SHOCKING: Claire Danes stars as Carrie, an ex-CIA officer who is snatched back into the mystery of a turncoat POW in Season 2 of “Homeland.” (
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‘Homeland” is to TV what killing Osama bin Lardass is to black ops: A good, clean hit.
Two episodes in, and I almost had to call EMS to start my heart again. With the exception of that mysterious female CIA agent who guided the SEALs to bin Laden’s house last year, Claire Danes may be the most fascinating spy in the world right now.
Without a doubt, “Homeland” is the best drama on TV right now, and Danes and Damian Lewis should not even bother going to the Emmys Sunday night. It’s in the bag — if unattended bags were still allowed at high-profile events, I mean.
Back to reality: Carrie (Danes) is not the same crazy woman she was after undergoing shock treatments. She’s crazier.
She no longer trusts herself, and it’s driving her, well, nuts.
When the season opens, we find her in the depths of uncertainty — believing something to be true in her brain, but also realizing that she no longer thinks clearly.
Carrie is slowly trying to recover in the bosom of her suburban family, teaching English as a second language to Arab immigrants — which means she’s no longer in the company of The Company.
Basically, she’s persona non grata to the CIA until — all of a sudden — they need her and she becomes very grata — at least temporarily.
Meantime, Saul (Mandy Patinkin) is back to Beirut as station chief when, out of nowhere (and those back streets of Beirut are the very definition of nowhere), appears the abused, second wife of a Hezbollah chief.
She says she’s willing to trade very big info for a very big ticket out of there and the $5-million reward on the head of terrorist Abu Nazir. Glitch: She’ll only speak to Carrie, because Carrie recruited this “asset” eight years earlier.
The CIA now has to not only bring crazy Carrie back to Beirut, but trust her to be the heart of a delicate operation, even though her judgement is in doubt — especially, they believe, as it concerns now-Congressman Nick Brody (Lewis).
Can they possibly put a woman who is still popping lithium back in Beirut — even for just a three-day flip-and-fly mission?
Carrie is — and always was — a loose canon.
Meanwhile, Brody — who failed in his plot to blow himself up along with Vice President Walden (Jamey Sheridan) after being fitted for a nice suicide vest — is approached by Walden to become his running mate in the upcoming presidential election.
Good thing Brody couldn’t detonate the suicide vest. Talk about a bad career move!
So when Brody’s approached — after a long lay off — by Nazir’s operative, he suddenly declares: “I am not a terrorist.” What?
Suddenly, Brody wants to change America through laws. Right.
Maybe he was ticked that the terrorist-tailor made him a size 38 short suicide vest instead of a 38 regular. Who knows?