Homeland 2.11
"The Motherfucker with a Turban" is a pretty damn awesome episode title, yes? And it feels pretty darn good to be writing meta again!
How the hell am I supposed to just sit around and wait for next week?
Yeah, I'll admit it: I'm in this for Carrie and Brody. Not necessarily together, though that's a huge part of it for me. I mean, I want them together, but I'm fully aware that they're doomed. Or are they? Who the hell knows anymore? EntWkly has an interview with Alex Gansa, who's all about "Will they have a future together? What obstacles are in their way?" Which makes me think that either A) the season ends with them on the run from Estes and his merry band of assassins, or B) Brody's gonna die. I've read some excellent arguments for why Brody must die, and the purist in me can definitely see the merit. But....
I've gotten so attached to Brody this season. Another issue for which I can blame Damian Lewis. (Along with my thing for tall, thin gingers -- dating back to 1995 when I saw him onstage in Hamlet and developed a bit of a crush. But I digress. ;) His arc since "New Car Smell" has been fascinating, particularly for how deceptively honest it was. Like nearly everyone else, I had huge suspicions: he hadn't really been turned; he was playing games with everyone; he only gave a damn about Carrie insofar as the "affair" kept him alive.* So last week was a shock. He was truly turned against Nazir. He does love Carrie. Of course, he also got what he wanted all along: Walden's death. (And the show has clearly maintained from the start that Brody's actions were motivated by vengeance for Issa rather than greater terroristic goals.)
* Though I suppose there's a very slim possibility that he's still playing a game and that Nazir's death was set up in order for Brody to make a really huge suicidal splash next week. Yikes.
Damn. I keep going off on tangents. Anyway, I know all the dozens of reasons why I should hate Big Bad Terrorist Brody, but I just really like him. I'll freely admit I'm able to turn a blind eye to everything he's done. I want him to finally get some peace. I want him to at least try for a happy ending with Carrie, even if it's doomed -- though the future he imagined in my fanfic does seem a bit more plausible. Whatever the case, I'm bracing myself for his likely death next week, just because it seems so obvious. But he's such a huge part of the show for me that I will/would be devastated to see him go.
And I am scared to death for what that death would do to Carrie, because I really love her the most. Last season she was destroyed. Tonight she finally accomplished what has been her literal raison d'etre for the past ten years. She's shellshocked, but mostly in a good way. Nazir can't hurt them anymore. Last week she was bait, a "victim", but capturing Nazir was entirely on her. Where does she go from here? Despite this triumph, her bipolar disorder permanently keeps her out of the CIA. And even though she seems to accept Brody killing Walden to save her life, I doubt she'll be able to just let that slide. As of right now, she has her victory. She has Brody. (And let's hope the two of them get to have a ton of great sex before the inevitable devastation.) But what kind of life can she build? I actually think it could be as simple as that -- and I kinda want to write that fic before Sunday. ;) Yet I also know that this is Homeland, and I should brace myself for everything going horribly wrong. I just hope it doesn't destroy Carrie any more than it already has. She deserves more peace and hope than the fleeting glimpse between now and next Sunday.
I also really loved that conversation between Jessica and Brody in the car. It's about time they acknowledged that it has been over between them since he returned. Hell, I still love the whole Brody family, so there! I'm nervous about what might happen with Saul, though I suspect this is leading toward Estes being taken down. The Galvez-as-mole thing was totally a lampshade, but whatever. The mole is still out there somewhere, but I don't really care because I'm in it for the characters over the plot. And I seem to be the only one who has never been all that fond of Quinn, even before he set off to kill Brody.
So. Whatever happens, I still love this show, despite all the blogger uproar last week and the significant problems with the season. And I wish this were the season finale, because I'm nervous as hell about all the badness that will almost certainly detonate next week!
ETA: Remind me not to read the TWoP boards (or most of the comments on blog reviews), where the main point of discussion is how the show is stupid and Carrie is a stupid whore. Ugh. This shall be my safe place, thanks.
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