Tom Secker returns for the second installment of our discussion on the sixth season of Homeland. We begin with a quick recap of the past several episodes before diving into the big themes going on this season. Tom and I begin by focusing on the character of Dar Adal and the notion that he represents a faction of the now infamous deep state. We talk about the mysterious private intelligence firm that Adal is using for assassinations, false flag bombings, and information operations. Tom and I discuss what exactly the CIA is getting out of having their favorite TV portray such a nefarious and shadowy organization at the center of the season plot-line. We also touch on the fact that the CIA is virtually nonexistent in this season and what that may mean. The two of us talk about the fact that Homeland has successfully made this whole season revolve around the meme of “fake news” and big data as a powerful tool for manipulation. We talk about the fact that these ideas were woven into the script months before they became talking points for the general public. Tom talks about the power of the fake news meme as a tool of the CIA and National Security State. We also explore the character of Brett O’Keefe who is the greatest characterization of Alex Jones ever. Tom and I talk about O’Keefe’s role as a deep state contractor for Dar Adal, and his efforts to create sock puppet accounts to influence public opinion.
In the second hour Tom ask the question if the CIA is telling us that Alex Jones is in fact an agency asset through Homeland. We explore the various interpretations of the O’Keefe – Jones character and what the CIA may be trying to tell us about the alt-media and conspiracy culture in general. Tom also tells us about his articles in The American Journal of Economics and Sociology. I finish off the show by discussing the increasingly dire situation in Yemen and why no one is talking about it.
For this inaugural episode I am joined by my good friend and frequent collaborator Tom Secker. We begin by discussing the bizarre life and career of the CIA Hollywood liaison Chase Brandon. We then move onto the relationship between entertainment and the security services. We explore the notion that this going beyond mere propaganda, and instead represents a significant distortion of our culture and perception of reality and world events. Tom and I finish off by discussing the recent coup attempt in Turkey and some of our problems with the way the alt-media has covered this event.
I recently had the pleasure of joining Robbie Martin on Media Roots Radio. We discussed The CIA and Hollywood series and the upcoming second season. I also discuss Newsbud and all the amazing things you can look forward to with this new media platform.
John and Myself(Chris) have another excellent discussion with returning guest Pearse Redmond. We discuss the Showtime series ‘Homeland’, Media Manipulation and Coordination, Hyperrealistic Training Exercises, Predictive Programming,The Giffords Shooting, The Mass Shooting Epidemic, Islamic Terrorism, Politics, Donald Trump, Professional Wrestling, The Left-Right Paradigm.
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.
Today Pearse and I discuss the latest 6th episode of Homeland, ‘Parabiosis’ which saw the return of the classic spies vs jihadis type of storyline. We looked at the two halves of the story – Quinn holed up in a refugee hostel/terrorist halfway house and ultimately him killing the Reel Bad Arab Hajik, and Saul’s rediscovering that he is actually a skilled secret agent. Both of these storyline are less about inducing a state of hyperreality and much more about shaping our perceptions of the real world. We discuss, for example, why it is that Russia is portrayed in Homeland as a patient, sneaky, intelligent people, but in news media supposedly reporting on real life events they are portrayed as brutish thugs. In the other storyline we dissect the fight scene between Quinn and Hajik as a metaphor for the struggle between Western military-intelligence establishments and Islam.
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.
Porkins Policy Review 