We’re genuinely struggling to find the words to describe how good Homeland is, such that we’re tempted to resort to bashing the keyboard in a hope that the message will become clear.
Claire Danes plays Carrie Mathison, an unstable CIA handler who suspects Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), a prisoner of war recently rescued from Iraq after eight years, of planning a terror attack on the United States. Going against her superiors, Carrie begins spying on Brody and his family to gain evidence to support her theory.
Homeland is adapted from Israeli TV show Prisoners of War by the award-winning producers of 24. Speaking at the UK launch last month, Lewis stated that the script was “really ambitions” and “incredibly dense both in incident and in character”.
Following in the footsteps of House’s Hugh Laurie, The Wire‘s Idris Elba and The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln, Lewis is in the long line of British actors and actresses to star in top US shows, having previously led NBC’s crime drama Life with his role as Detective Charlie Crews.
It’s hard to settle on the defining point of Homeland, as there are simply too many positive points to choose from, though at a push we’d have to say it’s Claire Danes and her stunning portrayal of bipolar suffering Carrie Mathison.
There are moments throughout the pilot where Danes commits to the subtlest of changes in manner and facial expression that appear so genuine, you’d be forgiven for thinking she truly is bipolar.
Co-star David Harewood (also a Britain playing an American) told us that one of the writers has a sister, suffering from the same condition, who had written a piece in the New York Times explaining how the character has “opened the door for people to discuss the condition” going on to explain how Mathison “is one of the few characters on screen that is prepared to show what it’s like to be mentally unstable and have this condition.”
Lewis went on to say how “it’s a brave thing to attempt to insert a bipolar character into the heart of a paranoid thriller; it could very easily seem like a gimmick… they deal with it sensitively and embrace it.”
One observation that was expressed at the preview event in London is the recent rush of high quality television shows coming from the US. Traditionally it has been believed that America makes movies and Britain makes quality TV, but with stunning programs like The Walking Dead, Mad Men, Dexter and Homeland making a splash this side of the pond, and nothing truly unique or groundbreaking coming from us (aside from maybe Sherlock and Doctor Who) since Life on Mars, could we be witnessing a shift in the balance of TV power?
Who know; but with a gripping story deep rooted in politics, security, religion and mental illness undertones (and with the revelation that it is US President Barack Obama’s favorite show) one thing we do know is Homeland is here to stay, with a second season due to begin filming this spring.
Are you looking forward to Homeland? Let us know below…
> Buy the Season 1 boxset on Amazon.
Episode 1 airs at 9.30pm on Sunday 19th February on Channel 4.
Watch the trailer…