A Bomb Threat is Aborted and We Learn Who Quinn Really Is. Retrospective: Homeland - "Two Hats"

Homeland, S2 E9 – “Two Hats”

Air Date: Sunday, November 25, 2012, 10:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

In one of the most suspenseful episodes this season, we learn what Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban) is planning, who Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) really is, and why he’s wearing two hats in “Two Hats.”

Observations:

A Bomb Threat is Aborted and We Learn Who Quinn Really Is. Retrospective: Homeland - "Two Hats" 1

Brody calls Carrie after being released

After successfully proving his loyalty to Abu Nazir, Brody (Damian Lewis) is sent home, alive and well to serve as an integral part of Nazir’s plan to bomb America. He wastes no time, immediately informing Carrie (Claire Danes), Saul (Mandy Patinkin), Estes (David Harewood) and Quinn what Nazir’s big plan is—to blow up Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan) and the 300 soldiers who are coming home. I was afraid that after spending so much time with Nazir, Brody might have switched alliances but that’s not the case. He is still clearly on the side of the CIA. With how he looks at Carrie, I wonder whether his feelings for her have played a large part in his decision to go against Nazir, or whether he has finally realized what a monster the terrorist is and how meaningless his pledge to avenge Issa’s death is in the grand scheme of things.

After receiving a veiled threat from Nazir, Brody’s only demand is that his family be kept safe while he and the CIA work to thwart Nazir. So, at Carrie’s request, Mike Faber (Diego Klattenhoff) moves Jess (Morena Baccarin), Dana (Morgan Saylor), and Chris (Jackson Pace) to a safe house. And what a safe house it is! With a view to die for (pun intended), and wide screen televisions in every room, I wouldn’t mind staying there myself!

A Bomb Threat is Aborted and We Learn Who Quinn Really Is. Retrospective: Homeland - "Two Hats" 2

At the luxury safe house, bitchy Dana passes the phone to her mother so she doesn’t have to speak to her father.

Can you believe what a bitch Dana is? She should be thankful the CIA is looking out for her and her family, not whining like some spoiled teenager about how everything has ”gone to shit” since Brody’s return. I’m glad Mike puts her in her place. It’s about time someone did. Now that her little romance with Finn (Timothee Chalamet) is over, I wonder how Homeland is going to keep Dana relevant to the story.

Speaking of Mike, was anyone surprised when a naked Jess enters his room with the express intent of…well, I think you get the picture, right? On one hand, I don’t think it’s right because (a) your kids are sleeping in the other room, and (b) you’re married; on the other hand, I understand it. Since Jess is supposed to be sleeping with the kids, I wonder what she would have done had the kids come looking for her. However, with the lack of sex between her and Brody, I understand why she might want to surrender herself to Mike’s loving arms. That had to feel good. She is still married, though… I wonder if Jess thinks things will ever go back to the way they were before Brody’s capture. If not, why doesn’t she just leave? I hope Mike doesn’t get hurt in the long run.

I’m not sure when but apparently Saul asked Virgil (David Marciano) and Max (Maury Sterling) to check Quinn out because they pay a visit to his rather stark apartment where they find nothing other than a sniper rifle and a picture of “Julia and John Jr.” hidden in a book—Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations,” no less. It turns out the woman is Quinn’s girlfriend, Julia Diaz (actor not credited), who’s a cop in Philadelphia, and the child, his son. But Quinn isn’t known as Quinn—he’s “John Sr.” It comes as no surprise that Quinn isn’t who he says he is, although I was shocked to find out who he really works for and what his ultimate mission is. The banter between Saul, who poses as an IRS investigator, and Julia is a thing of beauty to watch, as each constantly one-ups the other, and Saul essentially gets nowhere. I have to say, I was quite impressed with Patinkin’s portrayal of a lowly IRS agent; he downplays him beautifully, almost as if he’s apologetic for asking Julia so many questions.

A Bomb Threat is Aborted and We Learn Who Quinn Really Is. Retrospective: Homeland - "Two Hats" 3

Max successfully tails Quinn

It looks like Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus, The Good Wife) has joined the cast and I’m sure Homeland is pleased with itself for signing this critically-acclaimed actor. Abraham plays the role of Dar Adul, a well-known CIA intelligence operative. The only time we see him in “Two Hats” is on a bus furtively talking to Quinn, but I’m sure he’s going to play a more integral part as Quinn’s real boss in the show as the season winds down. You see, Quinn is a trained assassin who Estes, in cahoots with Dar Adul, has charged with killing Brody after the CIA is finished with him. Now, do I believe this will happen, especially since Estes promised it wouldn’t? I don’t think so. With all the twists and turns Homeland has thrown at us throughout the two seasons, “Two Hats” being no exception, I think something will happen that will necessitate keeping Brody around. Besides, I’m sure it will be fun watching Abraham work his acting magic.

Memorable lines:

Virgil: “If Quinn reports to a man like Dar Adul, he’s no more an analyst than I’m in the Hair Club for Men. So what’s he really doing on this task force?”

Saul: “I don’t know.”

Estes to Quinn: “Stand down. We still need him. I say again, stand down.”

While all of this has been going on, we’ve been watching several things unfold: Brody telling the CIA team what went on during his time with Nazir; the steps the CIA put in action to stop the bombing at the homecoming; and Carrie and the CIA carrying out that plan. From one minute to the next, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen—whether they were going to succeed or if I would make it to the end of the episode without passing out; I think I was holding my breath throughout the entire hour. But while they succeed in stopping the bombing and arresting Roya (Zuleikha Robinson) and the entire sleeper cell, they aren’t successful in capturing Nazir.

So, my questions this week are: Since Nazir wasn’t in the news van, where is he? And what is he going to do to Brody once he realizes Brody double-crossed him? More importantly, was this the real plan, or does Nazir have something else up his sleeve? It wouldn’t be the first time he used a fake plan as subterfuge. Now that Jess and Mike have slept together, will she be able to resume her (fake) marriage with Brody? With only three episodes left, I am so very excited to see how this plays out.

Tune in to Homeland, Sundays at 10:00 pm ET/PT, only on Showtime.

Follow Homeland on Twitter @sho_homeland and cast members Damian Lewis (Brody) @Lewis_Damian; Morena Baccarin (Jessica) @MissMorenaB; David Harewood (Estes) @TheHarewood; Navid Negahban (Abu Nazir) @NavidNegahban; Jackson Pace (Chris Brody) @JacksonPace; David Marciano (Virgil) @davidmarciano; and Zuleikha Robinson (Roya Hamad) @ZuleikhaR.

LIKE the show on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HomelandOnShowtime and don’t forget to check out Homeland’s official webpage at http://www.sho.com/site/homeland/home.sho.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!