Homeland - Season 3 Premiere - Recap: Carried Away

Credit: Showtime

One of the things that sets Homeland apart from other series is in how often it takes the least expected path. The characters are often painted into a corner, leaving the writers to then try and devise a way out of these characters' impossible situations. Case in point, Nicholas Brody. He's nowhere to be seen in this premiere, and for good reason. It has been 58 days since the bombing of the CIA Headquarters in Langley, an attack that claimed 219 lives, including that of Vice President Walden's entire family. Over the course of the two-month period, the attack has taken on an almost mythic significance, referred to as "12/12" in the same way we refer to "9/11". The government is in search of a figure to blame for the tragedy, leading to the public vilification of Nicholas Brody, still on the run from the authorities. Carrie knows that Brody didn't carry out the attack, but she doesn't exactly have loads of credibility with her superiors right now.

As the episode begins, Carrie faces a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to answer for a CIA memo offering immunity to Brody for his help in the capture or killing of Abu Nazir. Senator Lockhart (Tracy Letts) is immediately suspicious of Carrie's certainty about Brody's innocence, and goes on to question where she was for the 14 hours she was supposedly "unconscious," as he clearly believes she has more to do with Brody than she's leading on, particularly after Carrie pleads the Fifth. But there isn't enough evidence to actually charge Carrie with any wrongdoing. For as badly as the US government wants to see Brody brought to justice, the CIA has other targets in its sights. Intel leads to the identification of the Iranian militant behind the Langley attack, a man named Majid "The Magician" Javadi. In addition, the organization identifies six of his cohorts, prompting Saul (Mandy Patinkin) to authorize a strike against the terrorist network, sending Quinn (Rupert Friend) to Venezuela to carry out the assassinations.

Credit: Showtime

In yet another statement on the collateral damage of interminable warfare, Quinn's mission ends in disaster. Though he initially avoids planting a car bomb that would have neutralized the targets due to the presence of a young boy, Quinn's impulsiveness ultimately leads to tragedy. Quinn storms the terrorist compound, kills his targets, and loots the area for sensitive documents, yet when he hears a rustling nearby, Quinn fires blindly into the distance, only to discover that the shadowy figure approaching was the young boy he tried to spare. It's a dark turn for a character with dark inclinations. Quinn once justified himself to Estes (David Harewood) as the man responsible for "killing bad guys," yet the recklessness of his caution resulted in the killing of an innocent child, the kind of act Quinn has dedicated himself to preventing. Even agents with the most righteous intentions, and utilizing the most cautious approaches, can prove prone to massive errors in judgment.

Credit: Showtime

Yet Quinn isn't the only person suffering from a certain measure of guilt. Dana (Morgan Saylor) hasn't gotten over the double whammy of her ex-boyfriend being killed in a bomb blast, and her father being publicly accused of carrying out the attack. In a revelation that is equal parts shocking and, sadly, not all that surprising, we learn that Dana nearly died after slitting her wrists in the bathtub two months earlier. As the season begins, Dana has just concluded a month-long program at a youth hospital for teens who've tried to kill themselves, and though she appears to be better, Jessica (Morena Baccarin) is far from fine, as the family is in dire financial straits, and she lacks a job to be able to provide for them. Worse, the press hounds them day and night, as they're no longer the family of "War Hero" Nicholas Brody but "Terrorist Traitor" Nicholas Brody. Jessica's mother moves in with the family to help alleviate the burden, but she only manages to make things worse by talking about Dana while the girl is within earshot. In furtherance of taking back control of her own life, Dana decides to send topless pics to her new boyfriend, and this is pretty much the weakest story of the episode, as I'm not entirely sure this storyline is even necessary beyond showing the effects of Brody's presumed guilt on his family. With that said, I have faith that the writers are pursuing this particular narrative path for a reason, even if it can be somewhat tiring just how hard they're trying to make Dana Brody happen.

Credit: Showtime

We eventually learn that Carrie has stopped taking her lithium, and has taken to alternative means of dulling her pain, having a one night stand with a random guy she meets while buying alcohol. But things get worse for Carrie before they get better, as she reads a newspaper article that leaks a story about a CIA agent having engaged in an affair with Brody. Carrie accuses Saul of being the leak, leading to some of the episode's best material, as Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin have tremendous, "tough love" chemistry. It's that onscreen rapport between the two that makes the episode's close so gutwrenching, as Carrie later watches a live broadcast of Saul's testimony before the Intelligence Committee, where he confirms that the person referenced in the newspaper article is indeed Carrie. He then goes on to confirm Carrie's bipolar disorder, adding that it was a condition she concealed from her superiors, in addition to her affair with Brody. Carrie appears equal parts furious and heartbroken to see her mentor and father figure throw her under the bus, and it's hard to imagine that their relationship is in any way reparable after this, even if we ultimately learn that this was simply another instance of Saul's extreme brand of tough love (and you'd be hard-pressed to argue that such "tough love" isn't necessary, where Carrie is concerned). Yet the story is also significant because it's hard to imagine that Carrie's career at the CIA isn't functionally over, following this news getting out. I just don't know how the show would explain Carrie ever being trusted again, although, once again, this is a show whose writers excel in writing themselves into a corner and looking for unique ways out. However, the writers (such as Alex Gansa and Barbara Hall, who scripted this premiere) need to take care not to overwhelm the story by constantly crossing points of no return, or they run the risk of becoming a series that privileges shock over all.

Credit: Kent Smith/SHOWTIME

Though Nicholas Brody is nowhere to be seen in this premiere, his absence is more deeply felt than his presence ever could be, as every storyline is cast under his shadow. If this is what a Homeland without Brody looks like, it's surprising the show hasn't dialed back on his ubiquity before. As great as Damian Lewis is, the cast and the writing is more than strong enough to weather his absence. "Tin Man Is Down" is a terrific premiere, and it bodes well for the season ahead.