Homeland 112 Review- Bomb In A Bunker

Carrie- "The world is about to end and we're standing around talking!"

With an extended Homeland season finale comes an extended Homeland season finale review here at TV Fanatic. I will attempt to keep my thoughts contained, but since "Marine One" was such a tremendous end to this almost perfect first season, I make no promises.

No show in recent memory has combined such interesting character studies with such amazing storytelling as well as Homeland has done over its first 12 episodes.

This season finale had me on the edge of my seat for the entire 90 minutes. A number of series can pull that off on finale night, but Homeland managed to do it every single hour over the course of an entire season. Bravo.

It started with Dana walking in on her dad praying in the garage, a moment I was so glad that Brody was somewhat upfront about. For obvious reasons he couldn't be honest with his daughter when she almost walked in on him again, this time with a bomb strapped to his chest.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Homeland season finale, head over to TV Fanatic.

Homeland 112 - "Marine One"
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Homeland 111 Review- Come To Life

Carrie- "You wait, you lay low and then you come to life."

Those words, uttered by Carrie Mathison in her fit of manic insanity during "The Vest," like most of what she said during that stretch, were absolutely brilliant.

Yes, the plants in the garden are definitely going to live by Carrie's law, but she was also correct in metaphorically comparing said plants to Abu Nazir and his terrorism plot. Ironically, and unfortunately, it also worked to explain Carrie's bi-polar disorder and its effect on her job with the CIA.

As sad as it was to watch Carrie spiral out of control, it was just as entertaining to watch her work (mostly the demand for the green pen), and just as interesting to realize that she was nailing Abu Nazir's plan down to a "t."

What she was missing, however, was the "i," as in Issa. The only missing ingredient from Carrie's timeline, which Saul so perfectly organized on the wall, was the period of mourning after Nazir had lost his son. If she could have only put the pieces together that Brody was just as heart-broken as Nazir, maybe this whole thing could have been solved.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Homeland, head over to TV Fanatic.

Homeland 111 - "The Vest"
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Homeland 107 Review- Cabin Fever

Brody- "How do you know what tea I drink?"

That was when Carrie and Brody's lovely weekend, filled with drunken billiards, drunken sex, and romantic hikes, took a turn for the worse. However, our viewing pleasure of "The Weekend" only increased following Carrie's slip up in the cabin.

Brody looked sincerely shocked when Carrie told him she thought he had been turned by Nazir, so I wasn't surprised in the least when he told her to ask him anything she wanted. Nor was I surprised at all of his admissions to her about what had gone on over there, as well as what he had been up to since coming back.

Many of us conjectured that he could have killed Walker in order to survive, and that he turned to Islam as a way of surviving the terrible conditions of his captivity over there. What I didn't expect him to say though, was that he loved Nazir for comforting him when nobody else had. All of these explanations could mean absolutely nothing though, since we know he can lie about anything after last week's polygraph.

Because of the way Homeland has progressed through its first seven episodes, I don't think we can take anyone's word for it that Tom Walker is indeed the POW we're looking for. It's a clever twist, though. I definitely did not see that one coming.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Homeland, head over to TV Fanatic.

Homeland 107 - "The Weekend"
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Homeland 106 Review- The Lie Detector

After many insightful theories in the comment section of last week's review, I came into "The Good Soldier" on board with the idea that Brody could still be innocent and Saul might in fact be the turned prisoner of war mentioned in the premiere.

Homeland changed my mind in regards to that theory, then changed it back, and then turned things around once more... all within the hour. That is what has been so good about this show thus far. You are never quite sure what to think about any situation, and I don't know about you, but I still could be convinced that either Brody or Saul have been turned, both have, or neither have. It is just THAT complicated.

I began watching "The Good Soldier" on the prowl for clues that Saul was indeed the culprit in this whole mess. I came to terms with the fact that being in a prison camp, making things difficult for Carrie, and chatting with the terrorist - where he could have slipped him the razor blade - was enough to put him on our watch list.

The idea that Brody did what he could to survive while a prisoner, and then turned to Muslim prayer as a way of getting through such a tragic time of his life, started to make more sense.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Homeland, head over to TV Fanatic.

Homeland 106 - "The Good Soldier"
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Homeland 105 Review- The Razor's Edge

Estes- "Let's go close that door, Sergeant."

"Blind Spot" proved to be a wonderful piece of Homeland's first season, importantly moving around a few of pieces of the story while delving deeper into the character of someone we knew so well already - Carrie - and one we didn't, Saul.

Because it spent so much time performing the aforementioned tasks, it lost the smallest bit of the giant ball of steam it had going from its first four episodes. But were there still a couple of fantastic scenes that had me itching for more? Absolutely.

As soon as Carrie asked Brody to come into the interrogation of the terrorist, I knew we were in for something good. The way they set up the question was just so interesting to watch. Couple that with the intermittent flashbacks to what actually happened between Brody and the terrorist, and we had one awesome scene on our hands.

Do you know this man? Brody was asked. After witnessing his memory of one of the days he was tortured, I'm surprised he didn't respond with Yeah, he pissed in my face.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Homeland, head over to TV Fanatic.

Homeland 105 - "Blind Spot"
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Homeland 104 Review- Smartly Selfish

Brody- "There's nothing wrong with me."

It wasn't that much more evident than in the first three episodes of Homeland, but Carrie Matheson was certainly out for her own self interest this week, which was why the clever title of "Semper I" made so much sense.

Our favorite CIA analyst was finally starting to gain some steam on Abu Nazir and the case of the stolen necklace, picking up what seemed like trust and confidence from her team in Washington, but she just couldn't help herself.

The warrant on her surveillance ran out so she was relegated to the old stake-out technique, which is what forced her into the precarious situation of following Brody into the Veterans' support meeting.

Is she completely self-serving? Maybe. Does she act this way in an effort to hurt those around her? Absolutely not. She thinks what she is doing is the best for both herself and the country. Is there a mix of psychosis in there as well? Most likely yes, which makes it all the more interesting as we watch it unfold.

To read the rest of my review of this week's Homeland, head over to TV Fanatic.

Homeland 104 - "Semper I"
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Homeland 102 Review- A Hero Comes Along

Carrie- "No one said becoming a terrorist would be easy."

It definitely wasn't simple for Sergeant Nicholas Brody, but by the end of "Grace" it seems rather clear that he has come out of his PTSD funk just enough to be the terrorist the Abu Nazir wanted him to be.

Figuring out Brody's deal came much quicker than I thought it would have, as we are now only two episodes into the series, but it was so intriguing watching the man become standoffish with his family and finally play the hero card to the American public that it's easy to forgive the speed at which this development occurred.

While many of the stories in "Grace" were so exciting to watch unfold, it is this character development of Nicholas Brody that has been so fun to grab onto.

I originally thought that the fact that both Carrie and the audience weren't able to see inside the garage was going to make for some very interesting reactions from Claire Danes and everyone watching as this series moved forward. However, after showing the former POW in the garage, with his newly acquired prayer rug, it seems that the dramatic irony involved gives way to a much more exciting viewing experience.

To read the rest of my review of last night's Homeland, head over to TV Fanatic.

Homeland 102 - "Grace"
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Homeland 101 Review- CIA-mazing

Carrie- "Because Abu Nazir is playing the long game. This way no one expects a thing."

Saul- "Except you?"

Carrie- "Except me."

Homeland is the best new show of the year, and its pilot was definitely one of the best season premieres of the fall.

Anchored by stunning lead performances from Claire Danes and Damian Lewis, this CIA-based Showtime series has everything you could ask for and more in regards to interesting characters, intriguing story lines, and edge-of-your seat suspense.

The most intriguing characters, of course, come courtesy of the performances from Danes and Lewis. The former plays Carrie Anderson, a fantastic CIA agent, who causes herself more trouble than anyone would like to admit. The latter is Sergeant Nicholas Brody, a former American Prisoner of War returning home, who seems to have been turned by terrorist leader Abu Nazir during his time abroad.

Danes is so good in this first episode at revealing to the audience who Carrie is, without letting go all of the character's secrets. She seems to be pretty brilliant. She is definitely a little crazy. But most of all, she sure is dedicated to her work, which will most likely be the driving force of the series as things move forward.

To read the rest of my review of last night's series premiere of Homeland, head over to TV Fanatic.

Homeland 101 - "Pilot"
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