Tin Man is Down - HL

Homeland episode 3-01 "Tin Man is Down"

Written by Alex Gansa, one of Homeland's executive producers.  Previously of 24
Barbara Hall, who wrote for Newhart in the 1980s

Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter

• Season Two MVP Peter Quinn looks to continue on his previous year's success.  He's has an off season regime of shirtless bomb making to keep himself sharp.
• First game of the year, he makes an error .  They won the game but his fielding percentage is lower.
• The Red Viper is the majority counsel during Carrie's perjury session, so I imagine he figures into the story in a significant way
• A lot of this dialogue feels lifted directly from West Wing's Bartlet for America
• e.g. "Let the record reflect the witness has nodded her head so as to indicate an affirmative"
• F. Murray Abraham, whose overly bizarre appearance on Louie I can't get out of my head, points out that there's no construction to repair CIA headquarters.  They aren't moving on, just like this episode is overly focused on what happened previously rather than how this story is going to move forward
• During Carrie's perjury session where she sounds like a crazy person, per usual, she says Brody was rescued from Afghanistan.  But I thought he served in Iraq?
• I hope I am wrong but Wikipedia says otherwise.  I can abide a lot of Homeland's nonsense but I can't abide bastardizing characters and continuity errors
• Dana's tried to commit suicide off screen
• No real indication this was going to happen
• And we're all already bored by her bf
• Mrs. Brody is going by Mrs. Brody despite her husband being a terrorist suicide bomber traitor in the public's (and her) eyes
• Even Skyler White went by her maiden name despite her complicity in her husband's deeds
• SAUL!
• If this show alienated Saul's character and somehow turned him into a real bastard, that's what would turn me off more than any ridiculous plot
• That said, I love that Saul, even in his new acting director role, continues to wear his beard and rumpled shirt with the sleeves rolled up and no tie.  Even though this is completely implausible for a head of an agency or even acting head as in this case, I absolutely love it.  Saul's a worker and not a politico
• So much of this episode is for the viewer's benefit.  Heaping spoonfuls of exposition, even for a season premiere
• Usually the parent or parent figure who is skeptical of an adult child's health or mental health or behavior is a device who is completely wrong about what is actually happening with the character.  But Carrie's dad is 100 percent on target about her crazy
• I've watched it a few times and I always think Dana's brother says "You whore" instead of "You are..."
• Dana's speaking out at Quaker time or whatever it was early in Season Two never came up again
• This show being from and similar to 24...I don't expect much long term planning or plotting like in a show such as Breaking Bad
• There has to be a folder in every casting agency for dick-ish old white men to play politicians
• I love how so many shows declare party neutrality or that the characters have no party when clearly the dicks on the show are Republicans
• That comment isn't actually related to Homeland.  Just television in general.  Because here anyone who gives Carrie a hard time is correct due to her crazy
• Peter Quinn
• M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!
• Quinn's code name is Red-5 which is Luke's call sign in Star Wars: A New Hope
• Quinn kills about a thousand people including the dude hiding in the desk who he doesn't even see
• SUCKA!
• Unfortunately no Congressional GOP members will believe Quinn killed this guy until they have a copy of this picture which they will claim was doctored
• Oh man Mrs. Brody's mom seems like the real supportive kind
• Supportive as in cook dinner and then throw that in your face when she criticizes every choice you make
• Carrie's dad calls her with the newspaper headline.  Get a Google Alert, Carrie
• Carrie feels betrayed by the guy who she just ran after and called out in public, for stating the truth under penalty of perjury
• I wish the show would treat Carrie like the rogue crazy person she is rather than a sympathetic protagonist