Ready for DIVORCE

Article first published as DIVORCE Review on Seat42F.

DIVORCE is coming to HBO. This dark ‘comedy’ created by Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) is about a long-married couple with a pair of kids who realize that their relationship just isn’t working any more. As they try to disentangle themselves, they find no shortage of complications and complicated feelings, the idea of dissolution a lot prettier than the reality of it. But, presumably, they’ll have plenty of time to figure it out, assuming the show runs for a few seasons.

At the center of DIVORCE is our couple, Frances (Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City) and Robert (Thomas Haden Church, Wings). They aren’t as screwed up as their friends, the violent Diane (Molly Shannon, Saturday Night Live), her cruel spouse Nick (Tracy Letts, Homeland), or the sad single Dallas (Talia Balsam, Mad Men). But they are dissatisfied enough to engage in infidelity and lack of communication, which culminates in the pilot in a decision to go their separate ways. If only it were that easy or quick, the choice one they will have to make repeatedly before they can fully get out.

One may be forgiven for thinking that Sarah Jessica Parker’s return to HBO is simply a portrayal of the next evolution of her Sex and the City character. After all, Carrie Bradshaw was neurotic and annoying, never sure what she wanted, and self-sabotaging. That SJP made the character likeable anyway is a testament to the fully fleshed out being that she created, because on paper it’s hard to sympathize with Carrie, and it’s very possible Carrie and her end-game beau, John, a.k.a. Mr. Big, headed down a similar path as Frances and Robert sometime in their future.

Yet, DIVORCE isn’t a treated as a continuation. Part of that is the much more melancholy friends surrounding Frances, and part of it is the utter lack of cheeriness that pervades the series. At Carrie’s lowest, one knew she would pick herself back up. Frances doesn’t have the same guaranteed rebound, definitely in a tailspin that will take awhile to work itself out, if it ever does. There’s no happy ending or even happy middle on the horizon in this show.

To some, that might be a turn off, and I’d understand that. But HBO viewers are probably, on the whole, a little more discerning, in search of the higher quality programming that makes them think and feel and surprises them, not just a joyous formula. So I think it has a shot at finding its audience.

DIVORCE is good. Not surprisingly so, just as good as expected. It gives a realistic portrayal of something society usually shies away from delving too deeply into. It does so by painting a portrait of a couple that is at once both authentic and dramatic. Neither of the duo are one thing, building years of unseen backstory and emotional history into every conversation, every word chosen. There is a bond here that is formed in a thousand ways over the years, and each of them show in every line of dialogue.

I think Frances sees herself as both a very average, normal person who anyone could understand, and as a victim of a situation she isn’t completely sure what she wants to do with. It’s egotistical, but not any more so than most people, and the contradictions are of the most natural variety. SJP isn’t one of my favorite actresses, but she can do amazing things with the right parts, and this is one of them for her.

At the same time, THC perfectly balances her and brings so much more to the table with Robert than a blank slate for Frances to play off of. He is just as important, even if he’s not as in focus, and the combination is a winning one.

DIVORCE premieres October 9^th at 10/9c on HBO.

HOMELAND - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON Review

Article originally published as Blu-ray Review: ‘Homeland – The Complete Fourth Season’ on Blogcritics.

Season four was a chance to start over for Showtime’s Homeland. With Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), one of the leads of the first few seasons, and his family and friends dropped from the cast, the show was allowed to refocus on Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) and the activities of the CIA. For a series whose quality was beginning to suffer, being able to hit the reset button reinvigorated the storytelling and the characters. And while this fourth year didn’t quite hit the highs of the first (though I don’t expect Homeland to ever match that outstanding freshman run), it did outshine the past two years and make itself good again. This pivotal batch of installments, The Complete Fourth Season, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

Carrie herself, the core of the show, does not change much in season four. She’s still a mess, pursuing her righteous cause while ticking off authority. She really pushes the boundaries of what viewers will be able to overlook and still like her. She still doesn’t follow the rules, and while she does get the job done, the ends don’t always justify the means.

Take, for instance, the new character this year of Ayaan Ibrahim (Suraj Sharma, who played the title character in Life of Pi), a young Middle Eastern man whose family and friends are killed in a drone strike in the season opener. Carrie approaches him and does what she feels she must to win him over, which crosses a line most people would not cross. In her new position as station chief in Pakistan, she can’t be doing that. She must set a good example.

Of course, Carrie is not alone, and Homeland once more builds an interesting tapestry, rather than just putting one person front and center. The aforementioned Ayaan is a complex, layered character, giving a personal face to the ‘other side.’ Because his frame of reference is so far removed from most viewers, he ends up being an unpredictable story, one hitting home in a time when the morality of drone strikes is hotly debated. Quinn (Rupert Friend) has a parallel storyline as Ayaan’s, but from the American perspective. Senator Andrew Lockhart (Tracy Letts, playwright of August: Osage County) is a new obstacle, the (necessary) stereotype that wants to sweep mistakes under the rug. Carrie’s sister, Maggie (Amy Hargreaves) becomes more vital to the story because she is now raising Carrie and Brody’s baby.

Saul (Mandy Patinkin) is second in importance only to Carrie, and more beloved. His journey through The Complete Fourth Season is even more gripping than hers. On the outside now, trying to settle down with his wife, Mira (Sarita Choudhury), one might think Saul is done with the crazy life of the CIA. That person would be wrong, of course, and it doesn’t take him, always restless, long to get drawn into the same events that Carrie is involved with. This plot contrivance may be a bit of a stretch, but it doesn’t feel like it the way Homeland does it, and fans want to see Carrie and Saul together, anyway.

In short, I do think The Complete Fourth Season is probably the second best year of the show so far, and certainly makes me look forward to the fifth season, premiering in October.

If you’re going to watch Homeland – The Complete Fourth Season, I have to recommend going Blu-ray. The Middle Eastern setting often brings our characters outside, and high definition gives depth to the shadows and allows greater detail in the unforgiving light. During the bloody action scenes, the sound is well mixed, and if you have surround sound (these discs are 5.1) and a big enough television, it can feel like you’re right in the muck with our heroes.

The special features are a little lighter than I’d like this year. We get some deleted scenes and character profiles on Quinn, Khan (Raza Jaffrey), and Sherazi (Nazanin Boniadi), as well as three “Script to Screen” featurettes. And that’s it. I really wish for some discussion about the new direction, comparisons to real life conflict, and a look at how Carrie has developed. Instead, what we get is pretty much fluff filler, and that’s disappointing. The latter does deal a bit with writing and production, but not enough.

Still, the story is good, and Homeland remains an enjoyable program.

Homeland – The Complete Fourth Season is available now.

HOMELAND Tries to Be "Queen" Again

Article first published as TV Review: 'Homeland' Season Four Premiere on Blogcritics.

Showtime’s Homeland has returned! The drama, which premiered to all kinds of critical love and adoration a few years back, has struggled to maintain both the attention and quality as time has gone on. To combat this malady (I assume), at the close of season three last year, the show basically hit the reset button. It killed one of its two central leads, Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a character that was only supposed to stick around for one season, and dropped his family and friends from the cast, too. Now, fans finally get the chance to see what the new Homeland looks like in the two-part season opener, “The Drone Queen” and “Trylon and Perisphere,” premiering this week.

To be honest, the new Homeland looks much the same as the old, except with fresh stories and players, which reinvigorates it a bit. Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) is still the mess at the center, ticking off authority while pursuing a righteous cause. Saul Berenson (Mandy Pantinkin) offers Carrie some sound advice, but has trouble keeping his life on track, which includes not giving his wife, Mira (Sarita Choudhury), enough consideration. There are terrorists and political issues and unconsidered actions and bombings and death. It’s pretty solid.

As “The Drone Queen” opens, Carrie is now a station chief in Pakistan, an interesting setting relevant to the larger story. This is only temporary, though, as it must be, considering that not only are most of the other characters back in the United States, but so is Brody’s baby that Carrie gave birth to, whom she’s foisted off on her sister, Maggie (Amy Hargreaves). We know Carrie should be stepping up and taking responsibility for the baby, but she is soon distracted by a conspiracy behind the death of a colleague, and as viewers know, Carrie will pursue leads on this issue doggedly, even while neglecting everything else in her life, infant included.

Saul has his own issues to deal with, though he takes the time to talk briefly to Carrie when they bump into one another. The pair had not kept in contact in the interim, an unfortunate turn of events. Saul isn’t taking well to the private sector and seems to chomp at the bit when working with the government again, even though not officially working for them. The problem is, going back to the feds would mean moving out of New York, and Saul promises Mira he will give the city and his new position a chance. Can he keep his promise, or is this new life just at odds with who Saul is?

Equally compelling, if not more so, is new character Ayaan Ibrahim (Suraj Sharma, who played the title character in Life of Pi), a young Middle Eastern man who seems poised to join Carrie as this season’s focus, though not listed on the show’s website as a main character. We meet Ayaan immediately after his family and friends are killed in a drone strike. While he agrees to release a video of the attack, he doesn’t initially demand blood for blood, being a reasoned individual, and many of his peers disapprove of this stance.

Ayaan is important because he not only gives a face to the other side of this story, but also is a very complex character. Not everyone in the Middle East hates America, but Homeland drives home the danger of drone strikes, a current hot-button political issue, and Ayaan’s story makes it personal. We see how things can go wrong, and the effect this has on people. We see, too, that not everyone is blinded by emotion, but it’s a struggle to go against the grain, especially under these circumstances. Ayaan is a chance to explore the debate from a new perspective, and I welcome it, certainly the strongest element of the season four opener.

Interestingly, Quinn’s (Rupert Friend) arc this season sort of parallels Ayaan’s, from an American position. He, too, is bothered by the drone strikes and the fallout from them, painting a stark contrast to Carrie’s coldness. I’m not sure what change Quinn may be able to affect, especially with the new CIA boss, Senator Andrew Lockhart (Tracy Letts, yes the same Letts who won a Tony and a Pulitzer for writing the play August: Osage County, which he later adapted into a movie), wanting to sweep any mistakes under the rug.

The title “The Drone Queen” is obvious, but what does the second hour’s moniker, “Trylon and Perisphere,” mean? The name refers to two buildings at the center of the 1939 New York World’s Fair, which inspired hope and thoughts of progress, but are no longer standing. Giving meaning to this title requires a bit of contortion, and I’m not exactly sure what the series has in mind here. If you think you know, please feel free to explain in the comments below.

Some random thoughts on guest characters in this premiere: Corey Stoll’s (House of Cards, The Strain) role is way too small for such a great actor, and it’s regrettable it won’t grow any larger, though he is a busy man. James Rebhorn, who sadly died last year, has not been written off the show, his character, Carrie’s father, is merely mentioned to be out of the room during a scene. Is killing his character off being saved for an emotional impact at a critical juncture, or will the show continue to skirt around it?

I do think season four of Homeland has the potential to be the best since the show’s first. What that will depend on is how long Ayaan is kept interesting and evolving and how unsympathetic Carrie is allowed to grow. It will also matter if the less-important subplots drag in the middle or steal too much focus, as sometimes happens on the series. The jury is out,  but there are promising signs.

Homeland airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.

"Down" in the HOMELAND

Article first published as HOMELAND Review Season 3 on Seat42F.

Showtime’s HOMELAND returns with the season three premiere “Tin Man Is Down.” It’s not just the Tin Man, whoever he may be, that is down, though. Two months after the events of last spring’s shocking finale, all of our main characters are struggling. Let’s just hope they can rise back up again before too long.

I am going to write in vague generalizations to avoid spoilers. Still, if you’d rather not know anything, bookmark this article and check back after the episode airs.

The CIA is facing a serious inquiry, with Congress hauling Carrie (Claire Danes), Saul (Mandy Patinkin), and others before them. This is something easy enough to see coming, as someone must answer for such a glaring gap in national security that allowed an attack to kill over two hundred people, including agents and leadership. Let’s just say that those running the panel, especially Senator Andrew Lockhart (Tracy Letts, Killer Joe), will not be stopping with their investigation until they get restitution for the American people.

What would make up for the attack to the public? Finding out who is to blame for not stopping it and seeing their lives ruined? The CIA suffered the worst of the blows, losing men, property, and face. It’s not quite understood why Lockhart and his colleague want to make someone else pay more, but they definitely are angry and are letting that anger out.

The question is, how will this showdown between Congress and the clandestine agency end? Can Saul protect the organization he is now running, as we saw in last year’s season finale? Can he shield the individuals who bear some of the responsibility? Will he be able to control the flow of information so that he has influence over the end result?

Saul is a great character, with a strong moral compass and oodles of intelligence. But “Tin Man Is Down” does not make things easy for him, as information gets to Congress that he’d rather keep from them. I won’t tell you what the information is or if Saul manages to figure out where the leak is coming from, but this is definitely some great drama for him to deal with, while also trying to find the terrorists responsible for the mess in the first place. Plus, we get to see him interact with both Dar Adal (F. Murray Abraham) and Mira (Sarita Choudhury), two relationships that are intriguing.

Not that “Tin Man Is Down” is all conversations and slow burn. There is some movement on the action front, too, especially involving Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend, now a series regular).  But that’s all I can say at this time, not wanting to give anything away, since Quinn’s is such a gripping subplot. I think we’re going to get some terrific stuff for him this season.

Carrie also has her own issues, both from the hearing and on another front. Let’s just say that she thinks she has it together, but does she ever really? It’s not exactly clear what Carrie is up to these days right away, however she still has some hanging threads left from the Brody (Damian Lewis) incident, and that will surely get resolution sooner rather than later.

As the discerning viewer may have predicted, the Brody family bears a horrendous fall out from their patriarch’s actions. We’re talking dark trouble on a couple of different fronts. It’s got to be incredibly hard to cope with learning one’s husband or father is a terrorist, or at least the media is reporting that he is one. Each member of the clan reacts in a different way.

“Tin Man Is Down” gives most of its Brody family focus to Dana (Morgan Saylor). Considering the conversation she has with her father last year, not too long before the bomb goes off, she feels particularly betrayed, and perhaps goes to the most extreme measures. I don’t know that the path she’s going down will be an improvement over her story arc last year, which fans either loved or hated, mostly the latter, but HOMELAND is definitely resolved to keep giving the young girl screen time, for better or for worse.

Jessica (Morena Baccarin) is perhaps less affected because she already has a rocky relationship with Brody throughout seasons one and two. She doesn’t view him through the hero googles that her children do or did. She’s also a strong survivor, though, having gotten through believing Brody was dead prior to the show’s start, and she’ll overcome the challenges she faces now. Perhaps her season three plot will center on her being the single mother who can support her family, stepping up even more when she must.

There are multiple main characters who do not appear in “Tin Man Is Down,” though I won’t get into which ones. This is a set up episode that does not give us everything we’ve been waiting for, but does get a lot of things going again.

Suffice it to say, HOMELAND remains a big-picture show, continuing the stories of last year while also telling new ones, but never at a quick pace. When season two began, I wondered if the show had lost something, not seeing right away how it could continue past the amazing stuff from the first year. I feel the same this fall, not sold on where the writing is going yet, but if last year is any indication, that will probably change relatively early in the run. There are some interesting things in this installment, but there is also a lot left unexplained and not going well. Whether it can take off and soar remains to be seen, but my guess is that it probably will.

HOMELAND returns Sunday, September 29^th on Showtime.