Homeland Uh... Oh... Ah... (2011– ) Online

It boggles the mind that a show that gave us political intrigue and an exciting blend of terrorist drama and agency machinations has effectively been reduced to some romantic drivel about Brody's family and their oh so difficult time after his disappearance. Nobody cares! And what is it with the writers' fixation with having Carrie suffer and get brutalized by hospital staff all the time. I swear, if I have to see Claire Danes' contorted face one more time, I'll go and punch a kitten. Also, where the heck is Brody?

If this show wants to get back on track, it should really reevaluate what made it great in the first place: tension, intrigue, the suspense of figuring out Brody's mind and the indispensable role of Brody's son to the central plot. (That last one was a joke. Useless character if there ever was one.)

This episode sees things getting even worse for Carrie; having been hung out to dry by Saul she decides to tell her story to the press; this is something the CIA can't tolerate and soon she finds herself being taken into protective custody officially because of her mental condition but, if she is to be believed, to prevent her from talking. Things also don't look so good in the Brody household as Dana's relationship with her mother deteriorates further and she runs away from home into the arms of a boy at the mental hospital. There is more to the episode than characters mental problems though; back at the CIA a new worker has arrived; Fara Sherazi is a Muslim woman employed for her language skills she also has a nose for financial matters and soon uncovers a connection between a New York based bank and Iranians suspected of involvement in the CIA bombing.

This episode will be a disappointment for anybody expecting action or even a sense of real threat; however I still found it interesting overall. The main interest was the introduction of Fara Sherazi as she served to advance the main plot as the CIA follow the money in the hunt for the bombers. While there wasn't action there was a nicely menacing scene were Quinn confronts one of the backers; actor Rupert Friend is very convincing as this quiet but scary agent. The more personal stories weren't quite as gripping; after all we've seen Carrie's mental problems before and the worries at the Brody household felt as though they were mainly there to remind us that the still exist while the wanted Nicolas Brody is missing.

Sure, this episode does very little to advance the primary narrative. However, it is an excellent depiction of two woman who have been thrown into despair with the recent bombing and feeling that the primary male figure in their life that they trusted has betrayed them (Dana + her dad, Carrie + Saul). I enjoyed the back and forth and largely first-person point of view of both as they struggled to come to terms with their new situation. Both of them are marginalized by those around them due to their mental health issues and they are truly fighting for themselves. Try and watch episode from their perspective and look at how trapped they must feel. I thought it was a powerful episode overall, albeit one with subject matter and focus away from the primary terrorism narrative.

What is going on with this show? Are writers on drugs? How is it that the star of the show, Brody, doesn't show up until the third episode. That's like Nikita missing from the first two episodes of Nikita. To make matters worse, the writers, in their infinite wisdom, decided to fill the empty time by throwing the co-star of the show, Carrie, back into the Loony Bin -- like that was overwhelmingly interesting when they did it the first time in season 2.

This was a great show that has turned into a teen drama with Brody's, non- interesting, family sharing center stage with Saul. Don't get me wrong, I like Saul but he can't carry the show by himself.