Homeland: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

If you follow my Twitter feed or have even talked to me in the last two weeks, you already know about my Homeland obsession. Homeland—this most brilliant of a television show that it seems almost an injustice to call it just a television show; it’s a work of art, to be sure—has cast me under its spell.

I figured it was worth checking out after it won all those Emmys (including but not limited to Best Drama, Best Actress for Claire Danes aka my new girl crush, and Best Actor for Damian Lewis). Plus I get Showtime on Demand and after a hellish week of tests and projects I was left with a week nearly entirely free. So it was a perfect storm for me to catch up on the show just as the second season was getting underway.

I admit a part of me just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Plus Homeland is as classy as TV can get really. Watching shows like Mad Men and Homeland allows me to rationalize by guilty pleasure viewing of I-can’t-explain-why-I-find-this-so-captivating entertainment like Real Housewives of Anywhere reunions and anything with a Kardashian sister.  

But what I got was a show so smart, so surprising, so intensely good that it’s all nearly all I’ve been thinking about lately. In the span of three days I watched all of the series’ (then) 14 episodes.

The story, if you’re unaware, is about a Marine sergeant (played by Lewis) named Nicholas Brody who was taken prisoner in Iraq for 8 years. He is eventually rescued and returns to America, but CIA agent Carrie Mathison suspects he’s actually been turned and is involved in a terrorist plot on American soil. Oh, and also Carrie is bipolar so she’s a somewhat unreliable narrator. But to sum up the show in just a few short sentences would be to entirely gloss over all of its subtleties and nuances that the writing and tremendous acting by the cast illuminate.

Claire Danes is simply mesmerizing in this role. She’s so badass, so I-can’t-believe-she-just-went-there, so utterly awesome. And she portrays Carrie’s mental illness with such depth and layers, it’s captivating to watch. In an interview, co-creator and showrunner Alex Gansa described Claire’s performance: “I got a letter from somebody who said she’s bipolar herself, and she said Claire’s performance was so real to her that she worries for Claire’s sanity.” That sums it up pretty perfectly. She just owns this role, and it’s so fun to wach. Plus, this girl has crazy eyes and an awesome cry-face.

Claire Danes' rather crazy eyes

 

But you can’t ignore the amazing work of the rest of the cast, as well as the team of writers. Their persistence to just “go there,” to constantly subvert your expectations and realize, Oh this is so much better than what I was expecting, is probably the show’s greatest asset. So often with television you think you know what’s coming, what could be, but Homeland is constantly one step ahead. It’s an awesome ride, to be sure.

Plus, don’t we all need a reason to look forward to Sunday nights?

So please, if you’re not watching this show, get thee to a television ASAP. You can thank me later. 

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Friday stuff

1. Today concludes hell week. I survived four tests and a project and all I got was this lousy headache.

2. Remember when I went to Europe for three months? I still haven't written about my trip to Barcelona (my favorite weekend trip of the summer) and Oxford in general. Stay tuned, because I will share.

3. This song.

4. Today the Braves play in a one game playoff "series" (is it a series if it's only one game?) against the St. Louis Cardinals to enter the real playoffs. I stopped caring about the Braves a long time ago. Like  I told my mom earlier this week, I learned a long time ago not to derive my self-worth from the performance of my favorite sports teams (I think I'd be the most worthless person if I did, too!), but I somehow let myself become peripherally invested. If I recall, the last playoff game I watched with the Braves was in 2005. Ask my dad if you want to know the whole story, because he loves to tell it.

5. I've been on a TV-rewatch kick lately. It started with Mad Men (rewatched twice, natch) and now I'm into Gilmore Girls. That show is seriously good. And so funny.

6. I hope to get back to more regular posting here. Whenever I write I always realize how much I miss it. So thanks for reading, as always.

Today.

I had almost forgotten that today was September 11.

For the past 11 years, for some reason, I've been deeply interested in the events of that day. I cannot explain why. Maybe because it seemed the first defining moment of my life. People of generations before mine talk about the moment when they learned JFK was shot or when the Challenger shuttle exploded. My generation remembers the moment they learned the towers had fallen.

I remember that day almost as vividly eleven years later as I do last Tuesday. I remember that I was wearing--ironically, unknowingly--a shirt with an American flag on it. I remember hearing about the attacks after school. I was in the fourth grade. I had never even heard of the Twin Towers before, and I remember feeling guilty because of that.

I remember sitting on the floor in the family room, pouring over the newspaper, trying to understand. I didn't understand then. And I remember the aftermath, too. I had horrible nightmares for weeks.

I think that's why that day--and everything leading up to and following it--have captured me. It was an attempt to understand, to process.

But I woke up this morning as if it was any other Tuesday (it's not). It wasn't until a few hours into my day that I was reminded that, yes, today was not just another September day. My first reminder was this affecting blog entry. And then, passing by the small (but too large) square of miniature American flags on a patch of campus grass.

Now there are these photos-in-photos from Dear Photograph (you should see them for yourself).

They more eloquently capture what I am trying to. That we didn't understand anything then, that we still don't understand everything now, that there will always be something missing.

Two for Friday

1. "Anything Could Happen" by Ellie Goulding

2. "I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."
-Maya Angelou

Scenes from Edinburgh

 I traveled to Edinburgh on train. It was my first train experience, and I have to say I'm a fan. I wish America could figure out mass transit the way Europeans have.

 
I was in Edinburgh July 5-8, or an entire month ago. So details about the specifics are a bit shaky, especially since I don't have many photos from the weekend.

Our hostel was in a great location, right near High Street, which is the commercial center of the city. Edinburgh is a lot like you'd imagine a medieval town to be: cobblestone streets, castles everywhere, and tons of little alleyways (called "closes"). This appearance reflects the town's history, which, unbeknownst to me, is rather dark and spooky.

This straight from the camera, and yes, it really was that dark in the middle of the morning. 

This is a view from the top of the hill near our hostel, overlooking the city.

Edinburgh's medieval roots boast many tales of ghosts, cruel punishments, and a creepy underground subculture. We took a ghost tour (touristy, but really fun) the second night we were there and actually got to go underground into the city's old vaults, where the city's black market used to be. Most of the "ghost stories" were pretty tame and silly, but the guide was really into everything so it was definitely fun. And I'd be lying if I said we didn't all freak out when the candles all blew out at the end and we were left in complete darkness inside the cavernous vaults.

Edinburgh is a fun city for site-seeing, but it's also fun to just hang around and go shopping, especially as a reprieve from the rain and cold! Edinburgh takes advantage of its famous Scottish heritage, so there is plaid everywhere, lots of wool shops, and tons of background on Scottish history and clans.

There were plaid and bagpipes everywhere!

The big toe on the statue of David Hume is rubbed for good luck.

We went to the National Museum to pass some time on Saturday (and, again, to get out of the rain), and I learned so much about Scottish history. It sort of makes me want to see Braveheart.

Dolly the cloned sheep at the National Museum; yes, that's really Dolly; no, she's not alive. 

Our final night there, we went around to some of the pubs in the center of town and did some amazing people watching. Edinburgh is apparently the bachelor and bachelorette capital of the world, and we saw many parties going on right in front of us. One pub we stumbled into had an older crowd (older than college-age, that is) and was playing an eclectic 80's and 90's playlist. We enjoyed singing along to Kajagoogoo (okay, maybe only I enjoyed this one) and B*Witched (total blast from 1998; also, holy sexual innuendos there: how was this appropriate at age 7?) and watching other group's shenanigans for a change.

London, etc.

Wow. So how is it that I was so good at blogging during the travel portion, when we were constantly busy every single day? And now when I get to Oxford, where I have only three hours of class a day, I've become the world's worst blogger?

Well, the classes I'm taking now are definitely harder than the music and art ones I took during the travel portion (actually, only Statics is challenging; the ethics class is just a lot of reading). So some of my time is taken up during that. Of course, life in Oxford is not as "exciting" as the travel portion was, where every day was a new adventure. But the funny part is that I love this part of the trip even more. I feel like a real Oxford student, and the campus is truly lovely. When I get a chance on a sunny day (which are few and far between here), I'm going to go on a photo walk, because the grounds and gardens here are so beautiful, so idyllic, that I had to pinch myself when I first arrived and realized I'd be studying here for the next few weeks.

Of course, that was almost four weeks ago. So what have I been doing since then? This...

The London Eye by night - this was our view where we stayed.

A trip to London the first weekend, where preparations for the Olympics (now only a week away) were in full swing! I don't remember very much about the '96 Olympics in Atlanta, but the craze and fervor here for the Games is pretty infectious! They have a huge Olympic countdown clock in Trafalgar Square.

The Tower Bridge adorned for the Olympic Games

Of course, we saw the obligatory sights in London, from Big Ben to Buckingham Palace to the Parliament to Westminster Abbey to the London Eye. And much of this was done in the rain, because England is apparently in the midst of one of the wettest summers on record. (I still can't decide whether the 50-60 degree temperatures and rain are worse than the scorching heat back home.)

 Big Ben (pardon the raindrops)

 

 The London Eye by daylight (sort of) (oh hey, Big Ben!)

But eventually it brightened up, and so did my view of London as a city. I really fell in love with the city, even though I was only there for two days. It helps that everyone speaks English, but it felt very much like New York City, only more sophisticated (probably because of the British accents).

In Trafalgar Square after the sun came out.

 

The Kensington Palace Gardens

On Saturday we went to a production of Phantom of the Opera. It was amazing! I had never seen the movie and didn't know very much about the story, so the first thirty minutes were a bit confusing, but after that it was incredible. It was such a fun experience, and I think our seats were some of the best I've ever had at a production like this.

Phantom of the Opera stage before the first act started.

But without a doubt the two highlights of the short trip were exploring the food markets at Harrod's and making the pilgrimage to King's Cross to see Platform 9 3/4.

The former was sensory overload. We didn't spend too long at Harrod's, but once I found the food markets on the ground floor I had no desire to wander elsewhere. I was in foodie heaven - from the pastries to the breads to the incredible marzipan displays (be still my heart!).

 

Gorgeous flower displays at Harrod's (top); marzipan madness, or my personal foodie heaven (middle); 

fancy schmancy pastries at the Harrod's patisserie (bottom)

Seeing Platform 9 3/4 was another nerdy highlight. There was actually a huge line of people waiting to take their picture when we got there, and it seemed to have formed organically (Harry Potter fans really are the best). But the line moved quickly and before I knew it I was off to Hogwarts, although I couldn't stay for long.

Off to Hogwarts, brb!

The great part about being in Oxford is that it's so close to London. The bus ride there is less than two hours, so it's an easy day or afternoon trip to make. I'm going to return next weekend for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics (did you know Danny Boyle is directing them?). Something tells me the city will be a bit crazier than it was a few weeks ago though.

Next up: Edinburgh, Oxford explorations, and Barcelona (where I'm leaving for tonight!).

Things I Did in Paris (in no particular order)

1. Went to three different art museums: Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre, and the Centre Pompidou. My favorite was probably Musee d'Orsay because I love 18th and 19th century art, but they were all pretty cool. We didn't really spend much time in any of the museums, probably because you could spend forever exploring them.  The Louvre was so crowded, but I did get to see the Mona Lisa. My thoughts? It's cool to say you've seen it in person, but there's just so many people trying to look at it, and it's really really small. So basically you have a hundred or so people in a restricted space taking pictures of a 600 square inch portrait. But you can't really go to the Louvre and not see it.

2. Visited the Palace Versailles. I really liked Versailles, but it was incredibly crowded, too. The gardens were lovely, though, as was the Hall of Mirrors and seeing all the Marie Antoinette artifacts. I think I'll have to watch that movie when I return at the end of the summer.

3. Climbed the Eiffel Tower. We trekked up the 600 or so stairs to the top level (that's the highest you can walk up) and then took the lift to the very top. The views were incredible. It was a gorgeous day, and we finally made it to the top at about 7 in the evening (though it still seemed like the afternoon) and the rays of sun were streaming through the clouds. It's about as close to heaven as you can get. Also, the Eiffel Tower is huge in person. When you're right up against the iron lattices you really feel the magnitude of the tower.

About to walk up (top), at the first level (middle), at the very top (bottom)

4. Went to the Eiffel Tower at night. Twice. With bottles of wine. The first night we went it was just a small group of us. We took the metro and got to the tower right at midnight. "It's midnight in Paris!" I said to my friends, as the tower sparkled behind us. Truly incredible. We sat on the lawn, drank, talked, and listened to music before the next light show at 1 am. This one was all white lights, though, so the effect was really different. At that moment, I really fell in love with Paris.

Midnight in Paris

5. Studied for finals. On the night of the Summer Solstice (where there's a huge music festival in Paris) our entire group was basically forced to stay in to study for our exams the next night. I stayed in my room, wrote my art history paper, and memorized image IDs. I think everyone felt cheated that our exams were in Paris (and our midterms were in Florence, no less), which really prevented us from getting out and exploring Paris. The city is so big and sprawled out that it would have been impossible to see everything we wanted, but I certainly tried.

6. Went to the Opera Garnier and saw the gorgeous Chagall ceiling painting in the theater.

7. Went exploring on my own. After our exams on Friday I had basically the whole afternoon to myself. My friends were headed to the Pantheon for an extra credit assignment, and since I didn't need the extra credit, I decided to head to Sacre Coeur and Montmartre. Luckily our hotel was a block away from a major train station and navigating the Paris metro is so much easier than a lot of the other cities we've visited. I climbed up the steps to Sacre Coeur and was rewarded with a gorgeous view of Paris. After heading down the steps I spent the next few hours wandering through Montmartre, window shopping, actually shopping, and enjoying a nice picnic lunch in the park while people watching. I had a bit more time left to kill afterward and decided to head to the Luxembourg Gardens. I wasn't sure what to expect but was amazed when I finally got there. They were beautiful. I'm so glad I took the time to see some more of the city, which is something I hadn't done much of in any of the other cities. There's something to be said for experiencing a city like Paris on your own. Still, I feel like I could spend another weekend there, just wandering around and exploring, which just goes to show how much there is to do in Paris.

Sacre Couer (top) and views of Montmartre (bottom)

8. Enjoyed some real Parisian pastries. Including a french apple tart (awesome), two mini caneles (my first time trying them; was not disappointed), pain aux raisins (not a pastry, but darn good nonetheless), and my absolute favorite, an almond tart. This almond tart was awesome. It was my special treat on the night I studied for exams, and I savored every bite. Goodness.

A mini canele in Montmartre 

9. Departed for Oxford, where I am now. I'll post more about Oxford soon, but to say that it's beautiful would be doing it a disservice. The campus is lovely - gorgeous gardens, centuries-old buildings, and really nice people. I can't wait for the next six weeks.