Homeland Season 2, Episode 7: The Clearing Clips

The second season of Homeland is still as intense and exciting as the first but it's not quite the same realistic series that won the Best Drama Emmy. Little stretches here and there have pushed the show not just farther away from reality but also away from the main terrorist plot. It's one thing to have the CIA bring bipolar Carrie back into the fold and make that deal with Brody because at least they have to deal with the series' central story but Dana's developments are so overwrought and out of place it's a shame.

"A Gettysburg Address" spent a significant amount of time with Dana dealing with some of the repercussions of the hit and run that happened two episodes ago but it looks like "The Clearing" will bring the issue to the parents. At least, that's the direction Dana is leaning but will she be able to convince Finn? Here's the clip called "I Want to Tell."

Surprisingly, Finn proves he's not a sociopath and agrees to tell their parents about the lady they accidentally murdered. Something tells me that he might try to pin it all on Dana, perhaps say she was driving? I don't trust that kid. The second clip, called "Got What We Needed," returns to the main thread and shows Roya approach Brody during his morning run in order to tell him, well, pretty much nothing...

You would think that Abu Nazir would have a better way of handling his agents than they've shown so far with Brody. He's by far the most valuable asset they could possibly have and yet they jerk him around, constantly putting him in jeopardy with tasks that could be completed by henchmen. He's supposed to fill the role of the dead guy in the cell's mission, are you kidding? You don't have another pair of expendable hands to sacrifice? Come on!

Homeland airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime. It stars Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Mandy Patinkin and Morena Baccarin. It was adapted for American television by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon from the Israeli series Prisoners of War (or Hatufim) by Gideon Raff.