DJariya

By djariya at 2011-11-06

Synopsis:



Episode 9 of 12

Promo:

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Throwing Copper

I'm psyched about this one.

Will there be a bad episode this season at all?

DJariya

^^ I hope they go 12 for 12.

I'm a little surprised that some people were actually making comparisons to The Killing last week. Really? Story-wise the characters are far better developed and there is a far more compelling arc here.

Anyways, looking forward to seeing what transpires with Brody now that we know more about what's going on.

whotony

i didnt see a comparison but saying exactly what you said, this show is better than that one because of the way the show progresses without a red herring two times an episode.

DJariya

Well, they managed to pull it off....9 for 9.

Awesome episode. Loved the flashbacks to Brody in captivity.

I think this episode answered the key questions about Brody's motives. While he was in captivity, he bonded with Nazir's son. After Nazir's son was killed in the bombing and the U.S. covered it up, that's what set him off. And it looks like Walker is the backup.

Damian Lewis was so good in this episode. I think the flashbacks gave alot more depth to Brody and he hasn't turned into a cold blooded lunatic after all. It looks like his #1 target is the Vice President.

Some of the story elements remind me of The Manchurian Candidate. But, in this case, Brody seems to be seeking justice for the people who are deemed enemies of America.

Can't wait to see how this finishes up.

MikahC

I've been curious to see how people would take this episode. I'm always fascinated by the concepts of right, wrong, and ultimate good. Like is it OK for the FBI to shoot people who are doing nothing but praying, then lie about it? Is it OK to drop bombs on a compound killing women and children, then lie about it? The FBI should own up to what they did and just explain what happened. How has society progressed to the point where doing the "right" thing must so often be hidden?

I really liked how Carrie handled the Muslims in this episode. She instictively covers her hair per their custom when she's around them. She asks the guy from the FBI if he wouldn't remind removing his shoes while trampling through their Mosque. I really respect a government official who respects their religion while at the same time not allowing extremists to hide behind it.

mcnabb

^^^^^^
I agree

I like this show because it puts you in the position of each individual and you have to ask yourself: What would you do? Everything Carrie does makes me ask myself if I would do it? Most of the time I agree with her, but a few times I think she has went too far.

whotony

Agreed , but what if these are little clues that she knows a little too much about these custumes?

Although it might be a bit late in The series to introduce another possible traitor or double agent.

Cusm

She has spent the majority of her career in the middle east, so she should know the customs as well as the natives.

Groucho

Well, somebody slipped the guard a razor blade, and somebody else (possibly the same person) tipped off the blonde terrorist.

Raul3

Yeah, she should know a lot about their customs. That's her expertise.

This was my first "live" episode, after having a marathon session of the first 8. I don't know if because of that, didn't feel as powerful as the previous ones, not a bad episode of course, a good episode indeed, but I felt like something was missing.

Did anyone else think that Abu Nazir bombed his town so his son could be killed and then Brody would be converted?

I'm also surprised they were "allowed" to show that someone from the Saudi Arabia embassy is part of the terrorists. I mean, I know that it's the worst kept secret in real life, that a lot of terrorists are helped by a friendly (to the USA) country, but still.

DJariya

I so don't agree with you. I think this episode was just as good as the previous 8. Alot of what makes this show great is getting inside the heads of Carrie, Saul, Brody and his family. I think this episode filled in alot of blanks on what his motives were and the back story IMO was very moving.

Manco

I thought the same. This guy has no problem sacrificing others to achieve his goals.

I think it was alluded to that he tipped off the CIA to find Brody which got a bunch of his guys killed in the raid.

Then there's Brody's former guard. I don't think this guy has problem putting innocents in the line of fire.

DeFan

I was thinking that but the news broadcast by the vice president clearly said that Nazir's compound had been bombed. I suppose Nazir could have bombed somewhere else but I find that unlikely.

DJariya

The news broadcast with the VP pretty much confirmed the U.S. was involved with it. I think what set Brody off was the cover up. The VP said the pictures of all the dead children were fabricated.

The VP looks like he's the target of a Manchurian Candidate-like assassination plot.

Eddie W

I'm wondering if the kid ever even existed or is some sort of brainwashed planted memory? After all, he's already been shown to have a false memory of killing Walker. Maybe he was kindapped and this memory refreshed to keep him on track after he discovered Walker was still alive. Maybe the kids truly were propaganda.

If Nazir really gave him a 'second chance', why was he rescued from the same hell hole, with the same filthy beard and long hair by US forces 3 years later?

majorjoe23

Weren't most of the comparisons last week things like"I'm glad this show isn't shitty like The Killing"?

Dave99

He beat him till he was unconscious, so it's not hard for him to believe he beat him to death. I really don't think they somehow planted that memory.

And he had to be recovered that way to present a convincing story to his rescuers.

Although I would like to see a timeline showing his initial crazy hair after at least a year or 2 of captivity, then it getting cut & the beard shaved & spending a lot of time with nazir, then enough time for it to grow crazy again.

MrX

The pacing of the episode was much slower since it was so flashback heavy. I was nodding off during the flashbacks.

barelypure

And he witnessed them burying someone that he believed to be Walker.

Holydoc

Another possibility was that the child was not Nazir's to begin with. Maybe Nazir took a child (possibly from an orphanage) to gain Brody's trust and confidence. Nazir's intention all along could have been to kill this child at an opportune moment and blame it on the Americans. In this case a compound could have been bombed by the US but no where near where Brody was being kept. Nazir could have recorded the broadcast, staged the bombing and killing of the child, and replayed the broadcast for Brody at this particular time.

After all, we never saw the mother of the child nor any real affection between Nazir and the child. Plus would you bring someone who was your enemy and that you had tortured and killed his best friend into your house and leave him to babysit and teach your child? Seriously sounds like Brody was set up to me and this whole bonding thing staged to get his confidence.

We shall have to wait and see.

mphtrilogy

love lewis in this, he is giving cranston a run for the money for the emmy win....

he needs to reconnect with his family again in a big way for him to turn back...

really good show!

bdshort

Somehow, I don't think it would have been a convincing rescue of the Special Forces recovered Brody while he was living comfortably, well fed and well groomed. At some point, they put him back in a cell with enough time for the scraggly beard and hair to grow back.

It would definitely be a shock if they revealed what you speculate to be true, but I think reality is as how we saw it in the flashbacks.

DJariya

Interview with Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa about this episode.

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They give alot of great information.

Shannon Nutt

No. Simply because that's too easy of an answer. This show loves playing in the "shades of gray" arena - and by giving the "bad" guys a legitimate reason for wanting the VP (or whomever) dead, it makes Brody a much more interesting character (i.e., he hasn't been "brainwashed"...he's had a child he loved die in his arms).