The man in the concrete tank ...

Looking for something different to watch, I stumbled upon the first season of "Homeland" over this past weekend, and I have to say this:  I was so riveted and fascinated and intrigued by the first season, that I have even rewatched episodes - not, you know, a week or six months or a couple of years later ... but the next day! My only real sigh is with the too-worn-out-for-words cliche about spouses (one in particular) who can't take the hours and the demands of the job.  What captivated me about this show???  In no particular order, here is why I liked this show very much:

Drama.

Believable military and spy stuff in a post 9-11 world.

My definition of a good horror movie still stands: it has good horror AND a back story that could stand alone, without the horror.  Even tho there are horrible things, I know this isn't horror BUT - it does fit very well under my definition of horror, too!

I've been up close and personal with at least two people who have had bipolar, so I was very interested to see if what was portrayed, was accurate.  TEXTBOOK.  Studying to be a counselor, should see THIS!  No wonder Clare Danes (the only thing I had ever seen her in before, that I recall, was that eye drop ad in which she got very serious and almost angry about how Allergen was a reliable company) received an Emmy!!!  Also, speaking of Ms Danes, there is a scene where she rushes in from having been out all night and has to quickly get ready for work, and in getting herself changed, she takes a washcloth and removes last night's smell from between her legs - that was very, very real-life! - don't know if that was Ms Danes idea or the writers, but it gave it a very believable touch (no pun intended)!

Loved the home interiors -especially the floor layouts .

Showed you that the world isn't just black and white: that there are many, many complex shades of gray.

Made you really sit here and think about some very deep life questions:  how much would be too much before you would snap???  if you had not felt love or a hug in many isolated years of torture, and then you finally did so, how much would that change your worldview - how much has it changed your worldview???  if you had no closure and someone was 'just missing', how long would you live without an intimate partner ???  what if you loved someone that was forbidden to your family: how far would you carry it ???