Homeland

Regarding Homeland, I get the feeling of being divided. On one hand, there are the undeniable positives - brilliantly written and superbly acted charismatic characters, excellent casting that brought together several wonderful character actors, whether it's Damian Lewis as the war veteran, Claire Danes as the mentally ill agent, or Mandy Patinkin as the clever intelligence analyst. They all give their best and deserve the highest recognition for their acting. The fight against terrorism is a long-standing issue, and the writers skillfully maintain tension and repeatedly present critical situations where their heroes have to choose sides. The series cleverly weaves between genres and functions incredibly well as a mix of crime thriller spiced up with action elements, psychological drama, and a love romance. On the other hand - how can I put it gently - the plot is far-fetched and cannot deny that its prototype is an Israeli series from an environment where the narrative context has a different purpose; additionally, the Israelis solely rely on psychological conflict and uncertainty from the beginning. Many impactful but questionable elements are omitted from the source material. In the American series, the (anti)heroes behave like series characters, not real people and professionals in their field. As time goes by, some of the storylines and characters appear unnecessary, and the writers simply did not know where the story was heading and kept them in reserve. This is typical in the case of Brody's daughter or his former Marine colleagues. The later excursion into the South American slum and glimpses into the guts of an unfinished skyscraper are enticing, but after three seasons, I say stop - further exploitation of the original idea reeks of doing the same thing over again. Overall impression: 60%. (02.09.2015)

Homeland managed to create a brand new genre of spy fantasy. While the Israelis, who were behind the original idea, made an authentic thriller, the Americans detached themselves from reality and started creating alternative modern history. The series has always been naive and detached from the actual work of secret services and the functioning of the American state administration: a CIA agent who revolves around several American presidents and significantly influences world history simply cannot be taken seriously. However, the creators never transitioned into the mode of a female agent 007. Watching the series was possible thanks to the use of perspective and primarily due to the casting, led by the excellent Claire Danes, but there were always other acting aces nearby, thanks to whom you could survive anything that would otherwise make you raise an eyebrow and shake your head. As time went by, I had the feeling that the series became a victim of its own success and started deteriorating dangerously. The writers' imagination expanded dangerously wide. I won't rate it with stars, but it's good that there won't be any more continuation of this series... (08.12.2020)