My new TV obsession: "Homeland." Riveting, Emotional & Haunting. Spies! Intrigue! Treason! Oh, my!

I found Homeland shortly after betraying my allegiance to DishTV and switching sides to Cox Cable. Obviously, this was an act of treason. I'm pretty sure the spooks are casing my house. Maybe they've already installed bugs in my living room. OMG, does the CIA read my blog?

Ahem. Sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. I can't help it. I've been living vicariously through Carrie. You know, Carrie? Yeah, we're on a first-name basis around here.

Carrie is the borderline psychotic CIA agent who obsessively (brilliantly?) tracks a Marine, Sargeant Brodey, whom she suspects of having become a terrorist during his 8 year imprisonment by jihadists.

It also helps that Carrie is played by one of my all-time favorite actors: Claire Danes. This woman has an exquisite gift. She is capable of naked, stark, breath-taking emotional honesty. Did you see Claire in Romeo & Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio? Since then, she's only gotten better (and more beautiful!).

I've only seen two episodes from Season 1 so I'm planning on buying the DVD to catch up. Still, picking up the storyline at the beginning of Season 2 has been phenomenal.

It's rare that I get so invested in a TV character but I'll fully admit I'm waaaaaaay over-invested in Carrie. Claire Danes does this to me. I am absolutely helpless against her skillful portrayal. At the end of Romeo & Juliet? I sat in the theater bawling so loudly I embarrassed my sister. I was even saying things like: "NO! NO! PLEASE END SOME OTHER WAY!"

And the reason I'm blogging about this show is because of last night's episode, the one where Carrie interrogates Sargeant Brody.

Here's why: CARRIE UNDERSTANDS EMOTIONS.

In fact, Carries uses emotional connection to draw the truth out of Sargeant Brody. When the threatening, torturous interrogation of another CIA agent yields no answers, Carrie steps in and deftly, magically, emotionally draws out the truth.

What's so perfect about this is that her colleagues often level an accusation against her: "SHE'S TOO EMOTIONAL." Most of them think she's a loose cannon and unpredictable.

"Does she ever listen?" is a common refrain.

But here's the thing: Carrie trusts her gut instinct. And she follows it. There are times when her instinct leads her astray and she finds herself feeling crazed--as if she can't trust her own thoughts. However, her instincts pay off.

Nobody believed her suspicions about Sargeant Brody--until SHE grabbed a bag that contained his suicide tape.

Last night as I watched Carrie interrogate Sargeant Brody I was utterly sucked in, mesmerized, on-the-edge-of-my-seat. As Carrie tells Brody's story back to him, deconstructing his torture and brainwashing, explaining how he was broken-down and then re-built as a terrorist, I was literally trembling.

Carrie made it SAFE for Sargeant Brody to admit the truth.

Do you know how she did that? By TELLING THE TRUTH herself.

She admitted her own secret feelings. She laid it all out on the table for him to see. She made herself completely, utterly vulnerable to him.

Oh my word. It was brilliant and courageous and so, so good.

I simply can't WAIT for next week.

Until then, I'll be mounting some cameras on the side of my house, bugging my kids' bedroom and honing my reconnaissance skills.

Or, you know, just being all emotional and following my gut instinct.

**update** I just discovered old episodes of "Homeland" through my Cox Cable's 'On Demand' button. Which makes me very, very happy. I just watched the first three episodes of Season 1. It's all kinds of awesome but I thought I should mention: there is sex. And yeah, gratuitous boobage. Forewarned, my friends. Forewarned.**