Easy Targets

"You can’t imagine believing in something bigger than you. We are at war, I’m a soldier." — Abu Nazir
"No, you're a terrorist." — Carrie Matheson, "Homeland"

Sunday night I got to watch "Homeland" live. It's one of the few shows that both my wife and I like, and more often than not I watch it the next day with her. But we were both up and awake, so we watched it together live on Sunday night.

As a result of not watching it on the night it airs, most of the time I don't read the recaps or check the fan buzz about "Homeland" on Mondays. This week I did. And what I read surprised me. Most people had turned on the show, complaining about plot points, holes in logic, and the like. When I watched it Sunday, I had a different reaction.

Sure, in the cold light of day we can talk about some of the absurd points of the show. Why didn't the CIA just listen to the recordings of Brody's calls? Why didn't Carrie tell her team the Vice President was in trouble when she called? Where was the Secret Service? All those are valid — though my suspicion on No. 2 is that she either didn't believe Brody would help or sort of feels the Vice President has it coming. But that leads me to my larger thought.

"Homeland" continues to be a thought provoking show, and was so on Sunday night. Lost amid the criticism about some of the plot points is the fact that the show continues to explore the idea of terrorism and America's notion of foreign diplomacy. My favorite scene of the night — in fact the one that's stuck with me all week — was the interaction between Carrie and Abu Nazir.

I don't think it would be hard to find agreement in calling Abu Nazir a terrorist. He is by all measure of the word. He didn't necessarily deny that point either, but he did counter Carrie's dismissal of who he is and what he wants. My guess is most of the people that watch the show did too.

It's easy to dismiss him as a terrorist, but it's too simple. In a few moments he laid out the reasons behind his ideology, and in a war like the one we're fighting now it helps to understand the beliefs and ideology of the enemy if you hope to destroy them. Abu Nazir and Carrie, as he correctly pointed out Sunday night, aren't that different. Sometimes I can't help but think that about America too. Our notion of justice, at times, doesn't seem all that just.

Which brings me back to Vice President Walden. Brody is a complex character because, though he is a soldier and seems devoted to America, he's enraged by the actions of his country's leaders. While he might not be able to bring himself to blow up innocent civilians to aid Abu Nazir's cause, he didn't have a problem eliminating the source of his anger — Walden. One can't help but wonder if, despite her bluster, Carrie doesn't feel the same.

Therein lies the paradox lost in the quibbles over plot points. No one seemed broken up about the death of Vice President Walden and all he represents. I will be curious to see how that plays out in the final two weeks of season two.