#threnody(s)

[hellyeahomeland]

HOMELAND - season eight, part two ↳one poster per episode [insp]

[tv-moments]

Homeland

Season 8, “Threnody(s)“

Director: Michael Klick

DoP: David Klein

[coronabra]

Threnody

                                                           To D.

There –with my feelings upfront– in the middle of a song that you remember It's a table containing all the caress of my hands –even if they are not the hands that you would                                                                             [like it– There are my cheeks for you to kiss them –even if they are not your passionate lover's–

I need to start again the lyrics –'cause my heart's like a birdcall  crossed by an arrow of bloody costume and it forgot how to sound without reproachig– You'll have to forgive this nonsense These discordant chords  playing blue mood melodies

If I have to say it I'd like to be there too –Beyond the language Beyond the memory– Being touch by the breeze –Only tongue Only skin Only hair– And laugh roar with laughter Because world's ending –Time's getting over and life's not waiting–

Oh my dear You know it's true when I tell you You're my sweet goddess –And your body is the temple  where my pray  begs for being nearby your blessing– But now I know I must detach my soul out of its devoutness to let your flight peel off with freedom –Who cares if my chest is broken We'll find the way to fix it–

Here on my deluge I will always treasure  your smiling eyes uncovering new worlds the unique dimple I adore your never-failing burst the sexiness of your silhouette your delighting mouth All the things of you that make me crazy –And you know it's all you –

I will always remember  all those days when the shadows ran scared  because our light was undefeatable How big was our love –We used to got us We used to save us– You and I against the giant monsters sky and earth bowing to our pleasure the silence jealous of our blazing fire –We were dynamite of course the party of the party–

Look at me now Just lonely alone Presently a rush upheaval a despondent dreamer Fantasizing I'm with you in all the rooms  where your nudity was embraced –Being the walls The drinks The cards The furniture that kept your secrets–

However do not heed my threnody –Perhaps my abandoned lips  are missing you so much  in the darkness of the night I've felt they're looking for your touch Waiting for your sign– And these silly rhymes inspired by the absence  are nothing but the attempt to arrive at your haven  and imbibe your juicy fluid water

Among the pain and the desire I'm deep sunken clamoring for brightening –then your words and poetry are the delusion                                                                            [beacon  who eradicates the distance for a moment– Anyway there's nothing else Hope and courage boost me to the chilling cliff  of get over it and start again –I don't know how to say  don't let me leave hold my hand–

I would give everything I got  for not having to bite the bullet of your farewell for one more dawn hugged to your eternal cuddle –One more dancing below the biggest moon– Suddenly I'm quiet  The pictures of our story rising on my head  became a knife in the throat a knot in the core I feel blind and voiceless Ashamed and fearful

This supposedly shouldn't hurt –You told me– we are taking the better for the best The path of peace and ransom –So I have to say– Maybe I'm not sufficiently prepared Still less disposed to walk without your wonder –I want to hear your throb and tales till the end                                                                            [and last–

I would change  –with any doubt– all the hours writing this for you in a culture                                                                        [you abhor –trying to be another one to call your stars– just for a minute close to you And lick ourselves insanely Cry together to reborn –Giving up the past letting sun refresh the field–

Surely you will find the beauty inside you Go conquer the horizons by shining everywhere –I'll be watching you succeed– Anyhow  receive my fully gratitude I wish you read this decomposed momentum –and send your answer like a flower–

Yet the emptiness takes over the place Finally the dusk is falling on my pith –Resignation is the heaviest burden–

6/13-IV-20

[hellyeahomeland]

4.12 | 8.08, requested by @pincushionproteas ↳ “He’s one of mine.”

[hellyeahomeland]

Happy Birthday, Carrie Mathison! (April 5, 1979) ↳ “Of all the Carrie Mathisons, Carrie Mathison, you are the Carrie Mathisonest.” –Jacob Clifton

[hellyeahomeland]

Threnody(s) | Directed by Michael Klick, Cinematography by David Klein

Sara: The solitude of Haqqani’s final day continues to remind me of what they did with Brody in season three. No resistance, total acceptance. I still don’t know why the writers went in this direction, as it seems very intentional. Is Haqqani Saul’s Brody?

Gail: Haqqani’s acceptance of his fate is framed so beautifully in this shot of him quietly reading. The colors of this scene are very serene and spa-like as well. All of it together is very calming, which is a little odd given the metal bars that remind us he is in jail.

Gail: The shots into the cells of the other prisoners look much less serene than Haqqani’s adding a layer of unease to Haqqani’s dead man walking.

Sara: I mentioned this moment in my recap. The prisoners banging their cups on the cell walls is a real thing that happens in American prisons on death row. I loved this (horrifying) detail and act of protest.

Sara: These two men, both framed in shadow, but with completely opposite fates. These are such incredible shots.

Gail: The cape is to G’ulom like the separated beard is to John Zabel.

Sara: I would have loved the details of these framed photos on Zabel’s wall but the payoff with Wellington’s line– “for someone who was never in the military, you sure do have a pictures of tanks”–makes me doubly love it!

Gail: Ugh, THAT BEARD.

Sara: This on the other hand… If you read closely (and the show allows for it, as they do several close-ups of the text), this speech actually looks startlingly like what Hayes says at the end of the episode. Right down to the details about Jalal Haqqani being the one responsible for the presidents’ murders. This threw me for such a loop when I watched the episode that I was going full-on conspiracy thinking Zabel was in on it. Then I realized it was probably just a gaffe, albeit a massive one. What say you, Gail?

Gail: Oh weird! Has to be a gaffe since Zabel did not know about Jalal at that point. I do love the details on the speech though!

Sara: Haqqani refuses a hood, just like Brody…

Gail: If I had hair like that, I’d refuse that hood too.

Gail: Saul bearing witness to Haqqani’s death is very similar to when he watched Jalal’s brush with death earlier in the season. I also think it’s important to note that Saul stays to watch it. There is honor in that gesture.

Sara: Saul physically jumping when Haqqani was shot is something I won’t forget.

Sara: The scope of this shot is quite masterful. Saul and G’ulom standing opposite each other, both dressed in black. Haqqani’s dress almost blending in seamlessly with the ground and wall behind him, save for the bright red blood stains on his shirt.

Gail: It feels religious as well.

Sara: This is an incredible (and incredibly sad) sequence. The device of Carrie watching Max die from afar and then running a great distance to close that gap was dramatically stunning. Then the contrast when she arrives and gets as close to him as possible.

Gail: Like Saul, Carrie bears witness to a death. And like Saul, there is nothing Carrie can do to stop it. Like Sara, I thought Carrie’s run to Max was beautifully done. The last shot of Carrie holding him in this tight shot put us right there with her.

Sara: I’ll just say it, Linus looks cute in glasses.

Gail: He’s really grown on me!

Gail: I loved how the light filtered through the windows onto Haqqani. The light feels peaceful, even hopeful. Carrie’s call to Saul breaks through the quiet ritual he is observing. Carrie’s heartbreak over Max is palpable. I love how she was sitting down on the ground next to him. She was on his level and protective.

Sara: The way they shot the scene of Saul observing the preparation of Haqqani’s body is so visually similar to Brody observing Issa in “Crossfire” it must be intentional. That said, this phone call between Carrie and Saul reminds me of a brilliant line from Jacob Clifton’s recap of “The Choice”:

“The first time she says his name, he ignores it. The girl whose heart he tried to break, before she died. The girl who tried to tell him love and loss of self were worth it, before he left for a monster’s funeral. He ignores her voice because he would come apart if he could hear it. But the second time she names him, he turns around. It breaks him open.”

Gail: I blame Tasneem for this one.

Sara: Well, my prediction last week that we don’t need to worry about Jalal because they showed him to be quite stupid didn’t pan out too well! That said, I loved they way they shot this scene.

Sara: This episode has so many standout scenes. The climax here, of Carrie kneeling down beside Max to apologize for taking him for granted, is haunting. I just… fuck, I don’t know. This was so good. This moment feels religious in nature (maybe it’s the kneeling?), some sort of grand shift in Carrie’s personhood.

Gail: This scene illustrates so much growth for Carrie. I love everything about it.

Sara: What’s great about this scene is it serves more than one purpose. Obviously we learn just how much Carrie regrets the way she treated Max all these years. There is also a sizable shift in Carrie and Yevgeny’s relationship, beyond the obvious meaning of Carrie being this emotional and vulnerable in front of another person. Yevgeny’s hesitation to comfort her in such an intimate way, before finally giving into it, suggests a similar openness and vulnerability.

Gail: Ugh, I agree.

Gail: Wellington has the higher ground, but it’s short lived.

Sara: *chef’s kiss*

Gail: Saul’s life’s work came crashing down along with those helicopters. The fallout from it is coming in waves like aftershocks that follow an earthquake. Saul’s choreography gets more and more dejected with each one.

Sara: I am finally buying into this storyline of Saul’s great professional downfall, Gail. Maybe it’s shots like this? Seeing all his work this season crumble in an instant.

Sara: IJLTP.

Gail: Does she have dry shampoo with her there? IJLTP(s).

Sara: I truly stan these shots and YES it’s because she looks mean and angry!!!

Sara: What I love about the beginning of the scene is the camera stays close in on Carrie. We can’t see that she’s trapped by the special ops team. This, along with the shaky cam filmmaking, leads to a sense of uneasiness and anxiety among the audience that matches her own. I’d also like to note that after a season-long motif of showing Carrie being trapped inside rooms, cars, etc. – she finally becomes literally encircled by this team of men holding automatic weapons. 

Gail: As the soldiers begin to fold in around her it felt like she was being ensnared in a spider's web. I agree, Carrie’s uneasiness is accentuated with the shaky cam and the uptick of the musical score woven throughout.

Gail: I find it so interesting that Yevgeny stayed to see what happened. Here he is shot center frame, giving the audience a clue as to his importance in this scene.

Sara: This expression of fear and concern (for Carrie’s well-being, obviously) is everything.

Gail: I love how Carrie couldn’t really bring herself to fully point the gun at Saul. It was very half-hearted and he knows it, given his open arms approach to her.

Sara: This season is giving us a lot to live for on the Carrie/Saul front. I’ve already spoken at length about how this confrontation feels monumental to me. Claire and Mandy were so stellar. The dialogue, the way Claire spat “in fucking handcuffs” at him. It’s all so perfect.

Gail: We’ve seen Carrie turn her back on Saul before, but never like this.

Sara: Iconic.

Sara: These twin shots of Carrie and Saul staring back at each other (again, from a great distance) are so evocative. We have an entire scene of shaky cam and then everything gets incredibly still here, the strings in the score build… We have to wonder whether this is the last time they’ll ever see each other (obviously it’s not but we still have to wonder).

Gail: There is no turning back now and they both know it. The reflection of Saul in the helicopter windows is stunning.

Sara: I love when this show surprises me. The way Claire plays Carrie’s reaction surprised me. It’s less hurt and betrayed and more “what the fuck did I just do?” It’s all over her face. 

Gail: Her reaction struck me as child-like. She knows she shouldn’t have just done that, but she did and now what?

Sara: I can’t properly explain how much I love the way this was edited. The close-up of Saul looking out the window, not unlike his expression last season when he left Carrie in Moscow, Yevgeny and Carrie speeding away to God knows where. Again, it feels like something so extremely final has just happened.

Gail: Me too. We are watching the distance between Carrie and Saul grow in real time. It’s powerful.

Sara: … A season’s worth of shots of Carrie looking out a closed car window, and now the windows are down, open-air. Is she finally free?

Gail: Great insight. They’ve been playing all season at Carrie feeling trapped by her circumstances. Now she is creating them.

[hellyeahomeland]

TVLine's Performers of the Week (TIE): Tom Pelphrey and Jane Levy

THE PERFORMER | Tom Pelphrey THE SHOW | Ozark THE EPISODE | “Fire Pink” (March 27, 2020)

HONORABLE MENTION | Carrie Mathison has been running around trying to save the world one last time in Homeland‘s final season, but she took time out to mourn the loss of a dear friend this week, and Claire Danes dug deep into Carrie’s seemingly bottomless sense of loss. Carrie’s loyal tech guru Max was killed by Taliban insurgents, and a devastated Carrie blamed Saul for not protecting him, with Danes layering a heavy numbness on top of Carrie’s bubbling rage. Sure, Carrie was grieving, but she was also feeling intense guilt for not properly appreciating Max while he was alive, as Danes showed us with a tenderly delivered eulogy. Carrie has lost nearly every man who meant anything to her — Brody, her father, Quinn and now Max — and Danes wore that ever-mounting grief all over her face as Carrie said goodbye to yet another man she loved. Homeland delivers plenty of action and explosions, but Danes’ work this week reminded us that the quieter moments are the ones we’ll remember.

[hellyeahomeland]

John Zabel | Master of Facial Expressions