Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson and Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in Homeland (Season 2, Episode 2)
Tierney: There were definitely some holes, but because the show is so good with both its plot and its character development, I'm willing to overlook them. In terms of character, one thing I realized this week is what an absolute coward Estes is, specifically after he couldn't make the call to go forward with raid and left it up to Saul. Something I totally forgot which the brilliant Rich Juzwiak pointed out last week was that Estes and Carrie had had an affair before the show picks up, but you wouldn't know it by how coldly he treats her. Contrast that with Saul (who also had a weird, sexually charged moment with Carrie last season) and how loyal and kind he is to Carrie — trusting her judgement on the raid, and then, even when Nazir isn't killed, giving her the credit she deserves for giving the right read of her asset. Saul's uncovering the tape makes the vindication all the more sweet—he should be the first to see Carrie redeemed.
Greg: Estes is a snake, but to borrow a turn of phrase, that's a "known unknown." Estes and Carrie have a history, and there was a point last season where Estes hinted that she played him to the point where he can only see his kids on the weekends. That's a history that hasn't been deeply explored. As much as I believe that whole thing was just a "friends with benefits" thing (by benefits, I mean career benefits), I'm not sure we will ever get an answer.
On the other side of the show, the noose is starting to tighten around Brody's neck. All of his Marine buddies from "Uncle Mike" to the drunken, Lt. Dan-esque conspiracy theorists read him the riot act about the holes in Tom Walker's sniper alibi. They know something's up. The bar scene provided us with one of the best looks into Brody's psyche about this entire ordeal. When Brody says "Tom Walker stopped being a Marine the day he turned," he pauses, closes his eyes, and drops his head, almost in a realization that he could have placed his own name in that declaration. Brody ultimately helps Nazir in the episode, but his comfort with his "mission" is clearly not at the same level as it was a season ago. I think Brody is starting to realize that he may still be a prisoner of war despite his physical freedom.
Tierney: Brody struggled a bunch of times in this episode. There were a lot of moments where Congressman Brody and Nazir-ally Brody come into conflict (I am not saying "terrorist Brody," because I don't think he believes he is a terrorist), and it visibly shows. Specifically, the cocktail party where Vice President Walden reveals only four of the five Iranian nuclear sites were hit, it gives Brody pause — literally. He is clearly uncomfortable associating with the government officials behind the kinds of attacks that killed Issa. A cold-blooded terrorist could play a double agent much more smoothly, but Brody continually, though subtly, falters in the role. He even explicitly verbalizes his internal conflict at the end of the scene when Jessica asks about throwing a veterans fundraiser: "You know the people hosting this party? They make bombs. You really want to help veterans, you take out everyone in this room."
What a chilling statement, considering that was essentially his plan in the Season 1 finale. I keep waiting for these moments—the pauses, when he challenges his government colleagues (think back to last week when he is shocked Estes doesn't know the number of drones in service), and outbursts like that—to throw up a red flag to those around him that something is up with this guy. But Jessica and everyone else would rather project what they want to see in "Congressman Brody." As you mentioned, it's his Marine buddies who really "tighten the noose" by pressing him on Walker. In classic Homeland-style irony, they don't know how right they are that Brody knows the circumstance's of Walker's fate.
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