Tuna Fish, The Sandman Strikes Back and The Bear in Command

“THE CHOICE”

Meter Reading: First 40 minutes of episode - 45/100; Last 30 minutes of episode 99/100

Last night was as bitter as it was sweet. We must all wait nine months before we can feel “alive” again.

Here’s what I didn’t understand/like/thought was funny about the episode:

·         That there is an Au Bon Pain in the middle of the forest

·         Brody basically saying to Mike that his family is up for grabs (also Mike playing dumb like he had no idea they were going to separate)

·         That Brody didn’t have to dye his hair for his new alias and passport picture. You have red hair!

·         Why they couldn’t schedule Abu Nazir’s ceremony and Walden’s ceremony on different days

·         How there’s clearly no explanation for Brody’s car being moved directly in front of Walden’s ceremony

·         How Abu Nazir, with 5 bullet holes in his chest, managed to kill 200+ people from the bottom of the ocean

·         That Dana described her and Brody’s conversation at home as “normal stuff”. “Normal stuff” obviously being her father’s plot to assassinate the Vice President in Season 1

Here’s what we’ll miss in the next nine months:

·         Saul

·         Carrie crying and Carrie’s chin frowning/squinting

·         Brody’s mouth moving, or is it…?

·         Saul’s beard (apparently it takes Saul a full 8-10 weeks before his beard is in full Homeland shape)

·         Roya Hammad

Here’s what we have to look forward to in the next season of Homeland:

·         Saul

·         Carrie crying and Carrie’s chin frowning/squinting

·         Saul’s beard

·         Saul being the man in charge of the entire operation

o    Which also means that Saul can no longer wear his plaid shirts (anybody else notice that he was wearing a plaid hat as well while being dropped down by the helicopter), and by the looks of Saul in a full suit in the last episode, we are all in for a treat

·         Carrie actually having a job at the CIA

·         Brody and Carrie being separated for the time being

·         Less Brody family air-time

·         A lot more of Quinn and Dar Adul at diners

·         Hopefully Roya Hammad

I want to congratulate the writers of Homeland. Even though they repeatedly left us sitting by episode after episode of boring conversation and meaningless plots, Homeland delivered what I believe to be one of their greatest episodes of all time. What's most interesting about the way the two seasons ended was in Season 1 nobody believed Carrie when she thought Brody was a terrorist and now fast forward to the end of Season 2 and now she is the only one who believes Brody is good (this was via Grantland, but I really liked the point). What matters most is that we are now set up for an awesome third season and possibly seasons beyond.

·         Brody is a fugitive out on the run

It was a genius move by Homeland to go in this direction; playing the Brody suicide mission tape to the nation and having terrorists record a video on Al Jazeera blaming him for the attack. For me, Brody’s character is at his best when his back is against the wall because it means he will be doing what he does best ==> killing to survive. I could see Brody hiding away in London or the Middle East being a teacher of English to Middle Eastern students. By the way, who would want to be a “builder” in this economy?

·         Quinn, probably the most underrated and complex characters on Homeland, is in store for a large role in the upcoming season

It’s an undeniable presence that Quinn has on-camera a) he can spy on people ~40,000 yards away with a military grade scope, b) he can threaten the Deputy Director of the C.I.A. with zero repercussion, c) he loves to eat tuna straight out of the can. I am excited to see his progression with Homeland next season

·         Saul is at the helm of the operation with Carrie most likely to be his right-hand (wo)man

Could fans of Homeland ask for anything more? Saul, always the one to question Estes way of handling situations, assumes power at the C.I.A. I predict Saul putting on 25 pounds of muscle mass, eating a lot more peanut butter and breaking out into song during interrogations. Plus Mira will be back in the picture, all signs point to Mandy Patinkin earning Best Supporting Actor at the 2013 Emmy's and Best Actor honors at the 2014 Emmy’s. But clearly Saul and Carrie will be butting heads next season. Also, what do we not know about Saul’s personal life? I need to know Saul!

What I predict we’re going to see in Season 3 is the reversal of roles. Carrie, much like Brody in Season 2, will assume the role of helping out the antagonist. Carrie will be in contact with Brody and will alert him of trouble heading his way, much like Brody and Abu Nazir’s relationship (e.g. Brody texting Abu Nazir during the manhunt in Beirut). Which I think will make for a great storyline.

Thanks for reading and supporting the blog everybody. See you in the Fall.