Tuesday 1 January 2013

TV reviews: Homeland 206-212

206: 'A Gettysburg Address'
After the game-changing events of New Car Smell and Q+A, you could be forgiven for thinking that A Gettysburg Address might take its foot off the pedal, so to speak, and that we could be in for a slightly less bumpy (and thrilling) ride. Not so. Homeland maintains the pace almost effortlessly this week with a a superb script that plays wonderfully with Brody's new-found status as CIA informant, and makes effective use of the lack of trust we have in the character. There are top notch performances all round, a genuine sense of mystery and foreboding and, of course, that final sequence of events which ups the dramatic tension tenfold. (9)
 
207: 'The Clearing'
And the award for weakest episode of Homeland's second season goes to The Clearing for featuring, as its two central narrative strands, Brody's political machinations (relatively humdrum) and the hit and run fiasco involving Dana and Finn (the epitome of mind-numbing). In a season with only 12 episodes, it's a shame that there apparently isn't even story to render filler hours like this obsolete; really, looking back at this now at year's end, we could completely remove The Clearing from the season and it would still work as a whole... and that's definitely not a good sign in a drama like this. The problem, really, is that it's difficult to drum up any interest. The only strand that's remotely intriguing is Saul's encounter with Aileen and even that's carried largely by Mandy Patenkin's extraordinary acting chops. Ultimately, though, it's a pointless exercise plot-wise, even if there are some lovely character moments. Relatively ineffectual. (5)
 
208: 'I'll Fly Away'
The good stuff first: Damian Lewis is absolutely first-rate as a man on the edge, torn between the various conflicting, exceedingly complex and stressful aspects of his life, trying to contain his ever-burgeoning web of lies and deceit and credit to him, he genuinely looks like he's about to break at any moment (and indeed, he very nearly does). Saul and Quinn's reactions to Carrie and Brody's night of hot passion are just stellar. The final sequences in, um, the middle of nowhere are as tense and dramatic as any we've seen all year. But (and it's a big but), then there's the problematic stuff. Biggest bug bear first: Carrie and Brody AGAIN? Really? So soon? Ploughing each other like there's no tomorrow? Is nobody else thoroughly fed up of the excruciatingly selfish and self-absorbed relationship that these two have? Brody, YOU'RE MARRIED FOR CRYING OUT LOUD. YOU HAVE CHILDREN. Carrie, THIS MAN IS A TERRORIST. Some will say this is a symptom of the show's multi-facetedness; that's it's all the better for being able to show these less pleasant sides of human nature. And that's fine. Just do it in a manner that doesn't feel like your head's being repeatedly batted against a brick wall. Homeland, you could learn a thing or two from Game of Thrones. And then, of course, there's Dana and Finn's hit and run which, you know, is just tired now. Less of this please. Thanks. (7)

209: 'Two Hats'
Another stellar episode, driven by a focused, suspenseful narrative that plays cleverly on the audience's uncertainty regarding Brody's allegiances to a foster ambiguity at every turn... perhaps where there actually isn't any. Neglecting to reveal the minutiae of Brody and Nazir's conversations is a stroke of genius as it fills every subsequent scene in the run-up to Roya's capture with a potent mistrust. There's also some wonderfully intriguing stuff with Quinn and Estes that promises to build to a riveting climax by season's end and, thankfully, very little Carrie/Brody schmaltz. While not reaching the lofty heights of New Car Smell or Q+A, Two Hats is nevertheless a thoroughly engaging episode. (9)
 
210: 'Broken Hearts'
Oh, Homeland, how droll you are. That episode title is probably the worst pun we've seen all year. There have been cries of shark jumping in relation to this particular, controversial installment of our favourite terrorism drama and understandably so; the idea that Nazir's dastardly master-plan was to remotely access the Vice President's ticker and, um, upload some malware is so preposterous, even Tom Clancy wouldn't dare write it. It also smells a little of a diversion, something to distract from Nazir's main purpose, but even so, it still remains the most unbelievable event to have occurred in the show during the course of its run. But then, it isn't really worth getting all that hung up on; it's daft, sure, but it gives us a great death scene and it leads us to some very nice, tense interplay between Brody, Nazir and a bound-and-gagged (or not so much... seriously, when are bad guys going to learn to put their prisoners IN EMPTY ROOMS?) Carrie. There are also a few delicious Saul/Estes scenes and, of course, THAT decision of Jess's. Ridiculous at times, yes, but entertaining all the same. (7)
 
211: 'In Memoriam'
My my, that Dana, she's one troubled child, isn't she? I mean, SHE'S DROPPING MILK EVERYWHERE! THERE'S SOMETHING DESPERATELY WRONG WITH THIS FAMILY! With the exception of that particularly daft little nugget, In Memoriam is a mainly entertaining episode, picking up where last week's instalment left off in the 24 absurdity stakes by having Nazir hide away in a back room in the building that's supposedly been scoured from top to bottom by trained officials, and only Carrie realises. Still, it makes for edge-of-the-seat television, and Nazir's death (suicide? Hmm...) is brilliantly realised. In the Brody camp, things continue to fall apart with delicious aplomb and all involved get a chance to show off their acting chops. I'm not entirely excited by where this appears to be going - Nick's just gonna leave Jess? And his kids? And go hump Carrie? Selfish, much? - but at least there's some damn fine writing along the way. And let's give credit where credit's due to the actors playing Saul and Roya for some stellar turns in their respective, all-too-brief scenes. (8)

212: 'The Choice'
Judging by the reactions plastered all over fan forums and the mainstream media's depressingly one-note reviews, it would appear that I'm in the minority in not thinking that The Choice heralds Homeland's 'return to glory', so to speak, and that it's an Emmy-worthy 65 minutes of television. Sure, there are some superb moments here; effectively, the final third of the episode is a behemoth of tension, suspense, shock, horror and surprise, with the bombing of Walden's funeral beautifully juxtaposed with Nazir's burial at sea, some truly stunning visuals and, of course, that final scene, but the remaining 66% plays far too much like a drab soap opera for this reviewer's liking. Sure, Gansa and Steihm are creating the 'calm before the storm' in order to wrong foot us but the problem is just how hum-drum all of this. With the exception of some excellent scenes for Saul, and Quinn's confrontation with Estes, the narrative plods along at a decidedly sluggish pace, asking such thrilling questions as 'what will Brody say to Mike?', 'will Carrie leave the CIA?' (um, duh) and 'how many times can two extremely selfish people have sweaty sex in a cabin in the woods without feeling a semblance of guilt?' The Carrie/Brody relationship really has gone beyond the point of no return and the more it's rammed down our throats, the less sympathy is evoked for either character. I mean Christ, Carrie you're banging a terrorist! A married terrorist! Who's just left his wife and children! Do you both have no shame? Here's hoping the shake-up towards episode's end results in less of this gumf in year three... although judging from fan reaction to the couple, they'll probably be back together by episode two. Or at the very least, Skype wanking while Quinn listens in. Or something. (6)
 

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