually give up on. Looking at the speed of the major arc, especially over the last few episodes, Homeland may only last one or two more seasons before it will have to gracefully bow out of the ring. Heaven forbid they try to shift the focus to another major plotline - Maybe Jess has been a terrorist this whole time! - *shudder*. 

I have to wonder the feasibility of allowing Brody back out into the world. It makes sense from an audience perspective, I mean they aren't just gonna shove off one of the two major players just as his story hits its high, but in reality I don't know if a confirmed and confessed would-be terrorist would be granted the ability to walk freely amongst the non-Jihadists. And no, I'm not saying all terrorists are Jihadists, just this one. Of course, I guess he hasn't actually committed any acts of terrorism yet. And he is a direct (ish) link to Abu Nazir, and their first man on the inside. I can definitely see the advantages in letting him go about his business, but what about the risk of him being a triple agent and just going in and telling Nazir that he's a part of the CIA now?

In terms of plot, I wasn't sure how I felt about Dana and the Vice President's son getting into some potentially life changing shit, as Finn Walder accidentally runs down a pedestrian before not-so-accidentally driving away from the scene, against the initial protests of his young date. This focus on young love - perhaps squandered now - is a tad bizarre to me, and feels largely out of place in this tale of terrorism and political intrigue. I'm happy for there to be little references to it or the odd line of dialogue, but really I don't care. Dana's pretty annoying as well, and Finn's kind of an ass. Hopefully he'll be put in jail and never heard from again.

Obviously the focus of 'Q & A' was the interchange between the down-and-out Brody and the high-horse-hoisted Carrie, and I'd say two thirds of the episode was devoted to them in some way. My favourite bit was when Carrie began talking about monsters, and how Brody's decision to not blow himself up demonstrated that unlike Nazir, he isn't one. Nazir on the other hand kills civilians, or as she puts it 'Danas and Chrises and Jessicas'. Carrie then goes on to warn him about the weight of lying, and decides to demonstrate the power of honesty by telling him the flat truth: she wants him to leave his wife and children and be with her. 

Dialogue and performances meld together so soundly it's immaculate, and unfairly intense. You aren't gripping the armrests in agonising discomfort, but you're unable to avert your gaze as these two amazing people and amazing actors manage to create something truly spectacular, and you can just tell that Danes and Lewis will no doubt take the Emmy's again next time. Fuck, they are so awesome. I wish I was one of them.

It seems that's why we watch Homeland, not for the Brody family drama, not for Abu Nazir's winding staircase of a terrorist plot and not for Carrie's insanity. We watch it to see Claire Danes and Damien Lewis deal with the Brody's, Abu Nazir and their failing psyches, because what would this show be without the two best lead actors on television? 

'New Car Smell' - Homeland, Season Two

Homeland

Season Two

Episode Four

'New Car Smell' - 7.0

In a show about national security and terrorism, young love is the most important thing. 

I find myself largely unable to believe that Carrie would just be let back into the CIA. It was probably my only issue with the episode tonight - that, and the Dana subplot which went nowhere interesting - as I'm pretty sure she was not only discredited but she was stripped of her security clearance due to her mental illness. I don't think you can just veto that decision because it turns out she wasn't wrong, she's still a bit everywhere up in the head. Of course I could be wrong, the CIA might have a bit of leniency when it comes to people kicked out because of crackpot theories that don't end up that crazy. She presumably could have sued them for wrongful termination, so maybe they’re just covering their asses. 

Aside from that problem, there was a lot to like about 'New Car Smell'. Most notably, we're back to the surveillance of Brody. It was an immediate call back to the first few episodes of this fantastic show, but on a significantly grander scale, with the CIA tapping into the cameras in every building he visits, including the hotel he's staying in. They also have tapped his mobile phone and the one at home, all in the hopes of working out who he's working with. Early on, the team decides to throw the jihadist off by having him catch Carrie on the way out of Langley, thinking that he'll realise she's been reinstated in some way. It works like a charm, and the two of them even catch up for a few moments. 

The best Carrie/Brody moment had to be in the bar, as Claire Danes was simply amazing as her character struggled to keep her real feelings bottled up while talking about getting the Electro-convulsive therapy. In the end though, Carrie doesn't believe she was good enough and warns the team that she thinks she's been made, making her way over to Brody's hotel room for one of the greatest scenes this show has given us. 

At first Carrie pretends to be there for a booty call, openly flirting with her target. Soon though, her apparent sincerity fades to reveal the true anger underneath it all, as she cracks spectacularly, tearing into the man she loved for wronging her, getting her fired and driving her to the looney bin. It was powerful stuff and expertly handled, especially as she began egging him on to dispose of the apparent only witness. Luckily the SWAT team barges in and apprehends Brody just as he'd started advancing on her, and thus we end the first chapter of this show: Brody is now not only a known operative of Abu Nazir, he's a captured one too.

There was some other stuff too, namely Dana kissed Finn Warden, the Vice President's son. In all honesty, no one even really likes Dana so how am I supposed to give a shit about her fucking love life? Oh no! She has to dump Zander for him, despite the fact he's a complete asshole. All this plot line was was a waste of precious time.

Similarly, Mike and Jess has to deal with a drunk and raving Lauder, who turned up on his crutches at the Brody home, talking shit about Brody being evil and all. I mean we know it's true, and Mike does inquire deeper, but they end up concluding that he's working for the CIA. What? What exactly is he doing for them? Keeping tabs on the Vice President, who FYI used to be the director of the CIA? He's a terrorist, gentlemen, realise it.

We also meet a new character tonight, one Peter Quinn, an agent assigned to the Brody task force. He's an obvious relief character, one who is able to survey the main characters and make witty or almost meta-referential observations, ones that the audience can agree with or be amused by. Don't get me wrong, he was funny at times and a nice change from the sombre seriousness that is generally Homeland, but for the most part his presence fell to the wayside and I didn't really care. 

It's good to see that Claire Danes and Damien Lewis get some more scenes together, and looking at next week's previews we can expect to see her in on the interrogation, so I'm definitely looking forward to that. When Carrie and Brody are together we often get the most effective and beautifully delivered dialogue on television right now, and the two actors have some genuine chemistry, even if it isn't so much romantic anymore. Hopefully there'll be a lot more of the two of them to come.

After 'New Car Smell', Homeland has essentially burned through all the plot lines I'd expected from this season, which is both a brilliant and a risky move. Where can the show really go from here, and how long can they keep pushing the public acknowledgement of Brody's dissent back before it just gets annoying? I am definitely excited to see how Homeland will handle pretty much losing its premise - it was about whether or not Brody was a terrorist and how they would catch him - but I'm also wary that it could go very wrong. We can only wait and watch to find out.

'State of Independence' - Homeland, Season Two

Homeland

Season Two

Episode Three

'State of Independence' - 6.0

'Hey Friend. Remember that vest you gave me? About that: prepare to be chased through the woods, thrown down onto a star picket and then have your neck snapped. Ready?'

Normally when I write my reviews I do them immediately after I watch whatever the hell it is that I'm watching, give my brain a night's rest then post them at some point the day after. That's fine, I guess, but I saw 'State of Independence' last night, wrote half a review, got pissed and went bed. Instead of continuing on from where I left off I have opted to start it anew, but this time writing it with the intention of posting it straight up to the blog.

Therefore, the time and date that it says this was posted at is the point that I actually finished. This allows me to something I haven't had a good opportunity to do so far; actually comment on how the blog is coming along.

As I've said before, I'm not actually a professional reviewer, I've had no training outside school, nothing like that. You could probably discern that pretty damn quick, and no one out there would be the first to tell me I sucked at it. I kind of do. It doesn't bother me, but if you find it grating then feel free to find someone else.

I've only been posting reviews here for two weeks, so I wouldn't be hanging out for some sort of sudden improvement. I'm sure it will happen eventually, but it may take many a review. In fact, since I posted my first review to this blog I've only actually written eleven new posts, with the others all being written up to four months ago.

'State of Independence' is my first - and possibly only - review posted somewhat 'live'. There is nearly no better drama to choose to write about, as Homeland is regarded as one of the last few years greatest gifts to the world of television. Yet, this episode was... sub-par.

I can't shout at it for being not-too-bad, but these average episodes are always the hardest to discuss, simply because all you can say was that '[insert aspect here] was alright' or 'fine' or 'average'. Even though I despise any episode that scores below about a 3.0, anything above that and below 7.0 are difficult to talk to talk about. I mean, why did 'State of Independence' not sit right with me?

How much backlash can I get if I say I didn't like the performances? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can see that this is Homeland, possibly the greatest showcase of acting talent this side of Mystic River, but that prevailing notion of untouchable actors leaves room for terrific failings. What I'm saying is that when we come to expect nothing but the best, if we get just a little less it seems like a lot.

The two best moments belonged to Claire Danes and Morena Baccarin, with the former playing her character's suicide attempt with supreme subtlety and completely dialogue free. Baccarin has the honour of being ushered up on stage before a room filled with extras and forced to act like she's shy. She stammers and fumbles, pauses and gesticulates wildly. Yes, absolutely stereotypical idea of stage fright, but she did incredibly well and I was swept up in her awkward but beautiful impromptu speech.

I appreciated that Saul managed to get the SD card back into America and within an arm's reach of the CIA, as at the very start there was a horrid moment that looked as if we'd have the proof of Brody's defection taken by the Lebanese government. Lucky for us Saul kept the real one hidden in a safer location, as I would've been immeasurably aggravated by the nullifying of this fantastic twist. By the end of the episode, Saul's appeared at Carrie's door and given her the emotional realisation that she was right all along. She's still nuts though, because she had tried to kill herself only about an hour before hand.

I'm not sure how I felt about Brody's subplot tonight, as it was fundamentally flawed from the beginning. Why would Abu Nazir threaten one of his most important operative's position like that? It was insane, and I didn't believe, even though the eventual pay off was satisfying. Brody killed the tailor from 'The Vest'! Because, you know, we had to mention him again, I guess. I do like that I think the show is trying to make his actions less and less justifiable, as he could have tried harder to save the poor guy's life, instead of just snapping his neck. There is this sense that Brody will end up being in enemy territory by the end of this season, with the entire force of the American government after him while he tries to evade the most powerful organisation on the planet, in a country where everyone knows who he is.

That, or the mole will destroy the evidence. That would irritate me less than had some random event caused Brody to be let off the hook, but I'm thinking that it would still be highly disappointing. Though I'm not saying that it couldn't be done well, we have built up the mole quite considerably.

Theories are theories, here in Australia Homeland airs nearly three weeks after the same episode airs in the States, so I'm sure I could sort out fact from hypothesis by checking my sources. Maybe, depends how slow the storyline moves from here on out, I'm assuming they don't slow the entire thing to a crawl to push back Brody's approaching destruction further and further.

'State of Independence' is an almost unfortunate choice to be my first review written on the blog, as for the most part I was actually dissatisfied by the week's offering. Considering how many views I get a day (it's around about thirty, on average. Some days I have none) it's not like that many will read this anyhow. If you are one of the lucky ones, feel free to give your opinion below.

'Beirut is Back' - Homeland, Season Two

Homeland

Season Two

Episode Two

‘Beirut is Back’ – 8.5

Saul is clearly sniffing Carrie's hair. Mmmm... Peroxide.

Even though I find the transition into an action drama the tiniest bit of a sell-out, at times Homeland seems like a high-class shoot-‘em-up piece, ala the Godfather or something. I’m not saying we’ll be watching episodes like ‘Beirut is Back’ for the rest of our lives and remarking how wonderfully subtle it is – it’s not that subtle, FYI – but the action isn’t over-the-top or implausible. It may be a little unnecessary though.

Following her escape from her tracker at her rendezvous with Saul, Carrie chooses to go straight to her informant’s mosque to catch her during Friday prayers. The two have a nice chat about what has changed in eight years, but by the end we know one thing; Abu Nazir is meeting her husband and they have the perfect opportunity to take them both out.

Issue is, for me anyway, that the husband is supposed to be Hezbollah and Abu Nazir is Al Qaeda. Last I heard from the media these two organisations were less than friends, that’s like a democrat openly working with a republican. Except worse, because these two terrorist factions believe themselves to be religiously incompatible. I guess you could make it work at a stretch. There have been suggestions from the US government that the two are working together, though the very fact they are Islamic-groups often rings alarm bells for the US.

After Carrie arrives back at Saul’s and the two share a relieved reunion, she reveals she visited the informant alone. He is less than impressed, as officially he was supposed to be present so that the non-CIA Carrie didn’t have to make any calls herself. Estes has a similar position, and the whole team worries that perhaps Carrie is falling for the word of a rogue informant who is planning to lure a team into a trap. Our bipolar heroine later overhears Saul telling Estes that he didn’t want her to be there, which sends her into an emotional flight that carries her up to the roof of the building, where Saul later finds her for a brilliantly acted chat about her mental state and her confidence. Carrie relays that she can no longer trust her own judgement after the Brody incident went so wrong, but she trusts her old self who recruited Fatima as an informant, and Saul relents, calling Estes to arrange the operation.

Unfortunately, as the CIA prepares to send in its agents the next morning, Brody is invited into the War Room so that he can watch his kidnapper get taken out. When he realises who is supposed to die today he begins to freak out, as a number of Arabic soldiers turn up at the meeting place in Lebanon.

It was very tense, and I kind of wanted to see Abu Nazir killed so that we can move on from that story, but in the end it is his two lieutenants who die, while a text message from Brody manages to alert him just in time. I could already see that one day this will be the deciding moment, when someone at the CIA will have his phone records pulled to discover he sent a message to Abu Nazir. Never a good sign.

Despite having failed to take out the big guy, Carrie, Saul and some other guy travel to Fatima’s apartment to pick her up and take her back to the US for safety. This scene was the real action sequence, because Carrie decides to investigate the apartment now that there’s no one in it, rushing out of the car while a mob of angry men start converging around it. By the time Carrie has shoved a whole bunch of files and CDs into some bag and rushed out the door, the car’s been forced to vacate to avoid being torn apart by the mob. When it leaves, a bunch of the men decide to turn their attention to Carrie, attempting to shoot and beat her as she tries to escape the building. It was tense, but only so much as we know they won’t kill Carrie. Anyway, she does manage to survive with the help of a brick and one of the men’s skulls, before meeting an agent as she comes down the steps and being escorted to safety.

Brody’s life this episode was comparatively uneventful – apart from supplying a warning to Abu Nazir – as he was called upon by old friend Mike to look into Tom Walker’s attack on the State Department as well as his later death. As a congressman, he apparently has a high security clearance, as well as motivation to release confidential information. Was there a point at all to this? Yeah I’m happy that Tom Walker’s death didn’t just go unnoticed, but I don’t see why it couldn’t get some subtle reference instead of a full-on subplot. There was a moment when Brody says ‘he stopped being a marine the day he became a traitor’ which was entirely unrelated to anything else on this show. If you know what I mean.

The biggest event of the night though happens at the very end, presenting perhaps Homeland’s greatest twist; Saul, going through the documents Carrie picked up, finds nothing. That’s not the twist though, so don’t worry. Instead, as he fumbles around with the bag she picked up, he notices a strange object sewn into the lining. He extracts it revealing it to be an SD card which he plugs into his computer. What pops up is fucking amazing; it’s Brody’s video, which he made in ‘Marine One’, meaning that Saul Berenson is now aware of Brody’s true allegiances. Haha! FANTASTIC!

Such a twist shows that Homeland is moving forward, and unless they kill Saul off next episode before he can say anything – which better fucking not happen – we are close to entering a new era for this phenomenal show, one where Sergeant Brody’s lies are made public and he has to go on the run. Better yet, perhaps they’ll just kill him off! This could be so epic! So many ways they could handle this, and most of them good! Don’t just sweep it under the rug though, writers. Don’t dangle a cake in our faces then hand us a carrot. If you’re going to hint at perhaps the most game-changing plot development this show’s thrown at us, don’t fucking mess it up, because that would involve killing Saul and I like Saul.

Aside from the ending, I quite enjoyed all of the Beirut-centred activities, with both the action sequences and any scenes between Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin being brilliant. I did mention last time that I’m finding the action to be catering to the masses too much, and I still do, but I admit that it is a little fun. And hell, since they are leaving Beirut and returning to America we’ll probably see a lot less of it, and be getting back to the political intrigue and conversation that made the first season so suspenseful.

'The Smile' - Homeland, Season Two

Homeland

Season Two

Episode One

'The Smile' - 8.0

By the way, this is my tenth review. Double digits! 

I wrote the review for the first season finale of this fantastic series only a couple of hours ago, and here I am pounding out the entry for the second season opener. This whole blog thing is making me wish I had this kind of commitment to my school studies, you know? Yeah, admittedly these aren't my best work, but my process is simply watch-write-post, with only about an hour or two spent looking at the recap. I don't call them reviews because when I started, that was what they were, but by switching to recaps I was able to make them longer and they were significantly easier to write. Why is longer important? I don't know, just a long inbuilt assumption that a longer essay was far superior to a brief one, irrespective of quality. One day perhaps I will become more adept at writing in general and will muster the courage to return to reviewing rather than recapping. For now though... ok, let's give reviewing a go.

'The Smile' was a terrific way to start a new season, but I have to posit that perhaps a show like Homeland could have pulled it off better. To me it seemed... more thrilling? But in a bad way? I'm trying to get across that the show kind of sold out without saying it with that excessive a connotation, but there appeared to be a conscious decision to pick up the action. Maybe it was just me. 

The one thing that was definitely bad about the episode was a character; Roya Hammad. She was a journalist/member of Abu Nazir's group and contacted Brody early in the episode in order to get him to pull some info out of Estes' special safe of mysteries. There was something confident and sassy about her, but when you boil it down she's a quick attempt to make a plot device/villain trope into a likeable and interesting character. She's that amoral and fast talking bad guy that always emerges at some point, who always talks with a flirtatious smirk on her face and is able to confound the men with her feminine wiles. You know what, miss? You can take your 'wiles' and collapse into them like the failed concept that you are. I don't despise you, but I can never respect you as a character or a story arc, so I hope your hinted future dealings with Estes turn out dead, or you turn out dead. 

To be honest, when she strutted into Brody's new congressman's office and asked if there were cameras or recording devices, I thought she was going to take her top off and slut it up. I thought maybe he was cheating on Jess again, but no. She's just a messenger, and despite what they say the messengers always get shot. I wouldn't get too close to this one ladies and gents, some way or another she'll take her spinning path down the drain. Hopefully.

Something I've been incredibly anxious about was exactly how the writers were going to bring Carrie back into the middle of things following her very clear-cut dismissal from the CIA at the end of the first season. You simply can't picture how delighted I was by the process that sends her back in, it just made sense. See, some chick - a former asset of Carrie's and the wife of a Hezbollah district commander - approaches the embassy in Beirut looking for her with information about a coming attack and refuses to speak to anyone else. Carrie is whisked to Nicosia where she prepares to take on a temporary new identity; a Canadian. THE HORROR!!! 

It made sense, and it wasn't just like she’s had a single short beat off the job. She's been gone for months and has settled into a life without the CIA. In fact, you could literally see her tone and posture change the second she spied Agent Galvez waiting outside her classroom. Just so you know, she's now an English teacher, which is a perfect fit for her in my opinion. Also on a side note, has anyone ever seen Claire Danes as herself, as in like on talk shows or on the red carpet? She LOOKS different to Carrie, she lacks the crazy-intense eyes and jerky, flightiness that prevails the character. Weird. 

Off topic, yeah, but the point is that Carrie was calm and happy, then suddenly her world is fucked with by the CIA and she's asked to fly out of the country, threatening to unbalance her fragile state of sanity. I found her reluctance and clear annoyance refreshing, though I agree with Maggie who believes that deep down she really does want to go and be a part of it all again.

For Brody the episode concerned the sudden likelihood of him becoming the running mate for the Vice President's campaign for the top job. I don't know how often inexperienced and unproven politicians are randomly picked as possible Vice Presidents but it... was... Ok, Sarah Palin, you win this round. I won't complain any more. 

DANA. She's someone to talk about! All she did was piss off some school kids and openly and loudly admit her father had converted to Islam to a whole bunch of Quakers. You know what? Fuck you Quakers, from what I saw tonight yous people be crazy. So orderly and polite, until bitches be gettin' all islamic in ya faces. SUCK MY QU'RAN QUACKERS. 

Luckily the Quaker retards don't take her admission too seriously, but Jess does get a call from the school's - yes, it was a Quaker school - dean because she'd spoken out of turn doing the... what was it? Some sort of horrible, one-person-at-a-time debate that was very, very anti-Islam and anti-Iran. I just shudder at the thought of all this 'MY RELIGION'S SO MUCH MORE RELIGIOUS THAN YOURS. IPSO FATSO I FUCKING RULE YO' garbage, so I just adored the treatment of Jess' outrage at her daughter for implying Brody was Muslim. She went off her rocker yelling at poor Dana who just keeps looking at her father for guidance, before good ole Brody comes to her defense by admitting the horrible truth; he's converted to a different faith! THAT FAITH! MORE HORROR!!! 

Except this time there was actual mortification, with Jess wigging out like a chemotherapy patient in a hairdresser's, storming into the garage and pulling her husband's Qur’an from the cupboard and hurling it at the ground, much to Brody's disgust. Did you know that Qur’ans aren't supposed to touch the ground? I didn't. Makes sense though, they don't like feet, which is why throwing shoes is such an insult. Anyway, both sides had merit, even though Jess was somewhat narrow minded she did have a fantastic speech about 'these people', who she says had held Brody captive for eight years and would stone Dana if they knew she was sexually active. When Brody is disturbed by the book hitting the deck, she gets even more distraught, mentioning Carrie's accusations on their lawn a few months prior. Little does she know that her husband had illegally acquired classified intelligence for his terrorist group only that day... 

Shortly after arriving in Beirut, Carrie attempts to rendezvous with Saul, only to be forced off the meeting place by a man on her tail. Rather than turn herself in like Saul suggests, she decides she'd rather just escape him, and they go on a big long chase that's as thrilling as they normally are. I somewhat wanted her to be apprehended, if only to see where the show would take it. Alas, she gets away with a well placed knee to her pursuer's groin. Damn Canadians and their knees. 

I did appreciate her smile - possibly the titular one? I wasn't sure - as she walked away from the pained man, and I think it will possibly be the beginning of a decent into more and more dangerous situations, maybe. Danger is always good, I guess, but I don't want this to turn into a full on action drama. A political thriller was satisfying enough.

'The Smile' focused entirely on Carrie and Brody, and rightfully so. They are both intriguing characters who represent two misplaced facets of a similar coin, with both almost in better places following the dramas of the last season, only to be thrust back into lives that they don't want to live anymore. I can already see how this season will differentiate itself from the last, though I can't help but notice the differences; different music, for example. Abu Nazir is now kind of sloppy in his methods of communicating with his operatives - Damned Roya - and it is considerably faster and more edge-of-your-seat, a quality that is generally good, but perhaps a betrayal of the show's original restrained, documentary-style feel. Yes, I liked it, of course I liked it, but it was not Homeland's finest hour, though I'd certainly continue to tune in if this level of quality is held, because when compared to all shows it is still fucking great.