Talk about your binge viewing habits.
I got completely hooked on the exploits of bi-polar CIA Carrie, would-be Muslim terrorist Brody, his family, and compassionate CIA boss Saul. Hell, the show made me like Mandy Patinkin. That's a win for the producers right there.
But, as last fall's second season wound down, "Homeland" started to let its story meander. It all began to get a little silly. For those of you yet to sample, I'm giving away a few integral plot points now. A Vice President whose pacemaker is hacked, resulting in his death. Some sexual alliances that seemed very gratuitous ( if not welcomed by some of us whenever Brody's wife gets naked). And a climactic terrorism event that rivaled what happened to all of us on 9/11.
Okay, I was still in. A bit unsettled. A trifle confused. But, again, as long as Brody's wife occasionally took her clothes off, I was good....
And I anxiously awaited Season Three, which started about four weeks ago.
The good news is that "Homeland" still offers a lot of entertainment. Great tension. Marvelous acting. Terrific production values. And, oh, the guy that Brody's wife had the first season affair has come back for an episode. Here's hoping that they hit the sheets soon.
But, then, at the end of the fourth episode, "Homeland" pulled a plot switch that was so startling and jarring that a 7.5 earthquake wouldn't have done as much damage to my television.
HUH?
No worries. I am not explaining what happened here. Frankly, I can't. Because essentially the audience was totally duped by everything that had happened in the first three and a half episodes. Now I may have to go back and rewatch them just to connect the dots.
Fonzie's now on water skis and is jumping over a shark tank.
Or something like that.
The plot point, meant to be a shocker, was ultimately more of a confounder. It makes a lot of the prior exposition open to review and scrutiny. I don't need a television show to make me dizzy. I already have the new health care regulations.
Still, the actors here are valiant and laudatory. Nobody plays crazy like Clare Danes. You begin to wonder if she's as loony like this in real life. Damian Lewis is perfect as Brody, especially when he's held captive in a dungeon which is most of the series. And please notify the folks at Ripley's Believe It or Not. Mandy Patinkin has actually made me like Mandy Patinkin. Let's not forget the work of Morena Baccarin as Brody's wife. See above references.
Oh, there are problems with the show. The wild detours into plots you don't care about. And ridiculous twists that remind you that Pam Ewing might be opening up shower doors all over again.
Add to this the draggy subplot of Brody's young daughter Dana. Now I know what the writers are attempting to do here. They're showing how the exploits of Brody and his secret life are impacting two women in his life. The CIA agent Carrie and his teenager at home. So far in the series, she has sulked and pouted through every scene as if she's constantly swallowing her gum. She's taken up with the son of the Vice President, been in a car crash, tried to commit suicide, and had sex with a fellow mental institution inmate on top of somebody else's clean laundry. All of it is way too soapy and doesn't really fit into the high intrigue of defending this country against acts of terrorism. Plus she's not nearly as fun to watch naked as her mother.
So, yes, "Homeland" is still on my DVR. I will watch it religiously every week. And wonder just how quickly the show went off the rails.
If you'll excuse me, I have to rewatch Episode #2 again. Something's still not making sense.
Dinner last night: Pork tenderloin, rice, and salad.
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