After a somewhat sloppy string of episodes following the interrogation episode, Homeland seems to have found its focus again in an episode that blew everything out of the water. The show has remained consistent in the quality of each episode, but with a season that started off so strong, the mid-section was lacking in the extra oomph that we expect. In fact, if we take the past five or so episodes and pretend like they didn’t exist, we really wouldn’t be missing much. This isn’t a criticism to the show as the writing and acting have made each episode worth it, but story-wise there was a lot of filler.
What started off as a somewhat slow episode turned into something much much more. The second half was almost unwatchable as I was gasping for air at every turn and falling off my seat with sheer suspense. I had to cover my eyes on some occasions, but peered through the cracks of my fingers just so I can take in what was happening. It was almost as if they sucked the thrill out of the past episodes and decided to bombard us with it in 30 minutes. I don’t even know where to start.
How about I quickly mention the first half, which was very similar to the slow gait at which Homeland was going. I’m going to say this again: even when nothing is happening, Homeland is fantastic. However, when something is happening, it’s virtually perfect. The scenes with Brody and his family have always been a bit awkward, but in a good way. It’s clear the family isn’t going to make it together and that’s okay. The writers are so good that they made us believe Brody shouldn’t be with his family and that Mike would make a far better father.
If you think about it, Brody’s family has become somewhat of a hindrance to him and they’re constantly complaining about his absence and the lies. Though Brody does deserve it, his character would be far better off without the constant need to check in with his family. I really do hope Mike takes over because I’ve become exhausted of the same bickering over and over again. Also, don’t get me started on Dana and Finn’s…..whatever it was.
And just like that, Brody has become a terrorist again. I’m glad his cover was blown because if they had dragged that out even more, it would have been hell. I certainly was not expecting Nazir to capture Carrie and use her as blackmail, but good on the writers for doing so. It gave Carrie a reason to stick around and a reason for Brody to return to the dark side if even just for a bit. Great ways to use the protagonists indeed.
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