Image via Showtime.
What the hell kind of show is Homeland anymore? Anyone that’s stuck out the show’s rocky third season is now being rewarded for their efforts—the last few episodes have been particularly strong, but nonetheless ludicrous at times (pregnancy! mental breakdowns! espionage!)—but it still feels like Homeland has an identity theft crisis. The first season firmly established the show as a sly, slow-burning political thriller, but that formula was tossed out the window in its brawny, frantic, 24-esque second season. Now, the third season has been a roller coaster of good and bad, slowly building towards a climactic season finale that’s currently in motion.
Still, that doesn’t answer the question, what kind of show is Homeland? Is it a political thriller? Espionage drama? Military procedural? A show mental illness? Well, the correct answer is all of the above. If you can accept that Homeland will never stick to one formula, it becomes a much more enjoyable show. The moment you suspend disbelief (like, really suspend it), you’ll find it’s frantic, frenzied narrative actually enjoyable, and last night’s episode, “Good Night,” was a perfect example of that. Let’s take a look:
Image via Showtime.
Quinn Knows
A few weeks ago Homeland went there. You know what I mean. They threw in a pregnancy subplot out of nowhere because the writers were presumably thinking “fuck it, who’s watching this show anyway?” Well, writers, I AM. I AM WATCHING THE SHOW. Anyway, despite that terrible, no good, very bad plot twist—it’s stupidity heighten by the fact that Carrie’s baby is supposedly Brody’s—the show has managed to handle it pretty well. And by “pretty well” I mean “ignoring it completely.” Carrie’s kept her pregnancy a secret from everybody until now, when Quinn confronts her, telling her that he read her medical records and found out. Now that he knows, I guess these next few episodes will get Very Dramatic. We’ll probably get a lot of good shots of Saul looking very serious and beardy, and Carrie crying. Praise be.
Good Night
Saul’s grand master plan to get Brody to infiltrate the Iranian government and assassinate the leader of the Revolutionary Guard seemed destined to fail from the beginning. You’d think they’d already know that Brody wasn’t responsible for the CIA bombing since Javadi knew. Seems like if he knew, most of the Revolutionary Guard would. But whatever, it’s a cool plan, Saul. You’ve only got a week left in the CIA, live a little. Of course, the plan deteriorates right from the beginning as a patrol of Iraqi police stop the Marines tasked with getting Brody across the Iranian border. With brief utterance of the words “good night,” the Marines kill the Iraqi police officers, immediately compromising the mission. Things go from bad to worse when Brody’s truck hits an IED, and the group is under attack from Iraqi forces. All seems lost, but then—lo and behold!—the Iranian guard is there and Brody tells them he’s seeking asylum in their country!
Image via Showtime.
Brody’s Fragile Mental State
After the Marine’s kill the Iraqi police, Brody has a brief freak out and tries to run away. He gets his shit together, but it’s clear that he may not be up for this task. Will his fragile mental state compromise the entire mission? Probably! But it will all work out i’m sure because he’s Carrie’s baby daddy and, well, the show has already been picked up for a fourth season.
Fara’s Return
Fara’s been MIA for a bit after she had a meltdown about Saul’s plan to send Javadi back to Iran as a double agent. After a brief absence, we see her return as Carrie confronts her to ask her to get her uncle in Iran to help the CIA. Of course, she says no, as she doesn’t want her family involved in her CIA affairs (that much was made clear when her father found out she she worked for the CIA and his reaction was, well, less than enthusiastic). Homeland definitely isn’t done with Fara yet, and I suspect her uncle in Tehran will come into play heavily the season’s final episodes.
Javadi
Just when all seems lost in Saul’s master plan to get Brody into Iran, he makes a run for it and is captured by the Iranian guard. Thrown in a prison cell with Turani, another Marine, Brody tries to convince them that he’s responsible for the Langley bombing and is seeking political asylum. And who shows up? Javadi, who promptly kills Turani and asks Brody if he’s ready to go to Tehran. Will Saul’s play to convert Javadi pay off? We’ll see.
Carrie Mathison Cry-O-Meter Rating: 3
Image via Showtime.
It was a pretty good week for those who enjoy seeing Carrie crying or on the verge of crying.
