Introduction

The first season of the American television drama series Homeland premiered on 02 October 2011 on Showtime and concluded on 18 December 2011, consisting of 12 episodes.

The series is loosely based on the Israeli television series Hatufim (English: Prisoners of War) created by Gideon Raff and is developed for American television by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa.

The first season follows Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer who has come to believe that Nicholas Brody, a US Marine Sergeant, who was held captive by al-Qaeda as a prisoner of war, was turned by the enemy and now poses a significant risk to national security.

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Outline

Aileen (Marin Ireland) flees to Mexico but is apprehended when she gets off the bus in Nuevo Laredo. Saul (Mandy Patinkin) is there and takes Aileen into custody. He brings her on a 30-hour car ride back to Virginia, hoping to use that time to convince her to divulge her role in the terrorist plot.

Brody (Damian Lewis) explains to Carrie (Claire Danes) that he needs to take a little time away from home. After stopping at a bar and having some drinks, Carrie suggests they go to a cabin out in the country that her family owns. They have sex shortly after arriving, and spend an enjoyable, romantic day at the cabin together. Both seem to be much more comfortable and at ease with each other than with anyone else.

Dana (Morgan Saylor) gets drunk with her friends at home and falls through the plate glass door. With Brody gone, Mike (Diego Klattenhoff) is called upon to help. He repairs the door while Jessica (Morena Baccarin) takes Dana to the hospital to get stitches. Mike and Jessica later express how much they miss each other, and how much of an upheaval it’s been to have Brody back in their lives. Dana, however, would prefer that Mike stayed away, telling him “there’s no place for my dad when you’re here.”

As they drive cross-country, Saul relates to Aileen his own experiences with a strict Jewish upbringing, and his marital difficulties, in an attempt to get Aileen to open up. As Aileen gets more comfortable with Saul, the topic of Raqim Faisel comes up. Aileen’s desire to secure a proper Muslim burial for Raqim compels her to cooperate. She tells Saul everything she knows. Saul calls Estes (David Harewood) and tells him that Aileen’s job was to buy the house near the airport and wait for a visitor. The visitor spent over an hour on the roof. Estes sends Galvez (Hrach Titizian) over to the house to inspect the roof. He discovers that there is a direct line of sight to a landing pad for Marine One, the President’s helicopter, and that it is within an expert sniper’s range.

Carrie and Brody cook dinner and have sex again. During the night, Brody has a nightmare. He wakes up yelling out “Issa! No!” Carrie hears this and tries to calm him down.

The next morning, while discussing breakfast, Carrie slips up and mentions Brody’s favourite brand of tea: Yorkshire Gold. Brody asks how she knows the tea he drinks and accuses her of spying on him. Carrie, knowing she has been caught, elects to turn the tables; she directly accuses Brody of being an agent of al-Qaeda. Brody reacts incredulously and challenges Carrie to ask him anything she wants. Carrie obliges and grills Brody about all his suspicious behaviour since his return and the holes in his story. Brody maintains his innocence but makes some revelations. He admits his conversion to Islam and that he often prays in his garage. He says the “Issa” he mentioned in his dream was the name of a guard who treated him well. He did beat Walker to death, given the choice of killing Walker or being killed himself. He had indeed met Abu Nazir but concealed it from everyone because he had a genuine affection for the man. His suspicious finger movements are a reflexive motion coming from clutching prayer beads.

As Brody is leaving, Saul calls Carrie. He reports that Aileen has identified the “visitor” who was on the roof of her house. It was Tom Walker. Not only is he alive, but he is the prisoner of war who was turned. Upon hearing this, Carrie rushes out to Brody to apologise. She desperately tries to explain that despite her suspicions, the time they spent together “was real”. Brody leaves, feeling betrayed, and Carrie is reduced to tears. Brody arrives home that night, and peeks in on his wife and kids as they lie in bed. He sits down in the living room and starts crying.

Homeland Series

You can find a full index of Homeland Series 01 here.

You can find a full index and overview of Homeland here.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): Michael Cuesta.
• Writer(s): Meredith Stiehm.
• Original Network: Showtime.
• Release Date: 13 November 2011.
• Running Time: 46-48 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.