What I’m Watching: The Killing

The Killing: Season 4, Episode 3 “The Good Soldier” (B)

This was this season’s most solid episode so far, not that it says much. As usual, we didn’t really get any closer to the truth, but rather managed to rule out a few potential suspects, namely Kyle and that. Linden had a truly sterling police moment, grabbing Kyle and forcing him to march through his house and painfully re-experience the murder of his entire family, and I’m not sure what it got her was merited by her means. Fortunately, Margaret is developing a major soft spot for her orphan pupil, inviting him after hours for dinner, piano playing, and dessert. It’s interesting to learn that she lost someone and that’s why she’s sympathetic to his situation despite her generally steely nature. It’s understandable that Caroline would be concerned about Holder since his head just isn’t in the right place, but I wasn’t prepared for his complete meltdown. I enjoyed hearing him talk about natural birth and reminding of his hippie nature, but his sister wasn’t taking any of it lightly. Swearing at his nephew and then relapsing and doing drugs were very unfortunate consequences, and it’s going to be tough for him to bounce back. Nothing is looking too good right now, which is just about right for this show, which is sometimes compelling based on the drama and sheer miserable nature and attitude of everyone within its universe. Carl was way too close to finding out the truth and Linden got him off the scent, but she threw away the longevity of that when she threw the phone in the water, which wasn’t a very forward-thinking play.

What I’m Watching: Homeland

Homeland: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Good Soldier” (B+)

Carrie has now dug for herself a hole out of which she is not going to be able to crawl. Getting drunk with Brody was entirely irresponsible, and I’m not sure she meant to divulge what the reason for the polygraph was. Brody, however, may have intended to change the subject by making a move on her and then having sex with her in the back of the car. Asking him during the polygraph whether he had ever been unfaithful to his wife was just plain stupid, and she better hope that Saul doesn’t put the pieces together and realize what it is that she’s done. At the very least, we’ve discovered that Brody is an excellent liar, and has no trouble passing a polygraph test without even raising an eyebrow. Brody made it through the funeral just fine and even endured some verbal attacks from one of his unit members, but unfortunately it enabled him to realize that Mike had been sleeping with Jessica while he was away, and his physical reaction is going to create some distance between him and his family. It was interesting to learn that Raqim wasn’t actually such a determined terrorist after all, yearning to turn himself in and then getting shot to death by a volley of bullets. Eileen, on the other hand, has a much better grip on what it is that she’d doing, and Carrie was entirely correct in suspecting that she was actually the one who encouraged Raqim to join the cause. Saul’s efforts to transfer to New Delhi seem to be headed nowhere on two fronts, as his wife doesn’t want him to come with her. Carrie getting into Brody’s car at the end of the episode with a smile seems like a truly bad idea, and the ending musical theme, very much reminiscent of “24,” was certainly foreboding.