Oh my, just when I was about to give up on TV, I encountered yet another good series: Homeland. It took only a few minutes of the pilot to immerse me in the story. Wow!
Without risking giving away anything of substance, I can safely say that the plot is reminiscent of the 60's spy genre involving brainwashing: a sergeant has been held in captivity for eight years in an enemy land.
During that time, he was tortured...but did he turn? Now that he is back home, is he just another traumatized war vet or a foreign agent? This is the question that plagues an obsessive CIA employee, who is convinced that the vet being feted as a war hero is very possibly a spy.
Actors: Top-notch. Clare Danes has proven her worth in so many dramatic roles. My favorite, believe it or not, was her part in Terminator III, where she played the veterinarian who doubts there is such things as killer machines. Then there's Mandy Pantinkin. To me, his best role was as the ex-lover of the female writer George Sand in Impromptu. Witness a newcomer who really shines: Morena Baccarin. She's pretty and believable as the wife of the prisoner of war. Damian Lewis is outstanding as well...never quite smiling as a sane person should!
Character shading: Everyone's credibility is in doubt. Who can we trust? Who is good and who is evil?
Okay, viewers, have I tempted you?
Catch the pilot before the series progresses. This show has pizazz! Critics are calling it the new 24. I prefer to call it the new Manchurian Candidate.
When guys come home from war, anything can happen.
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