It is true that one of the main characters dropping out at the end of last season did suggest a bit loss, however the season was decent enough that I continue to come back to Homeland. It is pretty impressive in a couple of ways. Firstly it is good to be reminded how the show started - a bit of a gimmick in the narrative perhaps, and a main character with limited stuff you could do with him. It used this and moved past this well. It is also impressive that Carrie's mental challenges did not get old. At times it does feel like it is looking for a reason to be on, but mostly it produces good television.
This is the case with the seventh season; in that it is good television, albeit not appointment television (a phrase that reveals my age a bit). The timely nature of it adds some value to the plotting; a president on the defensive, a foreign power trying to influence and undermine, an increasing political polarization etc. The show has always felt like it is managing to be a small step ahead of headlines and it does it again here. With this as the base, it turns in a fairly decent plot which mostly works. Some threads feel like tidying up from previous seasons, but mostly it fits together and moves forward as a whole. The ending of the season is a bit muted but it works.
The thing that this season does better is to blend in Carrie as a person. In the past the show has done this badly (like the sudden change of pace at the end of S4) or integrated it into the plot as a plot device. In this case though it feels like it stands on its own, and merges into the season rather than feeling like the season happens to this aspect of her life. This makes Carrie a difficult character again this season, but this is part of her appeal and Danes works that well.
All told, it is another solid season which holds together well; although truth be told I'm fine with the idea that S8 is the chance to bring it all to a close.
