Homeland Season 2 [Blu-ray]

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

Fair warning, this will contain spoilers from season 1, and hints (but no major spoilers) from Season 2. If you have not seen season 1 proceed at your own risk.

The fist season of Homeland was very original and told a very good story. Brody, who had been a POW in Iraq was turned into a terrorist and a part of a plot to execute a terrorist attack in America, which he backed out of. At the end of season 1 only the viewers knew the truth. That changes very quickly in Season 2. The tape he made confessing to the bombing he backed out of comes back to haunt him in multiple ways in the second season.

I cannot say too much without giving away a lot of what happens, but there is another terrorist plot in the second season that we don’t know the full extent of until about 3/4 of the way through the season finale. Many of the characters and relationships in the show change, and there are a couple very big twists. The season ends with some things resolved and other questions left open. It definitely leaves the show to go into a very interesting direction in the third season and will hopefully keep Brody’s storyline from getting worn out.

The acting and writing of the show are both top notch again. I do not think there was a downturn in either from season 1, even though there are some far fetched moments. The A/V quality of the blu rays are very good, as you would expect. There is not a ton of bonus material. There is a very short prologue to the third season, a short film by Damien Lewis, a making of the second season feature and some deleted scenes. There are also commentary tracks on selected episodes. All in all, if you are a fan of the first season, you will most likely be a fan of the second.

– Mike S.

Homeland Season 2 is not as good as season 1 was but it’s still a good drama series and still worth watching if you don’t mind a dark and adult-themed show. This season just could not quite match the intensity of the first season. The acting is still very good. Claire Danes is once again outstanding as barely stable CIA operative Carrie Mathison. The rest of the cast is still very good, especially Mandy Patinkin as Carrie’s mentor at the CIA.

Spoiler Alert:

This season sees Brody (Damian Lewis) transformed into a CIA asset as Carrie and her CIA team turn him against his al-Qaeda captors. There is a great deal of irony in this script and by the end of season 2 it seems that season 3 will find us completely reversed from the plot in season 1. In season 1 Carrie was the only person in the USA who believed that Brody was working for al-Qaeda and was about to commit a terrorist attack. In season 3 it appears that Carrie will be the only person who believes Brody is NOT a terrorist bomber. Big time irony theme going there.

So, bottom line, I still recommend this series for those who don’t mind a dark and adult themed show, but it has taken a step back in the intensity of the drama from the first season. Perhaps they will get that back in season 3.

-Marty W. Rhodes

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend, F. Murray Abraham, Damian Lewis
Format: Box set
Language: English
Subtitles: Spanish
Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English
Region: Region 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 3
Rated: NR-Not Rated
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment