Claire Danes

I don’t think we can ever win with Homeland, and we need to accept that. There will always be a frustrating polarity present, because it has always been there and it seems content to stay there. The series gives in to its best and worst tendencies on a weekly basis, thrilling in one scene with refreshing ease and then backpedalling in the next. It is a careful mediation on modern war, but it is also the 24-esque twisty action show. Sometimes, that binary opposition is entertaining and even beneficial, but other times—like this episode—it just feels disappointing.

After a few uneven weeks, Homeland is back in top form. This show always works best when it’s deeply in spy mode, tense and forcing impossible decisions. This episode is also unpredictable in a way it hasn’t been. Saul’s escape is gripping and the position it leaves Carrie in is not only a perfect moment of frustration and heartbreak, but it also seemingly breaks the bond between the two. Her betrayal is not something that Saul will easily forgive (“Fuck you, Carrie! You goddamn lied!”).

“I’m a spy. I know shit.”

That line, spoken by John Redmond, is funny in the moment, but begins to feel ironic by the end of the episode. Practically everyone is off their game this week, with an abundance of questionable decisions leading to Saul getting kidnapped. By this point, we’ve spent plenty of time with Carrie, Saul, Quinn, even Fara. We know what they can do, we know how good they are at their jobs…except when the writers need them to be stupid. It all feels overly telegraphed, to the point where these uncharacteristic decisions not only frustrate on a plot level, but a character one too. It’s reminiscent of how a show like Family Guy treats its characters and its continuity, which is an unfortunate comparison to make with a high profile prestige drama.

There are several reminders in this episode about how good Carrie is at her job, as if the writers are making sure we have the right perspective on her character heading into the episode’s final scene. Fara tells Quinn when he arrives, “I don’t know how she finds time to sleep.” Later, the guy John Redmond had tailing Carrie last episode (and failing) tells John, simply, “She’s good.” Considering the fact that we’ve seen Carrie often at her worst, it is valuable to remember what a good agent she is. Which brings us to that final scene.

The opening minutes of Homeland’s fourth season, designed to disorient and excite, throws us into Carrie’s new world as the CIA station chief in Kabul. This double feature premiere hits the ground running as we watch how Carrie and her team make a decision that looks as if it will have reverberations throughout the rest of the season. Welcome back, Homeland is saying, and let us get “back to basics”.

Homeland, Season 3: Episode 9 – “One Last Time” Written by Barbara Hall Directed by Jeffrey Reiner Airs Sunday nights at 9 on Showtime From its ominous title to how several characters come out and just say how much Saul’s new play feels like a suicide mission, “One Last Time” sets the stage for what …

Homeland, Season 3: Episode 4 – “Game On” Written by James Yoshimura and Alex Gansa Directed by David Nutter Airs Sunday nights at 9 ET on Showtime For all the grief that Homeland has been getting, “Game On” serves as an excellent turning point for the season and both retroactively elevates the material from the first …

Homeland, Season 3: Episode 1 – “Tin Man is Down” Written by Alex Gansa & Barbara Hall Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter Airs Sunday nights at 9pm ET on Showtime On a night when Breaking Bad – one of the most viscerally engaging series in television history – completes its run, it’s hard not to notice …

Homeland is principally discussed and appreciated as a politically-inclined thriller, an action-oriented series that manages to feel vguely relevant despite its obviously heightened nature. The show also often draws praise for its unflinching depiction of mental illness, in the many scenes we’ve gotten with Carrie struggling to keep her head in the game for the sake of national security. As Season 2 rolls along towards its endgame, however, there’s something a little different at work.

Homeland, Season 2, Episodes 6 and 7: “A Gettysburg Address” Written by Chip Johannessen Directed by Guy Ferland “The Clearing” Written by Meredith Stiehm Directed by John Dahl Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime When it comes to becoming invested in serialized television, faith is a major factor. Showrunners need to build up a …

Season 3, Episode 4: “New Car Smell” Written by Meredith Stiem Directed by Jeremy Podeswa Season 3, Episode 5: “Q&A” Written by Henry Bromell Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime. Yep, Homeland pulled a Homeland again. The final moments of “New Car Smell” once again offer a scene that …

Homeland, Season 2, Episode 3: “State of Independence” Written by Alexander Cary Directed by Lodge Kerrigan Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtme After reminding us of its trademark breakneck pacing last week, Homeland throws us yet another curveball, by giving us the show’s version of a transitional episode. Were it as purposefully single-minded about …

Homeland, Season 2, Episode 2: “Beirut is Back” Written by Chip Johannessen Directed by Michael Cuesta Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime Well, it would appear that the greatest issue with Season Two’s credibility is about to be eliminated. In the “holy shit”-worthy final moments of “Beirut is Back,” Saul Berenson witnesses the videotaped …

Homeland, Season 2, Episode 1: “The Smile” Written by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon Directed by Michael Cuesta Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime It’s US election season. Fears of terrorism, domestic and foreign, are being stoked by candidates from both parties. The release of anti-Islamic videos uploaded to YouTube from the States have …

The 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held on September 23rd in Los Angeles to honour the best of primetime television shows, movies, and miniseries that aired over the last year. With first-time host Jimmy Kimmel, many were interested to see how their favourite shows, actors, and actresses would fare in the most prestigious awards …

Homeland, Season 1, Episode 12: “Marine One” Written by Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon and Chip Johannessen Directed by Michael Cuesta Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime There are only two questions left over after the first season finale of Homeland. “Who is the mole?” and, “How can they hope to deliver a second season …

Homeland, Season 1, Episode 11: “The Vest” Written by Meredith Stiehm & Chip Johannessen Directed by Clark Johnson Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime One thing about Homeland that should have been clear by now is that you have to expect the unexpected. This was supposed to be an explosive episode leading into an …

Homeland, Season 1, Episode 10: “Representative Body” Written by Henry Bromell Directed by Guy Ferland Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime That point in the first season of Homeland has come in which not much is actually advancing, but all the pieces are being put into place for something big to go down. That’s …

Homeland, Season 1, Episode 9: “Crossfire” Written by Alexander Cary Directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime This was a week where Homeland saw fit to move the pieces of the plot forward in a big way, but much like another great TV show, Lost, the writers decided to push things …

Homeland, Season 1, Episode 8: “Achilles Heel” Written by Chip Johannessen Directed by Tucker Gates Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime Homeland has dabbled in thematically structured episodes already, but “Achilles Heel” took that to another level and by doing so brought to mind a lot of what made the best episodes of the …

Homeland, Season 1, Episode 7: “The Weekend” Written by Meredith Stiehm Directed by Michael Cuesta Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on Showtime Most good drama involves characters keeping secrets and telling lies. It’s practically necessary for good storytelling. If every character were open and honest with every other character there would hardly be any meaningful …

Homeland Review, Season 1, Episode 3: “Clean Skin” Written by Chip Johannessen Directed by Dan Attias Airs Sundays at 10pm (ET) on Showtime With the third episode of its first season, Homeland has clearly found a groove. While the terrorist conspiracy plot is obviously the main driving force of the narrative, what makes the show …

Homeland Review, Season 1, Episode 1: “Pilot” Written by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff Directed by Michael Cuesta Airs Sundays at 10pm (ET) on Showtime The pilot of any new serialized drama is a tricky proposition. In only one hour you need to set up the characters, the premise and if, possible, …