A Clinging Depiction of Mental Insanity and National Security, I have just finished watching the first season of Homeland and I am still recovering. The Showtime series is a suspense story well mastered to combine the aspects of espionage, mental illness, and family dynamics. Claire Danes has a luminous role as an agency CIA officer named Carrie Mathison, who is an enigmatic and troubled person, having been affected by a traumatic event in her past. The bipolar disorder of her character is well employed into the story, which also lends some level of depth and nuance to the narrative.
The secondary cast is also very impressive, especially Damian Lewis who plays the brooding Nicholas Brody, a Marine sergeant, who returns to the country after being captured in captivity triggering a series of events which disrupt the investigation being done by Carrie. Their chemistry is hard to deny, and it is easy to feel the on-screen tension between Danes and Lewis. The discussion of the grey areas between devotion and deceit on the show is timely and provocative.
Homeland is characterized by moral complexity, and the authors do not disappoint the audience by making all the twists and turns in the story. The action is unremitting, and you will find the episodes ending on a cliffhanger, leaving you breathless. Cinematography is dark and somber and just captures the atmosphere of unsettling and paranoia prevailing throughout the show. Homeland is a must watch to anyone who loves intelligent character-based drama. You could only be ready to sleep with lights on, the pressure never ends.
