Homeland Season 7

[javero]

I was blown away by the writing, acting, and direction in the opening episode of season 7.  Thankfully, it picks up right where the previous season left off.  This season is likely to trigger conspiracy theorists right and left.  President Elizabeth Keane's character has somehow morphed into a vindictive Trump/Hillary hybrid at what some imagine to be their combined worst.  Elizabeth Marvel is really convincing as an ice cold victim-turned-hard-boiled ball-busting president who's had enough of the evil that men do...apparently.  It also seems that one of last season's baddies is getting a redemption arc.  Good luck with that. 

There were a couple of other notable performances.  For starters, Mandy Patinkin was completely on song as Saul.  There's some serious on screen chemistry between Carrie and series newcomer Morgan Spector as her FBI source Dante Allen. 

 

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After he ended a physical confrontation between the two by shoving Carrie out of his way, I could see her bad boy fetish instantly kick in.  That was a very powerful scene that juxtaposed his ability to manhandle her with the backdrop of the #metoo movement.  Interestingly, the two men in the scene eventually dismissed Carrie neither succumbing to her powers of persuasion.  That is likely to strike some viewers as on-screen reinforcement of the bro code.

  It goes without saying that Claire Danes's performance reminded viewers whom the series is about.  I've always watched the series to see Carrie's problem solving skills on full blast.  She now has to put those skills to good use without the CIA or a wealthy benefactor providing cover.  The Homeland team is off to a good start!  

[n2nbaby]

I used to love Homeland so, so much. The first two seasons are two of my favorite seasons of current television. Season three had moments, both good and bad but was fine overall and I thought four was good for the most part. They completely lost me during season five though, I didn’t even finish it and couldn’t bring myself to finish it.

How do you feel about previous seasons? I’m curious if there is some kind of return to form or if we just have different opinions. :)

[javero]

Your season-by-season assessment pretty match mirrors mine.  Season 5 was an abomination and the first half of the previous season was a slow burn.  It's probably a bit premature to make the call but I'm cautiously optimistic that this season's first episode marks a return to form.  Several years ago I predicted that hypothetical President Hillary Clinton would be Thatcher in a bad pant suit.  I wrote that here as one of her supporters.  Elizabeth Marvel obviously got the memo because her President Elizabeth Keane is a woman saddled with the burden of perfection before mainly male onlookers mixed with Trump's unbridled lust for absolute power.  All the main characters this season are presented as multidimensional entities trapped in a world of shifting alliances.  And I'm extremely intrigued by the introduction of Carrie's know-it-all teenage niece.  Trust me...this is not a Dana Brody moment.

ETA: While S5 didn't really do anything for me, its redemption was Miranda Otto as the Berlin CIA Station Chief Allison Carr.  The lady put on an acting master class whenever she was on screen. 

[Melissa25]

Nice to see Lesli Margherita on Season 7.  

[Mildred Plotka]

Silly question here. I need to pick up where I left off but I have no clue where I stopped lol. I have to be at least 3 seasons behind. It was the season Carrie had her baby. I gave up on the episode where she was in the bathtub and it looked like she was considering drowning the baby. It was just a bit too much for me at the time. Anyone know when this was? I think enough time has passed that I’m not mad at Carrie anymore.

[n2nbaby]

I believe that was the beginning of season 4.

[Mildred Plotka]

Thanks! Yikes I didn’t know I was that far behind. The baby storyline really bothered me. I love Carrie, warts and all, but that was a bit too much for me.

[SmoothLover]

The train has gone off the rails.

[henrikegerman]

A couple of things:

Danes is very interesting this season.  She's upped her game... or perhaps the writing is giving her more to work with.

Good chemistry between her and the actor playing Dante.

The plot veers from compelling to unbelievable... but then again what is
"unbelievable" in American politics and policy anymore?

The guy playing the shock jock is quite brilliant.  Especially good at navigating between his character and his character's wingnut show biz persona.

The best thing about this season is how complex the issues are and how fairly they are presented.  The worst thing is that some things simply don't make all that much sense.  Particularly, the changes in Elizabeth Marvel's character between last season and this one.   Not sure I believe what she's gone through - as harrowing as it was - substantiates her changing from voice of reason in the wilderness to civil rights tossing tyrant.

[javero]

henrikegerman wrote: "The worst thing is that some things simply don't make all that much sense.  Particularly, the changes in Elizabeth Marvel's character between last season and this one."  

Fair enough.  To me, the fault lies with last season's less than stellar finale that failed to show not tell why the character was so reviled by the public that she'd later have to be sworn into office behind closed doors for her own safety.  Not even the shock jock succeeded in bringing to light any real malfeasance on the part of the potus-to-be.

To her credit, Elizabeth Marvel is making the most of what she's been given to work with this season as President Elizabeth Keane.  However, I suspect that the writers could get more mileage out of the character, and introduce more credibility, by depicting her as someone with a paranoid personality disorder ala Nixon rather than as a defensive the-boys-won't-let-me-play tit for tatter.

[javero]

Carrie, how could you?