Homeland Season 6 Episode 9 Review: Sock Puppets. This Homeland review contains spoilers. Homeland Season 6 Episode 9. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I want to take a minute and consider how much of a rebound Homeland has been on this year. It’s fair to say that season 5 was not exactly anyone’s favorite, and even the better post- Brody stories like season 4 were never quite able to recapture the pace and excitement of Homeland’s early, dizzying heights. Season 5 of Homeland premiered on October 4, 2015 and concluded on December 20, 2015. This week opened to find Carrie and Saul. Homeland episode recaps, news, and videos — get the latest updates. The Showtime drama stars Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Mandy Patinkin, Morena Baccarin, David. While Brody starts his mission in Tehran intending to kill the grand general of Iran, Carrie tries to give local support and a extraction plan for him. Where season 4 was great, season 5 was a mess. It's as if the writers didn't know where to take the show, and they kept changing what Season 5 was about every episode. This Homeland review contains spoilers. Homeland Season 6 Episode 9. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I want to take a minute and consider how much of a. Find listings of daytime and primetime ABC TV shows, movies and specials. Get links to your favorite show pages. Watch Homeland season 5 episode 6 live online: Carrie asks for Saul's help; is Quinn in trouble? I’m not entirely sure season 6 has either, but this episode again marks sure footing and compelling drama where the storytellers know where they’re going, and they’re getting there in ways that can be both predictably satisfying and also totally out of left field. Granted, in tonight’s biggest game changing, there is a certain amount of suspension of disbelief needed to be taken with the idea that Dar Adal would betray Javadi so quickly and gleefully. Even so, there’s a briskness and precision of purpose that we have not seen on the one- time Showtime flagship in a long while. It even is making lemonade out of its fifth season woes by bringing back Saul’s grievous (and utterly frustrating) lack of judgment regarding Allison Carr. And in doing so, the screws turn a little tighter, and I suspect viewers sit up and are leaning a little closer. In that vein, this episode also knew how to spread out the character building moments more acutely. But it also works quite well here given Carrie’s checkered history with mental health over the years. It is again these moments that I have grown to prefer for giving Claire Danes something to really sink her teeth into. The big dramatic scenes of children being ripped from her arms or tears rolling down her anguished face are part and parcel for Homeland, but after six years, this can also frequently feel like a crutch. Giving Ms. Danes quieter moments to really let the waves of Carrie’s troubled history roll for a bit in her soul, without it being in a moment of mental collapse or existential crisis, are where she really excels. She even sells that Carrie would be so open on her first psych evaluation with a stranger about her relationship with Brody, even if she never says his name. The way she takes responsibility for pushing Brody toward his doom in season 3 is not maudlin or inaccurate; it is a simple fact of coming to accept and live with the worst demons that she has conjured in her life. The way in which she also can speak of her relationship with Franny here does more to heighten it than any number of scenes of her rushing desperately to her pre- school, making sure she’s picked her daughter up from certain danger. Of course, this little vignette into the real ghosts that haunt Carrie Mathison must (and should) be placed aside as the plot wheels start turning once more. The most tantalizing aspect of this is that Carrie and Saul get another shot at persuading President- elect Keane so unexpectedly soon. I am somewhat bemused that Dar Adal would so happily betray Javadi to Mossad when he knows the president- elect will be acting on Javadi’s “intelligence” as she pushes the U. S. The prospect that she’d want to keep tabs on Javadi and to keep him as a resource for down- the- road is not just probable, it’s definite. So sending him off to be tortured to death by the Israelis is a rather convenient plot twist that allows Javadi to sow the seeds of Adal’s quickly approaching downfall. Luckily, this hour perhaps more than any other is really letting F. Murray Abraham have fun with the ride. The way he so happily begins to make Javadi sweat in his gilded Manhattan suite about Mossad is a marvel. He practically purrs, “I said leave him alone, we’ve got important work to do!” It’s just malevolent enough to make you appreciate how much of an enjoyable bastard Dar is while still somehow avoiding the prospect of turning into a cartoon. It’s also the scene, that saves Carrie and Saul from being completely discarded from high- level, deep state politics. After all, it was only one scene earlier where Keane acted as foolishly as many feared from last week. Not only did she believe that Iran was cheating on the nuclear deal, but she was now willing to side with Dar Adal and even consider his picks for secretary of state. That is until she finally sees Javadi’s video. Indeed, as soon as Carrie and Saul found the Iranian double agent’s mobile in the laundry, one could tell they were happy to wipe away that Tehran rat from their lives. Saul sternly muses to his future president that this phone is a gift from a “doomed man,” yet one imagines Carrie had to withhold the urge to snicker. This narrative centerpiece between Carrie, Saul, and Keane was also the highlight of the night as all the pieces came into focus: Javadi, Iran, Israel, Sekou, and the kind of deep state conspiracy theory that is comforting a nation filled with alt- right apologists at this very moment. And Keane’s reaction is glorious, summing up the relationship between political (read: civilian) leaders and the military and intelligence communities after decades of deep- rooted growth.“Dar Adal. You know he sat there earlier today and lied to me all over again, that obsequious little shit! What is it with you people, the intelligence community? I mean, who even thinks like this?!”The blankness on Saul and Carrie’s faces is of a grave concern because they still haven’t revealed the murderous side of this coup involving Sekou, but it also has what I suspect is a comic subtext. Carrie and Saul represent the best of this fictional world’s intelligence apparatus, and have the moral convictions we hope all in Langley really do possess. But they look pretty feckless when being confronted with how double- dealing and bizarre their destructive spy games can be. Unsurprisingly, they do succeed at recruiting Keane to their side. But technically, she’s not even president yet, so they must wait until she’s sworn in to make their move. And apparently, that is some time from now since she still hasn’t announced her picks for the State or Justice Department leadership. Also, getting all of our ostensible “heroes” on the same page for the first time in season 6 does not actually lead to fully satisfactory moments, which only elevates the hour. The first and biggest fallout is that Keane and her future attorney general have zero interest in pursuing a prosecution against Adal with evidence that was obtained by a foreign power torturing (and murdering) an Iranian national. So we’re back to the plotline that had almost been forgotten: They want Carrie to throw Saul under the bus so they can also get Dar Adal. While she is now much more appealing to Carrie than before—ratting on Adal now that he’s proven himself to be a traitor—it still is in essence a betrayal of her mentor. Honestly, I do not see how Saul survives this. Mandy Patinkin is a key component of what keeps Homeland running, but more dangerous than any al- Qaeda terrorist cell holding him hostage is an incoming presidential administration that wants his head on a plate, so as to scoop up Adal’s head in the process. As it turns out, Keane is to some degree the anti- intelligence community threat that Adal fears, and she has no qualms about taking Saul’s scalp in the process of pulling off Dar’s. Even if Carrie doesn’t play ball, which would undoubtedly alienate her newly regained position of confidence with the PEOTUS, this is obviously the thread that Keane has elected to pull. While I’m even suspicious that the pardon would be forthcoming, (Keane did say “eventually”) Saul is right: his entire legacy and life’s work would be undone and forgotten. He’d strictly be the man who slept with a Russian mole. Adal would look far better in the media circus this would create, and this is how they plan to take him out? I’m sure there will be some out for the Homeland writers, but in reality this would be the end of Saul’s career. It’s also a crackerjack scene where Carrie goes from his prodigal daughter returned to him to just one more disappointment that turns the knife. After all this, Saul is still on the outside looking in—gone from being Dar’s pariah to Keane’s fall guy. And you can tell Saul is in a bad spot when Patinkin drops his papa bear routine to hiss, “Well, coming from someone who fucked a guy in a suicide vest that means a lot.” This thread is unresolved for now, but it would seem the Saul/Carrie unity was short- lived this year. Obviously. The other development from Keane’s epiphany is that Adal picks up quickly on the new dynamics. It’s another strong scene for F. Murray Abraham as he gently underplays his growing suspicions about Keane being onto him as they attempt to make small- talk. It’s her forced attempt to try to be nice and even dangle an unearned carrot like CIA Director before his eyes that causes him to catch on. She never would go this warm from cold around him, and she’s being just a little too emotional about her son. It’s enough for Saul to save his “fellow travelers” whom he’d have handed like heads in a basket to the president- elect. The way he is both in sudden terror of Keane and absolutely unflappable in his ability to throw a U. S. Thus he finds himself helpless before an excessively armed Peter Quinn. I think I speak for many by stating that Abraham’s Dar is both so slimy and yet charismatic in an understated, genteel fashion, that I never bought for a second he actually loves Peter Quinn. As Peter himself revealed, Dar’s just a dirty old man. The same way Adal could get into Keane’s head at the drop of a hat, I suspected he was playing on a severely brain damaged Quinn’s emotions to prevent him from pulling the trigger. Yet, it appears that Dar Adal does have some miniscule fraction of a heart, because he did not order the hit on Quinn and Astrid: his boneheaded muscle apparently made a command decision. Breaking Bad - Wikipedia. Breaking Bad is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. The show originally aired on the AMC network for five seasons, from January 2. September 2. 9, 2. It tells the story of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a struggling high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. Together with his former student Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), White turns to a life of crime, producing and selling crystallized methamphetamine to secure his family's financial future before he dies, while navigating the dangers of the criminal world. The title is from a Southern colloquialism meaning to . Breaking Bad is set and was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Walter's family consists of his wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) and children, Walter, Jr. The show also features Skyler's sister Marie Schrader (Betsy Brandt), and her husband Hank (Dean Norris), a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. Walter hires lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), who connects him with private investigator and fixer Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and in turn Mike's employer, drug kingpin Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito). The final season introduces the characters Todd Alquist (Jesse Plemons) and Lydia Rodarte- Quayle (Laura Fraser). Breaking Bad is widely regarded as one of the greatest television series of all time. The show received numerous awards, including sixteen Primetime Emmy Awards, eight Satellite Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Peabody Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, and four Television Critics Association Awards. For his leading performance, Cranston won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times, while Aaron Paul won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series three times; Anna Gunn won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series twice. In 2. 01. 3, Breaking Bad entered the Guinness World Records as the most critically acclaimed show of all time. Production. Gilligan wanted to create a series in which the protagonist became the antagonist. We want to make people question who they're pulling for, and why. He's well on his way to badass. While his producers convinced him that the show was different enough to still be successful, he later stated that he would not have gone forward with the idea had he known about Weeds earlier. Once Gilligan recognized that this would mean . AMC proposed a shortened fifth season (six to eight episodes, instead of 1. Sony then approached other cable networks about possibly picking up the show if a deal could not be made. He even went as far as to say that Netflix . I don't like what he's doing, but I understand, and I'll go with it for as far as it goes.' If you don't have a guy who gives you that, despite the greatest acting chops in the world, the show is not going to succeed. Cranston played an anti- Semite with a terminal illness who took series co- protagonist Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) hostage. Gilligan said the character had to be simultaneously loathsome and sympathetic, and that . I have no idea how he does it. When Gilligan left much of Walter's past unexplained during the development of the series, the actor wrote his own backstory for the character. He collaborated with costume designer Kathleen Detoro on a wardrobe of mostly neutral green and brown colors to make the character bland and unremarkable, and worked with makeup artist Frieda Valenzuela to create a mustache he described as . Cranston has said he was inspired partially by his elderly father for how Walter carries himself physically, which he described as . However, Gilligan said by the second episode of the season, he was so impressed with Paul's performance that . She also drew chemical structures and wrote chemical equations which were used as props. According to creator Vince Gilligan,Dr. Donna Nelson from the University of Oklahoma approached us several seasons back and said, . We get help wherever we need it, whether it's chemistry, electrical engineering, or physics. We try to get everything correct. There's no full- time . According to Gilligan, Nelson . We also have a chemist with the Drug Enforcement Administration based out of Dallas who has just been hugely helpful to us. Despite several modifications to what was seen in the show, both the scenes depicted in the show were shown to be physically impossible. In early episodes, a once common clandestine route, the Nagai red phosphorus/iodine method, is depicted, which uses pseudoephedrine as a precursor to d- (+)- methamphetamine. The new method Walt chooses is a reductive amination reaction, relying on phenyl- 2- propanone and methylamine. On the show, the phenyl- 2- propanone (otherwise known as phenylacetone or P2. P) is produced from phenylacetic acid and acetic acid using a tube furnace and thorium dioxide (Th. O2) as a catalyst, as mentioned in episodes . Truly ultra- pure crystal meth would tend to be clear or white. According to the two, chemistry is clearly depicted as a manufacturing science without much explanation of analytical methods being provided. On the other hand, serious scientific subjects are mixed into the dialog in order to show a world where chemistry plays a key role. Critics appreciated the bold visual style adopted by the TV series. Although series creator Vince Gilligan and Slovis wanted to shoot Breaking Bad in cinemascope, Sony and AMC did not grant them permission. Gilligan cited Sergio Leone's Westerns as a reference for how he wanted the series to look. As his shady business progresses, Walter gains a notorious reputation under the name of 'Heisenberg'. Cranston stated that, though he enjoyed doing comedy, he decided he. But I think any good drama worth its weight always has a sprinkling of comedy in it, because you can ease the tension to an audience when it's necessary, and then build it back up again. Walt White has no clue he's occasionally funny, but as an actor, I recognize when there are comedic moments and opportunities. Paul sees Jesse as a funny kid. But maybe he just didn't relate to his father, maybe his father was too strict and too proper for Jesse. At the beginning of the series, Hank was intended to be the . Coincidentally, one of my best friends growing up is a cop in Chicago, and one of my other best friends out in LA is a sheriff. So I get to see all the components of that culture. Brandt described Marie as . But it's all about her. He begins lashing out after Walter's cancer announcement. Like Walter Jr., Mitte has cerebral palsy, although his is a milder form. Odenkirk drew inspiration for Goodman from film producer Robert Evans. He's constantly switching up his cadence and his delivery. He emphasizes interesting words. He has loads of attitude in almost every line that he says. So when I rehearse the scenes alone I do my impersonation of Robert Evans to find those moments and turns. Then I go out and I do Saul. Esposito stated that for the third season, he incorporated his yoga training in his performance. I think about Eddie Olmos way back in Miami Vice. He was like dead – he was hardly breathing. I thought, how is this guy just standing in this fire and doing nothing? Gus has totally allowed me that level of flexibility and relaxation – not because he has ultimate power and he knows he can take someone's life. The character of Mike has been compared to Harvey Keitel's Winston Wolf character in Pulp Fiction, which Banks says he is not trying to emulate: . His cleaner ain't my cleaner. But throughout this world, you would suspect there had been a great many cleaners, whether government- run or individual contractors. She reluctantly begins supplying Walt and Jesse with methylamine and helps Walt expand his operation overseas. Jesse Plemons as Todd Alquist (recurring season 5: part 1, main cast season 5: part 2) – an employee of Vamonos Pest Control who becomes an associate of Walt and Jesse. Recurring characters. In comical situations between him and Hank, Gomez serves as the . Gretchen was a former flame of Walt's and partially the reason he left. Raymond Cruz as Tuco Salamanca – A psychopathic Mexican drug kingpin who becomes Walt and Jesse's meth distributor. Mark Margolis as Hector Salamanca – A former high- ranking member of the Juarez Cartel who is now unable to walk or speak because of a stroke, communicating with the help of a bell. He is the uncle of Tuco, Marco and Leonel Salamanca. Christopher Cousins as Ted Beneke – Skyler's boss and president of Beneke Fabricators who begins developing financial issues, resulting in an intervention from Skyler. Krysten Ritter as Jane Margolis – Jesse's apartment manager and girlfriend, who is a recovering addict. John de Lancie as Donald Margolis – Jane Margolis' father, an air traffic controller who causes an airplane collision while being distraught over his daughter's death. David Costabile as Gale Boetticher – A chemist hired by Gus Fring to work alongside Walter. Daniel Moncada and Luis Moncada as Leonel & Marco Salamanca – Two ruthless and taciturn hit- men for the Juarez Cartel who are the cousins of Tuco Salamanca and the nephews of Hector Salamanca. Emily Rios as Andrea Cantillo – Jesse's second girlfriend, who is also a recovering addict. She has a young son named Brock. Jeremiah Bitsui as Victor – A loyal henchman to Gus who serves as his enforcer along with Mike. Ray Campbell as Tyrus Kitt – Gus' enforcer along with Mike during season 4. Lavell Crawford as Huell Babineaux – Saul's bodyguard who also handles problems Walter needs fixing. Bill Burr as Patrick Kuby – A hired con man of Saul's who handles various sensitive tasks involving verbal intimidation, coercion, and misdirection. Michael Bowen as Jack Welker – Todd's uncle and the leader of a white supremacist gang. Special guest appearances. I hate the idea of Idi Amin living in Saudi Arabia for the last 2. That galls me to no end. I feel some sort of need for Biblical atonement, or justice, or something.
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