[meta] homeland + breaking bad | "the edge of the big reveal..."
I've just finished watching 'New Car Smell', the fourth episode of Homeland's second season. As in, literally minutes ago finished watching it. Not sure that now is the best time to attempt meta, but I HAVE ALL THE THOUGHTS and so... here goes!
After last week I flailed at catteo in an email about REASONS. And she was all *nods head* "Yes, I think you're onto something". AND NOW THAT I'VE WATCHED THE NEW EPISODE I AM EVEN MORE CONVINCED!!! Hence, flisties: SPOILERS FOR ALL AIRED EPISODES BE HERE ---> ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!
You know what is also here? Gratuitous references to Breaking Bad, because it's not waltzmatildah meta if it doesn't have a little Heisenberg in the mix!
Okay, so. I once meta'ed lyrical that the tension in Breaking Bad is built not on deception of the viewers, but on their total inclusion. Vince Gilligan and his writing staff create drama by fully informing the viewers and keeping the characters in the dark. This means he can take the usual television drama tropes and give them a fresh spin. He can probably make them appear more original than they really are, all things considered. All it takes is a little LOT of honesty and integrity in the writing, and a certain degree of trust in his actors to pull it off [which, well, he's got some of the absolute best working with him so... that can't be too much of a stretch!].
What's this got to do with Homeland, you say?
Nothing really. At least, not exactly. But also, everything!!
Because I think the writers on Homeland do something similar. I mean, their premise is pretty good, but it's not exactly cutting edge. The tropes are still there, in fact, Homeland just about has them all!! But, and like with Breaking Bad, it's the way those tropes are played with that sets it apart from the rest. Instead of spending painstaking epsiode after painstaking episode building up to a climax in a 'will they or won't they' kind of way, Homeland prefers to skip all of that and jump straight to the big reveal. It creates its tension not in a slow build up, but by instead letting the shit hit the proverbial fan and then sitting back to revel in the fall-out.
Take this most recent episode for example: We could have had episode after episode of stake-out footage, of Virgil [sidenote: YAY! VIRGIL AND MAX WERE BACK!] lurking in shadows, and Analyst!Pete being snarky with Carrie, and Brody drinking scotch in bars. I'm sure they could have made all of that interesting; watchable; maybe even award winning. But what they did instead was say "fuck it!" and jump straight to Brody's capture. Because we all know that's where the fun is going to be.
And it's not only 'New Car Smell' where this deliberate storytelling choice has been obvious. I mean, think about it:
Episode One, 'The Smile': Jess finds out Brody is a muslim.
Episode Two, 'Beirut is Back': Saul discovers the disk with Brody's confession on it.
Episode Three, 'State of Independence' : Saul goes straight to Carrie with the disk and shows it to her.
Episode Four, 'New Car Smell': Brody is captured.
The sheer amount of 'drama' that could have been dragged out of those four things alone could potentially have soaked up seasons worth of air time. But, instead, we get the answer to the question we're perpetually asking ourselves...
'What happens next?!!'
Don't get me wrong, there is still A LOT that's up in the air on this show. SO MANY THREADS TO BE TIED TOGETHER. But the fact that we're already where we are, AFTER FOUR EPISODES, makes me confident that those threads will eventually be tied together.
This kind of storytelling, like Vince Gilligan's in Breaking Bad, gives me confidence. And it gives me confidence because, in order to tell stories like this, you need to KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING. There is no making it up as you go along. No bending your agenda to fit the will of fandom. No wishy-washy continuity fuck-ups. No plot holes you can drive trucks through. There's none of this because there can't be; at least, not if you want to pull it off properly. And let me tell you, so far Homeland pulls it off PERFECTLY.
I can imagine that the Carrie/Brody shippers out there will be disappointed in the events of episode four. I'm not a shipper, I never have been, but I do enjoy the dynamic between those two, and I think Claire and Damian do have chemistry. However, their hook-up last season served its purpose, and I'm glad there was no re-hash of it here. It would have been gratuitous and, ultimately, a distraction from the main event. And I, for one, say BRING IT FREAKING ON!
In other news: I totally ship Finn and Dana. I don't know what this says about me. I don't think I care! Poor Xander :(
After last week I flailed at catteo in an email about REASONS. And she was all *nods head* "Yes, I think you're onto something". AND NOW THAT I'VE WATCHED THE NEW EPISODE I AM EVEN MORE CONVINCED!!! Hence, flisties: SPOILERS FOR ALL AIRED EPISODES BE HERE ---> ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!
You know what is also here? Gratuitous references to Breaking Bad, because it's not waltzmatildah meta if it doesn't have a little Heisenberg in the mix!
Okay, so. I once meta'ed lyrical that the tension in Breaking Bad is built not on deception of the viewers, but on their total inclusion. Vince Gilligan and his writing staff create drama by fully informing the viewers and keeping the characters in the dark. This means he can take the usual television drama tropes and give them a fresh spin. He can probably make them appear more original than they really are, all things considered. All it takes is a little LOT of honesty and integrity in the writing, and a certain degree of trust in his actors to pull it off [which, well, he's got some of the absolute best working with him so... that can't be too much of a stretch!].
What's this got to do with Homeland, you say?
Nothing really. At least, not exactly. But also, everything!!
Because I think the writers on Homeland do something similar. I mean, their premise is pretty good, but it's not exactly cutting edge. The tropes are still there, in fact, Homeland just about has them all!! But, and like with Breaking Bad, it's the way those tropes are played with that sets it apart from the rest. Instead of spending painstaking epsiode after painstaking episode building up to a climax in a 'will they or won't they' kind of way, Homeland prefers to skip all of that and jump straight to the big reveal. It creates its tension not in a slow build up, but by instead letting the shit hit the proverbial fan and then sitting back to revel in the fall-out.
Take this most recent episode for example: We could have had episode after episode of stake-out footage, of Virgil [sidenote: YAY! VIRGIL AND MAX WERE BACK!] lurking in shadows, and Analyst!Pete being snarky with Carrie, and Brody drinking scotch in bars. I'm sure they could have made all of that interesting; watchable; maybe even award winning. But what they did instead was say "fuck it!" and jump straight to Brody's capture. Because we all know that's where the fun is going to be.
And it's not only 'New Car Smell' where this deliberate storytelling choice has been obvious. I mean, think about it:
Episode One, 'The Smile': Jess finds out Brody is a muslim.
Episode Two, 'Beirut is Back': Saul discovers the disk with Brody's confession on it.
Episode Three, 'State of Independence' : Saul goes straight to Carrie with the disk and shows it to her.
Episode Four, 'New Car Smell': Brody is captured.
The sheer amount of 'drama' that could have been dragged out of those four things alone could potentially have soaked up seasons worth of air time. But, instead, we get the answer to the question we're perpetually asking ourselves...
'What happens next?!!'
Don't get me wrong, there is still A LOT that's up in the air on this show. SO MANY THREADS TO BE TIED TOGETHER. But the fact that we're already where we are, AFTER FOUR EPISODES, makes me confident that those threads will eventually be tied together.
This kind of storytelling, like Vince Gilligan's in Breaking Bad, gives me confidence. And it gives me confidence because, in order to tell stories like this, you need to KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING. There is no making it up as you go along. No bending your agenda to fit the will of fandom. No wishy-washy continuity fuck-ups. No plot holes you can drive trucks through. There's none of this because there can't be; at least, not if you want to pull it off properly. And let me tell you, so far Homeland pulls it off PERFECTLY.
I can imagine that the Carrie/Brody shippers out there will be disappointed in the events of episode four. I'm not a shipper, I never have been, but I do enjoy the dynamic between those two, and I think Claire and Damian do have chemistry. However, their hook-up last season served its purpose, and I'm glad there was no re-hash of it here. It would have been gratuitous and, ultimately, a distraction from the main event. And I, for one, say BRING IT FREAKING ON!
In other news: I totally ship Finn and Dana. I don't know what this says about me. I don't think I care! Poor Xander :(