Homeland wrapped up an outstanding first season last night, and what a cop out. If you haven’t seen the episode, stop reading now
SPOILERS below.
All that build up and no bomb, Brody’s daughter is able to convince him not to push the button. Really!!! And Carrie’s bi-polar disorder causes her to choose electro-shock therapy, one of the side effects is memory loss. Just as she heads into treatment she remembers Brody said Nazir’s son’s name, Isa when they were together, his death is the catalyst for Brody’s mission. The last piece to the puzzle falls into place and then it is gone, so lame.
So next season will be about when/if Carrie will remember, and Brody killing an idea not a man. Saul blackmailing the VP is in play as well as his knowledge that Estes can’t be trusted. I suppose they had to figure out a way to reset the show so it could continue. I think a bigger payoff would be if Brody was successful with the mission, Carrie was right and the CIA blew it again. The show could have continued without Brody, as much as I love Damian Lewis I doubt he would be out of work for long.
Here is a recap.
The episode opens with Brody making a recording explaining his actions, we find out that his target is the Vice President and his advisors. Their crime is the drone attack that killed 82 children, one was Nazir’s son, the child Brody became friends with. Is the show making a social comment on US policy that kills innocent children?
Saul visits Carrie, who is in a deep depression, this as her sister explains, is what comes after the mania. Carrie is on administrative leave, Saul explains, ” she will never step foot in Langley again”. Saul tells Carrie to forget Brody, he has destroyed her, she says she can’t and Saul realizes Carrie is in love with Brody.
Brody hides the memory card with his recording in a stonewall. Tom Walker hides in a car, this gets him into the restricted area where the VP will be making his announcement. The VP and Estes chat, the VP is going to announce his candidacy for president tomorrow, Estes asks him to call it off.
Brody family at home, domestic chit chat. Knowing that Brody may die tomorrow makes the scene bittersweet, I feel bad for his family, innocent victims. Brody’s daughter, Dana catches him praying in Arabic, he tells her he converted to Islam. This confession turns into a nice father daughter scene, it shows how close these two characters are, and again with the bittersweet, if Brody dies.
Carrie hears the news about the VP’s speech, and starts to put 2 and 2 together. In the meantime, Saul goes to Estes with Carrie’s research about the drone strike that precipitated the time Nazir went silent. Estes’ knows the research came from Carrie so he dismisses it. He sends Saul off to work the VP’s announcement.
Carrie and Virgil head off to the site of the VP’s announcement, he wants to leave he tells her this isn’t her job anymore. She convinces him to stay, because she knows something bigger then one sniper is going down. He agrees to help her.
Very creepy scene watching Brody put on the suicide vest, and the daughter on the other side of the door asking him not to go. The daughter pleads with him one more time not to go, but he does. He has to complete his mission.
Saul finds out that the paper trail on the drone strike is gone. He is putting it together, it won’t be long before he figures out Estes is a bad guy.
Carrie and Virgil are hanging out behind the barricades, she is still acting pretty crazy, but Virgil is hanging in there with her. Seeing Brody arrive at the event only ramps up the crazy.
Tom Walker takes the shot, he kills Elizabeth Gains, everyone thinks the VP was the target everyone is hustled into a bunker. Carrie calls Saul, she lays it all out for him. She convinces him that Walker was Marine 1 and Marine 2 is Brody and Brody is going to kill the VP and his staff. Saul sends an officer out to get Carrie and contain her.
We see Brody start to play with the bomb trigger, he flips the switch, it doesn’t go off. Carrie takes off before Saul’s men can get to her. She goes to Dana and asks her to call her Dad to prevent him from performing his mission. She calls the cops, before they show up, she tells Jessica about Brody. No one believes her, but she has planted the seeds. Carrie is led away in handcuffs by the police.
Brody is trying to fix the trigger. He is about to flip the switch, and Dana calls, she tells him about Carrie and the things she said about him being a terrorist. She makes him promise he is coming home, and in some of the best acting on TV, Damian Lewis decides to abort his mission. You have see the changes his face makes and his eyes to appreciate what a fantastic moment Lewis has created here.
Saul goes to visit the VP, he shows him the drone file. He also shows him a stack of DVDs of interrogation sessions that the VP ordered. He is letting him know he is on to him.
Brody goes to the police station to see Carrie. She apologizes, he tells he will drop the charges if she will leave him alone and get some help. She promises to stay away and they say good bye. As Carrie gets into her sister’s van, we see her completely break down.
Saul and Estes view the tape of the VP ordering the drone hit that killed Nazir’s son. Saul tells him he is going to the New York Times, Estes says you can’t because it would endanger every one of your agents in the field.
Brody goes back for his video, but its been picked. He goes to his house, gets a gun and meets Tom Walker. Brody tells him maybe it was a good thing the bomb didn’t go off. Because they would have just put someone else in his place, and now Brody is. He can be right next to the VP, and possibly the next president. Nazir has been listening on Walker’s phone to the conversation. Brody and Nazir get on the phone, Brody convinces him this is the way to go. Nazir says “why kill a man, when you can kill an idea”, then he asks him to kill Walker. He does.
Brody goes home, he locks things down with Jess so he can continue the mission.
Saul is charging into the hospital, he is trying to stop Carrie from having shock treatments. She says she wants this, it will help her. Saul tells her about the drone strike and she was right about Nazir’s missing time and now they know why. He tells her Nazir’s son Isa was killed in the strike.
As Carrie is going under to the treatment, she remembers Brody said the name Isa in his sleep, she realizes he knew Nazir’s son, she made the connection and then her memory is wiped clean by the shock treatment.
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