Posted on 10/30/2012 2:08:38 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
Would that really happen to Brody? Samantha Zalaznick talks to an intelligence expert about the level of realism within Showtime’s Emmy Award–winning drama Homeland. WARNING: Contains major spoilers for Sunday’s episode. Read at your own risk.
Last night's (sic Oct. 28) Homeland thrillingly ripped itself open. Over the course of a single episode, Brody (Damian Lewis) was outed, as he admitted to working with Abu Nazir (Navid Negabhan), loving Issa, and planning to kill VP William Walden (Jamey Sheridan). It’s all out on the intense interrogation table between Carrie (Claire Danes) and Brody. So now they’re double flipping him, and Brody's going to help the CIA stop Nazir’s impending attack, while we go back to debating which side he’s really on.
Last night's episode approached 24 status with a knife through Brody's hand, so we thought it'd be a good time to do some intelligence work of our own and find out—could any of this really happen?
The Daily Beast checked in with former counterterrorism planner, CIA expert, and Homeland fan Rick “Ozzie” Nelson, and the answer is ... no, not really. We talked about this interrogation and other plot points we’ve questioned, and Nelson breaks down for us what’s real and, mostly, what’s not.
Can the CIA even operate in the U.S.?
Rick “Ozzie” Nelson: No, the CIA does not conduct domestic spying or collect intelligence on U.S. citizens. It's not their job, it's the job of the FBI. So if there were a counterintelligence threat in the U.S., whether it's an agent from a foreign nation that was trying to collect intelligence or there was a terrorist cell operating, the FBI would have the lead on that because it has to fall under legal construct.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
My wife, a registered nurse, refuses to watch any dramatized TV shows or movies about hospitals or the medical profession because she finds them so unbelievable. So too with me and my line of work.
Homeland is fun to watch anyways ... sort of a subdued version of "24".
I stopped watching Homeland this season. Everyone was flawed and unlikable. At least with 24 I could root for the good guys and offing Jack would be terrible unfortunately if that woman CIA agent in Homeland was offed it wouldn’t have me sobbing.
Very likely ...Because agents are FOREIGN NATIONALS!! - spies handled by CIA officers.
I believe if the US citizen is outside the US —especially for a long time— then they can and do collect intel about them.
I did not read the article as I didn’t want to spoil it for me. But I’m a loyal Homeland devotee.
I like Homeland, but for realism, I like NCIS Los Angeles. Agents in shorts, wall sized touch screens, and a midget woman Director - doesn’t get much more real than that.
I suggest not letting the government change the terms we've been using from childhood.
The vernacular calls newts and salamanders lizards!
They most certainly are not!
I refuse to surrender accuracy for common usage.
There’s spoilers before you even click on the article.
But c'mon ...
For these guys "officer" just doesn't cut it.
With the exception of a few news/political programs, I stopped watching TV years ago. I refuse to feed the beast.
I hate this show. It makes out Marines as muslim converts and Manchurian-like candidate jihad-is. Also, the female officer’s conduct is so unprofessional (ie. sleeping with suspects and addicted to prescription meds) that she would have been fired as soon as the problems were discovered.
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