Homeland (2011 - 2015)
Four and half Stars out of Five
TV MA
Carrie Mathison: Claire Danes
Saul Berenson: Mandy Patinkin
Nicholas Brody: Damien Lewis
Jessica Brody: Morena Baccarin
Dana Brody: Morgan Saylor
Writers: Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff
Each of us looks for certain features in cinematic or TV
programming. That is to say, one may favor good acting, realism, particular
storylines/genre, special effects, etc. For me, I seek out with the most
relish those movies and TV programming that feature writing done at a
noticeably high level of proficiency. In Homeland
(like Breaking Bad or The Wire, my current personal benchmarks
for excellent writing), I have found a new program that most definitely meets
my desire for great writing.
The writing in Homeland
will on occasion have plot holes that will frustrate or maybe entertain the
viewer. But for the most part, I found myself with great frequency commenting out
loud, “I didn’t see that coming”, or “Wow, that is so believable”. These two
comments reflect in a nutshell what I love about this program. The characters
are so consistently written and even though the subject (the CIA’s efforts to
protect America from terrorism) is one not easily related to from personal experience;
the actions of the characters almost always seem completely enthralling and believable.
Homeland tells in
seasons one through three (season four goes in new direction) a tale that
begins with the rescue of US Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damien Lewis) in Iraq
from the hands of Al-Qaeda. Just prior to his rescue, however, CIA field
operative Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) learns that Al-Qaeda has turned an
American soldier. She reports her concerns to her supervisor, Saul Berenson
(Mandy Patinkin) and thus begins a “cat and mouse” game between Carrie and
Nicholas; a game that crosses back and forth between mutual suspicion and love
so many times that the viewer is held in near constant confusion as to what is
real in Sgt. Brody and what is not.
Damien Lewis’ performance as Sgt. Brody is fairly “one-note”
during the first half of season one, but as the overall season arc unfolds, he
has ample opportunity to completely dominate several episodes as he portrays the
figuratively and literally tortured Brody. Helping him in his character’s re-assimilation
into American society is his wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin) and daughter Dana
(Morgan Saylor). These two characters (plus a son, Chris – played by Jackson
Pace) act out the tough roles required of the family left behind when Brody
headed off to war. Complicating the picture is that Brody has been gone for
eight years and thought dead. At some point during his absence, his wife Jessica has started a new
relationship; his children hardly remember him. They all must start a nearly
new relationship with him following his return and the difficulties of doing
so, especially with the complicating factors of his torture while a prisoner,
are particularly poignant. Baccarin’s and Saylor’s (a teenager in all three
seasons) performances are amazingly good; and in the case of Saylor, I was
constantly astounded that such a young actor could so perfectly nail the role
of a young woman in her character’s situation.
Meanwhile, the viewer is gradually exposed to the nature of
Carrie Mathison. Her complex character is revealed to be driven, superbly capable,
a favored acolyte of the Saul Berenson character, and oh by the way, suffering
from bi-polar syndrome. This latter characteristic is used throughout the four
extant seasons of Homeland; sometimes
to very effectively demonstrate the stress and demands on CIA operatives in
general, but also on the Carrie character in particular. Fortunately for
Carrie, she works for a very understanding mentor in the form of Saul Berenson.
The performances by Danes as Carrie and Saul by Patinkin are as in the case of
the Brody family characters of very high caliber. Carrie’s character weaves at
times from normal competence to wildly careening, out of control manic
behavior. Danes is particularly good at portraying these swings; and the
writers are very good at integrating the swings into various plot points that
help propel the story in a believable manner.
The story played out by Homeland
is definitely not for a young audience. There is some violence, though not
graphic, but it does at times get somewhat graphic with respect to sexual behavior.
However, if like me you enjoy stories that are generally notable for their
believability and you also like twists that are also believable, then you will
like Homeland.
