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Homeland Review: “A Gettysburg Address” (Season 2, Episode 6)

Homeland shows us that it doesn't need to rely on questions of allegiance or psychological trauma to keep us on the edge of our seats with our fists tightly clenched and our jaws wide open. In yet another episode that just keeps giving, not only are we hit with a major terrorist attack, but the slower threads to this story have finally begun to show their paths

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I brace myself every time Carrie speaks with or about Brody. She vehemently denies and yet affirms her lingering obsession over him, making her character somewhat dependent on his. If you think about it, Carrie doesn’t have her own voice and relies on the actions of Brody and everything he does. Last season? Obsessed over her theory of him. This season? Obsessed over…..him.

As strong as people say Carrie is, she does fall dangerously close to the stereotypical “female” role – though in a twisted sense. She needs a man in her life, Brody, and without him, she becomes so emotional unstable that she agrees to shock her brain just to forget about the whole ordeal.

It’s arguable that her career is the most important aspect of her character, but before the series even started, she didn’t seem to exhibit any sort of insanity. Carrie is already a love-drunk unstable mess – something the writers don’t want us to forget – but do they have to so gratuitously stone us with these remarks? I’m becoming slightly annoyed. I said it before: Carrie would be much more effective if she would just let go of Brody. In another note, Claire Danes’ performance at the end was spectacular.

Brody, in my humble opinion, is becoming the star of the show. In terms of the longevity of the series, however, he is completely expendable. Say he died at the end of season 3: the show would still go on as Carrie still has Nazir to chase around. Being the middleman in the whole scheme of things means the writers will need to keep thinking of ways to keep Brody interesting, yet believable.

Right now, with the whole attack on the tailor shop, Brody remains at a very curious stage: both al-Qaeda and the CIA think they have a double agent. Brody’s true allegiance? We don’t know. The whole “is-he-is-he-not” thing is still effective even after a season and a half and remains the most intriguing thing about the show. As of now, he is the star.

With as much progress as we’ve had with all the characters, I can’t help but wonder what plans they have for season 3. As we’re half way through the current season, I can see the finale being an episode where Nazir finds out about Brody’s re-doubling and gives him a choice. Where the whole Vice President thing is going is up for grabs as I simply don’t care about that branching storyline.

It was a great episode like any other, but my concerns are growing more and more true. Can we wrap up Dana and Finn’s storyline? Please?