I‘m normally a fan of the Showtime TV series “Homeland.” I like that the writers have traditionally used each season to explore a new theme of espionage. Apart from “The Americans,” we have too few good spy shows.
Unfortunately, the currently airing sixth season of “Homeland” is idiotic. The writers have abandoned all pretense of American spy-world reality. Here are season six’s five stupidest things (spoilers lie ahead).
1. The Bomb and the Hat Man
A young Muslim-American, Sekou Bah, is wrongly charged with terrorism offenses. After the charges are dropped, he is then killed and framed when his delivery truck explodes in New York City. Responsibility seems to rest with a cabal of Americans who fear that the next president will weaken counter-terrorism laws.
Blowing up Americans, however, is not a great strategic bridge for this intent. After all, murdering one’s fellow citizens is incongruous with protecting said citizens. Moreover, the plotters’ chosen strategy is idiotic.
We know, for example, that the man in the hat (the evil protagonist and bomb delivery man) waltzed into the delivery truck depot to plant his bomb. Was he not fearful of being caught on camera? Or spotted leaving? But the bomb was also comparatively powerful. The FBI would quickly have sourced the explosives used and method of bomb construction. This would have led investigators to believe that Sekou was not acting alone. Thus the whole premise of Sekou’s lone-wolf framing would have evaporated on day one or two of the investigation. The man in the hat and his co-conspirators would have big problems. Why didn’t they just plant IEDs in Sekou and a few others homes?
2. The Forgotten FBI Agent
Shortly after visiting a company apparently connected to the bombing, a lead FBI investigator is assassinated in his home. We then hear little more of this. It’s as if no one really cares. In reality, of course, the assassination of a senior FBI agent, especially one connected to such a high-profile case, would spark a huge reaction. The FBI would assume that an organized, highly skilled group was connected to the bombing. They might even assume state-direction (finding an agent’s address and then murdering them is not something the average Omar Mateen can pull off). They would certainly raid the company the agent visited. Regardless, the plotters would attract far more attention to their plot than they would have gained by the assassination.
3. The Loneliness of Saul
Patriotic, experienced, and completely sane, Saul Berenson is Homeland’s perpetual hero. He’s also a former CIA director and a highly distinguished CIA operations officer. Basically, he’s a CIA legend. Unfortunately, in season 6, Saul has transformed into what the British would call a “no-mates.” He has no real friends and very few allies. He’s been rendered a pathetic creature.
While he’s no longer director, Saul is still a high-ranking CIA officer. He would have a bureaucratic structure to investigate his concerns that a conspiracy against United States interests is underway. Instead, apart from one CIA officer (who appears to have just left college) and who mainly stares at people at airports, Saul now travels the world being rejected by everyone except his sister (and even she doesn’t like him). This personal malaise includes Saul’s star asset, a high-ranking Iranian intelligence officer. This guy owes Saul his life and should know he can trust no one else. But in this season Saul must always suffer. It’s silly.
4. The Evil Israelis and the Sort-of Naughty Iranians
A close U.S. ally, in reality, Israel also regularly acts in detachment from U.S. interests. On espionage, for example. Still, season six takes this detachment into another universe. This season we have seen the Israelis kidnap a senior CIA officer and conspire against the president-elect. The writers’ premise is that the Israelis are so adamantly opposed to the Iran nuclear deal that they will do anything to destroy it. But this is simplistic stupidity. In reality, while longstanding Israeli security policy rests on influencing U.S. policy, it is always calibrated to maintain a baseline of U.S. relations. Sadly, in “Homeland,” it now even seems feasible that the Israelis might assassinate the president-elect. This is nuts.
In contrast, Iran comes across as naughty. But in a roguish and semi-loveable way. They seem absolutely committed to the nuclear deal and always undercut by bad Israelis. We hear very little, for example, of the constant reality that is Iranian malfeasance in the Middle East (see Iraq and Lebanon). Again, this neglect of reality weakens Homeland. In real dealings with the Iranian government, the reality is that there are many factions, but few American friends. In “Homeland,” Iran has now become a Ben Rhodes wet dream, and Israel is psychotic.
5. Dar, the Betrayer
Dar Adal is either the CIA’s deputy director or its operations head: the director of the national clandestine service, or something senior. Regardless, this season he has become a traitor. So far, Dar has seized Carrie’s child, conspired with a foreign power against the U.S., waltzed around a crowded TV studio with Alex Jones so as to edit a video and discredit the president-elect’s dead son, and unlawfully* wiretapped the president-elect (perhaps President Trump watches “Homeland”?). Oh, and he also seems closely connected to the bomb conspiracy and its trail of unending murder.
This scheming is a huge departure from the Dar of previous seasons. First off, until now, Dar has been a longstanding public servant. Why would he betray the U.S. at so many levels? Even assuming, which seems likely at this point, that he is an Israeli agent, why would Dar engage in the bomb conspiracy? Why would he risk the blowback of taking the child of a private citizen (Carrie)? These are not just acts of gross criminality, they are acts of treason so varied that they are likely to eventually find public attention. Remember: Rule number one in intelligence is to not get caught. But Dar seems to want to end up in prison for the rest of his life.
It’s sad. While Dar has always been a master of the black arts and an unrepentant schemer, he has also always been a patriot. The problem is that Dar has committed too many misdeeds to now be revealed as a double agent against the conspirators.
In short, “Homeland” season five (a Daesh plot in Germany), was far superior to season six.
*We know it’s an unlawful intercept because Dar is a CIA official. The CIA is barred by law from collecting on Americans, even those subject to a warranted investigation. The FBI is the lawfully empowered agency in situations such as this.
Tom Rogan (@TomRtweets) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is a foreign policy columnist for National Review, a domestic policy columnist for Opportunity Lives, a former panelist on The McLaughlin Group, and a senior fellow at the Steamboat Institute.
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