I don’t know what it was that had you hooked on Homeland, but I know that, for me, it was not the CIA story… Not at all… It was Carrie & Brody love story that made me a die-hard Homeland fan and kept me at the edge of my seat for three seasons. Carrie and Brody made me, and a lot of other fans, believe in their impossible love with the incredibly natural chemistry that Claire Danes and Damian Lewis had on screen! And, I just turned a deaf ear even when they gave us hints this may not end up well — think about Carrie’s “Imagine that!” to Brody’s “But we could be happy, couldn’t we?” or Brody’s “Maybe this will all end in tears….” and rooted for my favorite star-crossed lovers to live happily ever after against all odds! Yes, yes, I know, I know, as my mom loves to say “it’s not a love story, it’s a CIA show” , but I just couldn’t help it, the love story was just too tempting to fall for that I loved the love story in the CIA show… And that’s probably why, even though I watched Season 4 and thought it was a good storyline, I just felt it was missing something… well, someone… And, the highlight of Season 4 was those five minutes that almost got me that Brody was back — which I blogged about here.
However, while most of us perceived Carrie & Brody love story as the centerpiece of the first three seasons… Did you know that the love story wasn’t a given from the start?
Quoting Carrie Mathison: “Imagine that!”
Quoting Nicholas Brody: “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!”
I really can’t! 🙂
Well… It turns out, early in the season, the writers knew that something would happen between the two characters given that Carrie’s surveillance of Brody — well, she WATCHED him in pretty intimate settings — hinted to some kindling of an attraction. Writer Alex Cary notes: “We needed Carrie to empathize with Brody, during the drama within the drama of Carrie watching what’s going on in Brody’s house.”(source: Homeland Revealed by Matthew Hurwitz. 2014. Chronicle Books. Page 55)
However, the real spark did not occur until the fourth episode Semper I. In this episode, forced to stop her video surveillance, Carrie, being Carrie, decides to take a new initiative and essentially stalks Brody to a veterans support group meeting held in a church and “bumps into” him! And, the key moment of the episode is when the two end up flirting as they stand outside the church… and in the rain…
…And, Brody being the sweetest flirt as Carrie is leaving: “Don’t leave me like this… All alone… in the rain!” Awww 🙂
“Lewis and Danes had only one scene together in the pilot, in which Carrie debriefs Brody upon his return, and the mood was fairly professional. So, the energy between two actors in the parking lot scene came as a surprise. The morning after that scene was filmed, Alex Gansa recalls, “I walked into my office, and my assistant said, ‘Alex, you may want to take a look at these dailies.’ I said, ‘Why, is there a problem?’ And she goes, ‘The opposite.’ I remember watching these two actors together and realizing, ‘Wow this is the show, right here.’ So it became clear that we would try to put them in each other’s company as often as possible. There was a long story to tell in this relationship.” (From Homeland Revealed by Matthew Hurwitz. 2014. Chronicle Books. Page 55)
Indeed.
Claire Danes and Damian Lewis gave us, in Damian’s words, “two broken-winged birds sort of hobbling and circling around each other” in such a credible way that even though it really ended in tears, it was a GREAT RIDE as long as it lasted.
Nice memories of these two……I do miss Carrie and Brody.
Thank you & me, too! It was absolutely their chemistry that got me hooked on Homeland! As much as I am looking forward to having Mr Bobby Axelrod on my screen in early 2016, I will always carry Brody in my heart and will always return to Homeland for happy memories – no wonder Ive called myself a “Brody widow” so many times, Brody is my one BIG fictional crush!
Oh my…! You’ve described it perfectly in your last line… he’s mine too!! Actually, I stopped watching Homeland after his death. I remember that night I had to think again and again: “He is ok, he is at home with his wife and kids. He is ok. It’s a tv show.” They certainly broke my heart. What a horrible way to die.
It was so hard to accept Brody’s death. SO HARD. It may sound very weird but I didn’t know what to do for a while. It was just the way it was. And as I was trying to find my way, this blog was born 🙂 So Brody did not only make me a Damian Lewis fan but made me a blogger, too <3 Thank you for visiting us and hope you come read us again. Cheers!
It’s good (and a relief!) to know that there are more people with the same feeling. It’s a great blog! 🙂 Regards from Ecuador.
Thank you!!! And don’t worry, we are a BIG group mourning for Brody! Muchos abrazos a Ecuador 🙂
In other words Damian “outperformed” in a role that was expected to be unsympathetic. He’d already done that with Soames. Episode 4 was the first truly great Homeland because it transcended the cat-and-mouse game of CIA vs. terrorists. The love-hate relationship of Carrie & Brody added a dimension they had not foreseen. Too bad they squandered it—and the character—because it was not part of their original design.
Oh, definitely! I don’t think — even when they re-designed the story with Carrie & Brody — they took “Damian Lewis” factor into their calculations… Damian “outperformed” and he OWNED the show! So true about Soames — Damian made us love the unlovable, didn’t he? I completely agree that Episode 4: Semper I was the first truly great Homeland episode and, hey, the rest is history!
After reading this ; I had to go back and watch end of episode 4 . They were magical together (Damian Lewis n Claire Danes). I finally finished season 3; watched season 1 n 2 twice already. almost towards the end of season 2 of Life. Damian Lewis is an amazing actor ; too bad i recently found out about him. Though They killed Brody in Homeland there is little part in me wants him back in the show and back with Carrie and his daughter Frannie. I loved Homeland because of its twists and turns of CIA storyline and Brody-Carrie dynamic. Too bad they had to kill one aspect of the show but hopefully Showtime will amend its mistake with Billions
Better late than never! Don’t you think? I also got into the Lewis camp later than a lot of people — it was all about Brody for me first, I found about Damian in 2012 and in fact my first blog post was about how I found about him – it was a funny post if you wanna take a look 🙂 https://www.fanfunwithdamianlewis.com/?p=64 and LOOK where I am now 😀 Showtime ADORES Damian in my opinion, and they kept him for S3 even though at the beginning they told him he would be around for two seasons but his popularity went off the charts and they adjusted their original decisions :))) And they wanted him back at Showtime almost right after he left Homeland. It does not happen with a lot of actors – but Damian is so versatile that he will give us Bobby – a completely different character with no hint of Brody in him. I just know that. Billions will be awesome – and hey the odds of Bobby Axelrod dying in this show are pretty slim. Hurrah for that 🙂 And I am so happy you went back and re-watched S1 Ep4 after reading this – makes my day! As usual, thanks for visiting and reading us!
I’ve just re-read this article and I’m thinking I need to re-watch Homeland! I am not really enjoying the new series…..it’s ok, but it certainly doesn’t have the same intensity as it did in Season One and Two.
Thank you – what a compliment! And I know… I need to re-watch, too, asap! I have not started S5 yet, maybe I will binge-watch when it’s all done. They reset the whole story (watched S4) and it is okay but, for me, since Brody WAS the show, I am not interested anymore… S1 was probably one of the best things that ever happened to TV – which made Homeland an instant HIT and S2 was a bit over the top but in a VERY GOOD way – it was a total roller coaster, it’s my favorite season! Thanks so much for reading and for your lovely note – very much appreciated!!!!