SPOILER ALERT: This blog is for people watching the second series of Homeland on Channel 4. Don't read on if you haven't seen episode nine – and if you've seen later episodes, please do not leave spoilers
Catch up with Rebecca Nicholson's episode eight blog
Two Hats
Last week, Channel 4's continuity announcer asked if we'd seen that ending coming. The answer, according to comments on this blog and Twitter, was a resounding: "Well, yes. It was obvious." Abu Nazir is in the States! You could only really tell it was Abu Nazir if you rewound it! Similarly, this episode, which began with a prayer and hug as Brody bade Nazir farewell, required me to go back for a second look. (It was again Nazir – this time with a shave and a trim.)
This episode seemed designed, primarily, to give Damian Lewis and Claire Danes a bit of a breather. As they took a slight backseat – and who can blame them, after last week's motel-wall action – other storylines were given a chance, particularly the pursuit of Peter Quinn's true identity. When Saul is doing his job, rather than sighing about Carrie, he's far more engaging and Mandy Patinkin is a joy to watch. Plus, the twist at the end actually felt like a twist – that 'Quinn' is black ops and in place to take out Brody on behalf of the CIA, regardless of the outcome of the anti-Nazir operation.
Brody
Brody, Brody, Brody. I do not trust you or your tiny mouth, no matter how many times you and Carrie hold hands in a car. After being released from Nazir's custody, Brody's run-down of his interrogation amounts to a teasing of torture followed by a nice chat and a cup of tea, and thinly veiled threats against his family. There's no mention of the fact that he and Nazir prayed together – for the sake of his political career, or to more sinister ends? – nor the manner in which they left each other, which suggests some cordiality remains.
Brody is sticking with the home team on the surface, but, with four episodes still left, I suspect there has to be more to it than this. When he says, "Tomorrow, all of this will be over," it's impossible to know what he truly means. Which is why, I think, I preferred this episode to recent instalments. There is tension and uncertainty, which are the primary ingredients of Homeland as a decent drama.
Carrie
Was Carrie being devious/manipulative in getting Captain Mike to take Jessica and the kids away? He certainly steps into his role as substitute dad with far more efficiency than Brody, who has been too busy being a terrorist to really put in those paternal hours. But this move also has the benefit of clearing the way for the life with Brody that Carrie clearly imagines – even if it is clearly happening under a cloud of inevitable doom. I like these reminders that she's ruthless when she needs to be. (Even when she thought Brody was dead, she clarified, "if not physically then operationally", showing that really, she's still concerned with the bigger picture.) But what now? The plot to bomb the soldiers' homecoming – if this was, indeed, the primary plot – is in tatters, which makes it all about the pursuit of Nazir: perhaps the one thing she cares about more than Brody …
Notes and observations
• I really hope someone has invented a Homeland drinking game. At least one of the rules should be draining your glass every time Dana rolls her eyes, though this may not end well for the player.
• Was there any significance in Quinn's choice of reading material: Great Expectations?
• I can't wait for Mike's imminent recipe book: Captain Mike's Guide To Eggs.
• I found Nazir's reference to Bin Laden's death oddly jarring – I know there are frequent nods to the real world, which is partly why Homeland is so efficient (when it's on form), but this felt off, for some reason.
• I see the CIA is still using the Conspicuous Black Van Of Suspicion for all of its high-stakes undercover jobs.
• Buzzfeed: not fans of Dana Brody.
