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ClandesTime 066 Homeland Season 5 Finale

December 27, 2015 – 3:11 pm

From SpyCulture:

This review of the finale of Homeland discusses not just the final episode but the entire season. We reflect on what is new and different about this fifth season, from the religious dimensions being crow-barred into the show to the use of Russians as the enemy image and hackers as second-level terrorists. We examine the storyline of the recruitment of the Laura Poitras character by the BND, both drawing a parallel with the real life person and identifying this as a metaphor for Homeland as a state-sponsored show. We dwell on whether the CIA staff actually hate Laura Poitras, unaware that she may be an asset of some section of the Agency.

As the conversation progress, we outline the idea that Homeland is an experiment to see how far they can make people doubt their own perceptions of not just the show itself but also the geopolitical realities it sometimes portrays. We explore the idea that Homeland is designed to assault the audience’s confidence in their own perceptions. We wrap up looking at Homeland’s obsession with predicting or commenting on current events, often events that happen during the production or broadcasting of the show. We outline Alex Gansa’s recent admissions that the major creative players in the show – including Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin – attended four days of meetings at a private club in Georgetown. The meetings were arranged by former CIA deputy director John MacGaffin – the main consultant on Homeland – and involved currently serving CIA officers, State Department officials and White House staffers.

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Vimeo version

Show Notes:

Watch Homeland season 5

Alex Gansa on Homeland and Responding to Real Life Terrorism

Why fiction mirrored grim reality on Homeland this season

Homeland Is Not A Series

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged alex gansa, BND, CIA, claire danes, georgetown, hackers, Homeland, homeland hackers, John MacGaffin, Mandy pantinkin, Otto Durring, paris attacks, predictive programming, propaganda, Russia, season finale, Syria, terrorism, The Intercept | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 44 Homeland Season 5 ep 11

December 19, 2015 – 5:42 pm

On this penulitamte episode of our Homeland series Tom and I begin by venting about our hatred of Alison. Next we move onto the shows continual use of women as negative characters. WE discuss the similarities between Alison and real life Russian spy Anna Chapman. We look at the parallels between these two characters and the notion that Alison will receive a hero’s welcome if she returns to Russia. Next we explore if the Russian government would actually let an attack happen, as Homeland suggests, in order to galvanize the West to fight ISIS. Tom and I lay out some of our theories as to why the Russian’s don’t talk about the Gladio operations (Boston, 9/11, Paris) that they clearly are aware of. We discuss the emergence of yet another evil female spy this time in the form of a German Foreign Office offical. Later Tom and I discuss one of the major takeaways from this season: that the CIA no longer engages in torture. Through out this season we have seen several distinct plot lines that lead us to believe that the CIA no longer uses this brutal tactic. Tom and I discuss the moral issues surrounding torture and the aspects of torture that are never brought up in the debate. We discuss how the show uses the character of Marwan to illustrate that torture doesn’t work, and how this is most likely a deliberate propaganda move to wipe clean the CIA’s hands. We also note how the show has routinely made the German’s look not only like torturers, but Nazi’s and Stasi as well. Tom and I also touch on Hollywoods false portrayal of strong female characters in movies such as Spy, and how this is really just more of the same. Later we move onto the portrayal of Laura Poitras in the show and how this may reflect the CIA’s various desires to portray her as hero and villain. We round off the conversation by discussing some very interesting listener emails and tweets.

Tom and I briefly talk about our participation in a brand new media project being spearheaded by Sibel Edmonds at the end of the podcast.

Download PPR episode 44

Show Notes:

Homeland Season 5 episode 11 Our man in Damascus

Laili Helms

Laila Helms could be a character in Homeland

Kathryn Bigelow Prepping Jihadi Recruitment Drama for HBO

First Look Media snags Comedy Central and NBC alum Lisa Leingang

First Look Media wants to make the next “Spotlight”

Music:

DMX – X Gon Give It To Ya

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged 9/11, Anna chapman, BND, CIA, feminisim, First look media, germany, Gladio B, Hollywood, Homeland, ISIS, Kathryn Bigelow, Laila Helms, laili helms, Nazi, Paris attack, propaganda, Russia, sarin, stasi, Taliban, The Intercept, torture | Comments (0)

ClandesTime 065 Homeland Season 5 ep 10

December 11, 2015 – 1:06 pm

From SpyCulture:

This much more dramatic episode of Homeland was the basis for a fun review discussion this week, touching on the hints towards the deep state, the portrayal of the Laura Poitras character, the implausibility of the CIA’s handling of the Russian double agent problem and Pearse’s hatred of Allison. We also discuss the mysterious origins of ‘terrorist videos’, particularly those coming to us via the SITE intelligence group, and how this is reflected in Homeland, and discuss why this episode made an explicit reference to the recent attacks in Paris. We round off talking about Pearse’s enjoyment of the Carrie-Astrid relationship in the show, any my love of post-industrial architecture as the setting for both a jihadi terrorist cell and the CIA’s discovery of that gang.

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Show Notes:

Homeland Season 5 ep 10 The New Normal

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged 9/11, Assad, Berlin, Carrie Mathison, chemical weapons, CIA, conspiracy culture, Homeland, Paris attack, pierre omidyar, propaganda, Russia, SITE, Syria, terrorist videos | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 42 The Homeland Hackers

December 1, 2015 – 1:15 pm

Today Tom and I spoke to the now world famous “Homeland Hackers.” Heba Amin, Don Karl, and Caram Kapp sat down with us to discuss how they got the opportunity to work on the show and how they subverted it by filling the set with Arabic graffiti saying, among other things, “Homeland is racist” “Homeland is not a show” and of course our personal favorite, “Homeland is a watermelon.” We began the conversation by discussing how in fact they were chosen by the set designer to work on episode 2 of season 5. The artists described how the production did little to no research into what would be in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon, and essentially left them to their own devices once on set. Later we explored the show it self and how the propaganda with in Homeland has reached new levels of manipulation and racism. All three artists talked about how Arab’s and Arabic are used as mere window dressing and one dimensional plot devices for the show’s propaganda. Later we discussed the aftermath of the hack, and the typical media response; Muslim artist activists show the softer side of Islam. We also talk about how Laura Poitras and The Intercept got involved after the hack. As we wrapped up the discussion we got the seal of approval from Heba, Caram, and Don when we asked them about our podcast. In the outro section I talk about how Tom and I do not believe the rather crazy claims that this is some sort of CIA disinfo/ psy-op.

I have to say this was one of the most enjoyable and fascinating interviews I have conducted. Homeland is a Watermelon.

Download PPR episode 42

Show Notes:

“Arabian Street Artists” Bomb Homeland: Why we hacked an award-winning series

Homeland Hack News Coverage

Music:

Mr. Flagio – Take a Chance

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged alex gansa, arabic, Assad, caram kapp, CIA, don karl, graffiti, heba amin, Homeland, homeland hack, homeland is a watermelon, homeland is racist, Lebanon, Paris attack, racism, refugee camp, refugee crisis, The Intercept | Comments (2)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 40 Homeland Season 5 ep. 5

November 5, 2015 – 1:27 pm

In the latest of our Homeland reviews, Tom and I tackle the latest episode, ¨Better Call Saul.” In true form to this season, the fifth episode completely resets the original storyline and refocuses our attention to the evil Russians. Tom and I discuss this development and how it plays out in the episode. From the bombing of General Yusuf’s plane, to the hack, to the revelation of Alison being a double agent, it is now all about the Russians.

Later Tom and I explore in detail the infighting between the CIA and Mossad depicted this season. We discuss how this actually reveals several truths about the Mossad, yet masks them by protraying Russian intelligence as ultimately responsible for these squabbles. We once again tackle the concept of hyperreality in our discussion of the recent downing of the Russian Metrojet 9268 over Egypt.

As we wind down the conversation we look at a recently declassified Inspector Generals report on the CIA Entertainment Office which paints a very bizarre’ picture of how things actually work in Hollywood. We finish off the conversation by discussing the most insane example of hyperreality and this show: the artists who graffiti-hacked Homeland are making a film about it for Laura Poitras’s film unit at the Intercept.

Download PPR episode 40

Show Notes:

Homeland Season 5 episode 5

UK, US See Bomb Behind Downing of Russian Airliner in Egypt

CIA OIG Report on Entertainment Office

Field of Vision

Music:
Plastic Bertrand – Ca Plane Pour Moi

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged anonymous, anonymous mask, Carrie Mathison, double agent, field of vision, FSB, hacking, Homeland, hyperreality, ISIS, Israel, Metrojet Flight 9268, Mossad, Russia, russian plane crash, SVR, Syria, tom secker | Comments (0)

ClandesTime 060 Homeland Season 5 episode 2

October 14, 2015 – 9:49 pm

From ClandesTime:

Continuing our review series of the 5th season of Homeland Pearse joined me to discuss the second episode. We dwelt on the coinciding of real news events and storylines and dialogue in Homeland, asking how the show manages to pull this off so consistently. This episode establishes that former CIA black operations officer John MacGaffin is still working on the show, and we expanded on many of the topics from episode 1 – Syria, ISIS, Laura Poitras, the Snowden affair – showing how each real life topic is an explicit inspiration for this fictional series. The conversation also touched on the concept of hyperreality which is as relevant to Homeland as it is to any other TV show out there. We wrap up by asking for more of your comments and predictions for this new season.