Recap Roundup
Homeland Episode 7.01 “Enemy of the State” - list of popular recaps
Entertainment Weekly:
“Well, looks like Carrie’s back on her bull spy s—.”
Written by Shirley Li - link to recap here
Shirley’s recaps for EW have always struck me as fair. She hasn’t been afraid to call out the show when warranted. I also love her snark and quick wit.
TVLine.com:
“Homeland’s Carrie may not technically be a spy anymore… but she still knows how to throw on a wig and start some trouble. (It’s like riding a bike, apparently.)”
“* So unless I missed something, the late, great Peter Quinn wasn’t mentioned or referenced even once this episode. Huh. Well, we miss him, anyway.”
Written by Dave Nemetz - link to recap here
TVLine’s recap includes a “Grade It” feature - so go vote to have your voice heard and mentions Quinn - a decent and slightly snarky recap that I approve of!
AV Club:
“It’s been a long time since anyone could say with a straight face that Homeland held a mirror up to our current geopolitical situation, unless we’re talking about a funhouse mirror with a few cracks in it. A season premiere presents the opportunity for a reset; a convenient time-jump can allow the creative team to clear the decks of elements that aren’t working and pursue fresh inspiration. None of that applies to “Enemy Of The State,” such a direct continuation of existing storylines that it might as well be episode 13 of the sixth season.”
“As longtime Homeland viewers can attest, however, no matter how many times Carrie has done so in the past, each new season finds her back at square one, trying to prove she’s not crazy and that the conspiracy she’s uncovered is for real.”
Written by Scott Von Doviak - link to recap here
Whoa - this recap starts off with a bang! I agree that there was a lot of story that was a continuation from season 6. The episode seemed to mirror the opening jazz/Carrie on the treadmill sequence. It was frenetic in it’s pace and a bit all over the place. Fantastic and fair recap all around.
Den of Geek:
“We are now back in the murky waters of the first few seasons of Homeland, where we don’t know who to trust.”
Written by David Crow - link to recap here
Decent recap - skims the surface of the plot points without inserting much opinion (or snark, natch) into it. Does mention Quinn quite a bit - so there is that.
Vulture:
“What does Homeland look like without Peter Quinn? That’s the question on my mind, as the fan favorite died protecting Carrie Mathison and the president-elect in last year’s season finale. The show has survived major cast upheaval before — who could forget the departure of Damian Lewis? — but pulling it off twice is easier said than done.”
Written by Brian Tallerico - link to recap here
A good, concise recap that compared Josie to Dana Brody (dear TV Gods, please let Josie be less annoying!) and shares in a weariness that many of us feel about how Homeland can continue to be the show we love without Quinn.
Indie Wire:
Written by Ben Travers - link to recap here
Full disclosure: this is my least favorite recap as I think his thoughts on McClendon are inaccurately assuming a lot of the plot is as simple as Keane ordering the hit and Wellington carrying it out and I don’t think it is anywhere near as simple as that. I also feel like Ben missed the boat on all of the parallels to earlier seasons and instead focused his attention on the parallels to our current President and political climate - which is understandable and clearly what the show wants people to write about - but in doing so I think he is missing the bigger picture which I think is this: while that first episode is chaotic and a little convoluted - the show has a clearer sense of direction for Carrie and the storytelling is reflecting that. She is on a mission a la season 1 and season 2 - the real world parallels that the show has chased praise for in recent seasons are still prevalent, but have seemingly shifted from the main focus to a background framework. THAT is what makes this episode work for veteran Homeland fans and those nostalgic for the early days.
Recap wasn’t up on NY Times yet - will be interesting to see who will be recapping for them this year - and how they see the show. I’ll post the link when I see it!