Homeland Season One (Short Review)

Homeland Season One 

Starring: Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, David Harewood, Diego Klattenhoff, Mandy Patinkin and Morgan Saylor.

Having been recommended Homeland to watch from my poll in the summer, I began watching the hit US TV show..and I was not disappointed.

The season begins in thrilling style when US Marine Nicholas Brody, a prisoner of war in the Middle East for the past 8 years, is rescued in a military operation. His first words on screen draw an intake of breath from those watching the video footage of his rescue: “I’m an American.” But his words have an effect altogether different for CIA Analyst for the Counterterrorism Centre Carrie Mathisen, whose Middle East informer several months earlier spoke of an American POW that had been turned.

This information sets the scene for an intense game of cat-and-mouse which produces edge-of-the-seat action as well as gut-wrenching emotional confrontations. Carrie’s suspicions, aroused by Brody’s appearance coinciding with her informant’s information, are heightened by Brody’s unusual behaviour which she monitors on cameras she has installed in Brody’s family home. As events progress, the voyeuristic qualities that are prominent in the season, help to create an addictive espionage thriller that has its viewers squirming and thinking constantly about the true identity of Nicholas Brody.

Homeland is a stylish and well paced thriller, with a politically resonant premise that is steeped in current realities in the post-9/11 era. The premise is backed by compelling characters that have viewers constantly guessing about their motives as a web of intrigue is built up around them. The combination of relevant premise and fascinating characters makes every episode unpredictable. Provocative television at its best.

Season Two to be reviewed shortly…