Suspicions Abound as Polygraphs are Passed. Review: Homeland - "The Good Soldier"

Review: Homeland – “The Good Soldier,” S1, E6

Air Date: Sunday, November 6, 2011, 10:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

Is Brody (Damian Lewis) really ‘the good soldier’ as the title of this episode leads us to believe? Maybe. Maybe not. But with the myriad of twists and turns in “The Good Soldier,” who am I to say?

After repeatedly watching the tape of Brody’s fight with Hamid (Hrach Titizian), Carrie (Claire Danes) suggests the only way to uncover the person responsible for slipping Hamid the razor fragment is to have the 11 people who came in contact with him undergo a lie detector test, including herself. We get some pretty interesting results, some expected, some unexpected. The other large part of this episode is Brody’s eulogy for his former partner, Tom Walker, and the reception at his home following the funeral.

Suspicions Abound as Polygraphs are Passed. Review: Homeland - "The Good Soldier" 1

Jessica and Brody sit in the church during Walker's funeral

First of all, is that the strangest eulogy you’ve ever seen? I understand why Brody struggles to find the right words, given that his flashbacks indicate he’s the one responsible for Walker’s demise. But still…calling out the individual members of the team isn’t what I would expect from my husband’s partner. The most interesting thing happens in Brody’s back yard when Lauder (Marc Menchaca), a hobbled, disgrunted member of the team, calls Brody out for being the poster boy for recruitment—“Exactly when did wild man Brody become a dick-sucking war hero?”—and then goes on to enlighten everyone about Faber’s (Diego Klattenhoff) relationship with Brody’s wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin). Why does Faber throw the first punch at Lauder and not Brody? Shouldn’t a husband protect a wife’s reputation? Also, why does Brody wait until he sees Jessica before jumping into the fray? Is it just for show? Does he really care about Jessica, or does he use the opportunity to legitimately unleash his rage on Faber?

About the polygraph tests—everyone passes with flying colors! That almost never happens! I know Saul (Mandy Patinkin) fails his first test, but I’m thinking he does it on purpose to give himself enough time to take, say, a Valium to calm his nerves before taking the second test. Patinkin’s acting is incredible. The ease with which he transitions from steely calm to ripping the polygraph leads off his body, is amazing.

Suspicions Abound as Polygraphs are Passed. Review: Homeland - "The Good Soldier" 2

A very stoic Mandy Patinkin as Saul as he unwillingly answers Larry's (James Urbaniack) questions

And what the hell is Carrie thinking by telling Brody what the lie detector analyst, played brilliantly by James Urbaniack, is going to ask—to say nothing of the wild sex she and Brody have in the car? As a seasoned CIA operative, she knows full well what the consequences of her actions will be if uncovered. Here’s a thought for you — could Carrie and Brody be in this together? An interesting piece of her past is revealed when she confesses to Brody that while in Iraq, she “wasn’t exactly faithful over there” to her boyfriend. Did someone turn her? Have the writers conveniently left out the fact that Carrie and Brody connected over there? Maybe this is a set-up for them to uncover the real POW who was turned. Why else would she risk her job like that? After all, she gets into Brody’s car after the polygraph on CIA grounds where anyone could see them. And in the promo for next week’s “The Weekend,” it looks to me like they’re celebrating him passing the test. Of course, things are never what they appear in most promos. Just a thought, people, just a thought.

It seems to me Homeland is going out of its way to convince us Saul is the mole. In my experience, once a show does that, it never turns out to be that person. After all, we’re only halfway through the season. So I’m going to offer up yet another scenario. Could Estes (David Harewood) be the mole? He was in the interrogation room with Brody and Hamid. And didn’t I see him put something, maybe the razor, on the table just as Brody jumped Hamid? Maybe he’s the English-speaking man who commanded Faisel’s (Omid Abtahi) girlfriend (Marin Ireland) to put out the American flag in “Semper I.” Also, did he assign Danny Galvez (Hrach Titizian) to keep an eye on Carrie so he’d know how close she was to revealing him as the mole? Isn’t he the most unlikely suspect? Just sayin’… try it on for size and let me know what you think.

I’m so confused! And kudos to Homeland for making that happen! I hate when I’m able to figure out ‘whodunit,’ in a manner of speaking. However, for the first time since Homeland began, this episode is a bit predictable. I knew from the moment Faisel’s girlfriend sees a tire track in the road leading to the safe house, someone would be out to kill them. And once Carrie uncovers her identity—she’s Aileen Margaret Morgan, the daughter of a rich man who lived in Saudi Arabia for five years—you know it’s only a matter of time before the CIA catches her (as we see in the promo). As Carrie asks, “What happened Aileen? What did you see?”

I have one final question: why is it Brody screws Carrie with so much passion but he can hardly even look at his wife? It’s not like Jessica isn’t trying. Cue cliché scene with her fixing Brody’s tie prior to Walker’s funeral.

Homeland continues to wow me with its great writing, acting and thrilling plot lines. It’s mesmerizing and addictive, and a wonderful character study. Thankfully, “The Good Soldier” does away with the ‘is he or isn’t he’ question by throwing suspicions on Saul. Staying with that theme could deflate the show so I’m glad the powers-that-be recognize the need to lead us somewhere else. The question now is, is Saul really the mole we’re being led to believe he is? Or is it someone else? Gotta love the intrigue in this show!

Tune in to Homeland, Sundays at 10:00 pm ET/PT only on Showtime. Follow Homeland on Twitter @sho_homeland and Like the show on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/HomelandOnShowtime.

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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!