Homeland, since it retreated from Middle East and started concentrating on US internal affairs, hasn't, in my opinion, been going anywhere. Moreover, being submerged in some characters' personal suffering isn't my favourite past-time either. I honestly think that the only good thing that kept me going in the meantime was my love for some characters, like Saul Berenson and Dar Adal. I really like a good spy story, and these two usually deliver.
Now, this last episode provided some very nice old-style Homeland, in many ways. The operations, the plotting, the Russian intelligence agencies. - It was a very thrilling episode to follow.
However, there are some very disconcerting signs in the writing. Namely, the level of self-criticism this show's writers have appeared to show lately, is unbeliveable. Either they seriously don't have the first idea how the world works, or they just hope their audience doesn't. I will explain now, what I mean.
SERIOUS SPOILERS FOLLOW: I cannot believe how stupid the Russians were made to be in this episode. My God! Have some healthy respect for a long-time political adversary, would you? First you land a bunch of agents in front of Russian intelligence eyes, and STILL you get away with launching an almost frontal assault on a compound? Noone would notice four missing men, right? Noone would even care where they are going or what they are up to. After all, they're merely known specops agents entering the country under diplomatic premise. And at the same time, noone seems to care one bit about the evidence such an operation would leave behind... It's not just a diplomatic disaster, it's potential war-starting incident. Definitely though would it give Russia so much political ammunition as to make what Russians did in Salisbury pale in comparison. And lastly, the way the different Russian intelligence agencies could be coerced so easily to wage war on each other.... that is the most ridiculous plot point of all. Even though Russia definitely isn't a democratic country and there definitely exists some competition between different security wings, it's not the god damn Somalia there. Waging all-out war on each other over some money? Even though they would be tried and likely executed for it? In a public place? Shooting over the heads of civilians and forcibly taking down the other russian agency personnel? And then somehow not realizing that some of the people wearing the same outfits as them aren't actually Russians? What kind of amateur hour is this?
Similar problems have also been seen before, at a lesser extent: In a previous episode, the most important witness in the whole America, and probably the whole world, was guarded in such a way, that a single enemy operative was able to approach him, have a conversation with him and smother him without having to engage a single agent, from a hospital supposedly under a federal agency protection. Can anyone seriously believe this is possible? - If this were really the case in real life, then there wouldn't be a USA- not for long anyway.
I hope that some writers or other important people in this series production are reading this review. Because this is really important, to me at least... The way I see it, You are destroying all the credibility you have gained over the years. Maybe hire some experts or go through some critical discussions of the plot? Because this plot defies all reason. And you definitely don't deserve such a high rating.
EDIT: I decided to upgrade my rating a little, because it was a thrilling episode.
Now, this last episode provided some very nice old-style Homeland, in many ways. The operations, the plotting, the Russian intelligence agencies. - It was a very thrilling episode to follow.
However, there are some very disconcerting signs in the writing. Namely, the level of self-criticism this show's writers have appeared to show lately, is unbeliveable. Either they seriously don't have the first idea how the world works, or they just hope their audience doesn't. I will explain now, what I mean.
SERIOUS SPOILERS FOLLOW: I cannot believe how stupid the Russians were made to be in this episode. My God! Have some healthy respect for a long-time political adversary, would you? First you land a bunch of agents in front of Russian intelligence eyes, and STILL you get away with launching an almost frontal assault on a compound? Noone would notice four missing men, right? Noone would even care where they are going or what they are up to. After all, they're merely known specops agents entering the country under diplomatic premise. And at the same time, noone seems to care one bit about the evidence such an operation would leave behind... It's not just a diplomatic disaster, it's potential war-starting incident. Definitely though would it give Russia so much political ammunition as to make what Russians did in Salisbury pale in comparison. And lastly, the way the different Russian intelligence agencies could be coerced so easily to wage war on each other.... that is the most ridiculous plot point of all. Even though Russia definitely isn't a democratic country and there definitely exists some competition between different security wings, it's not the god damn Somalia there. Waging all-out war on each other over some money? Even though they would be tried and likely executed for it? In a public place? Shooting over the heads of civilians and forcibly taking down the other russian agency personnel? And then somehow not realizing that some of the people wearing the same outfits as them aren't actually Russians? What kind of amateur hour is this?
Similar problems have also been seen before, at a lesser extent: In a previous episode, the most important witness in the whole America, and probably the whole world, was guarded in such a way, that a single enemy operative was able to approach him, have a conversation with him and smother him without having to engage a single agent, from a hospital supposedly under a federal agency protection. Can anyone seriously believe this is possible? - If this were really the case in real life, then there wouldn't be a USA- not for long anyway.
I hope that some writers or other important people in this series production are reading this review. Because this is really important, to me at least... The way I see it, You are destroying all the credibility you have gained over the years. Maybe hire some experts or go through some critical discussions of the plot? Because this plot defies all reason. And you definitely don't deserve such a high rating.
EDIT: I decided to upgrade my rating a little, because it was a thrilling episode.
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