Homeland: Season 5 (2015)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS* 

What I liked:

• The whole technology aspect of this season was really good – modernisation can make for a fascinating watch if the material is handled properly, and not in some slap-dash kind of way.
• Astrid getting more screen time. I really liked her in the last season, and was glad to see her have a bigger starring role in this one.
• Not having to watch Quinn and Carrie in a romantic relationship. Really, I think that would have been the last straw for me, so for them to forego it here was a major bonus.
• The European setting – it makes for a different feel to the show. A little disconcerting initially, but when you settle into it, it is really great.
• Touching on the Syria/ISIS issue is ballsy. Just saying.
• Allison Carr’s wheeling and dealing. While I might not have appreciated her as a character (nasty piece of work), I really did like watching her and her games, though they were not as in depth as they could have been. Maybe I am just prejudiced when it comes to Otto – haven’t really been a fan of her since she tried to poach Aragorn from Arwen. Just saying.

What I didn’t like:

• Not having enough time with Quinn or Saul, cause let’s face it, nobody watches this show for that blonde bitch.
• Carrie. Fucking. Mathison. Goodness, it would not be a Homeland review without me complaining about this woman. Granted, she is not as psycho as some of the other seasons, but she in no which way endears herself to me at all. Ugh. Plus, how does Carrie always manage to ingratiate herself to someone with power, and then use them, always play the victim, and somehow always manages to make everything about her?! Die, bitch, die. I think the show would be way better without that crazy bitch. And let me not forget to mention her really hideous ugly crying. Oh my word!
• The sloppy continuation from the end of the last season. It just didn’t flow well, and left way too many unanswered questions.
• Laura Sutton, that reporter. I never, ever thought they would be able to write in another character as annoying as Carrie Mathison, but they did when they wrote about Laura. This woman has no qualms, no morals, nothing. I get that journalism can be a grey area, but what she did? It’s like terrorism in its own right. Ugh. Made me sick to my stomach. And even more annoying was the fact that she was wreaking havoc in a country that wasn’t even her own. How disgusting is that?
• Okay – so Carrie Mathison is out, and yet when the biggest scandal possible breaks out, she is somehow the central character to it all and fixing it? What? I have missed something fundamental here. Really. She just always seems to have license to do whatever the hell she likes.
• The way this show will just not let go of the Carrie/Quinn thing. Makes me sick to my stomach.

Rating:
So after the brilliance that was season four, I was very interested to see what the show would come back with. Especially seeing how they ended it on that horrifying Carrie/Quinn note, something I don’t ever want to see happen. Moving along, two years have passed, Carrie is on her meds, Quinn is soldiering on in Syria, Dar and Saul are still playing games, and not much has changed. I really liked the new setting of Homeland – having it go down in Berlin and especially incorporating that Russian storyline gave it this whole super spy, Cold War feel, and I liked that. Like all old school, but on the other hand very modernised, what with the hacking, and throwing in a dash of terrorists, too. I liked it! The terrorist section was relatively underplayed in this one, which was also alright, seeing as they focused on other things, but I think that it could have been so much more interesting, because whenever we got to see that, I was engrossed. On the other hand, maybe it was time to explore how the people that work for these varying agencies feel and how they can be used, how the threat can come within. All the other seasons have focused on external threats. Last season started exploring how someone from within can be just as bad. I thoroughly enjoyed that Astrid got more screen time, that woman is great, and I am never complaining when Saul gets to dominate, but I did have issues with, again as in season three, an underulitised Quinn, which is annoying as hell. I watch for him and Saul, hands down. Quinn’s character is so layered – when the show chooses to work on him, which is a pity, because we want to know so much more! Again the show danced on the Carrie/Quinn thing, which was something I was initially relieved about (them not being together), and then they went to play with it again. Stop it, writers! Immediately. We don’t need to see this. This season initially tried to give us a semi normal, much less grating Carrie, but naturally that is not a character that can be maintained because what the hell is Homeland without the hysterical, vitimised Carrie? Ugh, that character works on my last nerve! Nothing’s changed – she can still do what she want without dealing with the consequences, she still has strong people in her corner she doesn’t deserve, she’s still dropping her panties at a whim, wrecking people’s lives, driving me mad… nope, no changes. I mean, just look at the whole Jonas thing. Did she really think she could just do what she wanted, break his heart, endanger his kid, the whole katoot, and when she was finished doing all that, go back to him, bang him, and then everything is back to normal? Oh yes, of course she did! This is Carrie Mathison, after all! I really feel that her character is the show’s biggest downfall, and Claire Danes is way too good, because I freaking hate the character. Well, then, of course, they introduced Laura Sutton, and she got on my last nerve, too. Journalism can be a real grey area, for sure, but sometimes… oh, this is one of those subjects that can rage on forever. My biggest issue is that she, herself, was not even German, and there she is, making big decisions that affect the lives of the German people. Who the hell is she?! I appreciate how Homeland always tries something new for the story, and introduces new characters and situations. The cyber aspect of this season was very intriguing, though I wish more had been done with it. Season five is definitely not as solid or as gripping as the last season, that being said, it is still excellent.

Just so you understand why I cannot deal with her, she does plenty of this (again, as always):

It was totally not counteracted with enough Quinn, for real! I would just like to take a moment to appreciate the man for all his… virtues.

His deadpan delivery is also hot as hell.

Waiting around and looking damn fine while doing it.

Goodness, that lip licking should be illegal.

Nice smile, too, when he does bring it out.

Just saying…

Even though there is the icky potentially kicking it again with Carrie aspect, it’s pretty hot when he calls her on her bullshit.

This. Quinn. Avenging. With a gun. Scheming or avenging. It doesn’t matter. This is it.

When you can march out somewhere/to somewhere and look like that? Winning.

Homeland: Season 4 (2014)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS* 

What I liked:

• This is something I liked and disliked at once. Peter Quinn’s character. They splintered and broke him again, and unlike season three, didn’t sweep that story arc under the rug, but they also neglected what they could have done with it. I absolutely love his character though.
• Like season one and two, it starts as a slow burn and next thing you know things have ratcheted up beyond belief and you are at the edge of your seat.
• I loved the recurring characters. Martha Boyd, the ambassador, was great and a strong woman, no matter when things went south, she still did her job. John Redmond, the deputy station chief who initially gave Carrie lip but is extremely good at his job. Max coming on again, because he is such a cool guy, though socially awkward and inept. Fara was also wonderfully done out and about.
• Saul’s reaction to his kidnapping and how he dealt with it, as well as the consequences thereof.
• The taking of the embassy. I mean just oh my goodness, that was so ridiculously intense and a bag of chips. I didn’t know what to do with it. The slayings, the murders, the manipulation, the frustration, and how it was implemented was just… perfect.

What I didn’t like:

• Absolutely nothing to reference Brody’s death, what happened after it, how Carrie dealt with it, nothing.
• Saul Berenson not being in this as much as I would have liked.
• Carrie Mathison. I absolutely hate this character. I don’t know when last I resented someone this much on screen. I despise her more than Joffrey Baratheon. Yes, I said it. What a psycho! I hate how she just does what she wants when she wants, how she is always walking over people, how she never pays for anything she does and gets her own way without fail, as well as how much people indulge her. I do not, for one second, believe that the US government would keep someone like that employed.
• Carrie is such a victim. She plays all strong and like she doesn’t need anyone then when crap hits the fan then all of a sudden she is crying and shaking and broken and still a pain in my ass.
• The entire time that Saul was away, we got no look into how Mira felt about it.
• Season four started telling only the American side of things, which was disappointing because season one and two handled the two sides of the story very well, though you are still expected to commiserate with the Americans more.
• Carrie’s dad dies and then suddenly her mom turns up. That just felt forced, like they somehow still had to have some familial aspect outside of her sister in, and needed more drama on the Carrie angle. As if there is not enough. Humph.
• The love story/relationship aspect that has finally been realised between Carrie and Quinn. I mean really?! What is it about Carrie that men love so much? How could Quinn be so absolutely stupid?

Rating:
So after the abomination that was season three, I didn’t really have too much hope. Season three bombed so bad, I burnt my fingers there. But moving on, here was four. It starts abruptly and doesn’t really show you how anything has changed since Brody’s death, and moves on to other things. Again, a slow burn season, as it is something that seems to be stock standard for Homeland, which I have no issue with, provided that they are laying down some good groundwork for what is to come. Let me tell you, that is something this season did well. Everything was trundling along perfectly fine, albeit slightly bland at times, and then BOOM. Everything changes. Carrie, naturally, sickened me endlessly, especially banging that kid Aayan, I was so horrified. She is old enough to be his mother, so that was not cool. I really wished to see more Saul in this one, I am quite attached to his character, but at least he wasn’t forgotten altogether, and when he was he was owning screen time as always. Aasar Khan was a cool character, too, though I certainly believe that more time could have been spent developing him, he was interesting. And that accent! Goodness! A lot of the supporting characters this season were well worth the watch, if not scene-stealers every time they made their appearances, which was a nice and refreshing thing. I liked Redmond, he was just not going to suck up to Carrie quite the same way the rest were going to. Seeing Fara in the field was good, and I thought how she and Max were together was so cute. Then again, I have always loved Max, and Fara is quite sweet, and they just work together exceptionally well. I was freaking over Carrie screwing up the whole time, getting away with it, and then having the gall to chirp people on how to do their jobs. Really, really now?! Shut up! I thought it was well implemented how Carrie wound up on the wrong drugs and seeing Brody, that could have gone sour quickly – when I saw Brody, I thought we were having us a real Days of Our Lives time, which is so not how this show is. Could someone from the male population please explain to me why everyone seems to want to bang Carrie?! Argh! When season four starts ramping up, that tension is insane, riveting you to your chair. I was enjoying myself, sure, and then the one episode ended and my nerves were shot. That’s when things got insane – totally and utterly insane. Terrorist attacks, invaded embassies, casualties left, right, and centre, Quinn going rogue, all of it. I loved it. Although I hated the fact that they have finally actually realised this freaking relationship between Carrie and Quinn. As if we needed to see one more guy flock after her – especially one guy I respected so much! Quinn obviously has a big fan base, Natasha can attest, so we do not need that blonde bitch defiling him. Needless to say, Homeland has redeemed itself in my eyes.

Homeland: Season 2 (2012)

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

What I liked:

• How religion was so important.
• Dana is certainly growing up – much of this is evidenced by how she stands by Brody when she learns that he is a Muslim. Also it shows when she first broke up with Xander before starting something up with Finn.
• The relationship between Dana and Finn. It started really nicely, it was all cute and cuddly, but soon went darkside when they were involved in a hit and run, and the differences in their upbringing was shown quite clearly. Finn, super cutie with the potential to be nice, comes from a totally different world, and his character undergoes some serious change.
• Peter Quinn. This guy – awesome. What a character. He has no shame, he has some heavy morals,
• Saul Berenson. Mandy Patinkin, again, just rocks this role. What an awesome character. He has such integrity, and  he is smart as hell.
• The politics were nothing short of edgy and precisely implemented in this season, yet again, and I had fun with it. You never really know what is going to happen.
• Finally people started wondering what happened to Tom Walker, and start looking into it (Mike and company).
• Jessica and Mike finally dealing with what went on between them.
• How the lines become blurred severely between right and wrong when peoples motivation comes into play.
• Mike’s character. He is always trying his best, and he cares so much about the Brody family, has a lot of honour and integrity. I like that.
• Nobody is free of suspicion in this show.
• That finale. It is about the doubling back again, bringing things full circle again that I enjoyed so much from the first season. It was well done.
  

What I didn’t like:

• How quickly Brody started spilling his guts to Carrie when  he was taken into custody. Eight years in captivity and severe torture, yet one knife and a bawling blonde broke him. Pffffff.
• How quickly Mike’s Tom Walker investigation got swept under the rug. I expected it to have some more bang, and some more blowback and all. Instead, nothing.
• This whole twisted thing between Carrie and Brody. It’s like the embodiment of a love/hate relationship. They keep on getting close then pushing each other away, then pulling one another back. Also, I mean I know we are supposed to buy into Carrie being this extremely messed up person and all that, it’s just that what does on between her and Brody just doesn’t always gel so well.
• Carrie Mathison. Again, we know she works on my last nerve, but I am so over how she has no personal boundaries, and no professional boundaries. She is so out of line. She does what she wants, when she wants. The fact that she still has a job is beyond me. Also, she is weak, so damn weak. She is always messing up, crying her eyes out, apologising and all, and then (and this is beyond me) these idiots humour her and make all the things she does okay. That is unacceptable. Also, way too emotional in interrogations.
• The sudden passion that came out of absolutely nowhere between Carrie and Brody.

Rating:
Well, Homeland certainly came back with a bang. I found that I enjoyed  this one more. Partially due to the fact that, as bad as Carrie is, she is still not as terrible as season one. But she is still the most annoying character on television for me at the moment. Plus two, she spent so much of this season crying. Gosh. I know I can moan about her… but really, people?! I was glad to see them addressing the whole Mike and Jessica thing this season, because it was sort of skimmed over in the last season, which for me wasn’t right, it was a serious issue. I really don’t like how Jessica treats Mike. There were a few subplots that came in in this season that were written out and closed off equally as quickly in this season, which was bizarre, almost like they were just there to fill things up. The introduction of Quinn was really cool though, he is a character that I particularly enjoy. He has so much attitude, a moral code that I can totally understand, and zero patience to deal with inept people and Carrie’s bullshit. His purpose was shrouded and later came to be understood some more, and I liked it. Great addition to the show. I wish that Saul had more screen time in this one – not that he didn’t have, but it is always a thing to behold when he is out and about and doing his thing. Watching Brody walk the tightrope between spying for both sides was interesting, but he had this little meltdown about halfway through the season that was particularly jarring because it was so out of character. I got a few laughs out of this season, and I think that it was shot really well – it did a good job of drawing me in to the whole thing. There were some incredibly tense moments, and nothing has changed since last season in respect of being suspicious of everyone. Max is also a really cool character – his frustration at always being overlooked as a mute was hilarious. Everyone is so messed up and dismissive of him, which really sucks for me. The pacing was pretty decent in here – I didn’t actually have any issues with it, so that was nice. I was happy to see Brody and Jessica finally call it quits on their marriage, the whole sneaking around behind each other’s back thing was just getting to me by the end. If you are both unhappy, go to those you want to be with, things can still be amicable and civil. I wanted to kick Carrie – the whole season she is lusting after Brody, asking him to leave his family and all that. Next thing she gets everything she wants and she balks at it. The finale for this season was just nerve wrecking, and comes together very well.

Review: Rememberers – C Edward Baldwin

 Rememberers #1

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS: For 19-year-old Kallie Hunt, everyday moments began feeling all too familiar. She had a sense that she’d lived them before. But that was crazy, right? Deja vu. That was kid’s stuff, right? Been there, done that, impossible. You got one shot at this life thing. One shot. You lived. You died. End of story.

But if that was true, then why would the government be interested in her? Why would priests literally be stalking her? How could a small town girl possibly have anything to do with saving humanity from terrorists and demons? And pray-tell, what does any of it have to do with her first love?

For Kallie Hunt, there would be no simple answers. Besides, nothing in life is ever really simple. Not good. Not evil. Not even love… – via Goodreads

This book had a description that sounded mildly interesting (note, I didn’t get the synopsis on Goodreads) and I thought that it had possible potential. It started off and wasn’t particularly engrossing, but I trudged along anyway. Soon there was a possibility that things would look up… we had the church, hidden secrets, some weird agencies with their “soldiers”, dead terrorists and all that, I could even start dealing with the stunted dialogue. But then, just as quickly, that was lost. I honestly wanted to enjoy this more than I did. When Kallie was introduced, there was nothing I found even remotely likeable or identifiable about her, and that is most likely what kept me even more distanced from this book. Exploring this whole déjà vu thing was something I was looking forward to. Admittedly, the memory biology and the majority of the psychology discussed and presented in this book was well researched, accurate, and explained in a fantastically simple manner, so as not to lose any readers, and I appreciated that. As a psychology student, I hate it when some books drag in some slap dash psychology and then they are either wrong or so complicated that it doesn’t make sense to the average reader eventually anyway. So things were on an even level, nothing too amazing, nothing too bland, just average, and I was alright with that. But before I could blink my eyes and adjust to the next thing, Kallie was actually the goddess Kali or otherwise the First Woman, her boyfriend was silly and not fleshed out, FBI agent Bennett was basically stalking Kallie for answers to terrorist plots, the whole religious secret society petered out, there was no real explanation as to Rememberers and demon possession all over the show. Johnny Swag never had me convinced about his religious ties and was creepy from the off, Seth was such an annoyance, and I found Josh to be the most entertaining character of the lot. I think the end also just did it in for me, and I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. It was just a tad too over the top. Rememberers was ultimately incredibly flawed and I was a little let down when all was said and done. The book came across as very preachy, the writing didn’t always flow (sometimes it did and other times not at all) and the dialogue was not something that interested me, it didn’t come across as natural. The book was also much longer than it needed to be. Also, every time that things start to get interesting, you are ultimately disappointed because Baldwin teases with all these brutal things going down but never delivers. I suppose this book will be much more enjoyed by younger teens and people who haven’t read much, but it wasn’t my cup of tea, sadly.

Review: Buried (2010)

“I need one million dollars by nine o’clock tonight or I’ll be left to die in this coffin!”
– Paul Conroy

SYNOPSIS: Paul is a U.S. truck driver working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone it’s a race against time to escape this claustrophobic death trap. – via IMDB

Rob told me to check this one out because I do enjoy Ryan Reynolds. I had never heard of it, though apparently it had been recommended to my other half. Watching this was quite the ordeal. Buried takes awhile to start up, silence, and darkness to set the atmosphere up, and it worked. The whole concept of being buried alive is a damn horrendous one, one that will freak just about anyone out. There were parts that feel like they were inserted deliberately to add some action (here’s looking at you, snake part), and bits that had such flawed logic I struggled to accept it a bit. However, it really is a harrowing tale of Paul Conroy, and his desperation to be let free, as well as the American policy of not negotiating with terrorists, while Paul is talking with his kidnapper on his phone, and anxiously trying to contact his wife. I thought it was a little ridiculous that he couldn’t get hold of anyone, and that they were having such a hard time tracking him, and then suddenly there was a snake (convenient)… but aside from that, Reynolds was very good. You believed that he was upset and afraid, and there were times his frustration and anger resonated so much with you because we have all gotten so peeved we get sarcastic and nasty just because. He had better reason than I ever have, though. The conversation he had with Alan Davenport at CRT about the benefits for his family just brought me to my knees. Some people are just too cold and blunt and cruel – and the sad thing is that there are so many people like that out there. There were plenty of shots that I thought were done very well in the film, and the movie managed to stay within a run time where it was not stretched out and going into the boring sector. Buried manages to be engrossing and entertaining, which is great considering the entire film takes place only in a coffin, and Reynolds is the only person we see, the others are all just voices. I can’t see myself watching this again in a rush, or maybe even ever again. It is a decent movie, but not something one will be able to go back to time and time again.