Did you watch Homeland last night? If not, beware of spoilers…
First of all, I’d like to get out of the way how much I dislike Dana. I put a very scientific straw poll out on Twitter last night and found that pretty much everyone feels the same way. She might be one of the least liked characters on television right now. She is so whingey and self-centered and what is up with her taking all the naked selfies? That is definitely going to come back to haunt her, although I’m not sure I care enough about her to wonder how. She featured heavily in last night’s episode, which put a bit of a downer on the whole thing.
Far more interesting were the plots around Carrie, who was forcibly locked away in a psych ward to stop her from talking to a reporter, the new character, Farah, who I hope will become a regular on the show as I’m sure she’s going to have a great back story, and Quinn. I didn’t really bond with Quinn last season, but he’s got a finger in every pie this season – one minute he’s in Argentina breaking into a baddie’s compound and accidentally shooting his son (did anyone else have visions of Saul sending him to Bruges to lay low? Just me? I watched In Bruges again recently, what can I say, it’s stayed with me), the next minute he’s by Carrie’s side in the institution, the next minute he’s in Farah and Saul’s interrogation with some dodgy bankers (if all else fails, blame the bankers) – is there anything going on in the CIA that he isn’t involved in?
Next week I hear that Brody will be back. Brody, seeing your hair in ginger curtains as Dana was emo-reminiscing about her dad made us realise how much we missed you. Can’t wait to see you next week!
Want a Homeland without Dana in it? Prequel novel Carrie’s Run is out now. Start reading now for free!
– Katie, HarperFiction
Last night’s Homeland was what I would call a “setting up” episode. Lots of potential plot-lines were introduced, nothing was really explained and it left me feeling completely frustrated. Something tells me that I’m going to be seeing a lot more of Dana in series three than I would like: she has a new boyfriend, she has made the critical decision that she wants to remain alive (if only for said new boyfriend) and she has discovered her father’s prayer mat upon which she will surely have many a ponder for the rest of the series. Will she be the one to discover where her father is hiding or are we destined to see her wrapped in piles of laundry yet again?
Meanwhile, Carrie’s life at the CIA is officially over: she’s still off the lithium and is convinced that she has been sacrificed to save their reputation – I’m a little sick and tired of scenes where she is chained to a bed and forced to take medication. It made for pretty unpleasant viewing without much in the way of plot development. I don’t blame Saul for this – he’s going to spend the rest of the series in limbo: does he do the right thing by Carrie or stick to his guns to protect the free world? It’s a big choice to make. You know you have a conundrum when even Peter Quinn suggests that it is all getting too much. Oh, and then there is the new character Fara. Something tells me that I am going to be a huge fan of hers. What really annoyed me was how even the most intelligent Americans working at the CIA appeared to judge her for wearing a hijab. Less of that please Homeland and I really hope that we get a bit more action next week.
– Laura, Blue Door Books
