Homeland - Season 4 [DVD] [2015]

Watched this with some trepidation not knowing if this would succeed without our main man from the previous excellent seasons.Well this has gone up a level in entertainment value and credit to the writers for reinventing a plot that retains much of what made 'Homeland' so watchable---- insider traitors, really really bad villains, characters you hate and would like to see them shafted and the vulnerable but heroic 'good' guys trying to get the better of the system almost with one arm tied behind their backs.Thank goodness for the omission of Brodie's silly spoilt daughter and her disastrous relationships from the previous seasons (I wont miss her!). Instead most of the sub-plots are all pertinent to the main story which moves along probably much faster than before in my view.I was going to drop this as the story seemed to rightly close at the end of Season 3 but having watched and enjoyed Season 4 so much I am back on track and anticipating the next season--- will our team get revenge ?????

Carrie takes over as head of a CIA station in Pakistan hunting the world's most dangerous terrorist after the previous head is murdered. Brilliantly reinventing the series after the Brody storyline seemed to finish the series at the end of season 3, season 4 sees Homeland in a mostly brand new setting with a mostly new cast apart from the returning Claire Danes and Mandy Pantinkin while Rupert Friend is now a regular as Peter Quinn with the Brody family completely written out though there is a cameo from Damien Lewis. Twists and turns throughout the series which will have you gripped throughout with excellent performances from the cast while the series does return to America for its final episodes. One of the best shows on TV.

I have enjoyed all the seasons so far, and look forward to the next. The stories are brutal but intriguing and probably very accurate - unfortunately. It made me thankful for living in a very peaceful part of the world.The gap left by Brody was filled by many excellent actors - two of whom I recognised from good old Spooks!The penultimate episodes were fast moving and violent, but the last calmer episode tied up a few loose ends, and leaving some unfinished business for the following season. Carrie seems very troubled and almost hysterical at times, but women in top jobs have to try even harder in a predominately men's world. Her character reminded me of Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect.As always, the background music was appropriate, and as always, a lot of mumbling almost spoiled the events, and many more instances of the F word being used a bit too often.

The plot is OK and action scenes are well-staged albeit, once again, it's a tad nonsensical in parts and subsidiary story-threads (like in the last episode here) seem to be fillers. I'm done with the central character as the shouting/over-acting are not endearing traits and have become clichés - plus I dislike a baby being used as a prop. I think such things are papering over writing deficiencies. S4 was OK drama for me - but it could have been far better.

It's often a fairly relentless downward arc for high action TV series as the seasons roll by with the plots, twists and special effects getting ever bigger and more unlikely in an attempt to top what has gone before. Homeland cleverly avoided this fate with Season 4 by doing the opposite: less action, more thought; fewer fireworks, greater space for the characters to develop.It starts slow, which makes the sudden twists and action - which are still there, just not dolloped all over the plots like a kid let loose on a plate of chips with a ketchup bottle - all the more tense and exciting when they come. There's a fair amount of implausible plotting and questionable characters, true, but also some great action, real tension and a good sense of mystery about how the plot is going to play out. There's also a refreshing range of nuance about the records of Americans, Pakistanis and Afghans with few straightforward good guys who always do the humane thing.The one disappointment for me was the rather too neat final episode which felt like a rotation around all the main characters and plot lines, neatly lining them up for a next season (which is indeed coming, hooray).

Homeland season 3 was not to great and I was glad that it finished off the story with brody as it went abit far. But this season has gone right back to what is good about Homeland which is on the edge of your seat action and good story and the CIA hunt down of the most dangerous terrorists. I feel this is how it should be and best season since season 1. If your a fan you will find this better than normal.

We have been watching this series forever its great we are now waiting for series 5 the story line is outstanding we cant wait for the final ending but not too soon.

This is a great series. It keeps you gripped and waiting for the next episode. Carrie at her best. Great cast.