Now I’m starting to see why many people think the twist was unnecessary; this episode does a great job of milking the tension out of the uncertainty of situations, not just for the audience, but for the characters themselves. Too much of the first few episodes floundered due to the writers’ insistence on keeping us in the dark, and “The Yoga Play” is a prime example of why they shouldn’t have done it.
First off, we have Carrie, and her scenes have more of an impact this week because she has no idea what’s going on; she’s wondering if she blew her cover, she’s looking over her shoulder, and at episode’s end, she’s whisked away by the Iranians. It’s not something we haven’t seen before, but it’s nice having the show ramp up the tension as we head into the second half of the season. This is organic tension; it’s not tension for tension’s sake.
Speaking of tension, we also have Saul vs. Lockhart; sadly, Lockhart has no beard to compete with. While Carrie and Saul’s plan gave the show more of a direction, Lockhart’s lending it a sense of urgency. The plan has to be carried out quickly, because it doesn’t look like he’ll be giving much support. However, I admit that I do find the whole plot a bit strange; for example, why would Saul be invited to the retreat by his friend only to have his job swept out from under him? In addition, while I enjoy Saul berating Lockhart, the scene comes across as a bit cliched.
Of course, no one can touch Dana Brody. Her storyline with Leo is insufferable yet again, but thankfully it comes to a close. Dana’s dream of a utopia is no more, and now we can get to the more interesting dynamics between her and Jess (as long as it doesn’t descend into more soap opera antics).
Still, the last 10 minutes or so contain some good old-fashioned tension: score pounding in the background, Carrie being strip searched, and Saul’s final trenchant line: “She’s always been alone.” And so it is, Saul. So it is.
GRADE: B
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-I like Jess reaching out to Carrie; it’s understandable that her opinion of Carrie has changed, and it’s a nice scene for Baccarin.
-Baccarin and Saylor seem to be trying to emulate Danes’ cry face.
-Saul, you should’ve just shot the guy when he gave you the news. Then, go the Cheney route.
-I was disappointed The Yoga Play didn’t involve Virgil and Max doing yoga.
-Quinn’s pretty cool.
-Sorry for the briefness. I wanted to get it up quickly.
Credit to Showtime and Homeland for all pictures. I own nothing.
Polar Bears Watch TV 