Homeland

The reason that Homeland was the best thing on TV this year is because nothing has looked at loyalty, patriotism, terrorism and personal identity like this since the BSG reboot. They’ve handled mental illness deftly and with not only compassion but sympathy. Claire Danes has been nothing short of brilliant and Damian Lewis predictably awesome. Unlike BSG, which put you in the position of empathizing with the “terrorists”, Homeland has taken a hard look at the reasons that people believe in extreme measures – on both sides. What is perfectly clear is that there is no black and white and that there are no absolutes when it comes to defending those beliefs. Both sides are wrong, both sides have valid points, both sides make colossal mistakes. Homeland has taken come intense and complex stories and unthreaded them in a compelling, edge-of-your-seat way. The finale was just as unexpected as every other episode and just as gripping. I can’t wait to see what they do with the next season.