So Homeland is Pretty Good Too

The other day I wrote a post about how American Horror Story was the only new fall show that was actually any good, after I was done sifting through the remains of Terra Nova, New Girl, Revenge and the Like. But it was soon pointed out to me that I had missed one, Homeland on Showtime.

I wasn’t too enthused about another homeland security show as 24 had long gotten stale and I never really cared for things like Sleeper Cell. Over the last ten years I’ve gotten so sick of the world “terrorist” and having the threat of them so overblown (you have a better chance of dying in a lightning strike than a terrorist attack in the US) that I didn’t really give a shit about another show in the genre.

But as it turns out, Homeland is interesting enough to make the concept fresh again. Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes of all people) is a CIA agent who is tracking down a lead abroad, a terrorist prisoner who has information. At the same time, the US is raiding a compound in Afganistan where they find Sgt. Nicolas Brody (Band of Brothers’ Damian Lewis)  locked away, a MIA Marine presume dead for eight years. The twist is that the piece of information Danes  Mathison recieved is that an American POW has been turned. As in, turned into a spy.

The show revolves around a vague terrorist plot that Brody is suspected of being involved in somehow. You’re constantly trying to guess if he’s actually turned or not, or if he’s just messed up from 8 years of torture. All signs point to yes, but there’s no definitive proof. Also, he has to deal with the fact that he barely even knows his family anymore, and he has yet to uncover that his wife (Firefly’s Morena Baccarin) was sleeping with his best friend after he was presumed dead.

This is the most clothes she’s ever worn on the show. Let that be further motivation for you.

All in all this is a pretty interesting show, and the ratings are good enough where it’s been picked up for another season already, so you don’t have to worry about it being prematurely killed. The whole “domestic terror threat” thing might be a touch played out, but the performances in the show are such where it puts the focus on the characters more than it does explosive action scenes or uber conspiracies the way these types of plots usually do. Definitely give it a shot, I predict many of you will be hooked by the end of the pilot.

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6 Comments

  1. I still can’t get over the fact that you think American Horror Story is a good show, I mean seriously?… you know what? it’s fine I’ll just keep telling myself everyone is entitled to their own opinion no matter how wrong it is, I’ll just have to accept it.

    On another note I’ll definitely give Homeland a try, Morena Baccarin was the only reason I watched that atrocious “V” remake and if she’s showing more skin in this I will definitely watch it.

  2. I mean it’s not amazing, but it’s definitely the best fall show I’ve seen. It’s not one of the best shows on TV, but to me, it’s the best new one. And you are entitled to being wrong too 😉

  3. I liked Life too until that goddawful Prince of Persia episode where the little girl has to find a code by beating the game. “th’ fuck?!”

  4. AHS is starting to wear on me. Just answer some questions already! Stop trying to be so mysterious, but, continuing to add “ghosts” every other week, to paraphrase Regina King’s character (my secret black ladycrush) in Jerry Maguire makes it common.

    Unless this is designed to be a one season and done show, I just can’t see this continuing. (Kind of like ABC’s V 2009-11) It’s toooooo slow getting to where we are going, and feels like your stuck in an LA traffic jam.

    Meanwhile, Homeland is a great show, glad to see the always excellent (even in Dreamcatcher) Damian Lewis get some screentime. And don’t sleep on Mandy Patinkin’s performance so far. I can’t wait for next week. The only other shows on TV that make me feel that way are Sons of Anarchy, and Breaking Bad.

  5. I agree homeland is definitely worth watching, and should not be compared to 24 in any way. I have not watched a single episode of AHS but the premise itself tells me that its not suitable for long running TV…its more of a mini-series or TV movie sort of material. Another new show to watch out for, that i also highly recommend, would be PERSON OF INTEREST, starring 2 of my favorite actors Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson. Its a very unique concept for a tv show, and the performances are spot on.

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