Set to follow Dexter’s sixth season premiere this week is Showtime’s new drama series Homeland. Showtime has the right idea in pairing these two series, as Homeland proves to be just as intense and suspenseful as the serial-killer drama.
Created by Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and Gideon Raff, Homeland begins with the recovery of Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a U.S. Marine who was believed to be dead, having been captured by Al-Qaeda eight years previously. While the country celebrates his return, CIA operations officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) has reason to believe Brody may have been turned by the terrorists and is now a part of one of their plots. Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin), Carrie’s mentor and former boss, knows of her suspicion and is offering his advice as she moves forward, investigating Brody secretly.
Morena Baccarin (V, Firefly) plays Brody’s wife Jessica, and Diego Klattenhoff is Mike, a fellow Marine and best friend to Nicholas. He and Jessica started a relationship at some point after Nicholas went missing, which naturally creates some immediate tension when Brody returns.
Homeland gets off to a great start, setting itself up for some interesting story-arcs, and based on the first few episodes, the series is making the most of all of them. We learn early on that Carrie has some behavioral issues that she’s trying to keep a secret from the CIA. This calls to question her judgment, but knowing what Carrie believes, it’s impossible not to look closely at Brody and analyze his every move in the hopes of figuring out whether Carrie is right, or if Brody’s strange behavior is just the result of having been kept prisoner for nearly a decade. We really don’t know, which is incredibly frustrating in all the right ways. Much like 24 did in only revealing a little bit of each character’s story at a time, Homeland is paced perfectly, with each episode ending in a way that’s satisfying, but will also have you on the edge of your seat and thirsty for more.
While the writing is fantastic, a huge portion of the credit for Homeland working as well as it does goes to the cast. This is Claire Danes as we’ve never seen her before. She’s always been good with dramatic roles, but she truly shines in this part as a tough, determined woman on a mission. What’s more, Carrie isn’t set up to be perfect. While we’re meant to support her from this side of the TV screen, there’s no guarantee that she’s going to make the right calls or that things are going to work out the way she wants them to.
Meanwhile, Damian Lewis plays Brody in such a way that most, if not all of his behavior could be interpreted in more than one way. It’s a tricky thing that, added to the flashbacks of his captivity, gives us plenty to theorize over. Is he one of the terrorists now, or is he just a man trying to reclaim his life? Lewis plays it both ways, keeping his character a mystery. We should either feel really bad for him, or be afraid of him. Possibly both. Not knowing is one of the best things about the show.
Finally, Mandy Patinkin’s role as Saul, Carrie’s mentor, proves to be crucial, if only to keep Carrie somewhat anchored while she engages in her unapproved mission. She’s already overstepping in her quiet surveillance of Brody. Saul seems to be the one thing keeping her from completely crossing the line, plus he offers a slightly more objective perspective on the mission.
There’s no way to predict how things are going to turn out for this story, but there’s a definite sense that things are building up to something really big, which is a big part of Homeland’s appeal. Each episode offers a few new pieces to the puzzle, while also holding up on its own as the characters’ stories unfold. Homeland gets off to an exciting start in the series’ pilot and things only get better from there. Between the cast and the writing, fans looking for some suspenseful drama should check this one out when it premieres tomorrow night after Dexter.
Homeland premieres October 2nd at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
