For this new fifth season of Homeland Pearse and I are doing an episode-by-episode review to see if a more in-depth study of the show proves interesting and fun. From the first episode of season five of Homeland it appears that, like season four, this is a departure from the established Homeland settings and storylines. In this inaugural episode, we take a brief look back to where all of our favorite characters left off at the end of season 4. Jumping ahead two and a half years, we see that Carrie has left the CIA, Saul has been promoted, and Quinn seems as crazy as ever. Tom and I discuss the new setting of this season, Berlin, and the implications of locating it in Western Europe. We also get into some of the major plot themes being laid out including: Edward Snowden, mass surveillance, ISIS and the threat of Islamic sleeper cells all over Europe. We break down how this season seems geared towards more of a niche audience immersed in the intelligence world, and round out this episode with our predictions for the rest of the season.(Read more...)
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