Brody Revealed! Review: Homeland - "New Car Smell"

Homeland, S2 E4 – “New Car Smell”

Air Date: Sunday, October 22, 2012, 10:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

Brody Revealed! Review: Homeland - "New Car Smell" 1

Brody can’t believe his eyes when he sees Carrie outside the CIA building.

OK, so Saul (Mandy Patinkin) doesn’t keep Brody’s (Damian Lewis) confession tape a secret, like I surmised he might do last week. Instead, he shows it to Estes (David Harewood) and, together, they hatch a plan to thwart any Jihadist plot Brody might be involved in. But things don’t go as expected in “New Car Smell,” and by the end, Brody is outed for the terrorist he is. Could Homeland move any faster?

Observations:

Really, Brody, did you think an “espresso and an apology” would make everything better with Jessica (Morena Baccarin)? Baccarin steps up her game in “New Car Smell.” The look on her face, coupled with the sadness in her eyes, as she gives Brody one more chance to come clean—to tell her something, anything, true about his life—is spot on. But then, I wondered whether it’s the untruths between them, or her feelings for Mike (Diego Klattenhoff), that are the real reason behind Jessica telling Brody to “pack a bag.”

Speaking of Mike, Jessica turns to him for help when Lauder (Marc Menchaca) shows up on her doorstep, drunk as usual, and she’s unable to get in touch with Brody. How convenient that Mike’s always available when Jessica needs him. Lauder is closer to the truth about Brody than anyone knows. You can almost see the light bulb go off in Mike’s head when Lauder tells him his idea about Brody and Walker’s (Chris Chalk) partnership.

Kudos to Harewood for effectively displaying disbelief on Estes’ face when he watches Brody’s tape. An acting coach would be wise to use this scene to teach the proper response to an unbelievable discovery. While Estes is concerned about losing his job for not informing Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan) about the tape, he has to see the truth in what Saul tells him. At least he realizes Carrie (Claire Danes) was right all along. I wonder if this means Carrie will be getting her job at the CIA back, although with her screw-up at Brody’s hotel bar, it seems highly unlikely. But does Carrie botch the mission accidentally, or is confronting Brody in his hotel room her original intention? I haven’t a clue.

Brody Revealed! Review: Homeland - "New Car Smell" 2

Carrie and Peter work together as they track Brody.

There’s a new cast member in the form of Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend), who’s supposed to help spy on Brody. A handsome former CIA analyst who’s “running things,” he sets up Carrie to run into Brody at the CIA office. The banter between Carrie and Peter is interesting; it’s obvious Carrie is intrigued by Peter, although she doesn’t quite trust him. The way they speak to each other is akin to an adorable cat and mouse game, and I’m interested to see where this new relationship will go. Could this be a new love interest for Carrie?

I must take exception to Peter’s statement that “there’s no good Indian food” in Philly. As a native of the City of Brotherly Love, I know this is not true!

I’m happy to see Virgil (David Marciano) and Max (Maury Sterling) back in action, now that they’re part of the team charged with tailing Brody 24/7. I’m also happy that Carrie is trusting her instincts again when she tells Virgil to find out everything he can about Peter. She may be acting all cutesy around Peter, but Carrie is nobody’s fool. With Peter being Estes’ man, if he turns out to be a bad guy, what does that say about Estes? Could he be the mole after all?

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Dana takes pleasure in putting Vice President Walden in his place when he criticizes his son Finn.

I love how Dana puts Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan) in his place when he criticizes his son Finn (Timothee Chalamet) during her study hour with him. Dana is one smart cookie, and I think the VP knows she’s quite the little spitfire. I like the way the writers are treating the relationship among Dana, Finn, and Dana’s boyfriend Xander (Taylor Kowalski). Dana and Finn are moving slowly, and it’s refreshing to see that not every teenager is willing to jump into bed at the first opportunity. Sooner rather than later, Dana is going to have to make up her mind about which guy she wants to date. My vote is for Finn. He brings much more to the show than Xander does. Of course, with Brody being outed, the Vice President might have a problem with a relationship between Finn and Dana. I can’t say I would blame him.

Baccarin isn’t the only one who deserves recognition for “New Car Smell,” as Danes does a fabulous job when Carrie “accidentally” runs into Brody outside the CIA. The dialogue in this scene is perfect, as is Danes’ delivery. That’s not to say this is the only scene where Danes excels. She does that throughout the entire episode!

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Carrie and Brody’s chemistry knocks the socks off me.

There are also several amazing scenes between Carrie and Brody. This is the first time since last season’s finale that we’ve seen these two together, and Danes and Lewis’ chemistry is as good as ever, if not better. Of course, having great dialogue helps.

I must applaud Lewis in particular for the way he plays Brody when Carrie tells him she knows about the tape. He acts like a wild animal that’s been cornered, eyes furtively darting back and forth as he searches for some way out. And as he regains his composure, it’s almost like he’s bragging when he says, “I seem to be good at this…if nothing else.” So now, I have a few questions: How is the CIA going to deal with Brody going forward? Will Carrie be reinstated at the CIA, or will she be sent to the sidelines again because she didn’t follow orders? How will Brody’s family deal with the news when they find out? From the looks of next week’s episode, it appears the family, among others, will be kept in the dark.

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!