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“Homeland” Season 2 promises more Emmy-level intrigue

If you were at all surprised that Homeland won the Emmy for Best Drama, I can think of only one explanation: you don’t watch.

If you did, you would’ve known not only that the Showtime series was the best drama on television last season (head and shoulders above Mad Men — yes, I said it), but that Claire Danes and Damian Lewis were shoe-ins for best actress and actor Emmys. Danes won our hearts long ago with My So Called Life and in recent years has proven that the Emmy nom and Golden Globe award win she earned for playing Angela Chase weren’t flukes. Her performance as Temple Grandin for HBO won an Emmy and Golden Globe for best actress – and Grandin herself got choked up when she saw the movie. Seeing Danes in all of her bright yellow preggers glory Sunday night made some viewers wonder if Season 2 of Homeland would accommodate her with a less intense storyline for Carrie Mathison. And honestly, at the end of Season 1, I wasn’t sure how Showtime could top it. Now that I’ve watched the first two eps of the new season, I can sum it up in a word: Wow. Take a look at this trailer. Who knew “Every Breath You Take” sung by a children’s choir could be that creepy? (Actually, who knew a children’s choir would ever sing “Every Breath You Take?”)

The story picks up six months after the end of Season 1. Brody (Lewis) is a Congressman. His wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin) is loving her new life as a politician’s wife. Saul (Mandy Patinkin) has been reassigned to Beirut. Carrie is recovering from her breakdown, finding a new life outside the CIA. As if. I don’t want to spoil anything, because that would deprive you of some of the pleasure of watching the new episodes. But if you’re a Homeland fan, you’re already imagining how the characters’ new roles will intersect. Suffice it to say that the tension is more, well, tense than ever. To give you a taste of things to come, Showtime kindly provided a video of the first 20 minutes of Sunday’s S2 premiere. If, for some reason, you still haven’t watched Season 1 of Homeland, you can catch up with a 12-episode marathon starting at noon ET Saturday. It’s also available on DVD and Blue-ray – if you can find it. The Emmy win wiped out much of the supply.

I would be remiss not to acknowledge the Sunday night TV dilemma. The Good Wife, which also has its season premiere this week, airs opposite Homeland. So does Revenge. I don’t know why network programming gurus would do this do us (it’s like Sophie’s Choice for lesbian TV drama fans) and my only suggestion is that you take advantage of Showtime’s multiple airings of Homeland and set your DVR accordingly.

Whatever you have to do, though, do it. Homeland is definitely worth the effort. The Season 2 premiere is Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.

Will you be watching? What did you think of the preview? Were you surprised at the Emmy sweep?

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