"Motherfucker"
Quinn is such a badass :D
It wasn't going to be Homeland without Carrie saying "I'm off my meds" Haha.
People who've stopped watching after the whole Brody thing don't know what they're missing. Lovely show.
It's funny, before I'd even seen the title of this episode, I said to my wife, "I know it's going to be controversial to portray Carrie's mental illness as a super power." But however good or bad that depiction is, it's one the show has held to since its first season, and I think it worked surprisingly effectively here. As pleasant as it is for someone who's been watching Carrie develop as a character for four seasons, to see her in a place of stability, there is something undeniably compelling about Crazy Carrie, at least in small doses.
And to the point, the show doesn't use Carrie going off her medication as a means for her to solve the major mystery presented at the end of the last episode. Sure, it allows her to figure out that someone used the kidnapping of her boyfriend's son to figure out her location, but it's also shown as a way to remove the protective shielding Carrie's erected around herself to keep her from feeling all the deaths she's been responsible for. It's a little corny, but the image of Carrie sitting within a star made up of the faces of the people she's killed (including, as the episode's direction draws our attention to, a number of women and mothers) is a powerful one.
I must admit, I am something of a sucker for gut punch of a character on television hallucinating the presence of someone close to them who's passed on. House did it to great effect; it's been a reliable arrow in the quiver of The Walking Dead, and shows as varied as Buffy and The Sopranos used figurative (and sometimes literal) ghosts to bring the sins of the past to the fore. Having an innocent like Aayan be the manifestation of Carrie's misdeeds and the lives lost in the process was affecting, and I appreciated the surprise and the way it was used here.
I also liked that they developed Jonas a bit. Thus far he's been a pretty generic studly boyfriend, but it was nice to see him disgusted by Carrie's actions, but also strong enough to go toe-to-toe with her when she was going off the deep end. To the same end, I appreciate that the show did not hold back on showing how ugly and manipulative Carrie could be when she was off of her meds. They didn't sell the bipolar disorder as a magic cure-all, but rather as something with a pretty severe cost, which worked in the context of what we know about Carrie's prior condition.
As for the other storylines in the episode, Saul is pretty scary this year. Mandy Patinkin absolutely sells that Saul is a changed man from when we last saw him before the time jump. Sure, he could certainly be steely, but there was always a warmth behind the strength that came through. Now, despite the reveal that he's sleeping with his subordinate (and was that a baby bump?) he seems so cold, so angry, so harsh with everyone from During to the expelled embassador, that I completely buy him as both the kind of calculating guy who would be orchestrating a coup with Dar Adal and as a much different presence in the series than he's been historically. Patinkin's face tells the story in almost every scene, and it's great stuff.
Hacktivist/Reporter Lady story is still a little eh. As I've said before, it has promise, and I'm especially liking the way the Newman character is being developed, but I'm a little less confident in how the story itself is being developed.
In the same vein as Saul, robotic, chessmaster Quinn is frightening in his own right. The establishing of Jonas's ex wife and son was well done before I realized what was happening (a nice little twist), and he seems so single-minded and coldly effective in everything he does, from kidnapping Jonas's son to connecting with his old flame for equipment. The episode's final scene with his and Carrie's cat and mouse game was incredibly well shot and directed, with a great sense of building tension. The last little bit was a very Dexter-esque end-of-episode tease, but overall, I was incredibly impressed by not only how well each individual story was told and acted in this episode, but how all three were balanced together. One of the best episodes the show has put together since the end of the original Brody storyline.
What a powerful episode; and what a twist! It only serves to show you can't believe anyone!! Would a vest have stopped that rifle shot? It was a pretty big bullet!
رجعت كاري اللي نعرفها اخيييييراً
Quinn is such a badass :3
#TeamQuinn
When I say this was a GREAT episode, I mean it. I was about to stop watching Homeland but this one made me remember how much I like it. My favourite character is always Saul, even when he's being so cold, manipulative and arrogant this season. It's weird to see THAT character acting so strange, he has always been so warm, so polite... But Mandy Patinkin is doing a great job this season. You can immediately see the change on Saul's expressions.
The plot is not complete if they don't get Carrie acting crazy. But this time it worked. It actually shows how damaged she is and how she tries to hide it, she showed remorse and vulnerability. I must say, this was the first time in a long time I actually liked Carrie. Like, I felt sorry for her. That's good.
Also, I want to see how this Quinn thing ends. They have such a good material for this season. I'm excited.
One of the best chapters I've ever seen. Brilliant acting.
Shout by David The DevBlockedParent2015-10-19T03:31:47Z
I don't know if anyone could have possibly played Carrie's character better than Claire Danes, amazing!