Our Kind of Traitor Offers the Same Kind of le Carré Spy Thriller You’re Used To
It’s second-tier le Carré but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Also features some killer cinematography.
Homeland – “The Star” (Season 3, Episode 12)
Whatever failings season three of Homeland had, at least it ended well. “The Star” is an emotional, subdued finale that succeeds by remembering one of the key themes that made Homeland’s first season work. Beyond the spy hijinks and the Carrie/Brody romance, season one was motivated by a sense of powerlessness. Both Carrie and Brody…
Homeland – “Big Man in Tehran” (Season 3, Episode 11)
Nicholas Brody’s ambiguous intentions were one of Homeland’s biggest assets back in season one, where almost every episode revolved around the question – “What’s Brody actually up to?” His uncertain allegiances and malleability became the linchpin – and eventual crutch – of season two, driving his conversion to the side of the CIA in “Q&A”…
Homeland – “Good Night” (Season 3, Episode 10)
“Good Night” was one of the stronger episodes of season three of Homeland, a tense sequence – almost a mini action movie – revolving around Brody’s attempts to infiltrate Iran as a double agent (and one that finally tied the Brody and Javadi storylines together). The scenes on the border of Iran had a real…
Homeland – “One Last Time” (Season 3, Episode 9)
“Clear Brody… what does that even mean?” Good point, Saul. This kind of question demonstrates Homeland’s third season in its strongest mode, questioning the motives and decisions of its increasingly misguided characters. Despite an impressive, strung-out performance from Damian Lewis, Brody remains an albatross around the show’s neck, one that will – if this episode…
Homeland – “A Red Wheelbarrow” (Season 3, Episode 8)
Increasingly, this season of Homeland has been about the show reinventing itself as a slower, more contemplative show. The silly plot twists are still in evidence – see Mira’s lover being revealed as a spy – but the series is putting its emphasis on slower moments rather than the over-exaggerated tension of “look out! Terrorists!”…
Homeland – “Gerontion” (Season 3, Episode 7)
Lately writing a review of a Homeland season three episode is like sifting through a pan of dirt for flecks of gold, and each week those glimmers are buried deeper in dense soil. That dirt is deep, rich and increasingly suffocating. The seeds of the Javadi storyline bear some fruit this episode, but every highlight…
Homeland – “Tower of David” (Season 3, Episode 3)
As a way to reintroduce Nicholas Brody into the series, dragging his grievously wounded body through a decrepit urban landscape is a memorable choice. The shots of Damian Lewis gasping for breath, his pale blue eyes surveying the concrete canopy are already ingrained in my memory. Brody’s storyline was great in some ways. The character…
Homeland – “Uh… Oo… Aw…” (Season 3, Episode 2)
As with last week’s premiere, “Uh… Oo… Aw…” is a messy and not-exactly-great episode of television, but it’s to be commended for considering the ramifications of its characters’ actions with some degree of realism, rather than putting them at the mercy of plot contrivances. The episode wasn’t perfect, incorporating one of 24’s favourite clichés, the…
Homeland – “Tin Man is Down” (Season 3, Episode 1)
“Tin Man is Down,” the season three premiere of Homeland, is a long way from the best episode of the series. Nonetheless, it makes me very happy. Homeland began with a simple, but instantly engaging premise – could this war hero actually be a terrorist? – and built and built upon this premise (and its…
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