Where do I start?
It’s intimidating to even attempt reviewing what I think is one of the best shows ever made. It’s hard to articulate my admiration for Homeland.
Just when you think it couldn’t get any better, the next season presents itself to upend that notion and serve you with the same bold writing, a myriad of colorful characters, gritty direction and utterly convincing performances if not more. Thanks to the pitch-perfect casting, not a single actor looks out of place. Some seasons, of course, are a little weaker than the others, but even when the show doesn’t appear to be at its biting best, it still remains way above the standards set by ‘regular’ shows. When we talk of great shows, I’ve heard a lot of Breaking Bad, Succession, Game of Thrones, etc. But not once did I hear Homeland being counted among the best. For a show whose filmmaking not only touched the epitome of excellence but also handsomely sustained it for 8 seasons, it’s an absolute shame.
Each season follows a different primary storyline with multiple interconnecting threads. You cannot and should not make the mistake of skipping a season. The action keeps shifting between US, Berlin, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Israel and multiple other regions rocked by the instability perpetuated by warring extremist groups. Amidst the thicket of all the drama, espionage, double crossings and negotiations, what truly stands out is that the show never shies away from laying bare the moral dilemmas faced by the key decision makers in the government who only act under the pretext of serving one’s nation: an entity born out of our collective imagined reality.
As extolled before, the show boasts of phenomenal actors. Yet, it can’t be said enough how much the show rests on the able shoulders of the two protagonists: Carrie Mathison (played by Claire Danes) and Saul Berenson (played by Mandy Patinkin). Their majestic performances matches up to the solid storytelling and even towers above the weaker episodes to keep the proceedings consistently engaging.
I’m going with a perfect 5/5. After consuming about 100 hours of the show, there’s a big Homeland-shaped void in my life.
