Homeland - TV Series Review

Homeland creates an exciting plot for a CIA officer Carrie Mathison featured by Claire Danes. The series is based on her belief that a freed Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody, was an Al-Qaeda turned man of operation. The series touches on issues of terrorist acts, a mental disease, faith and betrayal. The mood remains most often anxious, accompanied by schemes of mystery and internal struggle, keeping suspense constant. It swims between national security and personal trauma as well as the price a country pays in order to be protected.

This TV show provides one of the best talented performances of Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison. Saul Berenson portrayed by Mandy Patinkin is a much more realistic character, thus adding layers of subtlety to the show. Damian Lewis as Brody provides an excellent case of the conflicted anti-hero; the show’s portrayal of the cat-and-mouse game between Carrie and Brody is impeccable.

Homeland is the epitome of what shows should look like when it comes to storytelling, eac The directors effectively share sensitive and personal moments and thrilling action and create a unique tense world.

Music feels like an addition which underlines various episodes with suspenseful and revelatory moments. The music also supports well the narrative and makes every scene important in its dramatic sense of direction.

Rock music in the film Homeland impresses by its atmosphere and urban outlook. Dark lighting contributes to the overall mood and real feeling of the secret services work, as well as their daily routine when necessary. The settings – from CIA operative offices to a war zone – help to provide a sense of realism to the series, which makes it easier to get fully immersed in the story.

Such matters are not accentuated in the series though occasional use of special effects can be seen for depicting specific scenes with maximum reality.

The style of editing of the series helps to keep the rhythm up with most of it being consecutive shots without losing out on depth and detail Switching between the two story arcs is smooth so the audience remains interested and the action moves at a good pace.

Another strength of Homeland is that it has good pacing and while the show loves its intense scenes, it also wisely incorporates the quieter, character development scenes into the mix. This helps to sustain suspense, and make a viewer bite their nails waiting for what is going to happen next.

The main characters in Homeland speak much and their words sound rather smart and, often, suggestive. It is an effective tool in driving the plot forward and enriching the shown character dynamics, adding more layers to the already complex story.

Still, surprisingly few complain about the show’s heavy reliance on tropes typical for the CIA thriller; Homeland for them is a prime example of a successful show in every aspect. Still, the show’s richness and depth of characterization usually lessens the sensationalism of this claim.

The series is a provocative and a highly charged psychological thriller which makes the viewers explore the world of espionage and shades of gray. What I like also is that every episode is presented as a different story which has a strong moral sense, thus the viewers are engaged and have to think: is it right or wrong?