After the departure of Brody (Damian Lewis) in Season 3, Showtime’s CIA-focused series Homeland went through something of a revamp in Season 4, which found Carrie (Claire Danes) as the station chief of the CIA’s base of operations in Islamabad. But things spiraled downhill quickly there for the bureau and for Carrie, which led to some of the best, more intense episodes from any show last year.
And then Homeland did what it always does when it starts to get great: it shot itself in the foot. The last several hours focused on Carrie’s never-before-seen mother, and grounded itself in her home situation (what little of it there is), while also teasing a romance that doesn’t really need to be there between herself and Quinn (Rupert Friend — there’s a friend joke to be made here, but I’ll let you just imagine it). Also, how the heck did Saul (Mandy Patinkin) get put back in charge of the CIA after all of his poor decision making?
Regardless, I can’t help but also get pulled back in by Homeland, mostly thanks to Claire Danes’ always incredible performance. Also, like Season 4 (which was largely fantastic), Season 5 seems like it’s going through another narrative reboot. According to Showtime,
The series will pick up two years after Carrie Mathison’s ill-fated tenure as Islamabad station chief. Struggling to reconcile her guilt and disillusionment with years of working on the front lines in the “war on terror,” Carrie finds herself in a self-imposed exile in Berlin, estranged from the CIA and working as the head of security for a German philanthropist.
Homeland, you once again have my attention. And in this new teaser for the upcoming season, Carrie seems to be back in a funk and unsure of what she’s doing — at least, from Saul’s perspective. As he says to her, “You turned your back on your entire life. What are you atoning for? For keeping America safe? You’re being naive and stupid. Something you never were before.” Carrie’s reply: “I’m not atoning, I’m just trying to do good work.”
But the German locale (this season will be shot entire on location there — the first American series to do so) doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be a ton of action, as this teaser trailer suggests. Check it out for yourself below. Homeland Season 5 will premiere on Showtime this fall.
