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Homeland Season 1 Episode 1

Pilot

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8.2

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Episode Summary

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AIRED: 10/2/11

In the pilot of Homeland, CIA case officer Carrie Matthison (Claire Danes) makes contact with one of her informants. Before her cover is blown, her informant whispers to her that an American has been turned into an al-Qaeda double-agent. Ten months later, an American named Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) is liberated from an al-Qaeda compound. Believing that he may be the traitor she was warned about, Matthison begins investigating this new American hero.moreless

FAN RECAP

TV.com Episode Review

Is Homeland The Fall Season's Best New Show?

Claire Danes is fantastic as an FBI agent who's convinced that a recently released P.O.W. is a sleeper agent for the bad guys in Showtime's newest drama.

By Tim Surette, Oct 04, 2011

Fan Episode Reviews (7)

About this episode

10

By JordanWelch, Apr 24, 2013

It had great written and single-camera picture editing.
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Homeland

9.0

By DexterMorgan2, Mar 06, 2013

The first episode of Homeland makes the show look very promising Homeland is about a CIA officer Carrie Matthison who suspects Nicholas Brody an American rescued from Al Qaeda Carrie thinks that he has turned into a double agent The problem Carrie has is she can't prove it and people don't believe her However at the end of the episode she gets Saul to consider that Brody is a threat when they see that Brody is possibly communicating on TV We also found out that Brody beat his partner to death and he is hiding a lot more secrets from everyone.moreless
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Homeland is portraying a state of mind

10

By EvanBama, Nov 15, 2012

There are so many shows out there that are clever and good, but you will not for the life of you rewatch an episode ever! But Homeland can be watched again and again, like listening to a jazz record - even though the story is going forward, the feel and the flow of the show is like they are portraying a state of mind, not a chronically told story. This show is amazing and I hope they manage to keep focus on this state of mind, and the musicality of the show, on top of the amazing story.moreless
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It's a new thing for me

9.0

By Graeccus, Oct 22, 2012

It's serious. It's well written. It was captivating.
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Homeland Pilot

8.5

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Dec 11, 2011

I was a 24 fan for all eight years that it was on. I never cared when it strayed so far into ridiculousness that it seemed like a fantasy show; the characters kept it anchored, for the most part, and the show remained fun. However, based on the pilot, I've got to say... it seems like we're in for a much funner ride that's based on reality much more than 24, even though the creators of Homeland are the same as 24.

The show revolves around two characters: Carrie (Claire Danes), a CIA analyst who suffers from some sort of strange psychological condition. Despite this, she's a brilliant analyst that notices things other people do not. Her paranoia seems to somewhat stem from being unable to stop 9/11 (we don't get a complete answer at this point), and eight years after that day, she visits Baghdad after an informant for the Iraqi's is to be executed before he can give up his information to the CIA. Carrie learns from him, just before he dies, that an American P.O.W has been turned by Abu Nazir, a terrorist who seems to be planning an attack on American soil soon.

Skip ahead ten months and we find the release of Nicolas Brody, an American soldier who has been missing for eight years. His family (Morena Baccarin from V plays the estranged wife and she does a fine job here) reunites with him and all seems to be heading back to normal. However, Carrie suspects he is the P.O.W that the informant was talking about. She bugs his house, and with the help of some old friends and a mentor named Saul (a jaded looking Mandy Patinkin), she looks into him.

To give away too many plot points would be a shame. All I have to say is that the writing is top notch, finding a pretty good balance between moving fast and slowing down. They know what scenes to let stretch out and which ones to power through. Also, Claire Danes is giving her finest work here as a brilliant but troubled CIA agent. It should be entertaining to watch her flex her acting chops here, especially after how good she did in Temple Grandin. This is a different role but equally good. Everyone else does a great job as well.

The episode ends on a semi-cliffhanger. Right now, the show is starting off on the right foot. It's a great pilot and establishes the characters and plot well; now, we just need the show to keep up the pace, the quality and not let the plot get tooconvoluted.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Claire Danes	Carrie Mathison
Damian Lewis	Nicholas Brody
David Harewood	David Estes
Diego Klattenhoff	Mike Faber
Mandy Patinkin	Saul Berenson
Morena Baccarin	Jessica Brody

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Jamey Sheridan	Vice President William Walden	Guest Star
Nestor Serrano	Major General Tony Trujillo	Guest Star
Navid Negahban	Abu Nazir	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (2)
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- Carrie: Because Abu Nazir is playing the long game. This way no one expects a thing.
  Saul: Except you?
  Carrie: Except me.
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- Carrie: I-I'm just making sure we don't get hit again.
  Saul: Well, I'm glad someone's looking out for the country, Carrie.
  Carrie: I'm serious. I-I missed something once before, I won't... I can't let that happen again.
  Saul: It was ten years ago. Everyone missed something that day.
  Carrie: Yeah, everyone's not me.
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NOTES (6)
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- International Episode Titles:
  Germany: Der Verdacht (The Suspicion)
  France: Pilote (Pilot)
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- The episode won 2 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series and for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series.
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- Additional credits:
  Deborah Ball - Hair Department Head
  John R. Bayless - Make-up Department Head
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Canada: November 1, 2011 on Super Channel 2
  Sweden: November 23, 2011 on SVT1/SVT1 HD
  Australia: January 22, 2012 on TEN
  United Kingdom: February 19, 2012 on Channel 4/Channel 4 HD
  Finland: January 6, 2013 on MTV3
  Germany: February 3, 2013 on Sat.1
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- This episode had 1.08 million viewers on its original airing and was the network's highest-rated drama premiere in eight years.
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- This episode was made available online and via affiliate On Demand channels as of September 13, and had been seen by over 1.4 million viewers before its TV premiere.
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