Homeland: New show on Showtime

Let's just say that any show of that level MUST have an expert on the politics/structure/security of the country it portrays. Anyone with a slightest knowledge of modern Russia and it's political and security system, not to mention Kremlin/FSO/FSB/SVR/GRU expert will die laughing his ass off or simply veto this last episode completely. We're not talking about Marvel comics we're talking about a show that is supposed to be more of less real in it's portrayal of different countries politics and security services. I can ignore the Budapest location, the snow with a swimming pool, the non-existent airport (what was it's name again?) or even the commando team hiding in the Moscow hotel room, then driving to Sergiev Posad and escaping back to Moscow hotel unnoticed after being ambushed - OK this is TV entertainment, but SVR/GRU generals behaving like Somali warlords rampaging through Moscow like a chaotic gangland is ridiculous even by 1992-1994 standarts, not to mention 2018. The storyline of SVR general keeping his stolen money in US (of all places!), SVR's main adversary and turning against his own country and GRU in 5 minutes due to most primitive blackmail makes one think that the producers have zero respect for the viewers' IQ. Saul blackmailing SVR general in the hall of Moscow restaurant is as absurd as US senator's assistant running across Washington street to whisper the biggest secret to russian ambassador.

Do they keep us all for idiots or what?

 

A very public "rendition attempt" where the National Security Advisor to the President actually travels with the participating agents, on Russian territory where a number of Russian citizens get shot dead. What did they hope to do with Simone Martin once they even got hold of her? Is she really that important? Such an unbelievably stupid operation.

 

Due process became problematic after the presidential kidnapping, assassination attempt, and coup attempt, supported by high officials and significant numbers of Americans. Basically an internal war against the U.S. Different ballgame after that.

 

Apparently they do. I agree with you completely.

L.

 

Well, that was a pretty stupid way to wrap things up!

...Spoilers...

They went to all that trouble with loss of life and liberty, to exonerate president Keane, only for her to promptly resign after being reinstated? I mean, what the hell was the point of the resignation? Does she seriously think people will be jolted out of hyperpartisanism, join hands and sing Kumbaya? Ain't gonna happen. I bet crazy Carrie will be pleased when she comes to her senses. Silly ending, alas.

 

It was a silly ending but hey, they had to have an ending. No more absurd than the corner the writers painted themselves into (or the previous episode!!!), lol. Other than 5 or 10 really big wtf moments I enjoyed the season but as far as it being up there, quality wise, with the first 2 (which many thought it was 3 or so episodes before)? Nope, last 2 episodes took a big toll

 

terrible ending.......but they had set up next year i guess.

 

Both of these 2 statements hit the nail on the head. Plenty of completely unrealistic stuff but you are watching a show who’s main character would never be in her position being bipolar in real life. I thought the season was excellent as a whole. The ending was a little strange but it gives the writers plenty of options to go in different directions for what’s supposedly the last season. Sadly, we’ll spend half the season dealing with crazy Carrie again.

BTW, I thought the most unrealistic thing in E11 was the fact there just happened to be 2 perfect wigs sitting around. Maybe Carrie had the wigs all along and the plan was to convince Simone to go peacefully with a wig.

 

This finale felt 'off' as far as the writing goes. Felt like the story was slapped together at the last minute. I've read that the results of our last election somehow threw a monkey wrench into the show planning. 1st, it shouldn't have, whatever direction they originally had planned surely couldn't have been worse than what was ultimately presented. 2nd, I'm REALLY curious about the original script now. What was such a big deal that they had to shift gears so abruptly just prior to the start of the Season? Regardless, this last episode was all over the place. Used to be such an intelligent show, the finale was plain stupid. You know they messed up when the most compelling episode of the season was centered around the character most of the viewers don't like (the daughter)!

 

All I'll say is that this did not make up for the out-of-control skid of episode 11. This felt like the car sitting in the ditch--with a driver babbling rationalizations through a haze of head-injury and intoxication.....

L.

 

I'm stupid which I suppose is why I enjoyed it. Just tv. Don't care about it making sense(which it does to me, but I suppose I don't spend much time trying to figure out why it doesn't) or how close to reality it is. It's a good watch on slow Sunday nights. Which is all I want from it. Will be watching next season.

 

What happened to the team member who crashed the Mercedes into the cop car?

 

Completely unrealistic, I agree. In the real world, Simone would have been dead from polonium poisoning long before she ever testified in front of congress.

 

God, they totally flashed the series down the toilet with the last 2 episodes. And even Caire Danes have jumped the shark now. Her portrayal of "completely nuts" Carrie in the bridge exchange finale is totally amateurish and sadly not a good acting.

 

Here's a classic bridge exchange scene from the soviet 1967 spy drama The Low Season (or The Dead Season depending on the translation). The KBG hero spy is played by the great late Donatas Banionis (of Solaris fame among others). Tight, restrained and no BS scene.

 

I think they said he got back to the embassy safely. Don't ask me how. He only crashed into a police car and was a highly wanted suspect.

 

Homeland, you had me-right up to Keane's resignation, then-splat. That's going to be some conversation Saul's going to have with Carrie. "You know those seven months of insanity you suffered? It's about to get worse!"
Yes, that truly made no sense. I think I may have enjoyed Designated Survivor's 25th Amendment story line more (and definitely West Wing's). And I thought overall this season was going well.
A few other random notes:
Keane's scene with Paley was over the top.
O'Keefe must have been off taking dialect lessons for the last several episodes.
Clint caused the death of one of Anson's team by blabbing to the senator's Chief Of Staff. Why is Keane congratulating him?
And I'm sorry, but I did chuckle a little at bug-eyed Carrie. I'm a bad person.
I've said this before, and it bears repeating. Even when this show seems to be faltering, it's still better than 90% of anything else out there. I do hope we see Dar a little more next year.

 

Dar was a nice surprise to see. I’m still completely pissed how he was written last season because he was always smarter than that and played a great anti-hero kind of character. Stupid to just turn him into the bad guy. Seemed cheap.

 

Yeah, I miss Dar too. Kind of Saruman to Saul's Gandalf.

 

Jake Weber must be using the same dialect coach as Andrew Lincoln over on The Walking Dead. Do we really have that much of a shortage of American actors?

 

The funniest thing is when an ex of mine who's been living with her boyfriend in the States for the last 7 or 8 years commented on my FB post with something like "Wow! Moscow has changed beyond all recognition since I went away!". I said "That's because it's Budapest, baby"

 

As an epilogue to Homeland I've been watching the last year's russian spy series The Sleepers (2017). Second season is on it's way but the first one looked like a direct analogue of Homeland's Season 7 - liberal fifth column trying to destabilize Russia with full support of CIA covert operations in order to break up alliance with China and interfere in the russian elections, fake news and internet trolls, CIA kidnapping the Kremlin critic blogger to frame FSB, Russian embassy in Libya ambushed and it turns out to be an inside job, a Syria veteran FSB colonel in love triangle with his bohemian gallerist ex who of course is married to a liberal russophobic editor - this is as Homeland as it gets and as 2017/2018 as Holemand's last two seasons.

 

I dunno. Where is the the part where they share vodka and borscht?

 

I wonder what waswas point of the extended O'Keefe storyline? Once he was captured he disappeared. Far too much time was spent on that story.

 

In the long run, for me, the whole era of Keane-as-President (last 2 seasons?) has been a mess. The writing almost seems scatterbrained in the truest sense of the word, it's all over the place. Show feels like it's lost its way.