Homeland "There's Something Else Going On" Review: No More Dying—Well, Maybe More Dying, The great thing about Homeland is that you always know something is bound to go wrong. It can be a small thing—like Saul setting out for the airport to board a plane back to the U.S. some episodes ago—or it can be one of Carrie's well-considered efforts to stop terrorism, save diplomacy, and make it home just in time for that big goblet of wine.
Nothing ever goes as expected in this world. Though it fairly regularly irks me that Homeland's story structure makes some of its characters (Carrie specifically) look outmatched and outwitted, it certainly does produce a great sense of dread that hangs over each plan and sub-plan.
What made "There's Something Else Going On" such a strong episode was that it took that ever-present sense of dread and made it function for the entire hour, not just to build out a big twist ending—though it did that, too. After the tumultuous events of last week's episode, Carrie wasn't exactly blindsided by what occurred in this one. Instead, she spent the entire episode knowing that Haqqani (and portions of ISI) were after more than simply recovering the five high-level Taliban officers in exchange for the crumbling existence that is Saul Berenson.
Not only did this permit Carrie to be generally on top of her game, but it made the eventual twist we all knew was coming that much more impactful. Unforeseen twists are definitely cool, but I'd much rather Homeland pull out swings like the post-exchange convoy attack than whatever that Not Brody nonsense was a couple weeks ago.
You guys know how I feel about episodes that make Carrie look competent, and she definitely looked competent in "There's Something Else Going On." Much of the first half of the hour was dedicated to Carrie, Redmond (who's become a fun utility player for the show), and eventually Ambassador Boyd trying to put the screws to the slimy Dennis for his work with Tasneem. Homeland almost always succeeds when it allows the CIA agents to do their jobs—well, with more than just seduction—and the various scenes in which the team trying to decide on the best way to break Dennis flowed well. Mark Moses continued to make the guy as annoying as possible; Dennis refused to admit any wrongdoing to his buddy Redmond, shrugged off Carrie's more forceful tactics (her line about transporting him to a black site was a nice touch), and even remained mum in the face of gentler prodding from his wife Martha. He's obviously empowered by his work with Tasneem, if only because it makes him feel something after years of being second to his more powerful wife, and that empowerment has evolved into cockiness—so much so that he wouldn't even crack under some legitimate threats from Carrie.
Another thing I liked about this episode was that Carrie's confident assertion that something else was going on didn't simply arise from her burgeoning relationship with Aasar. In fact, the hour was relatively restrained on that front, having the two of them interact only once over the phone during the planning stages of the prisoner exchange. Carrie wasn't simply falling for another dude who was giving her information; she added Aasar's information to the growing list of confusing circumstances surrounding Haqqani and ISI's relationship. Put it this way: Any time Homeland can toss in a quick scene where Carrie more or less tells Lockhart to stick it, and she's justified in doing so, I approve.
Obviously, the big setpiece here was the much-discussed hostage trade featuring Saul and the Taliban leadership, and damn was that good. I'm not even sure which element worked best, because everything clicked. What a great job by Homeland's location-scouting team for finding that spot, which I assume was an airstrip out where the show is filming in South Africa. And Seith Mann's direction perfectly accentuated the tension through the extended usage of long shots and that binoculars perspective effect. The sense of dread established in the previous 20 minutes made that sequence feel even more intense, as Haqqani's henchmen revealed an insurance policy to prevent Carrie or Saul from pulling out any funny business—a kid in a bomb vest. Mandy Patinkin was again on-point as Saul initially chose to defy Carrie's request to move toward safety in the arms of the CIA, clearly in defiance of her after the events of last week's episode. The manner in which Patinkin switched Saul's emotions from complete defeat and rage—his "fuck the kid, he thinks he's going to heaven" speech was dark, guys—to a willingness to move forward was quite impressive, and probably enough to earn him another Emmy nomination. Claire Danes was also on her A-game, as Carrie tried to manage her CIA agent instincts and the possible political disaster that would accompany another blown operation as well as her admiration for Saul (and her promise to Mira). Maybe I'm coldhearted, but I'm still angry Saul's perspective on this entire matter. However, it was Danes and Patinkin who ultimately sold the decision to make the trade. And hey, Carrie made it all come together; competency!
Plus, Carrie's lingering doubts about Haqqani's long-term goals and Dennis's corruption nicely dovetailed by the end of the episode. Of course she was right to think Haqqani had a much larger plan—and an explosive one, at that. I have no idea where the missile attacks came from (as in their origin point), but we certainly know why they happened. Step 1: Blow up the convoy that's transporting Carrie, Saul, and Redmond. Step 2: Know that someone at the embassy (in this case, gung-ho Lockhart) will send out the Marines to rescue any survivors. Step 3: TAKE THE EMBASSY. That's one hell of a plot by Haqqani, Tasneem, and whomever else, and it wouldn't've happened without the expert work of that traitorous bastard Dennis Boyd. The end of "There's Something Else Going On" felt like a 24 cliffhanger, and I mean that as a compliment. All hell has broken loose, and there doesn't appear to be a good way to stop Haqqani and his men from destroying the embassy, killing a whole bunch of people, and taking back Islamabad. You know, just like he promised he would do. (However: If Quinn morphs into Jack Bauer in the next episode, all the dumb stuff from this season will have been worth it.)After some bumps here and there, Homeland has constructed quite the turn of events as it enters the last third of the season. Carrie was correct—things are going to get so much worse. Hopefully the show just continues to get better
It ultimately didn't matter much once the episode got going, but I loved Quinn's blank expression in the opening sequence here with the prisoners. Every episode, he looks progressively more annoyed that he let Carrie convince him to come back into all this crap. Rupert Friend is awesome.
– Oh right, Saul and Carrie aren't dead. Redmond might be, though. Poor guy. I guess Carrie's "No more dying" line didn't come to fruition.
– Good on the show for remembering that Mira exists. I was beginning to wonder whether she was going to join the Brody family in the great Homeland beyond. Also: Remember when Saul and Mira were divorcing, or something? It's hard to keep track sometimes.
– On that front, I quite enjoyed the little assertion in this episode that Saul can somehow transform back into the calm, level-headed, non-suicidal version of himself by simply putting his glasses back on. That's like his superhero costume.
– Tasneem definitely knows that Aasar and Carrie are working together, right? She's always two steps ahead of everyone.
– Say what you will about Lockhart, but Tracy Letts really knows how to rip into an expletive-laden rant. His delivery of "WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK?" definitely kept it 100.
