HOMELAND: Sunday 26 February, 9pm, Channel 4
We’re just two weeks into this post-9//11-paranoia thriller and Claire Danes is already surviving on pretzels alone..
On the whole, things were taken down a notch or two for this weekâs instalment as the full throttle scene-setting of last week gave way to backstory and plot-thickening.
Apparently it is Carrieâs deeply deceptive streak and willingness to sacrifice her sister’s career in place of her won which is allowing her, a borderline psychopath, to work for the CIA …I had been wondering. The revelation that Carrie forces her psychiatrist sister to filch drugs for her and the deceptive behaviour she displays to her secret contact has begun to throw serious question marks over her character. That dedication to her job which I admired in week one has begun to stray into something warped and ugly. As events unfold, I wonder if I may even end up disliking our “heroine”?
With ten weeks still left, this study of patriotic paranoia in post-9/11 America continues to stand up to its Golden Globe-winning reputation with sleek action and characters which are continually deepening in complexity.
Our star turns continue to dazzle as their respective on-screen identities; It is a testament to the pair that, despite not sharing a single scene together, they succeed in tugging at viewer loyalties throughout. That said, things definitely feel weighted in Carrieâs favour at the moment with Brodyâs impromptu garage-cum-mosque activity putting him squarely in the frame as a âturnedâ? man. But converting to Islam is not a crime â is this all a great big stinky red herring?
âYouâre going to need to wax that, sweetieâ? â Lynne Reed
One new face was introduced along with two naked breasts as we met Lynne Reed, informant to Carrie and mistress of Prince Farid Bin Abbud. The abhorrent sexism of the Princeâs preening requirements felt even more abhorrent coming from the mouth of a woman who was under its spell, but at least her bikini waxing routine gives her a chance to meet up with Miss Mathison and provide her with âactual eyes onâ? footage of terrorist mastermind, Abu Nazir”. With more reason than ever before for Danes to open her eyes as WIDE as possible, its looking likely that Carrie’s hunch was right. One has the sneaking suspicion that it can’t be that simple.
âFuck it – drive onâ? â Major Foster
Major Foster and David Estes have teamed up as the thoroughly dastardly duo who are determined to make Brody into the hero they so desperately need him to be. With wife-stealing âfriendâ?, Uncle Mike, tasked with forcing Brody to âdo the right thingâ?. The dynamic between this pair has been simmering along up til now, but Brody seems close to voicing his suspicions in no uncertain terms. Mike may be the epitome of the flag-waving U.S. marine but with a guilty heart in tow, there are sure to be interesting patriotic/personal conflicts ahead. Could Brody’s defiant attitiude towards the state cause Mike to commit his own act of betrayal in the name of brotherly love?
Daneâs hushed exclamation that Brody “playing the hero card” is a signifier of his guilt may be a bit far-fetched at the moment, but it certainly gives us a good enough reason to go along with her for now. And she doesnât even know whatâs going on in the garage!
