Customer Reviews

Homeland

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As 2011 comes to its conclusion, it is no big surprise (for anyone who was watching anyway) that Showtime's "Homeland" is being recognized with major award nominations and critics' group prizes as one of the best programs of the season. Sophisticated, intelligent, complex, and rewarding--I had hoped for a lot from this intriguing and contemporary spin on the Manchurian Candidate theme, but the show served up that and so much more as well. From the executive producers responsible for "24," the show is a stunning and surprisingly realistic drama about family, an incisive look at modern terrorism, a bold political thriller, and a study of obsession all rolled into one gloriously produced entertainment. Add one of television's best ensemble casts, and "Homeland" easily earns its reputation as must-see TV. Showing up on numerous top ten lists, cited by TV Guide as the best show of the year, and getting Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama and for leads Claire Danes and Damian Lewis--this is only the beginning of the recognition and accolades that, I'm sure, will continue (Emmy nominations won't be announced for months).

I won't do a disservice by digging into the specifics and plot points of "Homeland." This is a show that unravels at its own pace, much like a fine novel. Anyone who divulges too much is really just ruining the complexities of the ever-evolving narrative. Danes plays a CIA analyst in Iraq who receives an open-ended warning about a planned attack on American soil by a "turned" POW. When Lewis, as a marine thought dead for eight years, is rescued from an Iraqi military compound and is thrust into the limelight, Danes starts to feel that this vague warning might have real merit. The early episodes play out like a sophisticated game of cat-and-mouse as Danes becomes obsessed with the target of her rogue investigation. The first half of the season, in my opinion, is absolutely riveting as both of the deeply flawed protagonists have their share of issues. By necessity, the show develops a more complicated mythology for its central mystery as the season progresses--but it is never better than when Lewis and Danes are trying to figure one another out.

In addition to the stellar work by Danes and Lewis, the show also features some great supporting roles in the side plots. Morena Baccarin, as Lewis' wife, is a compelling mix of strength and vulnerability. Her world, and that of their two kids, is completely upended by his return and the reformation of the family unit is filled with powerful and poignant moments. Mandy Patinkin scores as Danes' boss and mentor. Danes is suffering from a psychological condition (which, in reality, would be virtually impossible to hide in a top CIA position) and as Patinkin becomes apprised of her condition, it provides some of the best and most heartbreaking work he's done in years. The show expertly uses its cast to blend these elements of drama in with the escalating tensions of the main story thread. And as the episodes move forward, the stakes just keeping ratcheting higher until the ultimate goal is revealed in exciting fashion.

Season One consists of 12 episodes of approximately an hour each with the finale of extended length. While it seems improbable that the show could match the intensity of this season, it has already been approved for another year. It used to be that HBO ruled the roost with premium cable drama, but Showtime keeps narrowing that margin with its expanding roster of smart adult shows. Season One of "Homeland" is easily one of their best efforts to date. After one episode, you'll be hooked. And every time you think you've got things figured out, the show takes another unexpected turn. I really loved this one! KGHarris, 12/11.

2011 was a great year for television, with lots of established shows doing some of their best work ever. But in my view, the best thing going on TV was a new show that quickly ascended to the top of the heap, Showtime's sinister psychological thriller HOMELAND. The central storyline revolves around CIA agent Carrie Mathison, still haunted by the events of 9/11, and her belief that returning war hero Sergeant Nicholas Brody has in fact turned against his country as an al-Qaeda operative.

You know they had to be aiming high with the cast they assembled. The star is Claire Danes, making a long-awaited return to TV after a decade and a half in Hollywood. Given Danes' acting résumé, you might expect her to play a straight-laced CIA agent, but this character is anything but. Her Carrie Mathison is brilliant, fearless, determined, but also reckless, abrasive, unstable, and totally unpredictable. It's a tremendous piece of casting, as we've never seen Claire in a role anything like this, and you'll be stunned at how great she is here. Her performance alone makes Homeland a must-see.

Damian Lewis plays the other lead character: Nicholas Brody, a Marine returning home with a lot of baggage after spending eight years in hell as an al-Qaeda prisoner in Afghanistan. He battles PTSD, struggles to re-integrate with his family who had long assumed he was dead, and.. is Carrie right about him working for al-Qaeda? No matter which way you're leaning, Damian and the writers go a great job of planting seeds of doubt in your head. Lewis brings a world-class performance to this role as the mysterious Brody.

The supporting cast is also stellar. Mandy Patinkin is particularly notable, playing Carrie's mentor, in a role that is less prominent and also more subdued than his usual starring roles. His subtlety is a great contrast to Claire Danes' out of control intensity.

With all these actors in place, along with superlative directing and writing, Homeland becomes a thriller of the highest order. Do note that despite the fact that the show was created by "24" alumni, this is not an action series. It's smarter, more cerebral and more about the characters. This is not to its detriment- Homeland is as exciting and suspenseful as anything you'll see. All I can say is that I was constantly on the edge of my seat, and always left dying to see the next episode.

Season 1 of Homeland gets the highest possible recommendation.

Episode 1 of the hew series for television HOMELAND has been aired and form the initial episode it appears that this will be an intensely interesting, psychological thriller. All of the ingredients seem to be present - fine writing (Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff), fast paced direction by Michael Cuesta, and a very strong cast including Claire Danes in one of her most challenging roles, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin.

The concept is very much in The public eye at this point - a study of how terrorists are followed and found and how the US Intelligence Service functions. The first episode introduces all of the main characters and fleshes out in a single episode the clues for all of the complicated substories and subplots that the series promises. After eight years absence Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) was thought MIA but is discovered in a filthy cell in Iraq ad brought back to the US in a Marine Victory parade. Brody had been captured with another Marine who was beaten to death and the reasons why Brody survived and his fellow Marine didn't makes CIA agent Carrie Anderson (Claire Danes) suspicious - could Brody have sold out to Iraqi bad guy Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban) and that is how he survived torture and captivity? Anderson is driven to see if her concept is correct, gains the backing of her boss Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin, and successfully fills Brody's house with surveillance equipment so his every move can be observed. The sidebars include the fact that in Brody's absence his wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin) has fallen in love with Brody's best friend, and in the intense questioning and shock of being back home Brody begins to remember events of his capture and imprisonment including the fact that he was the one who beat his fellow Marine to death at the behest of Abu Nasir. Brody's physical condition and body language also give signs that perhaps Anderson's concepts that Brody sold out to Abu Nazir and is plotting an attack on America are viable. The stinger is that Anderson is discovered as being on antipsychotic medication since a young girl - making her contributions to intelligence under suspicion. And so we are left with many possibilities for stories that will play out until this season's run ends in December.

It appears that this is a very strong series, but then some of the premiere shows of other series held great promise only to become ho-hum as the season ended. Let's hope this isn't the case: the three main characters are so strong it would be a shame if their stories became diluted. Grady Harp, October 11

This is an american remake of the hit Israeli series Hatufim (Kidnapped). A soldier who had been kidnapped by terrorists has been brainwashed into becoming a terrorist himself. Brought back into the country as a brave hero, the soldier works his way toward the top of the country while a few dedicated patriots work to expose him. The stakes are the future of civilization itself. The show illustrates all too well that as war ends on the home ground of the terrorists, the terrorists will begin attacking our unprepared homeland again. If we do not fight them there, we will be fighting them here.

The series follows CIA officer Carrie Mathison who was brought home from Iraq for breaking the new rules written by politicians about how to fight the terrorists. She is put behind a desk in Virginia. Based on her Iraqi sources, she suspects a returning veteran has gone over to the terrorists. But the politicians refuse to accept it and she goes rogue to expose him working with Saul. The only other person in the CIA she can trust. She works with Saul to expose the mole inside the homeland before there is another 9/11.

While many people might have expected Claire Danes to end up playing a goodie-goodie repressed uberwoman CIA agent, she lets her freak flag fly. Rather than some stiff josephine Friday, she gives us a human character with real-world problems that everyone can relate to. Rather than being perfect, she has all the problems of a normal person. She is also adult enough to do whatever needs to be done in order to defeat the terrorists. She is not a child asking the chair-warmers and politicians for permission before saving the country. She is the face of the modern CIA and if we had a few hundred like her, the war on terror would be over quickly.

The praise for this series is universal. Sometimes its like watching a documentary or seeing footage from a spy camera. Its that real. Some people compare it to 24. But its far better than 24. Its the most realistic series ever done on the dangers of terrorism to our country.

Even President Obama, in an interview with People Magazine, said that Homeland was one of his top two must-see shows.

Fear not, this review of the first season of Homeland is largely spoiler free.

I'm always weary of new programs on TV. Not that I'm afraid I won't like it, stuff I think I won't like I hardly spare a thought for, usually it's the opposite. I watch a fair amount of TV, I generally don't want to add more to that list as I sometimes find myself hard pressed to keep up with the shows I've already put a considerable time commitment into. Recently I've allowed two new shows into that stonemasonesque inner circle, and Homeland was the standout of the two.

I never saw AMC's Rubicon. It looked like it may have been interesting, but I heard bad things about it before I ever got into it, so I just let it go. Seems like it may have been one of AMC's rare misses. That said, the spy thriller genre seems rarely represented in television. Could be that in order to write a compelling espionage story is hard to do. Seems that way anyhow. Especially in a weekly serial format.

Homeland pulled it off admirably. It was well written and well acted. I was continually left guessing as to what would happen next, trying to sort through clues and red herrings. I always had suspicions but never knew for sure what the truth of Brody was. I was always oscillating between thoughts of if he was innocent or a bomb waiting to go off. Literally.

In some ways I have to say the show was hurt by it's marketing campaign building anticipation for the premier. If you never saw any of the promos they essentially boiled down to showing Claire Danes as the CIA agent and Damian Lewis as the soldier and told you that one of these people are a terrorist. That idea really intrigued me and I signed up for that theory, expecting to watch a show where we were presented with deliberately limited information as the viewer tries to determine who's the hero and who's the threat. Sounds interesting right?

It would have been. Problem is that theory is only half true. It seemed pretty clear to me early on that Carrie [Danes] has some definite issues which may make her unstable and possibly delusional, but was no threat. That promise did hold fairly true to the Brody [Lewis] side of the equation however. You never really knew what to make of him. You knew something was up, you knew he was lying about some things, but you never really knew why. You were constantly being given clues and glimpses which would either hint to innocence or guilt. The inconsistencies of his actions could have been the actions of a terrorist covering his tracks, or just as easily a POW going through some serious stuff as he tries to assimilate back into a country and family which have grown strange and foreign to him after 8 years of imprisonment and torture.

One other aspect that sat a little odd with me is the continuing nature of the show. Through the entire season it seemed to me that things were building to an explosive finale, one that would make it very difficult, if not outright impossible, to continue the show into further seasons. That concept intrigued and excited me. That this may have been more of a mini-series than a continuing show is something that you don't see often. In my water cooler talks of the show I consistently said that with the show progressing as it is, I can't see it being able to have a second season. Well, minor spoiler, I was wrong.

Things didn't end quite as I'd expected. That's not to say at all it ended poorly. There were moments in the season finale that were some of the most tense moments I've seen in a long time. The suspense was incredible. Suspense may be the hardest thing to cultivate in a television show. Homeland provided it in spades.

4 out of 5 surveillance vans.

This series began strong and got better, right up to the season finale. Acting, direction, and writing were all award worthy.
Really not to be missed.

Watched the entire Season 1 in less than 24 hours! Stayed up all night...couldn't tear myself away! Riveting storyline and brilliant acting. Can't wait for season 2!!

Homeland is an excellent series about the covert operations that go on right on our own soil. Not only is this series riviting, well written, well acted, but it's extremely accurate. How POW's are seen by the government, what actions are taken in this day in age when they come home, and how the CIA, FBI, and security to our Nation really works is well illustrated in this series. The effect the war on terror has, on our own soil, goes mostly unnoticed on the level this series portrays. Great actors like Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis, and Claire Danes compliment this already well written script. Don't miss it, the pilot episode is shown for free on [...]. Check it out, buy the DVD, keep the series in action, help the possibility of more seasons to come.

HOMELAND IS A MUST SEE FOR ANY OF THOSE INTERESTED IN THE MILITARY, INNER WORKINGS OF OUR GOVERNMENT SECURITY, INTELLIGENCE, OR ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!

Simply one of the best thought out, written, acted, directed and produced series on television. I'm hoping they can keep the momentum going in consecutive seasons.

Great show, great cast.... If your into the CIA, Clancy novels, etc... this is the show for you. The acting is superb.