Hot Off The Press - Homeland episode 4

*Spoilers Ahead*

Feeling admittedly a little tired after the clocks go back an hour, the thought of seeing happens next in Homeland boosted my energy as I was keen to see what was to become of Brody after last weeks interesting (yet a little disappointing) episode. However, he once again remained absent as the episode focused predominately on Carrie, a little bit with Saul and... Dana.

Prior to last week, I had no knowledge of the - shall we say- distaste towards Dana as a character. The angsty teenager seems to have been the soar-point with a lot of viewers and after this episode, I'm starting to see why. 

Where at first, the show excelled in showing the domestic side to Brody's life in the last two seasons, now that both he and Carrie have no contact in any way with the rest of the Brody family, any time spent with them can sometimes come across as filler. While I understand that the creators want to show how families may struggle when loved ones are away and have returned from the military, there comes a point where any time spent with the family feels like it is holding the audience back from what they came to see, which is Carrie, Saul and Nicholas himself. Unlike some, I did enjoy Dana's storyline with the Vice President's son in season two as that had a direct affect to the rest of the story. This time, however, her new relationship is far removed from the rest of show's events and isn't all that exciting. Not even the surprise twist about her boyfriend at the end felt like it warranted spending screentime away from the big picture as Carrie finds herself caught between a rock and hard place.

While plenty more can be said regarding the backlash Dana seems to be receiving, actress Morgan Saylor is still good as the troublesome teenager trying to escape from her well-intentioned yet somewhat overbearing mother. That said, her parts of the show are certainly the least exciting, but I am curious to see how the creators will respond to the show's feedback after this season. 

Moving onto what Dana's critics came to see which is Carrie who now takes the spotlight. Now released under mysterious circumstances, she is then asked by a frontman to reveal how the six targets - who Saul hunted down in the first episode to this season - were found. A simple request but one that could have a damaging affect to the CIA if revealed. Meanwhile, with the help of his analyst, Saul has managed to find the person who is second in command to the person behind the attack on the CIA and plans to play it safe and wait for their main man to reveal himself in their own time to avoid suspicion that they are being watched. 

It is at these moments that this episode really shined as the story starts to move forward. While I hope Carrie never actually returns to the CIA given everything that has happened (it would be a step too far in terms of suspending your), I think, having seen her reunite with Saul at the end, the creators have ensured that she remains relevant to the story without going too far. 

So despite Dana's subplot that detracts a little from the main storyline (hopefully it will pick up as the episode's title 'Game On' suggests), this episode was generally good with solid performances all round. While we can expect to see more of Dana, for better or for worse, I look forward to seeing how the Carrie/ Saul dynamic will change given the fact that she is being blackmailed and seems to be taking her medication which was good since that weepy image of her seems to be everywhere on the internet. Rough edges aside, I'm still onboard to see what happens next as things seem to finally be set in motion.