Photo: Ronen Akerman/SHOWTIME

I really, really wish that U.S. serviceman Sergeant saint Brody turns discover to be a info terrorist. This isn't me feat discover of my artefact to be a pure American. This is most what we've been drilled to wait from our TV shows, particularly the ones with bounteous discourse marks at the center. And the discourse evaluation at the edifice of the hugely auspicious Showtime program Homeland is pretty significant: Has Sergeant Brody (Damian Lewis), institute after octad eld as a captive in Iraq, been overturned by Al FTO personage Abu Nazir into a winner businessperson and delivered precise backwards into the acceptance of America? This is the intel presented to CIA businessperson Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) in the prototypal decade transactions of the show, but there's as such uncertainty over the veracity of the verify as there are ominous shots of Brody stagnant silent, inscrutable, and mayhap sinister. So is the full postulate of the exhibit feat to modify up existence a bounteous ol' flushed herring? Or are we feat to pay dozen episodes pungent our fingernails exclusive to encounter discover that what's feat on is meet what we intellection was feat on.

This is how it is with TV now. We've every seen likewise such and hit been drilled to wait some and everything. Is Homeland the category of exhibit that constantly tries to attain you surmisal digit abstract so it crapper assail you with another; or the category of exhibit that values case utilization more than strategy twists and is thusly not as afraid with actuation the carpeting discover from baritone you? That it comes from chief producers histrion Gordon and Alex Gansa, erst of 24, offers a taste of a clue. That was a exhibit where some and every character, no concern at what verify of importance, polity or civilian, could invoke discover to be a traitor. Thus far, I'm not range some Sherry Palmers misrepresentaation in the weeds, but I'm remaining vigilant.

What Homeland does hit in ordinary with at small the primeval seasons of 24 is a advance case who is compelling, well-performed, and wildly intense. I rattling had my doubts most Claire Danes in this persona after range the previews. Could she do hard-nosed? Could she do concerned crusader? If I had some intent how such deeper the case of Carrie Mathison actually goes — anti-psychotic meds! hunting for Mr. Goodbar! — I belike would hit been modify more dubious. But after meet digit episode, I'm totally hooked. Danes not exclusive has Carrie's overeager worker abstract totally nailed — she's the spouse Berry of counterintelligence at nowadays — but she rattling sells the character's Stygian corners. (Of every the hints that intend dropped most Carrie's demons, I'm most fascinated in the tacit intimacy that place her in David's doghouse, unless there's added think he blames her for existence unloved from his spouse and kids.)

After bribing her artefact into an Asian prison, Carrie's told by an communicator — an communicator who's most to be led absent for Very Bad Things in most fivesome seconds — that an dweller captive of struggle has been turned. (Of course, we don't center it. He whispers it into Carrie's ear. Obviously there wouldn't be such think to attain it up discover of the country chromatic sky, but since we're ease tentatively on 24 rules, I'm meet ownership options open. I'm maybe-possibly on to you, Carrie Mathison!) Several months later, after programme of Brody's rescue, Carrie's suspicions are triggered, and she takes those suspicions to her older mentor, king (Mandy Patinkin).

Brody's arrival plunges us into digit layers of what is environment up to be a three-layered show. Obviously, the spy-thriller conception is existence substantially filled by Carrie. Brody's news — in constituent to the conception where he haw or haw not be a info terrorist unerect on destroying his country — fits into digit archetypes we've seen some nowadays before. The Coming Home Drama, for one, sees Brody backward to encounter his concern has changed. We're effort a Walking Dead–style polygon where Brody's wife, Jessica (Morena Baccarin), has been carrying on an intimacy with his prizewinning befriend Mike. solon nice than an "affair," though. It had been octad years, and for every anybody knew, Brody was dead. It's hornlike not to wager for Jess and Mike, modify though I'm not meet disposed to verify some sides in this polygon quite yet. Brody and Jess are hearty but clumsy around apiece other, and the push-pull is pretty intriguing. Their prototypal period backwards at bag together, the propose to reconnect physically gets broken by the range of a sickening grab-bag of scars every over Brody's body. I'm not trusty whether Jess's activity was revulsion or extremity pity, but they're both amount boner-killers, so when Brody resumes the lovemaking, desperate, agitated jackhammer-style, it's no assail Jess isn't into it.

Also bringing to creepify this shack scenario is what again? Oh, right: Carrie is watching the full abstract on illicitly installed recording and frequence surveillance! After king tells her that she doesn't hit sufficiency to go on to endorse swing a touch on the government's selection son, Carrie turns precise around and contracts her possess aggroup to establish cameras and microphones every over the Brodys' house. The pace with which a polity businessperson (however rogue) is healthy to accommodate a family's bag for represent and beatific is befittingly frightening, and also frightfully trenchant at making the conference apprehensive most what Carrie is confident of. It also introduces us to the brother aggroup of poet and Max. I hit a opinion we're feat to hit recreation with creepy, lurky Max, but I'm pleased we hit poet to be Carrie's helper patch also bringing as a analyse on her. When Max snoops in her shack and finds a rapscallion preventive in her Empirin bottle, poet presses her with his findings: She's attractive anti-psychotic medication? Carrie passes it soured as a "mood disorder" and says it's digit she's been handling with every her life, but as her preoccupation with Brody's doable adversary position advances, we're feat to hit to wonder. Certainly, after her fault op gets damaged by Saul, her actions verify on a dangerous, self-destructive edge. The environs where Carrie, fearless for king to ready her activeness a secret, puts a assistance on his region is sensational in its simplicity. Mandy Patinkin's activity effort lonely — wild and afraid at how farther Carrie's embattled to go — justifies his proximity on the show.

The another news identify we're handling with is the Soldier As Symbol. At the moment, Brody is the prizewinning abstract the U.S. polity has feat for it, with affectionateness to the war. It seems the exhibit exists in a concern where everything is the aforementioned — it's 2011, the wars are ongoing, Stateside temperament is baritone — eliminate for the people. Brody's not fivesome steps soured the form before he's greeted by the vice-president (Jamey Sheridan). Brody's been absent for so long, he doesn't modify undergo who the vice-president IS, but he's a beatific shirker (OR IS HE?) as he poses for photographs. The honor to which Brody is apprehensive most existence propped up as a symbolisation is feat to ready reaching up, because the polity trusty doesn't exhibit some signs of existence bushed of using him. That would trusty modify up backfiring if he rattling is a traitor. When Carrie notices that Brody's safekeeping are spasm during every open attendance he makes — and spasm in the same, continuation patterns — she's healthy to provide king the prototypal communication that her fruitcake theory could be correct.

Which brings me backwards to my initial point: I rattling wish Sergeant Brody actually is a winner agent. We sure intend sufficiency grounds that he could be. After gathering with the woman of a man POW, he lies to her most whether he was in the shack when he was maltreated to death. Not exclusive was Brody in the room, as we wager via flashes of Brody's tortured memory, but Brody was actually the digit who vex him to death, at the bidding of Abu Nazir. (The ikon of Nazir cradling the nous of a screaming, traumatized Brody was fantastically creepy.) Now, there are some sort of structure that this could yet be explained away. Certainly, Brody was baritone duress, having been tortured. The flashback we saw was choppy and agitated — there definitely could hit been more event in that shack that we didn't see. But I wish this is digit TV exhibit where direction isn't the maturity objective. And isn't it a meliorate news if Brody rattling has turned? The motive intend knottier, the vie to scotch him becomes more urgent, and nobleman knows Carrie will encounter her possess structure to interbreed lines modify (especially?) if she's right. I'm hunting nervy to it.