Homeland makes "The Choice"

Homeland -"The Choice"
Grade: 99%

Showtime's Homeland handled their second season finale, "The Choice," which aired last Sunday, in a very unexpected way. The action of the season completes in the penultimate installment, giving lots of time for characters-driven moments in the final episode. Until the big shocker rocks everything, and reignites the intensity.

Homeland is about terrorism, yes, but it's even more about the characters, and their relationships with one another. Obviously, a driving dynamic of the show is the one between Carrie (Claire Danes) and Brody (Damian Lewis). They have flitted around each other since day one, alternating between enemy and lover. As season two draws to a close, though, they are ready to admit their love and commit to a long-term relationship, with Carrie even willing to give up a promotion to be with him.

Is this professionally inappropriate? Absolutely. Is their relationships dysfunction? That's an understatement. But they have seen each other at their worst, or at least are aware of the flaws, and they still want to be together. Carrie understands that the reason Brody almost becomes a terrorist. Brody knows about Carrie's mental illness. Neither is perfect, but both want to be happy. And they can be themselves together, which is a huge check in the plus column.

Do they have a chance of making it work? I think so. Brody's marriage to Jessica (Morena Baccarin) is over because he came home a different man, and the bond between them has been broken. Trust is gone, and he can no longer relate to her as he once did. The same issues won't arise with Carrie, so barring anything completely unexpected and soul-altering (again), Brody's next gal may be the one for him for the foreseeable future.

Except, Carrie doesn't realize that Brody murdered Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan). It isn't an act likely to come to light, and most viewers will probably find Brody's actions forgivable and understandable, given Walden's sleazy nature. But should this ever be known to the public, it could pose a major stumbling block between Carrie and Brody, if Carrie thinks he has crossed a line.

It's interesting that Brody goes to Mike (Diego Klattenhoff) in "The Choice" and basically tells Mike that he can have Brody's family. There are a lot of reasons that go into this, but I think it isn't just a selfish out so that Brody can be with Carrie. In fact, it's a bit selfless. Brody has demonstrated that he cares about his kids very deeply, and by sending them Mike, who was already taking care of the clan before Brody comes home, he knows that Jessica and their children will be in good hands.

Of course, one assumes that Brody still expects to be involved where the kids are concerned, and the events at the end of "The Choice" make that pretty difficult. But we'll get to that in a minute.

Brody has a different and unique relationship with each of his kids. He seems more open about his affection for Chris (Jackson Pace), but he does want to stay good with Dana (Morgan Saylor), too. I think Dana scares Brody just a bit because she challenges him, she's intelligent, and she doesn't take things at face value. She is the one that learns some of Brody's secrets.

I hope that, even at the conclusion of "The Choice," Dana can continue to see her father for who he is, and put the pieces together. She could definitely be his window back to the world. Which could complicate things with Carrie, dividing Brody's attention.

Continuing to speak of relationships, while Brody has a family, the closest person in Carrie's life to her is Saul (Mandy Patinkin). Yes, her dad and sister are around, but we don't see them much. Saul is a father figure, but like Brody's love ones, doesn't quite know Carrie as well as he thinks he is. Saul is very upset with her when he learns she plans to put Brody ahead of her career. But this is a typical parent reaction; Carrie and Saul aren't equals, and his concerns come from a place of love. Which means, no matter how much he may disagree with the choices Carrie makes, they probably still have a good connection, and he will continue to watch out for her.

So a little over two-thirds of the way through "The Choice," everyone is on the right path, and a happy ending is in sight. We even see Abu Nazir's (Navid Negahban) body thrown into the ocean, leaving no doubt that the terrorist is dead.

The thing is, though, terrorism is not about one person. Sure, there is a face to many organizations, but the mission of the group is driven by a passion and surety of belief. Nazir recruits others who feel as he does, and just because Nazir is taken out doesn't mean that one of his followers isn't prepared to step in and take his place. Which is why Brody's car is used as a bomb to kill hundreds at Walden's funeral.

The difference between Brody's car bomb and the rest of Homeland's action thus far i,s there is little doubt this time that Brody is innocent. He already got his revenge on Walden, and while most of those killed are CIA, and so not "innocent civilians" in his eyes, it seems pretty clear that Brody is well past the point of attempting something like this. Maybe this is naive, taking his surprise at face value, and trusting Carrie's judgment of him (she is usually right), but I don't think so. I really don't think Brody did this. Though I concede that I, like most people, are almost always one twist away from being proven wrong.

The genius of the "The Choice" is that is fairly neatly ties up a number of arcs, but also sets up the action to continue threads already begun. The characters have theorized about a CIA mole before. Now, it looks like there definitely is one, and the mole's choice to use Brody as a scapegoat keeps all of the main characters involved in the drama.

I love 24 dearly, but Homeland is the next step in the evolution of that show's story and themes, making it a more intelligent version. 24 rebooted constantly; Homeland realized a full reboot isn't quite so necessary.

Carrie's decision not to run away with Brody is a sad one. She has good reason, intent on clearing his name, something she can do much more effectively working on the inside. It may be hard to convince Saul believe her this time, but he's a lot more sympathetic to Carrie that David Estes (David Harewood), who died in the blast, would be. Plus, Saul knows he doesn't listen to Carrie at his own risk, because her instincts are sharp. The seeds are sown for a very interesting plot here.

One last musing about "The Choice:" I absolutely loved the scene where Quinn (Rupert Friend) threatens David Estes. Quinn has been a fascinating character this season, and I really, really hope he returns full-time next year. Whether he goes on the hunt for Brody, or the mole, or both, he lends a driving force to the series that works incredibly well. Plus, he has issues himself that have not been explored. He seems like a character who should be there to stay, enriching the world, giving Carrie a friend and peer, and possibly even a second love interest, should Brody stay away too long, or be painted too dark for Carrie's taste.

So many good moments, and nary a single complaint that I can think of. "The Choice" is an amazing piece of television, and a real shining example of what a smart series can be, and can do. Awesome work.

Homeland has been renewed for a third season and will return to Showtime next fall.

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Article first posted on TheTVKing

Homeland hooks you with "The Smile"

Grade: 85%

Showtime’s HOMELAND begins its sophomore season with “The Smile.” Saul (Mandy Patinkin) is in Beirut trying to make contact with an important woman who can give the U.S. information about an impending attack. Unfortunately, she doesn’t want to talk to Saul. The only American this lady trusts is Carrie (Claire Danes), who is in no shape mentally to return to spy work. But Carrie does anyway.

HOMELAND stunned viewers in its first season, presenting an intricate, complex mystery. Carrie is a bi-polar woman straddling the edge of insanity and genius. She could see things others could not see, but her dogged efforts came at a price. She did save the world, but it left her strung out and wasted. After hospitalization and some meds, she is finally finding peace. Is she really ready to go back to this world?

No, she is not. That is the frustrating part of “The Smile.” Here we see a familiar, beloved character finally getting a bit of happiness, and she willingly and knowingly puts herself in a position to destroy that. Worse is Saul, who knows full well what bringing Carrie back into the field will do, and yet he asks for her anyway. This is a disaster waiting to happen, one that is totally preventable, and will hurt main characters that we don’t want to see hurt. Which means the series already starts off the second season on the wrong foot.

The thing is, Saul and Carrie’s decisions are completely rational. Saul has to weigh the mental health of a woman he cares deeply about against the lives at stake. He doesn’t want to cause Carrie more harm, but if it stops a terrorist plot, he has to. HOMELAND doesn’t let the weight of this decision play heavily enough in the episode for Saul, but it does provide a justifiable motivation for anyone who stops and thinks about it.

Carrie can’t help herself, so her choice to go to the Middle East is even more understandable. She has a personality that cannot just walk away when she senses a crisis. She will probably go down swinging one day, refusing to give up, even as she knows it is destroying her. It’s a bad recipe, and one that I am not anxious to see play out.

Which is why I didn’t love “The Smile.” It left me with a feeling on intense displeasure. How can Saul and Carrie do this? Surely, there are other ways to get the information for the CIA. Why set up something so bad for the characters?

Brody’s (Damian Lewis) story is a little less annoying. He is being offered the chance to run for Vice President. Though he tells his wife, Jessica (Morena Baccarin), that he doesn’t stand a chance, it’s easy to see that Brody himself doesn’t believe such nonsense. Whether he is a bit drunk on power, or the prospect of power, or if he is just foolhardy, isn’t clear. What is obvious in the episode is that Brody plans to get into higher office.

What will Brody do with his position? Will he help the American people, or will be betray his country for Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban)? The terrorist leader sends someone to remind Brody of his commitments. These are promises Brody did not make lightly, even if he seems to be regretting them now that he is back in the comfort of home. What will Nazir do if Brody refuses to follow through? One thing is certain. Nazir will not let Brody maintain his comfortable life.

Even though Brody is in just as precarious a position as Carrie, one in which his satisfaction with life won’t last, it’s harder to feel sorry for him. He may have a mental illness, too, having sympathy for his captors. However, he seems to have the chance to break away, and he’s continued to make bad decisions. He can fight to save people over there by scaling back the drone strikes and still be patriotic, but this isn’t the way he is portrayed. Brody carries a bit more responsibility than Carrie for the position he is in.

Lastly, there is a subplot about Brody’s daughter, Dana (Morgan Saylor), telling her classmates that Brody is a Muslim. This could be the seed of a neat plot where a war hero openly runs for president as a member of an alternate religion, and tolerance is battled for. However, because Brody is one of those bad Muslims who might kill innocents, it kind of falls a little flat. Instead, it’s a bit about continuing to trick his family, rather than an uplifting, inspiring turn of events.

HOMELAND’s first season was good for a lot of reasons. It kept you guessing who the characters were, what their purposes and beliefs were, and what would happen next. These elements do not feel as blatantly present in “The Smile.” Maybe it will just take time to get back into the world. Or maybe HOMELAND would have worked better as a miniseries, with a defined beginning and ending, rather than trying to drag something out that becomes a bit staler the longer it is continued. Either way, while still entertaining, “The Smile” did not live up to the greatness of season one. Only time will tell if this is a trend for the season, or just a fluke.

"Marine One" threatens Homeland

     Turns out "Marine One" can refer to a person as well as a helicopter. In the hour and a half long first season finale of Showtime's Homeland, Brody (Damian Lewis) and Tom (Chris Chalk) carry out Abu Nazir's (Navid Negahban) plan. But there's a hitch. Brody's suicide vest malfunctions. And Carrie (Claire Danes), despite being drummed out of the CIA while off her meds, figures out what is really going on. Carrie gets Brody's daughter, Dana (Morgan Saylor) to call her dad, talking him out of blowing up a number of high ranking government officials. Except, neither Dana nor Carrie ever learn for sure if Brody is a terrorist, and he lives on to plot another day.

     With all of the twists and turns in Homeland's freshman year, expectations are high for "Marine One." The writers make the bold decision to reveal to the viewers that Brody is, in fact, working for the enemy. But they also let Lewis play the character close enough to the vest, with real signs of affection for his family, to keep everyone guessing what he might do. Sure, Brody swears to Nazir that he is loyal, and kills crazy Tom to do it. But Brody could easily justify Tom's murder as protecting himself and his family. And considering how he backs down before blowing up everyone, perhaps he won't stand tall for Nazir in the future, either. So while much is now known about Brody, what he will do remains as murky as ever.

     Which is pretty unfortunate for the CIA and the US of A, as only Carrie has the knowledge to put everything together. Right as she is about to undergo shock therapy, a side effect of which is short term memory loss, though it's usually temporary, she realizes why Brody might be motivated to act on Nazir's behalf. That knowledge is probably lost, for now. How long before she can remember it? And how can she stop Brody without any government resources and still maintaining the promise she made to stay away from Brody and his family, which, if she breaks it, will likely result in Brody having her arrested, blowing any slim credibility she has left? Not to mention, her consent to mess with her brain could damage her greatest weapon. Only Carrie's sister, Maggie (Amy Hargreaves), overhears Carrie's mumbling (and assorted medical staff, who don't count), but does Maggie have the knowledge of foresight to attribute anything legitimate to the words?

      Carrie's best bet will continue to be Saul (Mandy Patinkin). A genius in his own right, he stands by Carrie as a personal friend, even as she undergoes "treatment" for her condition. He also knows Carrie is right on a lot of things, including Nazir, so despite doubting her before, he may be inclined to look more closely at Brody if Carrie insists on it. The real question is, will he be in a position to do so? He now knows about the cover up perpetrated by David (David Harewood) and Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan), but can he use that information to make a change in leadership? David is correct in asserting that Saul isn't willing to hurt his country by leaking what he knows to the press. So what can Saul do now? Before David and Walden ruin Saul first, that is.

     Of course, if Dana comes forward, that might be a big help. It doesn't seem like she would intentionally betray her father, ever if she knew the entire truth.She loves him dearly. She certainly suspects something, being scared to discover Brody's conversion to Islam, and knowing that something isn't right during the phone conversation. And sixteen is old enough to look past family connections. But will she be motivated to do so, or just take her dad at face value because to learn anything sinister would be too hard on her emotionally? Dana could also accidentally let something slip to her mother, Jessica (Morena Baccarin), or even Mike (Diego Klattenhoff), who also care for Brody, but could be persuaded to tell Saul under the right conditions.

     Homeland leaves viewers with many, many more questions after "Marine One," and a lot of possibilities remain. Which solidifies it as one of the season's best new shows. Homeland will return to Showtime next year for a second season.

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