Carrie is out of a job and Brody might be the next vice president on Homeland.
Carrie Matheson is back. Six months after her the events of last season’s excellent finale, the former CIA agent is as on-edge as ever. This time around, however, she comes as off as vulnerable, even damaged, not the forceful Carrie we knew pre-electroconvulsive therapy. America’s favorite POW turned potential terrorist, Nicholas Brody, on the other hand, is just as calm and collected as ever as he settles into his new found role as Congressman.
There were those who were concerned that Homeland would be a one-and-done series, worrying that Brody’s plans are too tenuous to believably stretch out over several seasons and yet too explosive to squash into one. When we last left Brody, his plan to assassinate the vice president via suicide bomb went awry and the door was left open for what may lay ahead regarding his plans regarding prime terrorist Abu Nazir. This left the possibilities for the second season wide open.
With Carrie now out of the CIA, we find her pleasantly picking vegetables in her family garden and teaching ESOL classes to pass the time. Carrie’s previous life was predicated on being completely preoccupied with her work 100% of the time, as it was the only keeping her mental instability at bay. With her job is taken away from her, we find that she has to completely shut it out of her life, leaving any distractions behind. It seems she has her life in check — that is, until Agent Galvez comes knocking at her door insisting she speak to Estes, the man who stole her livelihood from her and help out with just ONE more mission.
The CIA has been approached by the wife of a former Hezbollah commander who apparently has information on a supposed attack on the United States. The only caveat is that she refuses to speak to anyone except Carrie, her former handler. After a little cat and mouse game with Estes, former Agent Matheson agrees to travel to Lebanon in order to aide in their efforts to get the details that may prevent the attack. As much as Carries resents those who forced her out of her job, her itch to get back to real work is just too strong to deny. Claire Danes is able to perfectly balance that sense of both anxiety and confidence that Carries exudes, a trait that doesn’t seem to be lost on her post-electroconvulsive therapy.
Carrie’s counterpart in Homeland, the enigmatic Nicholas Brody, has only recently settled into his cozy job as congressman when he’s presented with an offer to be running mate to current Vice President Walden in the upcoming election. Here is the man that Brody detests with all his heart, the man Abu Nazir instilled such a hatred in him for, and now Walden wants him to be his right hand man. Homeland’s strength has always been its writing and its ability to build each scene with a sense of supreme tension, which the season premiere shows off nicely. To be able to portray Brody as a person with a very hard exterior yet maintain his believability as both a first class citizen and world-class terrorist is the true talent of the show.
Brody’s newfound comfort in life is quickly challenged when presented with a new task from Abu Nazir, as delivered by Roya Hammad, a cunning “journalist” who seems posed to become a regular this season. This new character seems to straddle the controversial line between terrorist sympathizer and Westernized citizen, a role that will surely inspire some fiery comments from viewers. He is told he must break into a safe in Estes’ office and retrieve a list containing information on what locations the CIA believes are hotspots for potential Al-Qaeda attacks.
Nazir has had a profound effect on Brody and although Brody claims to not be a terrorist and vows to not commit any more acts of violence, his allegiance to his former captor is too strong to deny. A theme weaved through this episode is the stunning similarities between Brody and Carrie. Both feel sense a betrayal towards those in their previous lives, yet neither can seem to escape and break away. Their impulses, though from different sources (Carrie’s unpredictability and Brody’s obedience), control their lives.
As we find out later in the episode, neither Carry nor Brody has lost a step. They both fall right back into their respective roles with such ease it’s as if none of the major events from last season took any toll on them. Carrie’s therapy seems to only have caused her a slight memory loss problem (which could become problematic later on) and hasn’t impeded her skill as a CIA agent. Brody, as well, seems to not have been affected in the slightest way by his botched bombing attempt. His search of Estes’ for the safe containing the list he may obtain is done with such grace and style, he seems to have not lost a step.
Homeland is back. And it may be more effective than it was before. This was the first episode of a series trying to continue the intensity that exploded (well, not literally) in last season’s finale. The show is able to build each episode, scene by scene, with a sense of extreme tension. Unlike other shows that are built around an ascending sense of pressure, Homeland’s unique ability to toy with emotions in each and every scene makes it the true jewel of television nowadays.
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