Homeland

[Zarathustra]

Now that you can add on Showtime to Hulu for a small price, we've been checking out some of their shows. Homeland is a different kind of spy drama. Much less testosterone-driven than shows like 24. Sure, the main character is a woman, but that doesn't account for the difference. The show moves at a much slower pace, relying more on character and story than plot twists and action. This is true drama, not just melodrama. It takes a while, but it's worth it. It has "real" emotion and "real" people in extraordinary circumstances. Worth checking out.

[dlbpharmd]

I enjoyed some of the first season, little of the second, not watching the third.

[wayfriend]

Season 3 is probably the low point. Season 4 is much better; season 5 was pretty great.

[Zarathustra]

We're only halfway through season 2. The interrogation scene with Brody and Carrie was phenomenal--a BIG confrontation between protagonist/antagonist that resolves 1.5 seasons worth of tension in a single conversation, moving their relationship forward in a way that was entirely believable while achieving something I would have thought could only be done with pure cheese.

[Zarathustra]

The end of season 2 was amazing. Season 3 started off slow, but ended with a gut-wrenching climax to Brody's character arc. I don't think I've seen a "villain" handled with so much attention and care since reading Angus's story in the Gap: redemption of someone who was without a doubt evil (or had succumbed to evil given sufficient trauma), but still retained his humanity in the end. I'm stunned how long they maintained the question of Brody's authenticity and moral intentions through so many different contexts, well beyond the point when you'd think it would have been settled--i.e. once the good guys knew for sure that he was a terrorist--into several more permutations of situation and implications.

Amazing. This was some great story-telling. If season 4 and 5 get better, I'm pretty excited.

[Cail]

I cheered when Brody died. That storyline had played itself out. I'm with WF, seasons 4 & 5 are much better than the first 3.

[Cail]

I'm current on the show, and I'm nearly through my re-watch.

I stand by a statement I made elsewhere....Rupert Friend deserved an Emmy for his portrayal of Peter Quinn in Season 6. I'd also love to know how much re-writing had to be done when the "desired" candidate didn't win the 2016 election. It's apparent that the story shifted, and given the Season 7 finale, there's a "wishing well" quality to it.

Overall, this is a really good show with one huge deficiency that has to be overlooked nearly every episode....Carrie Matheson wouldn't be allowed anywhere near a security clearance, much less be allowed to work at the CIA. She's also a truly awful human being, but that's more palatable.

The show benefits from binge watching. Having a week between episodes, and months between seasons, makes it too easy to pick holes in it. But man oh man, the show improves when Brody exits.