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| Dana Brody searches for spiritual guidance in "Homeland" |
I can honestly say that I have never felt like more of a
crazy person than I do right now, watching Homeland. I’m sitting here watching the incredible
story of a family torn apart by the actions of their hero patriarch turned
Congressman turned international fugitive terrorist. It is really riveting drama, as the daughter
Dana tries to commit suicide in an attempt to reconcile her guilt over having once
talked him out of a terrorist attack only to have him apparently succeed later. The mother, Jessica, tries to hold the family
together through pure strength of will and denial, unwilling to admit to the
wreckage her husband has left behind.
And the son, Chris…well, Chris isn’t the best developed of characters,
so we’ll just assume he’s adequately coping with karate and X-Box.
In another universe, this is the show Homeland. There’s no CIA,
there’s no foreign terrorists. It’s just one
family trying to cope with the wrecking ball that’s been swung through their
lives. Hell, this could well have been
the second season in this universe,
had Brody gone through with the first terrorist attack.
Now, we’re probably not seeing the best version of this
story, since so much of each Homeland
episode has to revolve around Carrie and the CIA, but I still find it to be
great television anyway, and not just in a “Oh, I’m liking this ironically,”
kind of way. I think there is legitimate
artistic merit to this storyline. I mean,
the scene late in Sunday’s episode should be enough to prove that, as Dana
attempts to convince her mother that her suicide attempt wasn’t just a cry for help but was based in her very real desire to just be done with it all. Dana’s plaintive cries that she isn’t crazy
and that her mom isn’t crazy, but that it was her father who was crazy just cut
me to the core.
And yet, the critical reaction to this storyline has been
largely lukewarm. Mo Ryan described the
storyline as “vague and tentative,” Alan Sepinwall as “problematic.” Andy Greenwald reacted to the inclusion of
more Dana Brody by commenting that “I honestly don't think anyone outside the
walls of the writers' room left last year thinking the solution to what ailed Homeland
was more Dana Brody.” And that’s not even digging in to the
comments and said reviews. Dear God, never
read the comments.
And Greenwald’s right.
A season ago, the last thing I would have wanted was more time with the
Brodys. But this is different. This is a storyline that’s engaging and makes
me interested in Dana as a person. Like
I said, it’s not perfect. Her decision
to send her new boyfriend (who’s still in the psychiatric hospital) topless
selfies can only backfire on her. And
there’s bound to be an inevitable spiral of shame and guilt following their
inevitable breakup and the leaking of said photographs. It’s being telegraphed a bit obviously, but
the raw emotions on display between Morgan Saylor and Morena Baccarin are just
electric.
I can understand how the relationship between Dana and her
new boyfriend can be boring for some viewers, but it’s such a perfect
manifestation of the disconnect she feels from everybody else in her “real”
life. Nobody knows what she’s going
through (and not in a “nobody gets me” kind of way), so it’s not surprising
that she would find common ground with somebody who has shared at least one of
her experiences. The relationship
between Dana and Nicholas was one of the strongest emotional bonds on the show
and I feel like Dana and Jessica are forming a similar relationship. It’s not there yet, but I really want to see
where it goes.
I don’t think this is a perfect story and I don’t think it’s
a perfect presentation of this story.
But Homeland is a show that’s
currently struggling to find its identity and Dana Brody seems to be the only
character who has found hers. I want to watch that show, even if nobody else does.
So thoughts?
Comments? Just want to tell me my
blog sucks? Let me know in the comments
or on Twitter @TyTalksTV.
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