260 replies to this topic

[DollEyes]

Proof that Homeland is becoming a pop culture phemon: it had Claire Danes and Damian Lewis on the cover of Entertainment Weekly 's annual "Fall TV" issue, complete with interviews, spoilers and the photos were cool, too. It also has fans in high places: in a recent interview with President Obama, he called Homeland one of his favorite shows.


Here is the thread for all Homeland media stuff, whether it's magazine covers, TV interviews or TV reviews.

[metsmvfn]

Morena on Good Day L.A. Morena Baccarin was on our local morning news this morning.

[Inquisitionist]

Willa Paskin at Salon has previewed the first two episodes of S2 and writes about the new season here. Not really spoilerish, just a nice assessment of the characters and the of the show's strengths and (minor) weaknesses. Re the latter:

I’ll keep it vague, because if there is any show one should come to unspoiled, it’s “Homeland,” but in the second episode there are two major coincidences, one of which seemed wholly unnecessary to me. “Homeland” is about a conspiracy, but hopefully it does not succumb to being a conspiracy, relying on Dickensian plot turns when less dramatic ones would do.

[CaseStudy]

http://www.metacriti...meland/season-2

Reviews of the first two episodes. So far it's averages 95.

[Inquisitionist]

The NY Times has a piece today about the show's return. Again, no real spoilers, but some acknowledgement of the difficulty a show like this can encounter in balancing nuance and realism against thriller/action tendencies.

To stay creative, “Homeland” has to pry even deeper into its entwined and deeply damaged main characters without burning out their mystery. To hold momentum — and postpone a denouement for a dozen episodes (and into future seasons) — the narrative has to take ever more preposterous turns and plump up implausible villains. Not as much as “24,” perhaps, but at least half as much: “12.” Success lies in finessing the extremes. Luckily, the first few episodes do just that.

[Quandary]

96/100 after 19 reviews on Metacritic. Holy cow!

[S7W9C2]

It's great to see the critics are impressed with the start of season 2. That's some crazy ratings.

[Quandary]

Here is Damian with a quite good appearance on CBS This Morning

http://www.cbsnews.c...ch/?id=7423722n

[Hallelujah]

A bit late, but a very thoughtful episode 2 review:

http://www.grantland...pisode-2-beirut

[Atomic Clock]

Lebanon Seeks Legal Action Against Homeland.

Apparently, they are not impressed with the portrayal of Beirut in the first two episodes. I hope Showtime won't cave to pressure from the Muslim community as Fox did during 24's 4th season.

[bannana]

Here's another article on Israel standing in for Beirut. Ironic, there was just a car bombing there killing at least 8 people.

Beirut is not happy about Homeland

[Amester0120]

The Claire Danes Cry Face Supercut. Hee!

[Milburn Stone]

Homeland May Be Lebanon's Target for Lawsuit

[Quandary]

Entertainment Weekly on the 'distinctive storytelling' of Homeland

http://watching-tv.e...on-2-episode-4/

[Hallelujah]

That article becomes all the more relevant given the ending of tonight's episode.

[S7W9C2]

http://www.spoilertv...season.html?m=1

Renewed for a 3rd season.

[crashdown]

Cute article in The Onion this morning.

[Amester0120]

Ben Affleck almost directed "Homeland" pilot.

[Hallelujah]

A fun article that just happens to be eerily true if you find yourself questioning your sanity for wanting Carrie and Brody to get together.

Admit It — You Want Homeland’s Carrie and Brody to Get Together

[stillshimpy]

I was coming here to post the same story, Amester0120 and Affleck's comments made me laugh-out-loud. I'm glad he has a good sense of humor and he's such a good director that I'm sure the project would have been just as good with him. I loved the poem. They did get a very good cast and I'm sure it was based on the quality of the story more than anything else. Plus, the pilot rocked.

Still, it made me wonder what Homeland would have looked like if Affleck had directed. He's pretty darned good, in my opinion, so I have no fear that they dodged a bullet. I was just wondering what might have looked different.

Edited by stillshimpy, Oct 31, 2012 @ 10:35 AM.

[CaseStudy]

I think Affleck is a capable director, but he's not much of a storyteller. All his movies are entertaining and well-paced but they're also derivative, shallow and lack imagination. I'm sure he would have been servicable.

[stillshimpy]

but they're also derivative, shallow and lack imagination

I can see what you mean about The Town and even arguably Argo (which I enjoyed a lot) but I'm not sure what you mean when it comes to Gone Baby, Gone. However, I think Affleck was being considered solely for director so the story in the pilot wouldn't have changed. I can't think of a couple of shots I doubt Affleck would have done the same way, but whereas the story was particularly strong for Homeland's pilot, I didn't think the directing necessarily was.

I like Homeland a great deal, but I don't think it's a particularly stirring or inventive (or even particularly imaginative) when it comes to directing. Although having said that, generally speaking the lighting is fantastic. I might be spoiled by Breaking Bad though, which can occasionally overuse gimmicks but seems a little more daring when it comes to cinematography.

Yeah, Case Study, whereas I can see your point about a lot of Affleck's work thus far I thought the existing pilot was pretty much what he likely would have churned out anyway. The only exception I can think of is actually the credits.

Is there something in particular you were thinking of with the pilot that you think is beyond Affleck's abilities?

Edited by stillshimpy, Oct 31, 2012 @ 10:35 PM.

[CaseStudy]

I still think Gone Baby Gone is his best movie and his least derivative, but the silly twist kept it from being one of the year's best offerings.

I think the pilot is the third best directed episode after "Marine One" and "Beirut is Back". I really loved the scene where Carrie is breaking down in her closet after Saul finds out about the surveillance. Breaking Bad is definitely the most visually ambitious show in TV, though sometimes I think its flares undermine the narrative.

Edited by CaseStudy, Nov 1, 2012 @ 12:23 AM.

[stillshimpy]

Breaking Bad is definitely the most visually ambitious show in TV, though sometimes I think its flares undermine the narrative.

Hehe, yeah, you've got to be talking about stuff like Roomba-cam and the shovel's-eye-view. I think they primarily work (shovel-eye-view to a much lesser degree) because they are almost always used in the most darkly comedic scenes.

I think the pilot is the third best directed episode after "Marine One" and "Beirut is Back". I really loved the scene where Carrie is breaking down in her closet after Saul finds out about the surveillance.

There's one scene specifically that I doubt Affleck would have done the same way. That scene of Carrie in the bathroom that's downright difficult to watch, but reveals a lot about the character without any dialogue. I did end up wondering if it was simply something in the script. Regardless, I think Affleck likely would have done an interesting job as a director, but I think he's actually pretty darned good and I don't think there's anything in particular in Homeland that was beyond him.

Still, I'm happy with the pilot we got though, so mostly I was just amused that Ben Affleck had the good grace to show a sense of humor about the entire thing, while also managing to compliment the show. I don't think he's a genius as a director, but I do think he's got good instincts. Besides, I just wish the guy well. He seems a decent human being.

It's always fun to contemplate the might-have-beens for any project though. Like Matthew Broderick being approached for Walter White. That's an instance where I'm glad things changed, although I like Broderick, Breaking Bad would have been a vastly different experience with Broderick vs. Cranston. The thing with Affleck and Homeland intrigues me because aside from a couple of scenes, I can't pinpoint much that I think he would have done differently.

[CaseStudy]

It's hard to say what's in the script and what comes from the director, but Michael Cuesta does have story imput and is a producer. Surely his aesthetic has influnced the overall look and atmosphere of the series.

[meandthemoon]

SNL just did a parody of Homeland, and it is inspired. Seriously, spot on and hilarious.

[CaseStudy]

I think they tried to fit too much of the show's specifics in a two minute sketch. I also think since everyone has been noting/making fun of Carrie's craziness and Danes' cryface for a while now it just seemed behind the curve.

Edited by CaseStudy, Nov 11, 2012 @ 11:38 AM.

[Hallelujah]

I thought Saul was spot-on, but Anne Hathaway seemed too over-the-top for me as Carrie (I know, it's a parody, but still). I was laughing at first but it soon became grating.

[Sighandeyeroll]

I loved Nasim Pedrad as Dana.

[rogaine2233]

Anyone have a link to the skit? I can't find it separate from the show.

ETA...I found it by doing a Google search for 'Clare Danes" and finding a link to an LA Times review of the skit.

Edited by rogaine2233, Nov 11, 2012 @ 4:13 PM.