Homeland on Showtime

Seen the pilot, it's very very very very good. Easily the best show this fall, and probably all season (unless Awake or Alcatraz exceed expectations).

Danes is astonishing.

Really glad to hear this is worth watching. Love me some Damian Lewis, and after Life got the shaft (ugh! what were they thinking?), I'm hoping this turns into something special and long running. Or a one and done that stays strong throughout its entire, single run season.

Watched the pilot episode last night and I'm in.   Reminds me alot of "24" in a good way.    I'm hoping there's going to be some twists and turns and that it's not going to be as straight forward as POW=Terrorist.   That might get a bit boring.  I can see the whole family subplot threaten to derail things a bit but I'm hoping it's either handled where it feeds into the main storyline or it's super background stuff.   Anyway a great start.   Really anxious with where this is going.

I really loved this. Always liked Damian Lewis so it's good to see him in something worthwhile (just couldn't get into Life). Claire Danes is the real revelation though. I wonder how this storyline can sustain an entire series, it seems more like a movie plot than a television show. I'm interested to see where it goes.

I almost didn't recognize Mandy Patinkin.

Really laid out a solid foundation in just an hour. Like the idea that Lewis may not necessarily be turned, but he's still severely fucked up.

Good to see David Marciano pop up. Hope he'll be reoccurring.

Hells yeah, everyone is focusing on Lewis/Danes/Baccarin/Patinkin, but we've got motherfuckin STEVE BILLINGS/RAY VECCHIO in there. Loves me some Marciano.

The Manchurian Candidate: Season One. 

Very interesting so far. Really like Danes in this.

I would have prefered more of a mystery instead of the big reveal at the finale but this show, after the pilot, has become must see tv. Love the hell out of just about every aspect of it. I want to know more about everything, this is what a pilot should leave you with.

Side note... Holy fuck morena baccarin nipples!!!! ... I swear not the only reason I've watch the pilot 5 times... I love DVR

I've got the pilot on my DVR to watch. The show looked awesome so I'm glad to hear it is.

Only thing I don't like about it is the "we need to make him a millitary hero".  Even assuming that in the fictional universe of homeland that voters continued with a Bush type presidency there only so much to be gained from military heros.  How much did we see of Jessica Lynch after about the first month after her rescue?

Jessica Lynch wasn't missing for 8 years.

Damn, Danes kicks metric fuck-tons of ass in this. And looks fabulous to boot. Helped by everyone else of course. Even the kids are good.

This seems so far above the other new shows this year. It will probably get cancelled.

Nope, the premiere got great ratings for Showtime, and helped Dexter premiere big too. This is sticking around.

Cool.

This show is fantastic. I feel like I've been teleported back to the 70s when they made these cool, heady spy/espionage mystery thrillers. Lewis is just selling it and, while it's still weird for me to hear Claire Danes say 'Fuck', her character's great. I love Lewis' stuff, but Danes' scenes keep me occupied; I'm trying to figure her out more than I'm trying to figure out his. This show will make up for the whole cancelling of Rubicon.

And Mandy Patinkin. I'm curious, too: what exactly does he do there? I know he gave a glib answer to the judge when getting the warrant, but is he an actual CIA member or some consultant?

As for last night's episode. I feel so sorry for Danes' operative, she's out there all alone. The Muslim reveal at the end wasn't so far out of line, he was in captivity for so long he'd do anything to survive, but it just felt so...eerie. The way they shot it. A taste of things to come.

Aah, this show. It makes me happy.

Danes' operative is a dead woman, it just seems so obvious at this point. I hope they go in a different direction.

A naked direction, hopefully.

Yup, Danes' swallow (a female asset in a sexual relationship with a target) might as well be wearing a red shirt.

Definitely on board this, for the duration. Because, damn, that is a good fucking thriller.

I can see them turning the swallow (nice one, stelios) into a double agent, so she's spying on those who would spy against her "owners". Nazir has always been spotted by her, it'd be a shame to waste such a good plot point on killing her and forgetting about her in a few episodes. Although, I'm totally on board for anything that the writers want to do.

Anyone seen the original series? Wondering how this fares alongside that.

To be fair, swallow is actually KGB rather than CIA terminology but I don't know the equivalent term.

Blame it on a the inordinate amount of Le Carre, Deighton and Ludlum books I've read.

Just caught up... if I'd known how good it was, or how much nudity it had, I'd have watched sooner! :)

Danes and her character are stealing the show so far. Lewis is great, but I can't remember the last time I saw a female character this interesting. They are completely unflinching in how messy they're portraying her. Unless Lewis tries to bomb something, he'll remain the 2nd-most fucked-up character on this show.

She's refreshingly fucked up. Especially for a lead character in a show played by a high profile actress. In a show where "Look at how fucked up this guy is" isn't ostensibly its point, this is super rare.

She's a schizophrenic, which kind of makes her the ultimate unreliable narrator. She outright blackmails the only actually friendly person towards her. She immediately throws herself at her mentor once he catches her red handed. She's an asshole to everyone all the time. 

I was really knocked out by this: far less predictable and more complicated than I'd expected (any other show I'd be certain that the escort/asset was already dead, but I'm actually wondering if they have something else up their sleeve).

Danes is truly sensational, but I'm also impressed with the grace notes that Lewis brings to his performance: the crazed look on his face as he dismisses "Uncle Mike," or the flat, scary transformation in his voice when he starts intoning his Muslim prayers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Murder 

A naked direction, hopefully.

Homeland delivers, and it delivers quickly. God bless this show.

Nice twist with the necklace. And some Brody/Mike drama for next week too. Still the best thriller on TV by far.

So how long before Carrie is fucking Brody?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Murder 

So how long before Carrie is fucking Brody?

Not a direction I expected them to take (and still kind of don't), but these first four episodes have sold me completely on this show. For anyone interested, I reviewed it over at Guy.com today. This is definitely my favorite new series this fall.

(And, boy, do I love how much screen time Billings from The Shield is getting here. Love that dude.)

Well said Zak/Bob

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Murder 

Well said Zak/Bob

Thanks, Doc. Appreciate you taking the time.

Definitely wasn't expecting that. I really want to see what's going to happen now. But, does anyone else feel like the show is toning Carrie's rough edges down a bit?

Not really. If she were constantly screwing over her bosses, it'd be unrealistic for her to still have a job. Seeing her a little more collected and charismatic helps show why these people liked her in the first place. The dichotomy probably also fits well with a person with her mental disorder.

Plus, arranging a meeting with your primary suspect is fucked up enough to cover the entire episode. 

This is a great show... My favorite at the moment - together with "Strikeback" (showtime) which just ended. The two shows could not be more different, but both are great in their own ways.

More people should be watching this - it's far and away the best thing on right now. Are people scared of Mandy Patinkin's beard?

It has been renewed, so I expect interest to really pick up when the plebes discover it on DVD. :)

Patinkin was stellar during the interrogation scene.

"A religious man and a torturer. What are you? Catholic?"

Yeah, the interrogation scene was awesome. They're making Estes to be quite a buffoon sadly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Murder 

So how long before Carrie is fucking Brody?

I know it didn't exactly take a psychic to see, but... CALLED IT. This is going to get messed up.

Oh shit. This show just keeps getting better and better. I should have waited for the season to end and watch it all back to back.

But if that thing in the preview was an actual spoiler instead of a bait and switch, they can go fuck themselves with a shovel.

So, what do we think? Is Patinkin the mole, or is Brody? 

Hard to imagine Brody is a terrorist unless they resolve his character this season. I do like the angle of him possibly turning into a Manchurian Candidate. So, that leaves Saul. They have been laying it on quite thick, and I can't think of a valid reason why he would want to betray the US... 

I'm going to go with Saul or even Estes over Brody.

Saul makes no sense as a terrorist. None. I don't even understand the theory.

The thing with Brody is: if he's not a terrorist, where do they go with him next season? While the story of a soldier dealing with 8 years of captivity and torture could be an interesting story on its own, it's not really what this show is about. If he's not a terrorist, his relation to the rest of the show ends.

My prediction: Brody was "turned", but is essentially "turned back" by season's end, allowing him to operate as a double-agent and asset for the CIA.

Having only seen the pilot and last night's ep, my guess is that Brody is not a terrorist and the season ends with a major attack that he could've stopped if his PTSD/Stockholm Syndrome didn't prevent him from acting, and that Carrie missed because of her obsession with Brody.  Thus setting the stage for them to team up to track down those responsible in season 2. 

It'd be cool if they did something less predictable with it, but I just don't think you can do a full season of the is he/isn't he thing and have it turn out that yep, he's a terrorist after all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Farsight 

Saul makes no sense as a terrorist. None. I don't even understand the theory.

 

My prediction: Brody was "turned", but is essentially "turned back" by season's end, allowing him to operate as a double-agent and asset for the CIA.

Really? The "legendary" old hand who's stuck in middle management, answering to people clearly less capable than him, being a mole, for any kind of reasons, is almost a spy fiction cliche. 

It could also be that second thing you said. But despite what the show would have you believe, it doesn't feel to me like Brody is acting like any sort of Manchurian candidate. More fucked up than brainwashed.

Finally, I thought I was of an age where I would stop having on screen crushes. But Danes is goddamn ridiculous in this.

Man this thread needs more bumps to remind people that there is some fucking awsome television out there.

I also think Brody is turned but will be turned back towards the end by Danes. Together they rush to stop the attack but too late.

Maybe season 2 will have Brody on the run with only Danes on his side, the two of them secretly communicating as they try to stop the bigger attack or some shit like that.

Sounds great to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stelios 

Really? The "legendary" old hand who's stuck in middle management, answering to people clearly less capable than him, being a mole, for any kind of reasons, is almost a spy fiction cliche. 

 

It could also be that second thing you said. But despite what the show would have you believe, it doesn't feel to me like Brody is acting like any sort of Manchurian candidate. More fucked up than brainwashed.

 

Finally, I thought I was of an age where I would stop having on screen crushes. But Danes is goddamn ridiculous in this.

You're point about Saul is spot on, I'm just worried the show would lose an incredible presence in the form of Patinkin. Aside from the two leads, he's the only clear standout in the supporting cast for my money. I would hate to lose that going forward. 

Oh yeah, losing Patinkin would suck. A lot.