Image via Showtime.
Is Homeland hitting its stride? How long will this last? When will I be perpetually disappointed again? These are the questions I kept asking myself during last night’s episode, “Still Positive,” which marks the third straight excellent episode of Homeland. The show, which has taken more than a few lessons from the John le Carré School Of How To Tell Espionage Stories Effectively, is delivering twist after twist, despite some of them not entirely making a whole lot of sense. But whatever, I’ll take that over the lingering and overwrought saga of the Brody family and their perpetual dysfunction.
Last week’s episode, “The Yoga Play,” ended with the pseudo cliffhanger of Carrie being kidnapped by Javadi’s men. Now that all the pieces are in play for Saul to finally bag his man, the pressure is on Carrie to lure him in. Does she do it? Yes, but not without some complications. “Still Positive,” while appropriately thrilling and suspenseful, was also perhaps the bloodiest episode of the series, revealing why Javadi really is the menacing baddie Saul hyped him up to be all season. But also, this one thing happened that ALMOST RUINED THE EPISODE ALTOGETHER (more on that later). Let’s analyze what happened last night:
Image via Showtime.
Saul’s Marriage
In last week’s episode, Saul had a particularly rough time: He lost the presidential nomination for CIA Director to Senator Lockhart, he lost Carrie, and, at the end of the episode, he came home to find his wife in the middle of a dinner date with another man. In last night’s episode, Saul and Mira finally confront the elephant in the room. And by confront I mean, Mira begs Saul to “get mad at her,” but all he can do is smile politely and say something like “It’s your life, do what you want.” That’s some passive-aggressive shit right there, Saul.
Javadi, Caught!
Finally, after all Carrie went through—having her relationship with Brody and her mental health issues outed by Saul in front of a Congressional hearing committee, being committed to a mental institution, and generally being jerked around by the CIA—the plan finally worked. Carrie corners Javadi and sets up a plan to get him in front of Saul so as not to raise suspicion amongst his men. For some reason, Saul wants some alone time with him before anyone else knows he’s been caught, which is why CIA agents didn’t come guns a-blazin’ into his secret hideout (in a huge mansion on a golf course) to arrest him. Also, because Saul and the CIA don’t actually know where Carrie is. Anyway, Carrie’s plan to meet him later, at a coffee shop off of 270 seemed a bit convoluted. Obviously, the plan wouldn’t work and, as we later found out, it caused quite the blood bath.
Image via Showtime.
F. Murray Abraham is Team Lockhart?
While Saul was out working with Quinn and Carrie to nab Javadi, F. Murray Abraham’s Dar Adal met with Senator Lockhart, the future CIA Director, to let him know that he’s completely on board with the direction he wants to take the CIA. “No more Nicholas Brody’s, no more Carrie Mathison’s,” he says. Is Adal really Team Lockhart, or is this just an act to appease him since Saul couldn’t be there for the meeting? I predict that the victory of Saul nabbing Javadi will be overshadowed by the ushering in of the Lockhart era, with Adal right by his side. We’ll see.
Dana Brody Lazaro
Well, it seems like Dana Brody’s annoying story arc for this season has come to an end. She tells her mother that she can “no longer be Dana Brody,” and asks her to take her to get her name changed. Afterwards, a friend of Dana’s, Angela, comes by the house to pick her up. Where is she going? Moving out of the house, she can’t live this life anymore. Does Dana’s exit from the Brody household also signify her exit from the show (at least, for a while)? Maybe. Hopefully. Also worth noting: Lazaro is derived from the Spanish word “Lazarus,” which means “God Has Helped.” Interpret that as you like.
Image via Showtime
Javadi’s Killing Spree
As predicted, Carrie’s plan to meet with Javadi at the coffee shop doesn’t go as planned. With a drone following his every move overhead, we watch as he makes his way to his ex-wife’s house—who, along with Javadi’s son, Saul helped escape from Javadi’s clutches in Iran so many years ago—and savagely murders her and his daughter-in-law. It’s easily the most brutal moment Homeland has ever seen and is the ultimate “fuck you” to Saul. As such, it’s also a prime example of how Saul’s ego and megalomaniacal attitude has been doing more harm than good. He couldn’t just capture Javadi with the full force of the CIA, he had to do it in secret so he could interrogate him off the records. Why? It’s not entirely clear yet, but hopefully the reason is worth the casualties.
Where’s Brody, Still?
It’s been, what, four episode since we’ve seen him? Starting to get worried over here…
Image via Showtime.
Carrie Pregnant!?!?!?!?!?!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Ugh, Homeland, why you gotta bring in a dumb pregnancy subplot more than halfway through the season? Also, really with the drawer full of positive pregnancy tests? What, we’re making Carrie a pregnancy test hoarder now? I can’t.
Carrie Mathison Tear-O-Meter Rating Saul Berenson Badass-O-Meter Rating: 6
Image via Showtime.
Since Carrie did not break into tears once this episode (first time all season!) I am instead awarding points to Saul for this moment of pure badassery last night.
