Warning: Slight spoilers discussed
I’ve now seen the Homeland pilot twice and I’m happy to report it’s just as good the second time. If you like tense, political thrillers this show is for you. If you like family drama, this show is for you. If you like twisty, intricate plotting this show is for you. I think you get my drift: this show is for you. I won’t give too much away but I’ll tell you some of the things I think you’ll love about this show.
1. The actors. You had me at Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, and Mandy Patinkin. I will always love and respect Claire Danes because of My So Called Life. I love the career choices she’s made since then and I’m really happy to see her back on the small screen after last year’s excellent Temple Grandin. I’ve enjoyed Damian Lewis since Band of Brothers. I wasn’t that into Life, but I thought he was the best thing about it. And on a totally shallow note I think he’s one hot ginger. And Mandy Patinkin. I think he’s incredibly talented and I always love his role choices. I know I’d better mention Morena Baccarin too. I never watched V so I know and love her from Firefly. All these actors play complex, interesting people. They each have something to hide (well, maybe Mandy Patinkin’s Saul Berenson doesn’t but it’s still early) and I’m so excited to see where things go.
2. The premise. Sometimes I want my entertainment to be mindless fun but sometimes I want it to make me think. Sometimes I want it to challenge what I think I know. Sometimes I want it to make me question what I think I know about the world. Homeland does all that and more. And to make it even more interesting, we’ve got two unreliable narrators in Carrie Anderson and Nicholas Brody. You can never know if Claire Danes’ Carrie Anderson or Damian Lewis’ Sgt. Nicholas Brody are telling the whole truth. It’s clear they both have something to hide and for whatever reason they each need to keep things hidden. I’m sure the truth will eventually come out. Until then, I’m very happy to be along for this ride.
3. The network. I really like the kind of storytelling Showtime is doing right now. They’ve got a lot of smart people working for them and it shows in the quality of their shows. With dramas like Dexter, Nurse Jackie (yep, I consider this a drama), Shameless, and now Homeland I think Showtime is taking some great creative risks. I know it’ll payoff for them and for us.
p.s. The one-sheet for this show (the picture at the top), is one of the best I’ve seen for any drama. I think it tells you exactly what to expect from this show.
Homeland airs Sundays at 10/9 c.
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