I have loved Homeland since the very beginning. Season 1 was a masterpiece of masterfully plotted tension and drama and even though only parts of Season 2 and 3 lived up to the freshman season's lofty heights, it was still one of the top television shows of each year.
A lot of people have said that Season 4 was a "resurgence" of some sort, but I think Homeland has constantly been on that same great footing all along. Eliminating the character of "Nicholas Brody" at the end of last season was a risky move, but the show needed to do so in order to move on. Season 4 revolves around among many things such as, "Carrie" receiving faulty information on the whereabouts of a known terrorist, the aftermath of acting on that knowledge, the search for the suspected terrorist, the tension between the US Embassy and Pakistan Intelligence, and the ongoing war between the U.S.A. and Pakistan itself.
While there are plenty of thrilling action scenes and tense set pieces throughout (which Homeland always delivers in spades), my favourite episodes were the more personal ones mostly focusing on "Carrie." "Carrie Mathison" has always been one of the most fascinating characters on television and Claire Danes has always been fearless in portraying her. The choices "Carrie" makes may not always seem like the smartest ones, but they're riveting to see unfold and Danes has always been up to the challenge. Whether it be confronting her fears over raising a child who she may not feel any real connection with, to (once again) seducing an asset into giving up crucial information, to severely tripping on hallucinogenic drugs (with a surprise hallucination forming to boot), to confronting a woman from her past on abandonment, Claire Danes has been nothing short of riveting, heartbreaking, resilient and extremely vulnerable. My admiration grows for her each episode, as well as the not too shabby cast around her. Mandy Patinkin does devastating work as "Saul", Rupert Friend brings some surprising layers to "Peter Quinn," Amy Hargreaves shines in her few scenes as "Carrie's" sister "Maggie," Laila Robins brings fierce determination to "United States Ambassador Martha Boyd" and Tracy Letts continuing his great work as "Senator Lockhart." Season 4 also showed us some teeth grinding worthy villains in Mark Moses' treacherous "Dennis Boyd" and Nimrat Kaur as "Tasneem Quereshi," a devious woman withiin Pakistani Intelligence.
Overall I would place Homeland's fourth season right behind it's first and right above it's second. Even though nothing can compare to season two's three gut punch episodes in a row ("State of Independence, New Car Smell and Q&A, which when put together could equal one amazing movie.") I am looking forward to where the show goes in season 5. The ending provided a way for some excellent stories to be told, and I can't wait!
Homeland, Season 4 - A
My Favourite Episodes: Trylon and Perisphere, From A to B and Back Again, Redux, Halfway to a Donut, There's Something Else Going On, 13 Hours in Islamabad, Long Time Coming
I have never had an affair (unless you count a forbidden food one with spaghetti countless nights after I've made a big batch,) nor have I ever known anyone to take part in one. I don't think I would want to and considering the ramifications, it blows my mind why anyone would want to make that destructive decision. The Affair details the consequences of these actions tragically, and so beautifully, while offering us a choice of who's sordid story is the one to believe.
The series revolves around two people: "Noah Solloway," a struggling writer who is also a school teacher, and "Alison Lockhart (nee Bailey)," a waitress. "Noah" is married to "Helen," who he married in college, and has four kids with. "Alison" is trying to come to terms with the death of her child four years prior, while struggling with her marriage to "Cole." Their two worlds collide when "Noah," with family in tow, goes to spend the summer at "Helen's" parents' house in Montauk, Long Island. They decide to stop in at the restaurant where "Alison" works for lunch. While there, "Noah's" daughter begins to choke on a marble and he manages to save her while "Alison" has an emotional reaction to the whole situation. Or does she?
Part of The Affair's structure is that "Noah" and "Alison" offer different viewpoints of how things happened each day. In "Alison's" version of the first time they meet, she doesn't have quite the emotional reaction to the choking. She is the one who gives "Noah" the advice to help dislodge the marble from his daughter's throat. It's these different versions of events that keep us guessing throughout the ten episodes and adds some extra mystery to the proceedings. What we do find out is "Noah" and "Alison" are both being interrogated by the same detective for a crime that has been committed and it's interesting and fun trying to decipher who may or may not be telling the truth.
The cast is uniformly great with Dominic West and Ruth Wilson's extraordinary performances leading the way. Maura Tierney and Joshua Jackson also shine very brightly, as well as the rest of the supporting cast. We get to delve quite extensively into the immediate families, and all actors within are up to the challenge.
I loved how the ten episodes spooled out, the suggestions and new information flowing at a great pace giving us lots to digest and mull over in our minds. The multiple (and I do mean multiple) sex scenes are also quite hot and filmed with the right amount of smoldering passion, sexiness, and slight awkwardness. The chemistry between all the actors is quite palpable.
I am so happy Showtime renewed it, what with the ratings not being the highest in terms of viewers. The Affair is a dense, challenging, sexy, multiple layered show that deserves to be watched. I can't wait to see where the second season will take us.
The Affair - Season 1: A
My Favourite Episodes: 1, 7, 8, 9, 10
No comments:
Post a Comment