Author Topic: Homeland - US TV Series  (Read 9874 times)

LEE

Homeland - US TV Series
« on: 28 February, 2012, 12:42:08 pm »
I'm one episode in and hooked.

Anyone know if it has a proper ending or not?

I'm not going to keep watching if it is just another pointless, open-ended, money-spinning series that only ends when ratings drop (See: Lost, X-Files...and countless others)

If it has a beginning, middle and end then I'll stay with it. Anything else and it's a Soap.

Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #1 on: 28 February, 2012, 01:07:48 pm »
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_%28TV_series%29

(there's an episode list linked there too, dunno if it's spoiler-free)

The first few episodes have been promising, tho' I suspect soap-like - but I guess that's the problem with US TV for anything of a decent length, they often don't know exactly how long anything will run for - I can think of a few series that have been clumsily/briefly wrapped when it turned out they wouldn't get another run. Or not even that (eg the Sarah Connor Chronicles was getting interesting when it got canned, tho' it could be argued it took a little too long getting to that point).

LEE

Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #2 on: 28 February, 2012, 01:17:36 pm »
12 episodes in series 1 and 12 episodes in series 2......it's a soap.

I won't bother watching any more unless someone convinces me that there is actually 24 hours of entertainment crammed into those 24 hours. 

mattc

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #3 on: 28 February, 2012, 06:06:56 pm »
I'm one episode in and hooked.

Anyone know if it has a proper ending or not?

I'm not going to keep watching if it is just another pointless, open-ended, money-spinning series that only ends when ratings drop (See: Lost, X-Files...and countless others)

If it has a beginning, middle and end then I'll stay with it. Anything else and it's a Soap.
Agree totally!

Although I have to say that this seems to have twice the quality of anything similar for many years. Heroes was the last one that started well then drifted on ... and on ... . Looking back, the giveaway there was the sheer quantity of characters, we should have known this was designed to spawn more and more soap-style sub-plots.

p.s. anyone watching Rubicon? Similar domain, high quality, worryingly slow to actually get anywhere though!  :-\ What I do like is the self-contained side-plot-per-episode, which might prove to be its strength (somewhat moralising so far, but it IS american!). The best X-Files were the ones with a self-contained story.
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ian

Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #4 on: 28 February, 2012, 09:02:16 pm »
A lot depends on the quality of the story arc, there needs to be a coherent narrative to bring everything together, otherwise, yes, it's a never ending soap. Plus a willingness to break the ordinary (so, for instance, you get episodes like 'once more, with feeling' and 'hush' in Buffy). Otherwise there's potential for lot of bloat. So for instance, I liked Lost, but let's face it, there was enough material for one tight season, or basically two if they loosened the waistband a little. Six seasons was pure wobbly you-want-to-poke-it-and-be-disgusted flab. There was some fun admittedly navigating the plot holes. A medium I call uh?-space. Bonus bananas for the fact they were probably just making up the plot as they went along though. There's hope for my novel yet.

X-Files was a prime example of just not knowing when to stop. You did want to take it out the back and shoot it. I expect it would have thanked you for the mercy.

US show cancellations are brutal. Anyone sane would happily slowly chew off the limbs of the individuals responsible for cancelling Firefly for instance (not for Dollhouse though). The network monkeys are still trained to salivate copiously over the Nielsen ratings. The internet, DVD sales, that kind of thing is unknowably mysterious (it probably makes sense if you consider the Alex Baldwin character in the marvellous 30 Rock, who climbed the corporate ladder to be 'Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming').

A special mention for 4400. This was slow, but OK. I picked up the entire box set for not much money, so I couldn't complain. Well, not till I got to the end of season 4, which finished teetering on the edge of a very high cliff – to find that it had been cancelled and their wouldn't ever be a fifth and final season). That's not a complete series, network monkeys. One day, when they least expect it, someone is going to get a limb chomped right off for this kind of the behaviour.

But no, I haven't seen Homeland.

LEE

Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #5 on: 29 February, 2012, 08:21:23 am »
I just watched the 2nd episode and it was very good.

I can see myself posting on this thread on a couple of years, something along the lines of "why did I bother getting hooked on series 1 when I knew series 4 would be cack and series 5 would get cancelled half way through?"

Mr Larrington

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #6 on: 29 February, 2012, 12:49:54 pm »
I've recorded "Rubicon" but haven't yet got around to watching any of it.  Is it worth it?  I shall watch ep. 2 of "Homeland" tonight.

What was that one where human-looking aliens planned to wipe out humanity so they could move in?  They (IIRC it was 5) stopped it for Christmas and mysteriously failed to restart it, which was a mouldy chiz as the blonde was rather easy on the eye...
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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #7 on: 29 February, 2012, 01:04:55 pm »
I've recorded "Rubicon" but haven't yet got around to watching any of it.  Is it worth it?  I shall watch ep. 2 of "Homeland" tonight.

What was that one where human-looking aliens planned to wipe out humanity so they could move in?  They (IIRC it was 5) stopped it for Christmas and mysteriously failed to restart it, which was a mouldy chiz as the blonde was rather easy on the eye...

The last two "human-like aliens planning to take over the world" TV series I can think of are the reboot of V and The Event, though the latter was on Channel 4.
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Mr Larrington

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #8 on: 29 February, 2012, 01:14:07 pm »
The Event is the one I was thinking of.
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tiermat

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #9 on: 29 February, 2012, 01:22:43 pm »
In answer to the OP, I haven't seen it yet, but might just have to have a look.

It does appear that US TV companies are starting to get their act together WRT TV series, but, to be honest I think they had plumbed the depths when they got to what I like to describe as "Buffy Goes to High School Musical with True Blood" AKA, to the program producers as "Vampire Diaries".  I think a good example of how they have learnt to pull up and fly straight is "Grimm", currently showing on Watch. good plots, funny in places and a geriatric Buffy in the first couple of episodes (until they killed her off).  It only has limited life though, as each episode is based, loosely, on a Brothers Grimm Fairytale.
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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #10 on: 01 March, 2012, 04:22:55 pm »
I've recorded "Rubicon" but haven't yet got around to watching any of it.  Is it worth it?  I shall watch ep. 2 of "Homeland" tonight.

We've watched 6 (or is it 8?!) Rubicons now. It's still in the "Maybe" pile. There's some nice 'spook' stuff. It has some good characters - the two young analysts are fun flawed idiots - but they're really dragging the plot out. It took about 4 hours for  Miranda Richardson (who gets a lot of scenes, but little actual acting to do) to meet any characters linked with the main plotline  :facepalm:

What I think will sell this to MrL is the Will Travers character - he is clearly separated-from-birth from the teacher in Glee. You know you want to watch now ...  ;D
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Mr Larrington

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #11 on: 02 March, 2012, 09:51:06 am »
I have a suspicion that the Tit Inspectrix in "Homeland" is going to come to a nasty end when the Prince finds out she's a grass.
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LEE

Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #12 on: 02 March, 2012, 10:52:48 am »
I have a suspicion that the Tit Inspectrix in "Homeland" is going to come to a nasty end when the Prince finds out she's a grass.

Good, because I'm going to apply for the vacant position.

mattc

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #13 on: 02 March, 2012, 03:49:40 pm »
I have a suspicion that the Tit Inspectrix in "Homeland" is going to come to a nasty end when the Prince finds out she's a grass.

Good, because I'm going to apply for the vacant position.
;D

MrL's prediction looks like a no-brainer. I'm surprised the "TI" didn't phone her family to discuss the life insurance policy they haven't yet taken out.
In fact, it seems so obvious I fear it might be a double-bluff. Is american telly ever that clever?
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citoyen

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #14 on: 06 March, 2012, 02:23:56 pm »
After three episodes, I'm involved enough to keep watching but I certainly don't think it's living up to the hype. It just seems a bit heavy handed - Carrie Mathison is an unsubtle US remake of Sara Lund.

The bumping off of the Tit Inspectrix was telegraphed well in advance, the demise of the other Marine clearly isn't all it's been made to seem so far, Carrie's mental state is obviously going to be a big factor and I'm betting that Damian Lewis isn't a terrorist after all.

d.
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mattc

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #15 on: 06 March, 2012, 02:39:15 pm »
I see almost nothing in common with Lund. Female lead character?!?
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citoyen

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #16 on: 06 March, 2012, 02:53:53 pm »
I see almost nothing in common with Lund. Female lead character?!?

Obsessive pursuit of her case, defiance of male boss, maverick disregard for procedure, slightly unhinged, work taking over personal life...

d.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #17 on: 06 March, 2012, 03:41:27 pm »
Back on the Rubicon front - I gave up on it the first time round because it was tediously slow (IMO), although slow I can put up with. I caught an episode last (?) week of what I guess is the rerun, and I've probably only missed one or two episodes between the showings. Mostly Eff-all happened again, I may tune in this week to see mostly nothing happening yet again...

On the V-reboot front, the actress playing head honcho-ess and general lizard-spawner in V also plays the wife of the blokey in Homeland (but this time with less clothes, on average)...no, I really haven't bothered to commit any character names to memory. I didn't think V was a bad effort...I'd quite like to see the original again, I think it was one of the few things I bothered to drag myself down to the Hall commonroom for whilst at uni.

Ah, looks like V(reboot) got canned at the end of the second series, but there's a 'Project Alice' to try to get it resurrected (somewhere).

Looks like that new series of Spielberg's on Fox has been canned too.


LEE

Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #18 on: 06 March, 2012, 04:06:54 pm »
back on the Rubicon front.......start a Rubicon thread.

mattc

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #19 on: 06 March, 2012, 04:13:19 pm »
I see almost nothing in common with Lund. Female lead character?!?

Obsessive pursuit of her case, defiance of male boss, maverick disregard for procedure, slightly unhinged, work taking over personal life...

Doesn't that describe 90% of law-enforcement protagonists in the last 20 years (male or female)?!

<gravely voiceover>
(s)he may not play by the rules .... but gets the job done


(Clarice Starling fitted that job spec before Lund - and shared more of Kerry's wardrobe -  now I think of it closer to 30 years ago ...  )
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citoyen

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #20 on: 06 March, 2012, 04:39:49 pm »
Doesn't that describe 90% of law-enforcement protagonists in the last 20 years (male or female)?!

Yeah, maybe, but more the men than the women, I'd say. Good call on Clarice Starling though.

d.
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mattc

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #21 on: 06 March, 2012, 04:50:49 pm »
The nutter-maverick female is almost becoming a cliché. So much so that I found the lady-cop-buddies show that restarts next week on ITV really refreshing (wossit called? aaargh  :facepalm: )

They're not pathetic dolly-birds, but they bring something different to the genre. (Bit like Cagney and Lacey all those years ago!)
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citoyen

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #22 on: 06 March, 2012, 05:19:23 pm »
The nutter-maverick female is almost becoming a cliché. So much so that I found the lady-cop-buddies show that restarts next week on ITV really refreshing (wossit called? aaargh  :facepalm: )

They're not pathetic dolly-birds, but they bring something different to the genre. (Bit like Cagney and Lacey all those years ago!)

Scott & Bailey. I watched the first couple of the first series but wasn't smitten. Trying a bit too hard to be the new Cagney and Lacey, I thought!

I didn't like the Brenda Blethyn one either - Vera - and I thought I loved anything with Brenda Blethyn in it.

d.
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Valiant

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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #23 on: 06 March, 2012, 05:32:54 pm »
I like Homeland and I too am hoping it actually has an end.
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Re: Homeland - US TV Series
« Reply #24 on: 06 March, 2012, 06:39:11 pm »
I like Homeland and I too am hoping it actually has an end.

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