What I’m Watching: Homeland

Homeland: Season 7, Episode 3 “Standoff” (C-)

I do ask myself more and more these days why I still watch this show since I believe that it’s lost just about everything that used to make it so good and shows no signs of heading in the right direction with its latest developments. I’ve never been a fan of off-the-rails Carrie and how long it takes for her to get back to believing in herself when she’s experiencing a mental breakdown while being legitimately on the right track of the truth that no one else believes. After getting very upset with her when she tried to force him to go on the record when he wasn’t ready, Dante is now back and more than happy to share the findings he has about Sandrine Holt’s Simone Martin and her crucial connection to Wellington, eager to prescribe Carrie some cold medication so that she can get back to normal. Carrie’s impulsive decision to break into her apartment when she was out went bad right away when she got stopped by the cops and refused to give her name, and Dante showing up to bail her out seemed to mitigate most of the damage, especially since he was willing to talk to her and to listen to what she was going through. Throughout all of this, I’m becoming more and more convinced that Wellington is being framed since he’s constantly suggesting less severe solutions to Keane like letting O’Keefe go and considering recommended military action, and she just won’t listen. The problem is that she doesn’t seem to be responsible either, so the two most powerful people in the White House are probably being played like puppets, which doesn’t exactly seem realistic. Saul really should have led with his disdain for the president when approaching O’Keefe, since now the situation has gotten very bad and is sure to escalate in unfortunate ways sooner than later.

Checking in with...Standoff

Standoff: Season 1, Episode 12 "No Strings" (D)

Taking the suggestion of two posters who commented on my post from a few months back, I watched this week's new episode of "Standoff" to give it another shot. I went in with a relatively open mind, having had no strong feelings either good or bad about the pilot. I was terribly underwhelmed by what I saw. Ron Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt have absolutely zero chemistry, and what is supposed to pass as an endearing tendency is their annoying talking at the same time, saying different things. They show no emotion whatsoever, seeming at most disinterested when one of their hostages gets shot. They talk both to the hostage-takers and about their theories as if they have never done this before (I know that not to be true, as their characters have appeared in 11 episodes thus far). Gina Torres, who I have never liked, is forgettable as a higher-up on the scene. She was far better used in showy roles like Anna Espinosa on "Alias". This show lacks a dramatic punch, and there is too much comedy for the subject matter and nothing flows well. This episode does boast a guest appearance from the fantastic Xander Berkeley (see: "24" Season Two), which is always welcome, though this is not his best role by a long shot. I am just not interested in tuning back in, and I highly doubt that the show will return, even if it has not been officially cancelled yet.