“The world is more complex, and our understanding of it is more nuanced.” Translation: “America’s not as single-minded and gung-ho anymore about taking down the enemy as it was under Bush immediately after 9/11.” Hollywood, never enthusiastic about the war on terror anyway (until bin Laden died on Obama’s watch; stay tuned for a film about Seal Team Six from The Hurt Locker filmmakers), often disdains “simplistic” depictions of right and wrong, of unconflicted heroism or unadulterated evil. Many filmmakers prefer to present the world in terms of, not black-and-white, but gray – “a gray space of not knowing who the good guys and bad guys are.” As actor Lewis says, Homeland is “asking provocative questions about the nature of good and evil.” Beware when Hollywood gets “provocative” about the nature of good and evil; the moral waters often get muddied and the wrong messages get sent – in this instance, about a war in which we are still very deeply engaged.
Is that what’s happening with Homeland? Is the show playing out in the usual morally relativistic Hollywood fashion regarding the war on terror: blaming American foreign policy for Islamic rage, dismissing national security concerns as paranoia, depicting our military yet again as damaged victims (as in contemporary anti-war films like Home of the Brave, In the Valley of Elah, Brothers, and Stop-Loss)?
Some of the signs aren’t good: for example, the military figures in Homeland, Brody included, aren’t exactly upstanding role models, and Carrie’s invasive, quasi-legal surveillance could be seen as a condemnation of what some consider excesses of the Patriot Act. But thanks to tight, evocative writing and pitch-perfect acting from even the supporting actors like Mandy Patinkin as Carrie’s CIA mentor, the first two episodes have so carefully treaded the minefield of such concerns, keeping the viewer off-balance, that it’s impossible to condemn it outright – or to stop watching. Like Brody’s guilt or innocence, it seems Homeland’s true colors will take time to emerge.
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Looks like a jarhead sgt that got really tortured over period of 8 years and now is really screwed up (walk in his shoes first before you judge) being pursued by bipolar schitzo female nutcase that should be really be suspended for that and for breaking several laws. Be kind of interesting where it goes with the subtle anti-Americanism now baring its teeth. As of now, the last scene has the sgt on his prayer rug and facing Mecca and praying in Arabic.
We Americans have always been fascinated by stories about "Manchurian Candidates" who have been turned by our enemies, and who are in a postion to do the nation great harm. Such stories are often well told and entertaining. For myself, I don't have a big problem with the premise of the show. A lot depends on what the producers and writers want to do with the story.
Tagalog,
If you are facinated by "Manchurian Candidate" stories, read the history of the US Presidency, 2008-current.
Maybe you couild provide me with a bit of a taste of what exactly it is you're driving at by posting a summary of the problem with the U.S. presidency since 2008. A problem with interesting fictional theses often arises when people like them so well they try to make them be real.
See, I agree that Obama has to go. I also agree that his childhood and youth were spent in radical settings. I don't agree that he was subverted into a juggernaut for hostile forces because of that. Nobody has called him up and suggested that he pass the time by playing a game of solitaire. President Obama is just a product of his time in that he believes that government MUST be the solution for economic problems.
Tagalog,
While I have no concrete evidence to support my supposition, it is interesting that a young man born of a muslim father and an agnostic mother, who spent much of his youth in a predominately muslim country (Indonesia), educated in a muslim school (which required Indonesian citizenship) and claims of travel to Pakistan (travel which was banned for US citizens during the time period claimed) is now the US president.
It is also interesting that upon being elected president of the US, his first actions were to do interviews on Al Jazeera, travel to muslim countries, bow before their leaders, and apologize for the US's primacy in the world.
While I doubt that our president was "barin-washed" or asked to be a "sleeper agent" for over 30 years (our president hasn't shown that kind of patience), the scenario I reflected has similarities to the plot line of "The Manchurian Candidate".
I watched the first 2 episodes and I find the show engaging. While American military perverts to islam are rare, numerous Russians changed sides during the Chechen War. I would like to know why the self-proclaimed "Christian" – Hussein Obama – is obsessed with sanctifying his child abandoner muslim father. If you believe that the President is self-brainwashed, then it isn't a stretch to accept "Homeland" scenarios.