Last night’s premiere of Homeland was one of the best drama pilots of the season, setting up its bold premise with precision and confidence. It fills whatever gap 24’s absence had left, but more important, it brings Claire Danes back to episodic television. She plays Carrie Anderson, a CIA agent with a mood disorder — and a real talent for espionage and intelligence gathering, if only her superiors would trust her instincts. But as much as Danes gives Carrie a brittle exterior and an underlying, creeping panic (or is that paranoia?), it’s hard not to see little glimmers of My So-Called Life’s Angela Chase in there. When Carrie uncomfortably watches surveillance footage of her main suspect having sex with his wife, it’s hard not to think of the MSCL episode “Father Figures,” where Angela gets a flu shot and considers having sex with Jordan Catalano. She’s intrigued, but kind of put off, and feels a little guilty for even thinking about it as much as she has been. That wasn’t the only moment in Homeland that overlapped a little bit with My So-Called Life. Here are some moments that made it seem like Carrie just may be Angela, all growed up.
Carrie said: All her illegal surveillance would be worth it “once [she] had some proof.”
Angela said: “I didn’t know what I was looking for. Some kind of proof. Something that would make it make sense for me to hate him.”
If you snoop around anyone long enough, you’re bound to find something incriminating. Works in high school when you’re trying to recontextualize your parents, and works in the CIA when you’re trying to violate everyone’s civil rights.
