Fair Game (Homeland)

Last updated
"Fair Game"
Homeland episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 1
Directed by Keith Gordon
Written by Alex Gansa
Ted Mann
Production code6WAH01
Original air dateJanuary 15, 2017 (2017-01-15)
Running time51 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"A False Glimmer"
Next 
"The Man in the Basement"
Homeland season 6
List of episodes

"Fair Game" is the season premiere of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland , and the 61st episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on January 15, 2017.

Contents

Plot

Sekou Bah (J. Mallory McCree), a young black Muslim-American, posts a series of videos online where he visits locations of past domestic terrorist attacks and chronicles what happened. He is arrested by FBI Special Agent Ray Conlin (Dominic Fumusa) and charged with materially supporting terrorism. Carrie (Claire Danes), now heading up a non-profit organization in New York City that defends the rights of Muslim-Americans against discrimination, meets Sekou and prepares to represent him. Conlin reveals to Carrie that they found Sekou in possession of plane tickets to Nigeria, the base of operations of Boko Haram, and $5,000 in cash hidden under his mattress.

Carrie visits Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) at a veteran's hospital where he is rehabilitating from his exposure to sarin gas in Berlin. Quinn exhibits signs of PTSD and partial paralysis. They get into an argument when Carrie learns that Quinn skipped a physical therapy appointment. When Quinn is reported missing the next day, Carrie tracks him down to a flophouse where he has been smoking crack and having sex with prostitutes, and finds him with a head wound after being mugged for his government check. When Quinn violently resists being readmitted to the hospital, Carrie reluctantly agrees to let him stay with her and Franny, albeit in her downstairs apartment.

Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) and Dar Adal (F. Murray Abraham) brief President-elect Elizabeth Keane (Elizabeth Marvel) on ongoing CIA operations. After the briefing, Dar expresses concern to Saul that Keane might be planning to demilitarize the CIA, noting that Keane's son was killed while serving in Iraq. Saul is more amenable to Keane's point of view. Dar covertly meets Tovah Rivlin (Hadar Ratzon-Rotem) of Mossad and suggests that certain initiatives should be accelerated before Keane's inauguration, only eight weeks away. As the episode concludes, Dar Adal hosts a meeting with General McClendon (Robert Knepper), Senator Coto (Alfredo Narciso) and other officials. Dar and Coto have decided to not include Saul.

Production

The episode was directed by Keith Gordon, and co-written by showrunner Alex Gansa and co-executive producer Ted Mann.

Reception

Reviews

The episode received a rating of 100% with an average score of 7.2 out of 10 on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus stating "Although Homeland's premiere episode lacks the show's signature thrills and gimmicks, 'Fair Game' effectively sets the table for future improvement, establishing a powerful sense of time and place and nuanced character moments throughout." [1]

Brian Tallerico of New York Magazine rated the episode 4 out of 5 stars, saying it had "a pleasantly slow pace... it's an interesting tone-setter for a show that can often be detrimentally hyperactive". In praise of the episode's scenery, Tallerico wrote "The premiere used New York City beautifully, especially in the bustling background behind Sekou's videos" [2]

Matt Brennan of Paste reviewed it positively, calling it "uneventful", but stating "despite its dearth of narrative fireworks, tonight’s episode succeeds in setting the table for such developments on two distinct fronts". [3]

Rupert Friend was named "Performer of the Week" by TVLine for his performance; they wrote "it’s a credit to Friend’s raw, riveting performance that he’s making Quinn’s descent so authentic—and tragic". [4]

Ratings

The original broadcast drew 1.1 million viewers. In addition, 1.25 million people watched the premiere in advance via Showtime's on-demand services. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Mathison</span> Fictional character of the American TV drama thriller Homeland

Carrie Anne Mathison, played by actress Claire Danes, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television drama/thriller series Homeland on Showtime, created by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon. Carrie is a CIA officer who, while on assignment in Iraq, learned from a CIA asset that an American prisoner of war had been turned by al-Qaeda. After a U.S. Marine sergeant named Nicholas Brody is rescued from captivity, Carrie believes that he is the POW described to her. Carrie's investigation of Brody is complicated by her bipolar disorder and results in an obsession with her suspect.

"Gerontion" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 31st episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on November 10, 2013.

"Long Time Coming" is the fourth season finale of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 48th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on December 21, 2014.

"Parabiosis" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 54th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on November 8, 2015.

"Better Call Saul" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 53rd episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on November 1, 2015.

"Oriole" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 55th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on November 15, 2015.

<i>Homeland</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland premiered on January 15, 2017, and concluded on April 9, 2017, on Showtime, consisting of 12 episodes. The series started as a loosely based variation of the two-season run of the Israeli television series Hatufim created by Gideon Raff and was developed for American television by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa. The sixth season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 6, 2018.

"The Covenant" is the third episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 63rd episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on January 29, 2017.

"A Flash of Light" is the fourth episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 64th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on February 12, 2017.

"Casus Belli" is the fifth episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 65th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on February 19, 2017.

"The Return" is the sixth episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 66th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on February 26, 2017.

"The Man in the Basement" is the second episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 62nd episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on January 22, 2017.

"Imminent Risk" is the seventh episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 67th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on March 5, 2017.

"Sock Puppets" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 69th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on March 19, 2017.

"alt.truth" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 68th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on March 12, 2017.

"The Flag House" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 70th episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on March 26, 2017.

"America First" is the sixth-season finale of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 72nd episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on April 9, 2017.

"R Is for Romeo" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland, and the 71st episode overall. It premiered on Showtime on April 2, 2017.

<i>Homeland</i> season 7 Season of television series

The seventh season of the American television drama series Homeland premiered on February 11, 2018, and concluded on April 29, 2018, on Showtime, consisting of 12 episodes. The series started as a loosely based variation of the two-season run of the Israeli television series Hatufim created by Gideon Raff and is developed for American television by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa.

References

  1. "Fair Game". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  2. Tallerico, Brian (January 15, 2017). "Homeland Season-Premiere Recap: Transition of Power". New York Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  3. Brennan, Matt (January 15, 2017). "With "Fair Game," Homeland Returns Home to Set Up Another Slow Burn". Paste. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  4. "Performer of the Week: Rupert Friend". TVLine. January 21, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  5. Andreeva, Nellie (January 17, 2017). "'Homeland' Season 6 Premiere Ratings OK With Preview". Deadline. Retrieved January 21, 2017.