Showtime's 'Homeland': Where do we go from here?
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven't yet seen the season finale of Showtime's "Homeland" - even if you've yet to see a single episode but think there's a chance that you'll want to catch up at some point - please stop reading now. I mean it. You'll thank me later. There's a tendency to remember finales - both the season-enders and the really final ones - by what happens in the last few minutes. Snow globes. A screen gone black. The wrong wife waking up next to Bob Newhart. Or the out-of-left-field discovery that the guy responsible for "The Killing" might not have done it after all. (Cue the howling.) Those who predicted - accurately, it turns out - that Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) would survive Sunday's extended Season 1 finale of "Homeland," if only because Showtime's already promised a Season 2, may be feeling a little smug right now. Turns out it's only a TV show, after all. But, hey, what a TV show. And if I learned nothing else watching "Homeland" this season, it's that showrunners Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa are capable of far more sophisticated pacing than they ever got to demonstrate on the breakneck thrill ride that was "24." (It helps, I guess, that when "Day 2" flashes across the screen, it's not going to require an entire season.) Which isn't to say that the finale didn't have its heart-pounding moments. It's just that they were all more heart-pounding for having been intercut with some quieter ones. Did characters perhaps maneuver in and around a traffic-clogged Washington, D.C., with almost Jack Bauer-like speed? Yep. Did we get the answers to all our questions? Nope. But it seems safe (I think - this show has me always thinking I'm missing something) to say that suspicions of Mandy Patinkin's character as a CIA mole were misplaced. Turns out Saul Berenson's what pinkos like myself think of as one of the good guys, a slightly pickled red herring who seems to genuinely care for Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), his bipolar protege, and to care, too, that the highly developed brain that pinpointed more than he even realizes about a terrorist plot might just be ruined by electroshock therapy. Speaking of which, that "Rosebud" moment in which Carrie, going under anesthesia, suddenly flashes on something Brody muttered in his sleep during their weird, wild weekend together, might have been a bit contrived. But I bought it as I was watching, and as long as Season 2 doesn't turn into CBS' "Unforgettable," with Carrie striving to remember the one key detail that will tie Brody to the plot, then I'll probably be OK with it. I had a little harder time with Brody's remarkably intuitive 16-year-old daughter Dana (Morgan Saylor), who seems to have undergone an emotional growth spurt in the past couple of episodes. Is she really all that stopped Brody from going through with the attack? Or had he already taken the vest's initial malfunction as a sign that Allah had other, bigger plans for him? Considering the sometimes perplexing politics of "24" - where I suspect disdain for most politicians, liberal and conservative, was stronger than any single writer's beliefs - the character Jamey Sheridan's portraying seems out of that show's playbook. What if Dick Cheney had been younger, his crooked smile more charismatic than creepy? He'd be the child-killing vice president on "Homeland," of course. As much as I admired the guts it took for HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" to kill off one of its major characters last week, I find I'm fine with "Homeland's" decision to contain the carnage. Lewis and Danes, together and separately, are too good to let go of right now, and there's something intriguing about the idea of a terrorist opting to work within the system. There's also, of course, something truly terrifying about it. That first scene Sunday, in which Brody records the video he expects authorities will be seeing after his suicide bombing, is one of the best of the show, putting a face on terrorism we're not used to seeing, giving us a homegrown bomber who's not noticeably deranged and who's nevertheless motivated more by love than hate. Even Showtime's "Sleeper Cell," which occasionally acknowledged the humanity in our enemies, didn't go this far. So what does a Season 2 look like, with Carrie seemingly shut out of the CIA and Brody headed for a possible role as a White House insider? I don't have a clue, but I'm looking forward to finding out. What did you think?
Showtime's 'Homeland': Where do we go from here?
Ellen Gray, Daily News TV Critic
Update: Showtime reports that Sunday's "Homeland" finale was its most-watched freshman season-ender ever, with 1.7 million viewers at 10 p.m. and more than 2 million when the repeat was included. For the season overall, it's averaged more than 4.2 million viewers across all its platforms, putting it only behind "Dexter" -- which also ended its season Sunday -- in popularity on the network.
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t yet seen the season finale of Showtime’s “Homeland” — even if you’ve yet to see a single episode but think there’s a chance that you’ll want to catch up at some point — please stop reading now.
I mean it. You’ll thank me later.
There’s a tendency to remember finales — both the season-enders and the really final ones — by what happens in the last few minutes.
Snow globes. A screen gone black. The wrong wife waking up next to Bob Newhart.
Or the out-of-left-field discovery that the guy responsible for “The Killing” might not have done it after all.
(Cue the howling.)
Those who predicted — accurately, it turns out — that Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) would survive Sunday’s extended Season 1 finale of “Homeland,” if only because Showtime’s already promised a Season 2, may be feeling a little smug right now.
Turns out it’s only a TV show, after all.
But, hey, what a TV show.
And if I learned nothing else watching “Homeland” this season, it’s that showrunners Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa are capable of far more sophisticated pacing than they ever got to demonstrate on the breakneck thrill ride that was “24.” (It helps, I guess, that when “Day 2” flashes across the screen, it's not going to require an entire season.)
Which isn’t to say that the finale didn’t have its heart-pounding moments. It’s just that they were all more heart-pounding for having been intercut with some quieter ones.
Did characters perhaps maneuver in and around a traffic-clogged Washington, D.C., with almost Jack Bauer-like speed? Yep.
Did we get the answers to all our questions? Nope.
But it seems safe (I think — this show has me always thinking I’m missing something) to say that suspicions of Mandy Patinkin’s character as a CIA mole were misplaced.
Turns out Saul Berenson’s what pinkos like myself think of as one of the good guys, a slightly pickled red herring who seems to genuinely care for Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes), his bipolar protege, and to care, too, that the highly developed brain that pinpointed more than he even realizes about a terrorist plot might just be ruined by electroshock therapy.
Speaking of which, that “Rosebud” moment in which Carrie, going under anesthesia, suddenly flashes on something Brody muttered in his sleep during their weird, wild weekend together, might have been a bit contrived. But I bought it as I was watching, and as long as Season 2 doesn’t turn into CBS’ “Unforgettable,” with Carrie striving to remember the one key detail that will tie Brody to the plot, then I’ll probably be OK with it.
I had a little harder time with Brody’s remarkably intuitive 16-year-old daughter Dana (Morgan Saylor), who seems to have undergone an emotional growth spurt in the past couple of episodes. Is she really all that stopped Brody from going through with the attack? Or had he already taken the vest’s initial malfunction as a sign that Allah had other, bigger plans for him?
Considering the sometimes perplexing politics of “24” — where I suspect disdain for most politicians, liberal and conservative, was stronger than any single writer’s beliefs — the character Jamey Sheridan’s portraying seems out of that show’s playbook.
What if Dick Cheney had been younger, his crooked smile more charismatic than creepy? He’d be the child-killing vice president on “Homeland,” of course.
As much as I admired the guts it took for HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” to kill off one of its major characters last week, I find I’m fine with “Homeland’s” decision to contain the carnage.
Lewis and Danes, together and separately, are too good to let go of right now, and there’s something intriguing about the idea of a terrorist opting to work within the system.
There’s also, of course, something truly terrifying about it.
That first scene Sunday, in which Brody records the video he expects authorities will be seeing after his suicide bombing, is one of the best of the show, putting a face on terrorism we’re not used to seeing, giving us a homegrown bomber who’s not noticeably deranged and who’s nevertheless motivated more by love than hate.
Even Showtime’s “Sleeper Cell,” which occasionally acknowledged the humanity in our enemies, didn’t go this far.
So what does a Season 2 look like, with Carrie seemingly shut out of the CIA and Brody headed for a possible role as a White House insider?
I don’t have a clue, but I’m looking forward to finding out.
What did you think?
What did I think? I think it is a terrific show, one of the very best I've ever seen, and the finale was sensational.
What else do I think? You had to ruin your otherwise well-written commentary on the show by injecting your politics into it and upon your readers yet again. I sit at all possible for you to consider that not all of us believe as you do, that not all of us are in on the jokes about the conservative viewpoints in this country, and that your failure to show the proper respect for perhaps half of your readership smacks of intolerance the likes of which you libs scream and run for the hills if it's done in your direction.
Please understand that not all of us are as "enlightened" as are you and your ilk. Stick to writing about the show and allow all of us to enjoy the piece you file.— advantasux- ^^^ relax— byrdman
- This is a great program that grabs you and does not let go. Season 2 should be wonderful. Perhaps Brody becomes House Speaker and can get some initiatives passed that actually help the country. Now that would be fiction.....— 42Homestead
- I think Saul leverages his info on the drone strike to get Carrie back in.— regassert6
- Um, advantasux, injection of my politics -- ironically intended -- was merely acknowledgment that not every one of you would see Saul's actions the way a journalist might. (I mean, I'd love it if he'd said he was going to call the Daily News, but realistically, the Times is where you leak these things.)Thought I'd take the shot at myself before one of you did.
I'm not sure it's possible to write about a show as politically charged as "Homeland" while keeping politics out of it. It seems more honest -- to me, at least -- to acknowledge that we don't all think the same way about these things than to pretend otherwise in what is, after all, an opinion piece.
But I'm delighted you liked the finale. I'm seeing that other critics are hearing from readers who are comparing it (unfairly, I think) to the bait-and-switch of "The Killing."— Ellen Gray - The episode was good, but it was disappointing that they gave so much away in the preview after last week's episode. We knew that the bomb wasn't going to detonate because there were scenes with Brody from the preview that hadn't happened yet when they were in the safe room.
My favorite moment in the episode: When Walker leaves the apartment and pats that lady on the head. My wife and I both laughed out loud.— wfiki - advantasux- paranoid much??? Chill dude. I fail to see where the writer's politics have been injected into this column, and the only one running and screaming for the hills is you. You really should understand, being the morally righteous genius all you hardcore right wingers are, that reviews on television shows and movies are always opinion pieces. Or would you prefer to just have the dialog repeated to you verbatim with no input from the reviewer at all? If that's the case, request a copy of the script. Here's the address: Showtime Networks Inc.
1633 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-708-1600— srf466 - wfiki...I agree with you on both points. The previews "showed a little too much skirt" and playing with that lady's hair was a tremendous comedic touch. Great episode, tremendous show. My only question is, does Judd Hirsch appear in Season Two as Saul's eccentric father?
Ellen, It's hard to tell on-line whether this piece was a column or a review. Journalistically, does that matter for media reviewers? That's not intended as a shot...just a question.— JoeyMax - wfiki, you are absolutely right that they gave too much away in the teaser last week. And my wife and I, too, laughed hysterically when Tom walker rubbed the old lady's hair.— Prosecutor07
- JoeyMax: Good question. Technically, it's a blog post, though the lines are blurring daily (some of my blog posts that never appeared in print in the Daily News have been picked up by the wire and run in other newspapers as columns). Unless I'm just posting some breaking bit of entertainment news (and, yeah, we use the term loosely sometimes), my aim online is the same as it's always been in print: to try to add something to the discussion. Or in some cases, to start it.
And I love the idea of Judd Hirsch. Though I can't help but wonder about Mandy Patinkin and a second season. His resume suggests restlessness.— Ellen Gray - I'll admit that I was a tad annoyed that Brody decided not to go through with it after the snafu - or that he wasn't stopped and revealed to be the terrorist he is. But that's a typical season finale (and nowhere near the bait-and-switch that was The Killing, which truly killed my anticipation of Season 2 with its last episode.) Claire Danes and Mandy Pantinkin both deserve Emmys for their performances.— oldgreycat
