Homeland – “The Drone Queen” & “Trylon and Perisphere” Season Premiere Review. Carrie is Back, Better than Ever.

Season 4, Episodes 1 and 2

Air Date: Sunday, October 5, 2014, 9:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“Apparently, you don’t have to be a terrorist anymore; you just have to look like one.” – Ambassador Martha Boyd

Carrie and Hank Wonham (Alex Lanipekun) watch the bombing.

With the hanging death of Lt. Nicholas Brody (Damien Lewis) in last season’s finale, I, along with many other critics and fans, had doubts whether the new season of Homeland would be as good as the show’s Golden Globe® and Emmy® winning seasons of the past. After all, Brody, who was a fan favorite, was hardly seen in season three, and now, of course, he’s dead. So the question on everyone’s mind has been whether Carrie Mathison (Emmy® winner Claire Danes) could carry the show on her own. After watching screeners of the first three episodes, I can confidently say, “The soap opera feel is gone, and yes, she can.” Most people thought this politically charged series revolved around Brody, with Carrie playing second fiddle. For me, though, Homeland is, and has always been, a series about Carrie. In the beginning, she had to prove her conviction that Brody was a homegrown terrorist, something no one believed because he came home a hero after surviving years as Abu Nazir’s hostage. Later, in season two, Carrie was inextricably drawn to Brody and the two became lovers. And in season three, Carrie was outed by Saul (Mandy Patinkin) as a manic depressive after Langley was bombed, and then used to bring Brody back after he went on the run. We left her a broken woman, devastated by the loss of the one man who understood and loved her, and pregnant with his child.

The fourth season premiere of Homeland is action-packed and hits you right in the face from its opening moments. Mimicking real life, Carrie, now the CIA station head in Kabul, Afghanistan, makes a critical decision about bombing a farmhouse where terrorist leader Haissam Haqqani (Numan Acar), an American-trained Afghani who is high on the Americans’ “hit list,” is supposed to be. Unfortunately, Carrie does this without much relevant information, although her source seems solid. It is this decision and its fallout that drives this season of Homeland.

After watching “The Drone Queen,” I found myself asking, ‘Who is this Carrie?’ At times, she acts like a robot who goes about her duties without much thought. She expresses no emotions whatsoever when a normal person would. Who or what does Carrie see when she looks in the mirror? We learn why she takes the post in Kabul rather than the one in Istanbul. What mother wouldn’t want her love child with her? Is she so unhinged, unable, or just unwilling to care for her daughter Franny? In “Trylon and Perisphere,” she can barely stand to be in Franny’s presence, let alone feed or bathe her. Is it because Franny reminds her so much of what she’s lost in her life? Instead, Carrie leaves Franny’s upbringing to her most capable sister Maggie (Amy Hargreaves)—for the time being, that is. Some of the best dialogue and acting occurs during Maggie and Carrie’s scenes. The emotions expressed by both are extremely realistic. On a side note, I was a bit freaked out by how much Franny looks like her father.

Quinn is way out of control.

Returning this season are Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend), who becomes haunted by the events of “The Drone Queen,” as well as his past wrong-doings; Saul Berenson, who struggles to adjust to his new role working for a private military firm; and Dar Adal (F. Murray Abraham), Saul’s friend and confidant. Saul is also dealing with his wife Mira (Sarita Choudhury), who isn’t happy with the way Saul is handling both his job and their marriage. Neither is his boss.

Tracy Letts returns as CIA Director Andrew Lockhart, and he is as dishonest and corrupt as ever. In the second half of Homeland’s season premiere, we learn Lockhart has a secret he would rather not become public, something Carrie learns from talking to Jordan Harris (Adam Godley), a displaced CIA operative. When Lockhart’s secret comes to light, which it inevitably will, something tells me Saul won’t remain in the private sector for long. Or perhaps that’s just wishful thinking on my part.

“The Drone Queen” introduces us to Sandy Bachman (Corey Stoll), Carrie’s counterpart in Islamabad. He’s the man who gives Carrie the intel for the bombing, and avoids answering Ambassador Martha Boyd’s (Laila Robins) questions about what went wrong. He too has a lot of secrets to hide.

Aayan will never be the same.

Also new to Homeland is a young Pakistani medical student, Aayan Ibrahim (Suraj Sharma), who plays a large role this season. His family suffers the consequences of the bombing, the scenes of which are brutal. It is impossible not to empathize with Aayan as he searches through the rubble and dead bodies for his sister and mother. At first, it appears Aayan wants no part of the politicking surrounding the deadly affair; however, I have a feeling that will change, and it is this plot point that is most interesting. Like it did with Brody, Homeland needs to make Aayan a character that the audience can relate to despite his terrorist leanings. If the first three episodes of the season are any example, Homeland hits its mark.

Noticeably absent are Brody’s wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin), their daughter Dana (Morgan Saylor)—thank heavens!—and son Chris (Jackson Pace). Let’s face it, Chris never played a major part in the series; Dana’s story line was extremely boring and annoying; and Jessica…well, without Brody, I can’t imagine how executive producer/writer Alex Ganza could have written her in, or why he would have wanted to. Excess baggage all.

Dar Adal shares some interesting information with Saul.

The two-hour season premiere of Homeland’s fourth season ends with Carrie on a plane, headed to her new post overseas. An unseen voice asks if she needs anything, to which she responds, “I’m fine…I’m fine.” While the first “I’m fine” answers the person’s question, the second one, voiced in a gloomier tone, sounds more like Carrie is trying to convince herself she’s fine. Carrie is, and has always been, a flawed character, and one that Danes portrays extremely well. While seemingly, she has her shit together, the mere fact that she willingly takes posts in war-torn countries to avoid caring for Franny speaks volumes about just how damaged Carrie truly is. So, is she really “fine?” I’m not so sure. What I do know is Homeland is back and it’s better than ever. Sharp writing, great cinematography, superior acting by all, and terrific direction by Lesli Linka Glatter in episode one and Keith Gordon in episode two. So far, I’d say Homeland is, once again, an exciting, tension-filled series worth watching.

I’d love to discuss Homeland 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!