Did you watch Homeland last night? If not, beware of spoilers…
Brody’s back! But last night’s episode brought more questions than answers:
How did he get from Canada to Caracas? Why was he in Colombia? How does he end up in the hands of a Venezuelan gang? What is up with the creepy American doctor? Why do they keep trying to pump Brody full of drugs? Why do they want to hold him there? Are they trying to help him? If so, why do they end up locking him in a dungeon? What is their connection to Carrie? How do they know that he’s gone to the mosque? How do they manage to get there just as the police do?
Three quarters through the episode, we started to flip back and forth between Brody and Carrie, and the very unsubtle parallel between them, both being held against their will with no way out. Carrie’s still in a psychiatric ward, where she somehow manages to convince a nurse to a) not turn her in for bashing her head against a mirror and b) to let her out to see her visitor even though she’s not yet allowed visitors. Which raises another question: How does she manage to convince people to let her get away with these things? She says she isn’t crazy, but the wide eyes and shuddering lower lip aren’t massively convincing.
It was a bit of a slow start last night, but by the end of it I was fully back on board. I can’t wait for next week!
Katie, HarperFiction
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First of all, I should say that I agree with all of Katie’s questions. For me, the episode was reminiscent of the Buffy musical episode or the black and white X Files special. It seemed a little too early for an episode devoted almost entirely to Brody but absolutely necessary for the plot development. I especially liked the doctor. For me, he felt a little like Silva in Skyfall – completely unnerving throughout, he could be the best addition to the series yet. A character so poised on a knife-edge and ready to flip at any minute that he brings some much-needed tension to the ensemble. But how exactly do they know so much about Carrie? I would have liked a little more background on how Brody ended up in Caracas but perhaps this is all to be saved for a future episode. One thing is clear – I cannot see how he is going to escape unless he forms a union with the head honcho’s daughter. It was easy to see what the scriptwriters had in mind for this episode: stress that Brody and Carrie are still inextricably linked through their shared and unwanted dependence on drugs and their mutual despair. One thing is certain – next week will be explosive (hopefully).
Laura, Blue Door Books
Want more Homeland? Prequel novel Carrie’s Run is out now. Start reading now for free!
