What's it about?
Who's the hero - who's the threat? When MIA Marine Sgt. Nicholas Brody returns home to a hero's welcome after eight years in enemy confinement, brilliant but volatile CIA agent Carrie Mathison isn't buying his story. She believes that Brody has been turned and is now working for Al Qaeda. What follows is a dangerous game of cat and mouse with nothing short of American national security at stake.
So, how was it?
It's probably no coincidence that the first cable premiere is the best pilot of the fall. The only new show so far not on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC or the CW is this brilliant drama starring Claire Danes as a mentally unstable CIA agent who is the only person who believes a war hero is secretly an Al Qaeda spy. It's also no coincidence that this is the first show to sufficiently fill the political-intrigue-hole left on television since 24 signed off, given that it is created by 24 showrunner Howard Gordon.
Interestingly enough, this is also the closest to another of my all-time favorite TV shows that has left a void on television that many shows have tried (unsuccessfully) to fill: LOST. While there's nothing sci-fi or stranded-on-a-deserted-island about it, it is full of the rich character backstory and legitimately intriguing mystery that made that show so addictive. Shows like FLASHFORWARD and THE EVENT tried so hard to duplicate the mysterious cliffhanger template that they forgot to write compelling characters or sensical plots. HOMELAND, on the other hand, is going about it the right way: writing characters that have complete and complicated lives that have existed long before we encounter them on screen. They are drawing us into the mystery through the characters, rather than suddenly conjuring a wormhole for an airplane to fly through in the last thirty seconds of the pilot and then saying "A-HA! Didn't see THAT one coming, did ya? Now you MUST want to keep watching!" and then feeding us some crap about aliens.
Claire Danes is believably erratic as CIA analyst Mathison. She walks a very thin line between being both credible enough that she draws us into the story and makes us want to believe she's right, but also unstable enough that there is room for doubt surrounding her assertions. She's not going for likable -- she's messy, pushy and desperate -- and that makes her infinitely more real. Damian Lewis is terrific as a veteran Marine who has been rescued after being held in captivity in Iraq for eight years. He has one of the best poker faces I've seen in a while. It's impossible to tell, behind those stony eyes, whether he's being cagey because of his brutal experiences and military training, or because he's harboring a dark secret. And not stony in a boring way -- stony in a way where you can tell the machinery is constantly whirring behind it.
Those two are simply the leads among a very large, adeptly-cast ensemble. Other notable appearances include Morena Baccarin as Brody's wife, whose life is turned upside-down by his reappearance; and Mandy Patinkin as Claire's concerned CIA mentor, Saul. Every actor is believable, every character expertly-written, every scene beautifully shot, every moment finely-tuned. I can only hope the writers are as deft and meticulous with each episode as they were with the pilot. They gave us just enough of an answer by the end of the pilot to keep me intrigued, while I simultaneously recognize that anything I expect now will most likely be completely subverted by the end of the season. At least I hope it will be. Please don't mess this one up, writers!
Rating:
**** Certifiably ADDICTive. A must-see.
The most well-written, solidly acted pilot of the fall season so far. Brings back fond memories of both 24 and LOST, providing the viewer with political intrigue, complexly-drawn characters, and deftly-crafted mysteries. I can't wait to see where the writers take this story week after week.
Your turn, Fellow Addicts! Were you satisfied by the pilot? Did it fill a 24-sized hole in your life? Or were you left wanting more? Vote in the poll below and the hit the comments!
(For a quick glance at the other pilots coming out, check out my Fall TV Preview.)
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