Sunday 7 October 2012

THE GAMES THEY PLAY... 'HOMELAND' SEASON TWO

Opposing forces: Claire Danes and Damian Lewis return for more dark drama in HOMELAND. Images: SHOWTIME.

At the end of its first stellar, critically acclaimed, award-winning season, the emotionally spiky but intuitively brilliant and determined heroine of HOMELAND, CIA agent Carrie Mathison (skillfully played by Claire Danes) was having a very bad time of things: her emotional/ sexual involvement and investigation into charismatic solider and former Iraqi prisoner of war Nicholas Brody (a powerfully complex Damian Lewis), a hot political figure on the rise within the upper echelons of American power, had now been revealed to her unhappy superiors, whilst her strong beliefs in his being a traitor to an America she's sworn her life to protect have now been deemed compromised, her once thought talents seemingly on the brink of self-destruction: her credibility as an agent blown ever wider after almost being killed in an unexpected terrorist explosion. As the walls of madness and frightening unpredictability were closing in around her, Carrie, in a closing tragic sequence never to be forgotten by viewers, had to face her personal, inner demons and a true edge of darkness as the frightening final moments of her former life seemingly disappeared with a shocking but necessary electro-convulsive shock therapy, so as to curb her aggressive and manic bipolar disorder.

A life not ordinary. Claire Danes as CIA agent Carrie Mathison.
Vote Brody! Soldier turned politician Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) has never been more dangerous.

Meanwhile, Brody, having critically removed Mathison from the picture, has no hang-ups and problems in his life now, despite his own failed attempt to detonate a bomb in Washington, as he continues his sworn pact of dedication to both Al-Qaeda and his extremist Muslim faith conversion, aided by equally dangerous helpers/conspirators behind the scenes in American society and inadvertently by the protective outer circle of his loving but often troubled family and friends, ready to forgive and forget any further quirky occasional character and emotional fallibility's that might show through his normally calm exterior (blaming such problems on the stresses and anxieties of his previous eight years of incarceration). Brody seems invincible now, with the luck of the devil on his side, as his hidden dark side agenda, against his once US military and political paymasters for the death of the young child to his terrorist cell leader/guru Abu Nazir (a chilling Navid Negahban), stays silently true to his personal convictions despite occasional doubts, whilst his terrorist brothers enjoy their key converts rise to power: his clean cut and heroic looks as the true all-American hero poster boy, whose path to the White House centre seat looks unstoppable...

In bed with power. Brody makes his presence felt in politics and with the CIA.

Fortunately, for us and the series (surely one of the best and most innovative American shows of recent years with its high quality, silently compulsive storytelling and fine acting), Carrie isn't a quitter and will surely be back in some shape or form to trail and discover Brody's plans. Recovering from her treatment, with the protection and support of her family around her, she may thinks she's lost her abilities and edge, feeling out of her depth in handling any job within the CIA, a place of which she was once so dedicated and loved being a part of, but a critical series of events emerging from Beirut will soon put her back on the right path, awakened for action and duty alongside her old friend and mentor Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) and former lover turned antagonist superior, David Estes  (David Harewood). Whether an earlier and vital clue she discovered about Brody's conversion, which Carrie was on the brink of losing from her mind in last seasons finale, will return to her consciousness is an important plot element from series creators Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon that must surely and intriguingly be revealed soon, as the maelstrom drama of her emotionally charged, but also chilling, opposing forces reunion between her and Brody begins anew...

Trailer: Homeland - Homeland Season 2 Trailer - YouTube

Order and chaos. The brilliant sexual chemistry between the actors/characters continues...

HOMELAND Season Two airs in the US on the SHOWTIME channel. It begins its UK run exclusively on CHANNEL 4, weekly from tonight...

Previews: 'Homeland' Season 2 Spoilers: Executive Producer On Where Carrie And Brody Will Be, Plus Obama And More

Carrie Gets Her Mojo Back and 6 More Homeland Insights - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com

Check out the official FACEBOOK page: Homeland


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