Brigette Watches Homeland, S4/Ep04: "Iron in the Fire"

This past Sunday, on Homeland we learned:

1) The terrorist guy who we thought was dead ISN'T DEAD.
2) The "sweet" medical student kid knows his Uncle isn't dead & is talking to him & possibly smuggling medical supplies/drugs.
3) Sandy was killed by… the government?… of the country they are in? Where are they?
4) They bugged the pony-tailed mob instigator's phone & house, but he probably figured it out because someone called and said "your laundry's done" or something and he deleted or destroyed his phone or something? I don't know.
5) Carrie seduced little med student, for reasons we will all try to figure out.

If you can't tell by now, I usually half understand everything that's happening on Homeland. Usually by the end of the episode, I've got it pretty much figured out. I can't promise that's going to happen this week, but this is still worth your time, okay??? (Okay?)

A lot of people were mad about this episode, namely Carrie's behavior. Would a C.I.A. member actually seduce a person they wanted information from? Isn't it unethical? Is Carrie still likable?

Let's remember that Carrie is bat-shit crazy and always has been. I know that's not a politically correct term, and I'm not making fun of her bipolar disorder, because her character is on meds right now (we've seen her off of them). But she's always been a live wire. She will do ANYTHING to win, to distract herself from her personal life, and to get outside of herself. Sex is just a negotiating tool for her. Not a big deal. And know one has to know, so she thinks. If she can get this kid attached to her, she can get him to …give up information about the Uncle? Is that what she wants? Or put a positive spin on the bombing? I'm so confused.

Let's also remind ourselves that Carrie recently saw the man who she loved hung to death in front of an angry mob. Not shot in the head or something else quick and painless, but hung. We ALL had to watch Brody's slow death, and it was awful. So maybe we could be empathic towards that trauma.  Still, we could argue that the likability of Carrie started to waver this season when she nearly drown her baby, Brody's child. Perhaps it was salvaged when she fought her way to leave the country so that she could be safely away from that child (GOOD CALL). Personally, I don't really need to "like" Carrie to find her interesting, and she certainly is. Carrie may seem very steady and in control in front of others, but she's lying to everyone as well as herself. How long can she keep it up this time?

Best casting ever goes to this weird baby who looks
exactly like Damian Lewis.

Theory: In the first episode, we saw Carrie peacefully going to sleep after bombing the wedding. Before little med student guy awoke, she was sleeping in her bed. They sure are showing her sleep a lot, right? I feel like this isn't a coincidence. Around her, others are dealing with their conscience, namely Quinn, but Carrie is able to sleep at night, alone, surrounded by darkness. I'm wondering if the end of this season will address this issue, if Carrie will "wake up" and question what she's doing with her life.

Theory: Little med student guy isn't so innocent. He's playing them all. He's not communicating with his Uncle out of familial obligation or pressure from the terrorists his Uncle is associated with, but he believes in the cause himself. Hmm. We shall see. (I'm so sorry that I don't know that kid's name. I mean I could look it up, but…)

Points of Confusion: What's up with Saul? I thought he retired and they made a big fuss of that at the end of last season? But he still works for the C.I.A, just a different branch? What country are they even in? Huh? Didn't that scene with that 9/11 conspiracy theory guy really make you want noodles? Who was that guy anyway?

We are four episodes in to the "new" Homeland, or shall we say the "Brodyless" Homeland, and I don't know how I feel. It's clearly not the same show, but I still thought the premier was pretty exciting. Since the premier…ehh. I'm confused as to why they're teasing this Quinn loves Carrie thing when I feel like it's kinda out of nowhere except that they work together and are the same age. Am I missing something? It's not really the same without whiny Dana and Brody's alien wife. (She was on that V show, right?)  I don't know, guys, but I don't give up on shows that easily. I'm gonna stick this one out for a while.


What do you think about this week's Homeland and where the show seems to be headed?