Homeland – “Shalwar Kameez” Review. Carrie 2.0.

Season 4, Episode 3

Air Date: Sunday, October 12, 2014, 9:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

Carrie does a good job of eluding her bodyguards.

When we last saw Carrie (Claire Danes), she was on a plane, headed for her new station in Islamabad courtesy of CIA Director Lockhart (Tracy Letts). She has one goal in mind—to find out why Sandy Bachman (Corey Stoll) was publicly beaten to death, who his informant was, and to figure out the scale of treason committed by both Sandy and Lockhart. She is a woman with a mission, and this is why we love her. Gone is the bipolar Carrie (although we do see her taking her meds), the lovesick Carrie, and the panic stricken Carrie. Instead, we have a strong woman who knows what she wants and will do whatever she needs to get it done. Hello, Carrie Mathison 2.0.

As much as Carrie was beloved by her staff in Kabul, nothing could be further from the truth at her new post in Islamabad. John Redmond (Michael O’Keefe), who was originally tapped to be Islamabad’s new station chief after Bachman’s murder, is particularly angry about losing the job to Carrie and doing everything he can to undermine her. He knows she didn’t get the position by simply saying “Please.” I got a particular kick out of him calling Carrie “little lady.” Carrie is anything but. Oscar® nominated O’Keefe is a great addition to the cast of Homeland. Carrie is going to have to work hard to gain Redmond’s trust, which presents a new conundrum for her. She’s always had Saul (Mandy Patinkin) and Quinn (Rupert Friend) to back her up, but that is no longer the case…yet.

Carrie discusses what to do next with Fara and Max in their new secret office.

Quinn, still reeling from past events—and drunk most of the time—wants out of the CIA. His non-response when asked whether he and Carrie are romantically involved is quite telling. Leaving the CIA permanently isn’t that easy though, especially if Dar Adal (F. Murray Abraham) has anything to say about it. What I don’t understand about “Shalwar Kameez” is why the writers drive home this supposed romantic connection so much. It is mentioned several times throughout the episode. Is Homeland going to replace the Brody/Carrie relationship with a Quinn/Carrie relationship? I’m not sure how I feel about that. I like Carrie the way she is now. But Carrie is Carrie, and she’s not above using Quinn’s feelings for her to get him to join her in Islamabad. Friend does an excellent job conveying Quinn’s emotions in “Shalwar Kameez,” especially when he watches the video of Sandy’s death on his laptop, over and over again. He is visibly shaken; guilt is written all over his face—until he sees something that has a profound effect on him and may provide the answers Carrie is looking for.

I feel sorry for Quinn’s landlady (Emily Walker) with the way Quinn treats her. It’s obvious she has feelings for him, and has been doing everything she can to connect with him on a deeper level, but he is downright rude to her after Dar Adal’s visit. It’s a shame Quinn doesn’t realize her worth. On a side note, it’s nice to see Homeland casting the landlady role with a plus-size woman rather than the usual size 0 actresses we see these days. For a little known actress, Walker does a fine job with her role; she never hesitates during her sex scenes with Friend.

Fara tries to convince Aayan to talk to her.

The smartest thing Carrie does in “Shalwar Kameez” is set up a second station with Max (Maury Sterling) and Fara Sherazi (Nazanin Boniadi), the London reporter Carrie tasks with making contact with Aayan Ibrahim (Suraj Sharma). We all know Carrie couldn’t care less what her superiors want or think. She’s fine with coloring outside the lines and knows she needs people she can trust. But Fara fails with her mission so Carrie must step in. It’s obvious how much Carrie loves the thrill and excitement of being out in the field. I think she misses that with her new position.

Saul accompanies Islamabad’s new security team to the embassy, which doesn’t sit well with Carrie. She’s afraid people will think she called him for help with her new position. While there, though, Carrie isn’t above asking him for help in getting Ambassador Martha Boyd (Laila Robins) to lift the embassy lockdown. “Done,” Saul responds. Saul cracks me up at times. Things that seem unsurmountable to others are nothing more than a piece of cake for him. Patinkin absolutely shines in “Shalwar Kameez” and I can’t wait for him to join Carrie in Islamabad. You know that’s going to happen, right? Let’s just hope he continues to let Carrie take the lead. The student has out surpassed the teacher at this point.

Carrie and Martha forge a new relationship.

Carrie takes Saul’s advice, befriending Martha and learning a tidbit about why Saul has such a close relationship with her. This sheds a whole new light on how helpful Saul could possibly be in Islamabad, despite Carrie insisting he return home. I’m looking forward to this budding relationship between Carrie and Martha. It will be interesting to see whether these two strong women will be able to work together.

Overall

“Shalwar Kameez” does a good job of moving this season’s story lines ahead, and cementing Homeland as appointment TV once again. I wonder how much trouble Redmon is going to be for Carrie. He’s a drunk, and that leads me to question why. Has he always been like this or did he begin drinking after Bachman was killed? Does he feel guilty, and if so, why? What exactly does he, or anyone else in Islamabad for that matter, know about the incident? There’s a lot more to be learned here. But perhaps the most important part of the episode comes at the end with Quinn’s discovery. How will Quinn find out who the mysterious man in the video is and what role he played in Bachman’s death? I can’t wait to find out.

What did you think of “Shalwar Kameez?” I’d love to discuss it with you so leave me a comment below or hit me up on Twitter @SeasideTV.

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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!