Clark Johnson

After a mostly averse critical reaction to last week’s “Game On,” Homeland returns this week with a more recognizable entry in the series that looks and feels like it could have come from the earlier version of this series that viewers enjoyed for the first season and a half. There is the traditional espionage sequence – the Yoga Play that gives the episode its title – accompanying some smoke and mirrors fare surrounding our big bad (Javadi). Even though those familiar Homeland trappings are there, though, they mostly fall short because of how well the series has done this kind of stuff in the past.

With the return of Brody to Homeland, there’s a lot at stake without even addressing how effective his incorporation into “Tower of David” is. If you look elsewhere on TV, you’ll find another series that begins its new season dealing with the temporary absence of an important character – The Governor on The Walking Dead. In both circumstances, these characters were used well last year at certain points, but were also used rather poorly at other points, culminating in season finale departures that raised a lot of questions (such as “Do we buy into this whole Carrie/Brody relationship?” and “Is Brody even a necessary part of this series? Are any of the Brody family members?” and “Is there any point in letting the The Governor live?” and “Was there a point in building up all that conflict between Woodbury and the prison if it was going to remain unresolved?”).

When Homicide: Life on the Street premiered in January 1993 after the Super Bowl, it leaped into a different world than the standard hour-long dramas. There were a few exceptions like Hill Street Blues that provided an inspiration, but Creators Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana were entering uncharted territory. The cast lacks the typical pretty …

Last Resort, Season 1, Episode 11: “Damn the Torpedoes” Written by Patrick Massett and John Zinman Directed by Clark Johnson Airs Thursdays at 8pm (ET) on ABC Before the show’s winter hiatus, Chaplin had formed an uneasy alliance with the Chinese for supplies to the island in exchange for cooperation. The terms of the negotiation …

The Walking Dead, Season 2, Episode 8: “Nebraska” Written by Evan T. Reilly Directed by Clark Johnson Airs Sundays at 9pm ET on AMC “Nebraska” opens, as it should and as one might reasonably expect, immediately following the zombie massacre that satisfyingly capped off the first half of The Walking Dead‘s second season. Given the …