Instead of revealing the whereabouts of fugitive Brody, Homeland’s third season premiere delicately provided us with a glimpse into the despair he’s left behind. Additionally, it reminded us not to cross Carrie. She will go ape shit.
“Tin Man is Down” picks up almost two months after the CIA bombing, and much has transpired in its aftermath. Dana is in rehab for attempting suicide, Saul is the director of the CIA and Carrie is battling both her bipolar disorder and treacherous Senate subcommittee hearings. Opening with a shot of Quinn carefully constructing a bomb, all initial reactions may connect him with the terrorist attack, but a quick cut to Chairman Lockhart’s commencement of Carrie’s (quite painful) interrogation proves it was merely a red herring. Indeed, Quinn’s true motives are never actually clear, but his reluctance to kill an innocent child manifested some empathy in an otherwise bland character. Here’s to discovering his true agenda sometime soon.
While the first two seasons of “Homeland” followed Carrie’s mission to expose Brody’s terroristic motives, last season’s finale inverted the show's central premise, as Carrie’s now out to prove Brody’s innocence. Yet, it’s a Sisyphean struggle from here, with the majority pitted against Carrie. During the Senate subcommittee’s questioning of Carrie, we learn of leaked information, including the immunity agreement document signed by the Attorney General and a Carrie spotting minutes after the CIA bombing. Carrie’s caught off guard, and is unsure how to deal with this intel. Luckily, her attorney is able to reschedule the next portion of the hearing. In the meantime, Carrie calls the one Saul everyone should call. He unconvincingly assures her the best, but she doesn’t buy Saul’s opinion and hangs up.
Yet, this is the least of Saul’s worries, as he’s struggling to make any decisions in his new role. He’s shaky, broken and distraught. Mira is back home to support him, but they don’t even share the same bed. One of the premiere’s most powerful scenes is an exchange between the withdrawn couple as Saul drinks away his troubles. He mutters, “I never asked for the job; I’m not temperamentally suited for it,” to which Mira responds, “Who are you trying to convince?” Undoubtedly, much of “Homeland’s” strongest moments incorporate the notions of conviction and trust, most of which has disintegrated from Saul into the barren remains of the catastrophic attack. Without trust in himself, Saul will slip as the show’s moral center. His indecision on his marriage mirrors that of his uncertainty in his ability to lead the CIA and protect Carrie at the same time. It’s a cruel world, Saul.
Thus, the premiere positions Carrie even further on the outside than in the finale. After a haphazard one-night stand with a fellow customer from the liquor store, Carrie awakens to a phone call from her distraught father. It’s about the headline on front page of the newspaper: “CIA Officer Linked to Langley Bomber.” Furthermore, it asserts that a female analyst allegedly had an affair with Brody in the midst of the agency’s investigation. Immediately, Carrie storms to the restaurant where Saul, Dar Adal and company are enjoying a victory lunch and disparages all in a tirade almost as perfect as Carrie’s diatribe to Estes in “The Vest.” Referring to Dar Adal as Saul’s lap dog, she hits the nail on the head. Little does she know she’s about to lose her closest and only remaining confidant…
In the premiere’s final scene, Lockhart’s subcommittee grills Saul, with the hearing broadcasted live on television. Demanding information on the nauseating story on Brody’s affair with a CIA analyst, Lockhart bluntly gazes over Saul’s opening statement. Bouncing back and forth from the hearing’s chamber to Carrie’s living room, there’s heightened suspense when Saul pauses to answer the question. He can’t trust himself, so he throws Carrie to the wolves to save his own behind. He disowns her, claiming the news story is flawed and that she hid her affair from Brody. Before the questioning began, Lockhart proclaimed, “The American people have lost faith in your ability to get things right.” Yes, we have. We better not call Saul. He’s in the doghouse.
Some other notes:
*After Carrie ends her phone conversation with Saul, she looks down the street at the Capitol building. Somehow, this scene eerily resonates with the closing scene in the pilot episode when Brody runs to the Capitol building. Then, Brody's motives were uncertain, but we pondered a potential attack. Indeed, this scene with Carrie may foreshadow her actions destroying Washington's credibility, mainly the CIA.
*What did the optimist say as he was jumping off the building?
