'Homeland,' TV review
Like Carrie Mathison, 'Homeland' is working hard to regain its balance.
The Middle East-based espionage drama starts its fourth season Sunday in its own unavoidable shadow: the storyline of its first three seasons.
That's the arc in which CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) and soldier-turned-terrorist Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) fell into a forbidden high-stakes relationship that ended in Brody's death.
The relationship had some improbable turns, but provided a great thrill ride, and it introduced us to a fine supporting cast, including Carrie's CIA boss Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) and Brody's family, who alas are now gone.
So 'Homeland' has done a reset, putting Carrie in charge of the CIA's Kabul office in Afghanistan, moving Saul to the private sector and bringing in a whole new set of bad guys and other people somewhere in the murky middle.
The writers wove a fine espionage story the first time, with strong and nuanced villains, and there's no reason to think they can't do that again. The difference is that this time the sociopolitical plot won't be played off against the backdrop of Carrie and Brody.
That void, in turn, changes almost everything else in the show's dynamic.
Carrie and her trusted associate Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) both start the year with some disorientation, but they have little time to find their footing because a catastrophic error slams them professionally and personally.
'Homeland' needs some rebuilding. It needs to assess and enhance characters beyond Carrie and Saul, because that's what deepens the story. And while it doesn't want to echo Carrie-and-Brody, it could use some romantic tension.
If the season turns out to be primarily a complex Middle East thriller, that could still be entertaining. 'Homeland' has just set us up to want more.
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