As Thrilling and Addictive As Ever. Review: Homeland Season Premiere - "The Smile"

Homeland, S2, E1 – “The Smile”

Airdate: Sunday, September 30, 2012, 10:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“The Smile” opens with a brief recap of what happened last season and then moves to six months later with a tranquil scene of a seemingly “cured” Carrie (Claire Danes). While she tends to the garden outside her family home, inside, Carrie’s sister Maggie (Amy Hargreaves) and father Frank (James Rebhorn) are discussing her mental status. The shock therapy Carrie voluntarily underwent in the season one finale has apparently worked, as she closes her computer, which is showing news about Israel bombing the Middle East, and returns to grading papers for her ESL class. If you need a refresher of the season finale, please check out my review.

As Thrilling and Addictive As Ever. Review: Homeland Season Premiere - "The Smile" 1

An undercover Saul scans the area in Beirut. Photo: Ronen Akerman

In the meantime, Saul (Mandy Patinkin) is back in the field in Beirut trying to meet with a Muslim woman (Clara Khoury) who sent a coded message to the CIA, but will only talk to Carrie. But will Carrie cooperate after all she went through at the hands of the CIA?

As Thrilling and Addictive As Ever. Review: Homeland Season Premiere - "The Smile" 2

Vice President William Walden talks to Brody about being his running mate in the next presidential election. Photo: Kent Smith/Showtime.

Brody (Damian Lewis), who is now a Washington congressman, meets with Vice President William Walden (Jamey Sheridan), who tells him he’d like Brody to be on the short list for Vice President during Walden’s bid for the presidency in the upcoming election.

Observations:

I find it interesting that as the second season of Homeland begins, we find ourselves dealing with real life friction between Israel and Iran, political discussions about whether the United States should bend to Israel’s will, and riots over the “Innocence of Muslims” video. Homeland is nothing if not relevant in this day and age. As a matter of fact, executive producer Howard Gordon and co-creator Alex Gansa have already stated in interviews that an election may occur in the series around the same time as the American presidential election.

While things on the Brody home front appear to be going well, it’s apparent daughter Dana (Morgan Saylor) is having problems. Brody’s wife, Jessica (Morena Baccarin), blames it on teenage angst but as we see later, Dana is having trouble adjusting to her new Quaker school, especially during a discussion on what’s happening in the Middle East. It must be hard for Dana knowing her father is a Muslim when practically all of America condemns Muslims for everything even slightly terrorist-related. I like her moxie when she calls out Tad (Jacob Leinbach), a student who obviously doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It looks to me like Dana is going to play a larger part this season, carrying the burden of knowing her father is Muslim, and being a large part of the reason why Brody didn’t blow everyone to smithereens last season. So far, she’s the only person Brody can confide in…to an extent.

One of the things I like about Homeland is how they intertwine things. In “The Smile,” Dana accidentally blurts out during the Middle East discussion in school, “My father’s a Muslim,” which leads to a call home from the dean, which, in turn, leads to Jessica finding out that Dana’s statement is true. This also connects back to Walden asking Brody if there’s anything he should know about that didn’t turn up during the vetting the Vice President’s office did on Brody. This leads me to believe that somehow, the truth will come out at some point during the season, and I can’t wait to see where the writers take us after that happens.

The horror on Baccarin’s face when her character Dana learns the truth is spot on. It is a testament to Baccarin’s acting skills that the rage she exhibits is so profoundly believable. But is she playing the aggrieved wife who’s angry that her husband lied to her, or is she more concerned about what will happen to Brody’s nomination if the public, particularly Walden, finds out Brody is a practicing Muslim?

Although Carrie is supposed to avoid stress at all costs, she heeds Saul’s call and travels to Beirut to meet with the Muslim woman, who, as it turns out, is an operative Carrie pursued last year “off the books,” and the wife of a Hezbollah commander. The woman says she has information about an attack against America. I wondered how they were going to work Carrie back into the picture given how cruelly she was fired last year. I knew they’d find a way though because how else would we be privileged to watch the superb acting of this Emmy®-winning actress? Danes conveys her fears, emotions, and thoughts so beautifully when she is dragged back into the action, supposedly just for this one job. Right. And I’m the Easter Bunny. Gansa and Gordan have given several interviews about season two and admitted that Carrie and Brody’s volatile romance is “really the story we’re telling in the second season.”

As Thrilling and Addictive As Ever. Review: Homeland Season Premiere - "The Smile" 3

A brunette Carrie seeks to elude her follower in Beirut. Photo: Ronen Akerman/Showtime.

Major Joy Mendez (Valerie Cruz) is a new addition to the cast this season; she accompanies Carrie to the CIA safe house in Nicosia, Cyprus where Carrie is having trouble remembering her new identity. While Mendez is adept at handling Carrie with kid gloves, I wonder how long that will last. It’s apparent the shock therapy has affected Carrie’s memory, and once again, Saul shows how protective he is of her. I wonder how, or if, she’s going to pull this off. But don’t count Carrie out; as we see later, she successfully dodges the man who is following her, contrary to Saul’s instructions. My question is, with Carrie being out of action for so long, who is this man, and why is he following her? And how about that grin on Carrie’s face? She looks like the proverbial Cheshire cat. Looks to me like Carrie is more than ready to jump back into the fray.

As Thrilling and Addictive As Ever. Review: Homeland Season Premiere - "The Smile" 4

Reporter Roya Hamad brings Brody a message from Abu Nazir. Photo: Kent Smith/Showtime.

Back on the home front, reporter Roya Hamad (Zuleikha Robinson) uses Brody’s possible nomination as Vice President to get in to see him but what she really wants is to bring Brody a message from Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban). Once again, Nazir wants Brody to commit an act of terrorism, a thought that both terrifies and intrigues Brody. It is easy to see why Brody won the 2012 Emmy® for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. He convincingly conveys his thoughts through his facial expressions, body movements, and intensity of speech, although his “I am not a terrorist” is what brings it home. But will he access David Estes’ (David Harewood) office safe and give Hamad the codes for the potential bombing targets as requested? Brody has to choose between his loyalty to his country and his sense of obligation to Nazir. For that matter, Carrie is also conflicted between her need to stay away from the CIA and her loyalty to Saul. Two peas in a pod.

The resounding beat that plays in the background does a terrific job of lending intensity to the show. As the beat builds to a crescendo, you are left wondering whether Brody, or Carrie, will be caught. It’s a perfect tool to drive home the delicate nature of anti-terrorism.

If I had any doubt that Homeland wouldn’t come back as strong as the first season, I can now put that to rest. “The Smile” is a perfect opening for what appears to be another heart-racing, tension-filled season replete with moral equivocation and personal relationships fraught with secrets and lies. It is as addictive as ever. Are you ready for the ride? I sure am. Join me next week, and every week thereafter, and tell me what you think about the weekly episodes in the comments section below.

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!