Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Home sweet home
Audiences and critics alike often complain about the state of the film industry and its heavy reliance on remakes, but no one seems to bat an eye at the same situation happening in the world of television. Perhaps it is because there is just so much original content on the small screen and streaming services (more than 500 original series in 2019 alone) that they just get lost in the shuffle. Nevertheless, some of the most popular and well-received hits of the last couple of decades have been remakes of foreign series.
Furthermore, many of these imports, such as HBO’s “Euphoria” and “In Treatment,” as well as the award-winning spy drama “Homeland,” have come from Israel. Why does the small desert nation produce so many programs that attract western audiences? Nobody really knows, but while we stew on that question, you can catch the globetrotting action of the eighth and final season of Showtime’s “Homeland” when it returns after a two-year hiatus on Sunday, Feb. 9.
Based on the Israeli series “Prisoners of War,” “Homeland” took the world by storm when it premiered in 2011. The Showtime drama was immediately an immense success with its gripping and compelling storyline of Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis, “Billions”), a U.S. Marine sergeant who was missing in action but returns to his home after years in captivity. His sudden return sets off alarm bells for Central Intelligence Agency operations officer Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes, “A Kid Like Jake,” 2018), who tries to convince her mentor, Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin, “Life Itself,” 2018), and colleagues of an impending attack. To complicate matters, Carrie has bipolar disorder, making her an unreliable narrator.
Carrie, Saul and the show itself have come a long way since that first season. After wrapping up the Brody arc,
the series switched gears to tackle a multitude of realworld topics like botched drone strikes, jihadi attacks on Europe, the election of a female president and other hotbutton issues. According to Showtime, the final season continues exploring current political situations and heads back to the Middle East.
As Season 8 opens, Carrie is still recovering after months of brutal confinement in a Russian gulag, while Saul is now the national security advisor to newly elected President Warner (Beau Bridges, “Messiah”). Looking to end the “forever war” in Afghanistan, the new, ambitious president sends Saul to the Middle East in order to negotiate with the Taliban.
Needing help in the hostile territory, Saul, against everybody’s advice, reaches out to Carrie for help one last time. She has extensive experience in the region and still has numerous contacts and allies, including Tasneem Qureshi (Nimrat Kaur, “Wayward Pines”), a member of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence. Though, with a fragmented memory and her loyalty in question, it is uncertain how much assistance she will be able to provide.
While promoting the final season at the Television Critics Association media tour panel, executive producer and showrunner Alex Gansa (“24”) said the series is going back to its roots as opposed to mirroring the political situation in Washington, D.C., like the last two seasons. He added that the final season looks to echo the first one and wrap up many loose ends from the fourth season, rewarding longtime fans who never got answers to their burning questions. It will focus on the relationship between Carrie and her longtime, on-again, offagain friend, foil and boss, Saul. The relationship between mentor and protege has always been the heart of series, and in the final episodes it will finally come to a head.
The subject matter that “Homeland” has dealt with for nearly a decade can never be wrapped up neatly, but the storyline between master and pupil can be properly resolved.
At the same TCA event, Gansa explained that the long delay between seasons was due to the fact that they want to go out proudly and on a high note. Beyond that, filming in multiple countries is no easy feat and takes a bit of time. In addition to the logistical challenges, crafting a graceful ending for “Homeland” has proven to be quite difficult.
While “Homeland” is still very popular and garners great ratings for Showtime, many television viewers have forgotten just how much of an impact the series had when it premiered. Much like “Game of Thrones” or AMC’s “Breaking Bad,” talk of the Claire
Danes drama was inescapable and completely dominated the culture. Like the aforementioned, its success led to not only a slew of awards and praise, but also dozens of poorly made copycats popping up in quick session, only to be quickly rejected by the general public in what many entertainment pundits have dubbed the “the Homeland effect.”
Even though “Homeland” has not made many appearances on the countless recent “best of the decade” lists, the landmark series is undeniably one of the more important ones of the 2010s, with its rich storytelling and captivating take on our current geopolitical situation. On Sunday, Feb. 9, witness the end of an era as one of the most influential and relevant shows of the 2010s returns after a two-year absence for its eighth and final season on Showtime.