Homeland Season 2 Review: 5 Reasons to Watch

Culture

Fresh of a triumphant showing at Sunday night’s Emmy Awards, Homeland – which won statues for Best Actor and Actress along with Best Drama, unseating Mad Men from its four-season reign – is set to return this Sunday (Sept. 30) at 10 PM ET/PT on Showtime.

1. The Memory Problem

Just as Carrie was gearing up for ECT in last season’s finale, she flashed back to a memory of her in bed with Brody earlier in the season, when Brody said a name – “Issa”– in his sleep. Issa was the son of Abu Nazir, whom Brody had tutored in English while in captivity. Issa died as a result of a drone strike authorized by American Vice President Walden, who later claimed that no children had died in the attack. During a manic episode, Carrie became convinced that the death of Nazir’s son was the impetus behind his resurgent terrorist activity, but hadn’t connected Issa to Brody himself. By the end of the finale she had become disillusioned by her conjectures and had grown skeptical of her obsession with Brody’s guilt, both of which contributed significantly to her decision to undergo ECT. 

Carrie’s illness has negatively impacted her personal life in the past, but she believed that her obsessive, manic tendencies were imperative to her job performance. Where her personal failures could not motivate her to seek treatment, professional failure certainly could. Unfortunately, by the time she remembered Brody’s night time revelation, it was too late to stop her treatment, which commonly induces memory loss. Though it’s a pretty safe bet that Carrie won’t remember the critical connection between Brody and Abu Nazir’s son at the beginning of the season, we can expect her to get her memory back bit by bit as the season progresses. When will she remember this vital piece of information, and how will it shape the way the plot unfolds?

2. Brody’s Political Career

4. Will They or Won’t They?

5. The Problem with Plot