"Homeland" is under reconstruction, we get it, but we do not need to feel like we are at construction site, stultified and uninterested. If "Shalwar Kameez" is any indication, "Homeland" is tired and decaying, which sends a mixed message to the statements made by the pounding premiering episode "Drone Queen". On the character front, "Homeland is not hitting its target as accurately as usual. Quinn, who has surfaced to fill Brody's masculine shoes, is being written with varying character development. The Carrie and Sal relationship strikes me as frail, and we know from the past seasons the actors are magnetic together. Having seen this a week ago, the plot was so dull that I could not tell you much about it. A loss of urgency and suspense was present here, most noted during the scene where Carrie escapes from being watched. This scene was made me reflect a similar scene from the season 2 premiere, how gripping that was, and by contrast, how ineffective this scene played in "Shalwar Kameez". Lifeless directing and an uneventful narrative made for a latent night in "Homeland".
Grade: C
Grade: C