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Week in Review: Tom Hanks to play hero pilot in Clint Eastwood’s next project

We first reported on Clint Eastwood taking on the story of Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger last week, an adaptation of Captain Sully’s book accounting for how he emergency landed a passenger plane on the Hudson River after a flock of geese caused an engine accident. Eastwood was a natural to take on the story, but it …

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Homeland, Ep. 4.07, “Redux” is only a hallucination

There was a moment during this episode where I questioned whether or not I could continue watching this show. It came at the end, when we were treated to a surprise appearance by Damian Lewis. That’s right, Brody was briefly back, and though I knew better, it still seemed conceivable that he was actually there and not a figment of Carrie’s imagination. She had already thought the guy in the hospital had been Quinn, but it still seemed plausible that Homeland would bring Brody back because it didn’t know what else to do and for the headlines on Monday morning (it’s getting those anyway, of course).

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Homeland, Ep. 3.09: “One Last Time” suggests a turn of direction

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 …

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Homeland, Ep. 3.03: “Tower of David” brings Brody back in style

With the return of Brody to Homeland, there’s a lot at stake without even addressing how effective his incorporation into “Tower of David” is. If you look elsewhere on TV, you’ll find another series that begins its new season dealing with the temporary absence of an important character – The Governor on The Walking Dead. In both circumstances, these characters were used well last year at certain points, but were also used rather poorly at other points, culminating in season finale departures that raised a lot of questions (such as “Do we buy into this whole Carrie/Brody relationship?” and “Is Brody even a necessary part of this series? Are any of the Brody family members?” and “Is there any point in letting the The Governor live?” and “Was there a point in building up all that conflict between Woodbury and the prison if it was going to remain unresolved?”).

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Homeland, Ep. 3.01: “Tin Man is Down” eases viewers back into espionage

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 …

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Homeland, Ep. 2.08: “I’ll Fly Away” considers love, duty, and madness

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.

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Homeland, Ep. 2.06-07: “A Gettysburg Address” and “The Clearing” tackle the season’s trickiest plot point

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 …

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Homeland, Ep. 2.03: “State of Independence” sends Brody on a problematic mission

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 …

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‘The Sweeney’ is overly derivative and unpleasantly simple-minded

The Sweeney Written by Nick Love and John Hodge Directed by Nick Love UK, 2012 Consisting of four series and two feature film spin-offs during the 1970s, police drama The Sweeney was significantly influential in British media, popularising elements of gritty realism and morally dubious protagonists that television hadn’t been quite so prone to including …

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Homeland, Episode 1.01: “Pilot”

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, …

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