This Sunday held many season premieres and finales, one of which belonged to the outstanding show, “Homeland”, which just started its third season. Set in today’s post-9/11 culture, this show explores the intricacies of life after such a terrorist attack and the various methods the government, most notably the CIA, uses to exact revenge and prevent other plots from coming forth. The show follows Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes, “Temple Grandin”) who struggles with her bipolar disorder, love for a suspect and constantly tumultuous career.
The second season of “Homeland” closed on a cliffhanger. A devastating terrorist attack hit Washington DC and Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis, “Life”), the man Mathison loves, is being blamed for the attack. Brody had been held as a prisoner of war for years and upon his return was very nearly converted to the side that had imprisoned and brainwashed him; only through Brody’s love for his family and Mathison did he overcome these ideals and strive to become a better American. The attack was a set-up against Brody though, so he is forced to flee the scene of the crime while Mathison is left in the lurch.
“Tin Man is Down,” the episode’s title, begins by focusing on Mathison’s repercussions for her relationship with Brody and her internal struggle against her disorder. She is constantly pushed and pulled between her career’s duties and what she knows is the truth, as Mathison sits on trial, unsure of her fate. Leaked documents and secrets in the CIA come to light in the courtroom and Mathison can only watch as each of her defenses crumbles.
Most frustrating about this episode is watching Mathison’s descent into her psychological impairment and the treatment from her CIA counterparts that does nothing but hurt. She made the decision to go off her medicine and self-treat with an obscene amount of tequila while the world around her descends into madness. Since season one, she has struggled with her problems, but even though her colleagues often refuse to believe her assessments, Mathison is always right. Her paranoia is what makes her phenomenally good at her job, yet once again, in the season three premiere, Mathison is thrown under the bus by someone she thought she could trust. She is blamed for her choices due to her mental illness. The premise is totally absurd because the viewers know Brody is innocent of the attack, and the CIA’s allegations against Mathison are not unfounded, but still ridiculous.
In future episodes, it will most definitely come to light that Mathison is correct about everyone and their potential dangerousness, but apparently, the viewers are going to be forced to wait once more for the men around Mathison to start paying attention to her. Season after season, the main question has always been: is she crazy or is she right? The same answer comes at the end of each. Though the plot arc looks to be different, there is much hope that her character will stop being treated with such insensitivity and callousness, especially because she has been right since day one. Though the majority of time spent in the episode was associated with Mathison, it is assured that Brody will return- probably with a vengeance.
As always, “Homeland” promises to be a jam-packed season, with unidentifiable twists and turns. After this episode, it is still unclear where Brody has disappeared to, but it is evident that Mathison is struggling with his absence. Hopefully, Mathison’s intelligently formed ideas will be listened to and come to fruition, because whoever was truly involved with the terrorist attack is obviously on the loose. Each episode is guaranteed to get more intense- if your Sunday evenings are now open because “Breaking Bad” has ended, this is the show you should start.
