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Homeland: The Complete Second Season
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (12th January 2014). |
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The Show
 It turns out Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) wasn’t quite so crazy after all. I mean, make no mistake, the bipolar CIA agent—seen popping Clozapine within the first few minutes of the pilot episode of Showtime’s “Homeland”—certainly acts crazy from time to time, and is clearly not of sound mind, a fact that becomes even clearer in season two. Carrie’s emotionally unstable, has a reckless disregard for authority, and her morals are unquestionably, well, questionable. But all that “an American prisoner of war has been turned” stuff—her outrageously out-there thought that a decorated war hero had been, for lack of a better term (and for the perfect pop-culture framing reference), Manchurian Candidated? You know, by far the most insane part of Carrie’s whole might be completely crazy thing, where she was sure a decorated Marine and burgeoning politician actually an agent of Al Qaeda? Yeah. That part was totally, completely, not a manifestation of her boiling brain and schizophrenic bipolarity. It was just true. The fantastic first season of "Homeland" exploited Carrie’s certainty by wrapping it in some certifiable bat-shit crazy, pushing the unreliable protagonist plot device to an extreme. Most of what she uncovered she did covertly, with no support; notably against orders of her boss David Estes (David Harewood) and the advice of her mentor Saul (the magnetic Mandy Patinkin, who continues to be magnificent in an essential role), while also secretly hiding her mental disorder—that’d have her thrown from The Company—from both of them. Part of the first season’s brilliance was that we simply didn’t know if the suspected Sgt. Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), who’d gone MIA during a dangerous mission in Iraq, was presumed dead, and miraculously resurfaced years later in reasonably good health, was a double agent or not until very late in the game. Carrie certainly thought Brody was the turned POW in question, but we couldn’t completely trust her judgment. Especially not after numerous roadblocks, narrative misdirection, and one detour into dangerous territory when Carrie started sleeping with the—married—ex-prisoner she thought might be a terrorist and saw little wrong with it, because she love him! Like any good slow-burn thriller, the secrets of “Homeland’s” first season revealed themselves at a deliberate and unhurried pace. Most times, the puzzle pieces were from opposite sides, and even half way through the first 12 episodes, didn’t form a clear picture of what the end product would be. Many of the things we did learn in those episodes were shrouded in some shadow. The world of espionage seen within the series shone as little more than silhouetted figures under surveillance, with wiretaps offering easily misconstrued half-truths that usually presented more questions than answers. Brody’s peculiarities upon return to his country and family—his skittishness and temper; reluctance to embrace his hero status in the spotlight, and some occasionally unpatriotic outbursts; random disappearances at odd hours to who knows where—could’ve equally been the result of severe PTSD, as much as (from another angle) they were signifiers of his commitment to a “cause”. But, as the first season came to a close, eventually all was exposed. Brody had indeed been turned in his lengthy captivity, and had been working as a covert agent for a Bin Laden-y Al Qaeda commander named Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban). In the final moments of the season, Brody strapped on a suicide vest and was about to blow himself and several government officials up—only to back off at the last moment when he had unexpected crisis of conscience. At the same time, in a cruel twist, Carrie was convinced she’d finally gone completely cuckoo, and checked herself into a mental hospital where she hoped electroshock therapy would effectively erase her memory of the last several months, and reset her frazzled brain to regain to some semblance of sanity. Season two picks up several months later. Carrie has left the CIA, and is teaching English as a second language to underprivileged immigrants. Meanwhile, Brody, still working covertly in deep cover for Nazir, has been elected to congress, and is considering joining the current Vice President in the next election as his running mate. Saul has been promoted to field office director in Beirut, and it’s there that a woman comes in from the cold claiming to have intimate knowledge of a planned terror attack against the United States. The catch, she’ll only talk to her old handler: the now retired Carrie. The second season is altogether a different beast than it’s predecessor; less deliberately guarded. Rather than played close to the chest, the cards are all laid on the table to see. We no longer wonder if Brody has turned; we know, and we get an intimate look at what it was he would often do during those disappearances at night; and, more importantly, why he did them. The second season plays out a lot like a better season of “24” (2001-2010), with double crosses, moles, and some very fictionalized fantasy-espionage—which is unsurprising, considering the series comes from Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, two writer/producers who took Jack Bauer to the bottom and back. The “24” comparison was also apt of the first season, but with the fast-pace, action-oriented plot that pushes the second to its end, is even more appropriate now. Surprisingly, the characters do not suffer in service of the increased action. Carrie continues to be complexly drawn; unsettled but steadfast in her certainty; she has an even stronger drive to prove herself after last season’s downfall. Once Carrie is eventually clued in to the truth (again), she fights back with a vengeance—hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and all that. No longer worried about exposing secrets, she spends the first half of the season working her way back into the CIA, doing everything to loudly convince others that she was right all along. Claire Danes does impressive work once again, although she doesn’t get the chance to go quite as nuts this time through—because Carrie no longer pauses to question herself, slipping into mind-muddying self-doubt. She knows, like we know, she was right. Brody is given breadth, too—in further flashbacks to his captivity, we get to see just how he was “turned”, what drove him to embrace the nascent Nazir and his cause. It's a rare exploration; the series does not attempt to excuse terrorism, but rather explore the roots, and cause of it. And a late in the season triple agent twist for the Brody character adds another level, as the writers are able to expand on that moment of hesitation when the would-be bomber aborted his suicide at the end of last season. What drove him to question what he was so eager to embrace before? The answer, it seems, continually, is his family. Which brings me to the other Brody’s, unfortunately the lone weak spot in an otherwise fantastic season. In the first year, Brody’s wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin) and horrible children, dead-eyed Dana (Morgan Saylor) and Chris (Jackson Pace), served one purpose and served it well—to humanize Nick Brody. To make us view him as a father and husband above all else. It was, in a way, a deflection. (Brody couldn’t possibly be a terrorist when he was a dotting dad and husband, right?) As the second season rolls on, it’s clear the writers didn’t really have plan for them after that initial purpose. They hang on, but feel like... well, hangers on. Similarly, a concocted relationship between Jessica and Brody’s old platoon-mate, Mike Faber (Diego Klattenhoff), at first had a point—so the writers could mirror Brody’s affair with Carrie in some contrived parallel. It continues to only intermittently be effective, and the writers fall back on it in season two rather hard. As to Brody’s kids—oh god, they’re... not good. Chris Brody continues to get my vote for most marginalized character in a television series possibly ever. He’s… barely a character in the show. And whenever I see him on screen (which is rare; and every single time he is I think, “oh, yeah, he exists. I forgot.”), I ask myself why did the writers gave the Brody’s two kids. (To make them seem that much more All American, I suppose? Well, where’s the statistical aberrative ½ kid then? But I digress.) Dana, the daughter, is conversely given perhaps too much screentime. Played by a boring actress, Dana is a character that had promise but is simply used here to pad runtime. A subplot in which she falls for the Vice President’s son, and then witnesses and is forced to cover up a hit-and-run after he accidentally kills a homeless woman with his car. The plotline is… awful. Awful, awful, awful. One of the worst things done on TV in a long time, it gets far too much focus for being an insignificant side plot in an otherwise well-crafted series that’s… not anything like that terrible, soap-opera-y aside. Fortunately, the home life and relationships of the Brody clan only take up a small fraction of the season as a whole. Consensus seems to indicate that the second season of “Homeland” isn’t anywhere near as good as the first. I admit I agree with that, but probably not for the same reasons as most others. Simply, season two isn't as good because the first season was just that good. The second doesn’t live up to the first, but realistically it couldn’t. There’s a different approach here. More transparent, less shadowy, without secrets piled on secrets. It’s more action driven; less deliberately, delicately, paced. Some might say—and I’ve heard, or read, this as a major criticism—it’s not as realistic as the first season seemed. Know what? Again, I agree; but I’m mostly fine that it isn't. I never viewed “Homeland” as a series steeped in infallible documentary realism. It was simply more realistic than some of its thematic contemporaries; but still plenty fantastic. Yes, there are a few lapses in logic, but most of the time these lapses are forgivable. Essentially, they’re irrelevant in the grand scheme of how thrilling this action-thriller can be. The series continues to fill a void for me. It’s an expertly crafted spy-series with terrific acting and feature-quality production value. “Homeland” occasionally totters into dangerous territory in its second season—and the cliffhanger finale definitely leaves things in an odd place, where it all could go very wrong, very fast depending on where they go next season—but few flaws and all, it continues to be one of the better series on cable right now. And I, for one, really liked season two. Maybe not as much as season one; but nearly. “Homeland: The Complete Second Season” includes 12 episodes on 3 discs, with 4 episodes per disc. Fox has authored each Blu-ray with a variety of playback options, including a Season Mode that is quite useful when marathoning in one sitting. Episodes run from 47 minutes to 65 minutes in length. Episodes include: - “The Smile”—Months after undergoing Electroconvulsive Therapy, former CIA case officer Carrie Mathison has found a modicum of peace in her family’s suburban embrace. But the strides she's made towards mental health are threatened when an asset from her former life comes in from the cold. Meanwhile, freshman Congressman Nicolas Brody discovers that Abu Nazir may not be content with his nonviolent approach to affecting change in American foreign policy. Brody's daughter Dana lets a vital secret slip. - “Beirut Is Back”—Against the advice of her family, Carrie becomes involved in an operation that may rid the world of Abu Nazir once and for all. Brody's handler, Roya Hammad (Zuleikha Robinson), presses the Congressman into service causing his relationship with Jessica to take a hit. Meanwhile, Mike questions the nature of the events surrounding the shooting of Elizabeth Gaines. - “State of Independence”—Fresh from her adventures in Beirut, a restless Carrie prepares for what she hopes will be a triumphant return to the CIA. Meanwhile, Brody learns that the Gettysburg bomb maker is on a terrorist watchlist and in danger of imminent discovery. With no time to lose, Brody attempts a last minute extraction. Jessica takes risks of her own as she steps into the political limelight. - “New Car Smell”—Following a secret debrief from Saul, a stunned Estes authorizes a covert operation to investigate intel recovered in Beirut—but not without putting his own trusted operative, Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend), in charge of the operation. Brody, still reeling from his misadventures with the bomb maker, gets another shock when he runs into Carrie at Langley. Dana discovers she has something in common with Finn Walden (Timothée Chalamet), the Vice President’s son. - “Q&A”—Brody finds himself prisoner again, but this time it's on American soil. Meanwhile, Carrie is forced to play second fiddle after her rash judgment call at the hotel as Estes is busy keeping Jessica off their trail. Dana's relationship with Finn goes to the next level when their date night turns deadly serious. - “A Gettysburg Address”—Dana visits the hospital and is shocked by what she sees there. Faber gets tangled up with the CIA when he asks one too many questions about Tom Walker. Brody agrees to work with Carrie and Quinn to stop an attack on America, but his loyalty to the United States is questioned when Gettysburg once again becomes a battleground. - “The Clearing”—Reeling from the recent ambush, Carrie and the team struggle to regain control of their operation while Brody and his family attend a fundraiser at a Virginia horse farm. Saul visits domestic terrorist turned Jihadist Aileen Morgan (Marin Ireland) in solitary confinement, hoping she'll provide key intelligence on the attack. An anguished Dana pressures Finn to come clean about their hidden crime, but her quest to tell the truth collides with her father's secret mission in ways neither could have foreseen. - “I'll Fly Away”—He lies for Carrie. He lies for Roya. And he's still lying to Jessica. Brody heads towards a serious meltdown as he struggles to keep his complicated alliances clear. Against Quinn's orders, Carrie stages a risky intervention to keep Brody in line, forcing both of them to confront their mixed emotions. Meanwhile, Dana turns to an unlikely source for comfort. - “Two Hats”—In an effort to clarify his priorities, Brody makes a necessary phone call before things spiral further out of control. Saul teams up with Virgil (David Marciano) and Max (Maury Sterling) to dig up some information on one of their own. Meanwhile, the Brody family enjoys an all-expense paid vacation of sorts and Carrie finds herself preparing for the most important meeting of her career. - “Broken Hearts”—Saul catches up with an old friend. Brody and VP Walden (Jamey Sheridan) find themselves at odds over the future of their political relationship while Dana and Finn come to terms with their own differences. But it's Carrie—seemingly at the top of her game—who turns out to be further in the dark than anyone else. - “In Memoriam”—Carrie continues her hunt for Nazir, with her suspicions turning to a mole inside the agency itself. Roya reveals her true colors under interrogation. Saul finds himself fighting for his career under the most unexpected circumstances. - “The Choice”—In the season finale, Carrie must decide what her heart really wants. Brody shares a drink with Faber to discuss the future of his family. Saul is tasked with a secret mission, and Quinn makes a decision that may change everything.
Video
Although it’s shot digitally with the Arri Alexa, “Homeland” has a strangely convincing film-like texture. The image retains a consistent, and almost natural layer of grain—which was, of course, artificially applied given the digital origins. Like many Alexa-sourced television series and films, “Homeland” looks excellent in high def. Fine object detail can be quite fantastic, and overall clarity is crisp. Edges are sharp, without appearing enhanced and hardened into that state. Colors are natural, with perhaps a slight desaturation in the Beirut scenes to push a yellow cast over everything. Contrast is elevated at times, running just a little hotter than normal, resulting in some occasionally flushed skintones and a few clipped highlights. A majority of “Homeland” is set at night, or in dark confines of poorly lit warehouses and back alleys, cabins and the like—all fitting for the dark world of cloaking shadow and secrecy that is government espionage. Thankfully, the Blu-ray’s black level handles the many murky moments of darkness with ease. Detail falls off at times, in some minor—likely intentional—crush. But noise and artifacts are not an issue. Overall, the 1080p 24/fps (1.78:1 widescreen) AVC MPEG-4 encoded transfer of the second season does a great job handling any obstacle, delivering a consistent, detailed, and error free image. Perhaps "Homeland" isn't the best looking series on format, but it is certainly very good.
Audio
“Homeland” is all hushed whispers and quiet atmosphere—until it isn’t. The English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (48kHz/24-bit) features first-rate dialogue reproduction during those many, many minutes of calm quietness; it also delivers powerful LFE during the second season’s several action set pieces: a furious firefight erupts as agents are ambushed in Gettysburg; a car bomb blows up a government building in D.C.; a drone strike destroys a school and surrounding village in the Middle East, etc. Through it all, fidelity is fantastic, and the mix showcases every high and low with finesse. Composer Sean Callery’s supplies the score, offering free-styled jazz-infused opening titles, and some more intense synth tones for much the rest of the series. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are included.
Extras
When the second season aired on Showtime, episodes often included short featurettes after, or during, the credits. They weren’t much; just 1 to 2 minute interviews with Howard Gordon and/or Alex Gansa, where the writer/creators discussed how plot revelations affected the various characters. Curiously, and rather disappointingly, none of these pieces have made the transition to home video. The recap-heavy pieces were hardly essential, but for completist sake, they’d have been a nice addition to the supplements. What the Blu-ray does include are a few deleted scenes, 3 fairly decent featurettes, and an exclusive short film that bridges the second and third season. Hardly an exhaustive collection of extras, but I suppose better than nothing. Fox has authored “Homeland: The Complete Second Season” with the resume playback function. It also includes Season Mode, which makes marathoning episode after episode a breeze. DISC ONE: The first disc includes a handful of inconsequential deleted scenes (1.78:1 1080p; 1 minutes 12 seconds), which play out in a reel without any additional context. Of more interest is “Return to the Homeland: Filming in Israel” (1.78:1 1080p; 7 minutes 52 seconds). As the title tells, this featurette offers a look at the production’s 2-week shoot in Israel, specifically the city of Haifa, which stood in for Beirut in the opening episodes of season two. Pre-menu bonus trailers are for: - “Homeland: Season One” (1.78:1 1080p, 1 minute 30 seconds). - “The Americans” (1.78:1 1080p, 1 minute 1 second). - “Sons of Anarchy” (1.78:1 1080p, 1 minute 2 seconds). - “American Horror Story: Asylum” (1.78:1 1080p, 1 minute 3 seconds). DISC TWO: A couple of unimportant deleted scenes (1.78:1 1080p; 1 minute 29 seconds) from episodes on disc two are also offered. DISC THREE: Disc three includes a bulk of the bonus content. A final deleted scene (1.78:1 1080p, 2 minutes 28 seconds) is quite lengthy, but ultimately leaves things unchanged in its absence. “A Super 8 Film Diary by actor Damian Lewis” (1080p, 11 minutes 5 seconds) is exactly that—a featurette comprised of footage shot by Lewis, who offers narration over vintage-looking video from behind the scenes of the second season. “The Choice: The Making of the Season Finale” (1.78:1 1080p; 15 minutes 41 seconds) is an excellent featurette all about the massive 65-minute season two finale, with some insight into the season’s final plot twist. “The Border: A Prologue to Season Three” (1.78:1 1080p, 1 minute 40 seconds) is a home video exclusive preview, which bridges the final scene in season two with where the story will turn in season three.
Packaging
“Homeland: The Complete Second Season” arrives in a 3-disc set from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The sets trio of dual layered BD-50's are region free, and come housed in an Elite keep case; discs are mounted on flip spindle. First pressings include a cardboard slip-cover with an extra superfluous fold out flap.
Overall
Critical consensus seems to indicate that the second season of “Homeland” isn’t anywhere near as good as the first. I don’t think that’s entirely accurate—if not totally inaccurate, either, but only because the first season was just that good. The second season has a few missteps. The storyline with Dana Brody and her dopey Son of the Vice President boyfriend is, as most of Dana’s plotlines are, pretty awful. And the season is most definitely different from the first in that it takes a more action-oriented approach; some might say it’s not as realistic. Know what? I was mostly fine with that. I never viewed “Homeland” as a series steeped in infallible documentary realism. I’ve always seen it something more closely resembling a less macho “24” (2001-2010), replete with double crosses, moles, and some very fictionalized fantasy-espionage. The Blu-ray release of the second season has admirable video and audio, and few solid featurettes. “Homeland” is one of the better shows on cable right now, and the Blu-ray release of its second season is highly recommended.
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