Homeland - "Game On" Review

by Lee Padrick, October 31, 2013
Homeland - S1E4

WARNING:  This review contains spoilers.

Here's a life lesson for folks.  If you ever find yourself cornered, just think of where you would rather be.  Then go there.  If it works for Homeland, it will work for you.  

This episode's twist is totally unexpected, at least for me.  So Carrie has been working with Saul all along?  And the plan was to get the Iranians to contact Carrie about providing them with sensitive information?  Sure, that makes sense.  Consider that Carrie has risked her life for her job and country multiple times in the past, so naturally she will jump ship and commit treason at the first opportunity that she gets to exact revenge on Saul's harsh treatment of her.  Or not.

Virgil is back!  At least in a few scenes, as Carrie turns to him for help.  Virgil is reluctant to get involved with Carrie, but he is a quintessential good guy in a sea of bad (or at least grey) guys, so he warns Carrie that she is being watched.

The twist of Carrie and Saul putting together a plan of pretending that Carrie has jumped off the Sanity Ship and will get contacted by rogue Iranian operators is extremely implausible.  But at least this plot twist rights the ship for the foreseeable future, as the show now gets back to what it does best:  show the CIA at work.  

I'm not sure how I feel about this twist in the show's plot.  It is certainly unbelievable, but TV is chock-full of shows that do not make much sense.  I also get the sense that Dar Adal is not in on the operation, so expect some fireworks to fly between he and Saul.

In other news, Dana has helped Leo escape rehab.  She has stolen her Mom's Subaru Outback and is running away from home with her boyfriend.  The boyfriend that is institutionalized for murdering his brother.  I am sure there is drama ahead with this subplot, but I can't find a compelling reason to care.

Homeland gave us a big middle finger this week, as it made us sit through almost four hours of a horrible show before they told us, "Nevermind."  This show may have once been the best show on television, but now it makes the final season of Dexter look like Deadwood.


Random Thoughts:

- No Quinn.

- Mike is back!  And he appears smarter on Homeland than he does on The Blacklist.

- A Subaru Outback for a Toyota Camry?  Looks like a good deal to me.


What did you think?

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