HOMELANDS: Where would Brody go on holiday?

LUCY
I can see him in a lodge by a lake in Oregon or something. Hillwalking. He's so outdoorsy and very Kagoul-oriented.  

I definitely cannot see him dozing over a book on a white sandy beach. And not only because he'd be bright red and peeling swathes of skin off his back after the first day. He just doesn't strike me as a big reader. I've never seen him read anything other than the serial number on Waldon's pacemaker box.

Imagine THAT on the sunbed next to you trying to get through the Da Vinci Code.

BECKY
He is definitely a lake man. A fishing holiday I think. Imagine all the staring into space he could do? He would take all week to catch a fish and when he finally did it would be really small and then he would burn it on the BBQ.

Brody doesn't read. After 8 years in captivity he has probably forgotten how. Look at his expression in the picture....

LUCY
Ooo, yes.  FISHING.  The perfect place to angst.

Maybe he'd take Chris and he could sit next to him as he fishes looking at him like this:

HOMELAND: Season 2 Episodes 10 & 11

LUCY 

Honestly - how can you NOT be Team Quinn???  The guy is an ONION of emotion and Carrie is gradually working her way (unbeknownst to her) through his layers. Even if he does sleep in a shrivelled sleeping bag on a naked bed. (Does he send that to the cleaners, I'm worried it smells of feet. I'm hoping he just burns it after a week's use).

See - cute couple. The perfect way to spend a Saturday.

Really, really good.  Was SO surprised that they killed Nazir.  Such a good lead up.   BUT - do not celebrate yet for Carrie and Brody. I think that their getting together is some kind of mutual squeeze - I'm till struggling with them have genuine feelings for each other and convinced there is some ulterior motive for both of them. Apart from a mutual appreciation for highly mobile sex I'm just not buying it. I don't know why. Maybe because I can't imagine any evening with Carrie being anything other than intense (imagine going to the cinema with her and the film you wanted to see is sold out ...) and Brody is really looking for the quiet life.  I think that Nazir has sacrificed himself for a higher cause. Brody may be carrying out a bigger mission and Carrie is his pawn.  Or Carrie may realise the plot against him and be protecting him as her CI.  This is not a programme with happy endings. There is more to their coupling than meets the eye ...

Remember Brody has been utterly neutered by everything.  He is not a particularly brave man anyway - remember how someone said he was running away from the fighting when he was captured? - and everything that's happened to him since he's been back has been given to him.  When Waldon had his heartattack, he told him that that it was him, Brody, who was killing him when actually it was Nazir.  Yes, he gave the serial number over but he was so frightened to do that too. Again: he was simply in the right place at the right time.  To take that and tell Waldon it was him is a little riding on the coat-tails but rather typical of his personality. He is not a strong man with a clear sense of right and wrong. He's looking for something to have power over. Or someone. Careful Carrie ... 

1. UGGGHHH - Jess was wearing the same night dress she seduced Dull Mike in when she was talking to Brody. I know she wasn't wearing it when they got down to it, but still ... something might have got on it and that apartment doesn't look like it has a washing machine. It is also NOT very flattering - makes her look very shouldery.

2. Poor old Chris: they wheel him in for family scenes and then wheel him out again.  That bit where he was having breakfast with Brody and Brody was just staring at him. Do you think it was because he was thinking 'and you are?'.  It was less poignant, more a little disturbing to be honest. If anyone watched me like that while I ate my breakfast, I'd probably leave the table.

A relaxing breakfast in the Brody household

3. CIA/FBI types can get away really well without sleep.  They stay up for days and are not a)confused ; b)shitty; c) crying at every.little.thing. Their training must be amazing. I couldn't even fathom traffic lights after being up for 24 hours. Throw in being kidnapped and nearly shot and I'd probably just sleep in the car-park.

4. Carrie's face genuinely looked a bit skinned - maybe she was methoding.  I was so worried about her - I kept saying to Rob, but she hasn't taken her drugs. But then she produced them in the car and I felt better.  

5. 'Are you also called The Bear?' 'I fucking hope not'. YOU ARE BY US!  That line was so written with all of us Bear-lovers in mind. You know that, tonight, somewhere someplace Saul will be getting nicely drunk on gin and tonics (or Campari and Soda? What is his drink do you suppose? I think he's a long-drink man rather than shorts) at a party with mince-pie crumbs in his beard while he talks deeply to other intellectuals. He will be a lone wolf and sad his beautiful wife is not there. His real name is Mandy. Even that doesn't stop me loving him.  But back to his story-line. I HATE ESTES.  He totally broke our Bear. I don't know how he'll come back from that - maybe he'll go rogue and be the centre of Homelands 3???

EVIL

6. The scene with Roya was immense.  She played that beautifully.

7. Am over Dana. 

Finale: Hunt for Brody. Carrie hides him. Saul will do something dynamic because he's amazing. Estes will get hurt (dead, please? I find his ears disturbing).  Quinn will ultimately save the day and surprise everyone.  Maybe over-drunk limping Vet will have something to do with any kind of face-off that happens, what with his obsession with Brody's involvement in Tom Walker's death.  And Mike will make some eggs.

BECKY

I just don’t know what Quinn really thinks. I did feel a bit warm and fuzzy when he put his arm around Carrie when she exited from the tunnels. I think he just does what he is told though, he needs to show me that he is more than just a man with a gun and a sleeping bag. There must be more to him though, that copy of Great Expectations wasn’t placed in his flat for nothing.

I was surprised they killed Nazir. I felt quite emotional when Carrie was looking down on him, her life’s work laid out before her. She may as well leave the CIA now and go back to gardening.

Carrie and Brody are the real deal. I know it. I think Carrie will find out about the plot against Brody and do everything in her power to stop it. I think Saul will tell her or maybe even Quinn.

Being with Carrie would be really intense....do you think she does all her shopping online? Imagine her in Primark on a Saturday afternoon? It would be carnage! Good job they don’t have one in America.

Brody needs a holiday...where would he go? He couldn’t go anywhere too hot with his skin tone.

The breakfast scene with the son was really funny. I suppose it was meant to be him thinking about leaving him but instead it looked like he was about to kill him. The son didn’t even notice though! If I was Brody I would have said ‘have you not noticed me staring really intensely at you for the last 5 minutes? What the hell is wrong with you?’

Dana’s tantrum over the milk was really annoying. We should definitely play the Dana eye roll drinking game sometime.

THE BEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved that so much! Estes should not underestimate the power of The Bear. If Carrie and Saul form a rogue group they could bring Estes down. They are the brains behind the CIA. Without them Estes is nothing. They should try and get Quinn on board too.

The Bear is definitely a G&T drinker. I also think he is probably a fan of a single malt at the end of a hard day, on the rocks, of course.

I think Brody is going to die in the finale. I will cry.

HOMELANDS: Oh No 1

Oh Brody ...

HOMELAND: Season 2 Episode 9

LUCY
[during viewing]
Like Mike would know about wine ...‏

1. There's no shortage of buff folders in that surveillance office. Who's in charge of admin supplies do you suppose?
2. Is Quinn maybe a member of Spies Anonymous?
3. Mike is all about the breakfast whereas its all Brody can do to make a bowl of cereal for dinner.
4. Jess in that nightie at the breakfast bar. Unacceptable.

Quinn Just Got Sexier

BECKY[after viewing]
1. Probably some intern we never get to see. They are in charge of folders only. 

2. What is his deal? Can't believe he was going to shoot Brody! His apartment was a shocker. Imagine being brought back to that after a night out? He is obviously not the lady killer we hoped he would be.

3. That whole bit with Mike was hilarious and you are totally right about the wine! It's all about the breakfast and homework with them! I would rather be with Brody eating cereal for dinner.

4. They had to pack quickly but she somehow had time to slip her sexy nightie into her suitcase. I loved her initiation of sexy times....baps out, hand down the boxers then good to go!

LUCY

1. Well even a single photo gets a folder in that show. And they never have any scribbled out phrases like 'expenses Feb' or 'Xmas Do 2003' on them showing it's recycled.

2. Ha! Imagine 'want to come back to mine and do it in my shrivelled sleeping bag on a naked single bed?' I'd still probably say yes. He's an assassin. Some kind of black ops thing. Hence the knife through the hand. And surviving the tailor's massacre - he's basically 75% titanium. 

3. I did like Mike telling Dana what to do, I fancied him a bit then. Generally though he's like an unshelled egg. Just an unshelled egg in a military suit.

4. You're so right! 'Panic stations - someone's trying to kill us - pack warm, easy clothing. What this old thing?' It's that American conspiracy to make normal women feel inadequate about their mismatched old T-shirt based sleep wear. All tv women wear satin sheathes or at the very least a matching vest top/bottoms set. Apart from on The Wire. Then it's just hot rock burns.

Brody's wash-in-wash-out anti-red hair dye and mascara/brow pencil combo's doing my head in. Why are they trying to pretend he's not 100% ginge? It's setting a bad example to true gingers out there. See - in this he's basically just a warm brown:
 
I cannot wait for the next episode.

BECKY 
1. I would LOVE a deleted scene of their Xmas Do 2003...can you imagine?? Drunk Carrie and Estes under the mistletoe, Saul dancing with mince pie crumbs in his beard....it would be a dream. 

 2. 10 years ago I would have jumped into that sleeping bag no problem. Now, it makes me shudder. What do you think the significance of Great Expectations was? Maybe a rich benefactor took him in off the streets as a child and paid for him to go to sniper school. 

 3. Mike loved playing Dad. I could never fancy him....50 shades of beige...well, 1 shade of beige really. 

 4. HAHA, that really made me laugh out loud! I have never owned a satin sheathe. I bet Carrie goes mismatch sometimes, if she wears nightwear at all, she might just pass out in her clothes.  

It is very offensive to Gingers. I would love a deleted scene showing Brody dying his hair! Maybe he thinks he sticks out too much when it's full on ginge. I think Brody only told them half the story. 

I also think there is a chance that he might be killed off in the season finale.

HOMELAND: Factoid 1

This is Saul before he joined the CIA.  He's lived a fascinating life.

HOMELAND: Season 2 Episode 8

LUCY
[written while watching]

God, Saul over hearing that ... Such dignity.

BECKY
[after watching]

I know, it was like a father listening to his daughter.

I think you might have been right about Carrie. I still think she loves him but she is more focussed on getting the results.

Mike's pad was a surprise? Do you think Jess gave him a hand in decorating? It was much nicer than it should have been. He really overcooked that scrambled egg.

Nazir was so creepy at the end!

LUCY

Mike's pad was a surprise - I expected a bit more khaki on the walls and some military art, but then remembered how vanilla he is and thought it was just right. Can totally see him and Jess whiling away a Saturday afternoon in Pottery Barn. When will that happen???

God, when Carrie jumped out of the van I was like - oh for God's sake Carrie. Sometimes she's a tad too over-zealous ... Surely the copter would have seen her?

I thought it might have been the mole rather than Nazeer. In fact I had to check with Robbie that it was him. 

Ha! Scrambled egg :). It was sweet though. Mike clearly meant a lot to the kids in his 'oh, okay' way. He probably was really good at picking them up from school or helping them with their homework ...

BECKY

Hopefully Jess and Mike in pottery barn will be a deleted scene in the series 2 DVD extras.

Carrie pushes it too far sometimes!! I hope she still loves Brody, I like it when things work out for people I like.

When is this mole going to be revealed?? I hope they haven't given up on that storyline.

Yeah, Mike is pretty reliable. In the face of danger I would much rather have Brody on my side though...something for Dana to think about.


LUCY
Ah, but all Brody does around Dana is get all shady and sweaty and distracted. At least Mike makes breakfast, even if he does overcook it ...


BECKY
I've seen Brody make breakfast before, but it was in the early days before he was a double agent.

HOMELAND: Season 2 Episode 7

BECKY
The Bear was incredible last night, I almost wanted him and Aileen to kiss, but maybe that’s because I want everyone to kiss.

I was SO happy when Brody and Carrie kissed, but I did wonder whether he was playing her. It didn’t seem genuine. She seemed genuinely confused by the whole thing. I also wondered whether their convo was being recorded.

Bet you loved seeing Quinn with his kit off!

By the way, I bought Season 1 on DVD and there is a deleted scene of Brody eating an orange in the dark in his kitchen. It is brilliant, I have NO idea why they didn’t keep it in!

LUCY

I still think she's playing him.  She's a lone wolf and he touched her and she fell in love, but she's also very focused on not letting the terrorists win.  She's aware of how unempowered he's feeling so she's letting him have her to give him that one little source of power.  Like she's sacrificing herself for the cause.

This was absolutely Saul's episode though. He is just incredible.  We ALL need a Saul in our lives.  In my head he smells of pipe tobacco and a little bit of G&T - which are my two favourite smells on older men.  That sounds gross but ykwIm.  He is SO classy - if I'd bought a snack for Aileen, it would've basically been a Ginsters ham and cheese slice and a can of pop from the petrol station. Bread, wine and cheese. Dude, he rules.

'Cease and fucking desist'. God she's cool.

Ha! That deleted scene!! Brody's a bit snuffly - I can imagine him being a bit mouth-breathy whilst getting rid of the pith.

BECKY

Hmmmm, they did send her to empower him so maybe you’re right. Their relationship status would definitely be ‘it’s complicated’. I still think he must be doing some work for Roya as well, he just can’t say no! I am still falling in love with him though.

He is so kind and gentle, he really cared for her. I just want to cuddle him.

So glad she laid the smack down on boring Mike. I reckon he’ll still carry on sniffing around Jess.

He was quite breathy! It was also a very juicy orange so he had very sticky hands by the end of it!

Oh, and although the bear’s snack for Aileen was amazing, the cheese was a real let down! If you’re going to go all out on the wine and bread you should make you accompany it with a decent cheese!