Warning: This article contains SPOILERS concerning the television series “Homeland”.

“Homeland”, the award-winning, über-popular television show about a CIA agent and the involvement of an ex-prisoner-of-war with a powerful terrorist, walks the fine line of what a television show should be. Last Sunday’s episode, appropriately titled “Broken Hearts” had a lot of unbelievable moments and some interesting character interactions.

In the episode, we find Carrie, a bipolar CIA agent played by Claire Danes, getting captured by Abu Nazir, a leading terrorist, after a car accident. We also see Brody, played by Damian Lewis, help out Nazir regarding Vice President Walden, but not without the usual Brody internal struggle. And let’s not forget the useless B plots of Dana and Finn, and Jess and Mike.

Carrie and Nazir’s interaction was one of the most “could have been” of the episode, and could have been a lot more momentous than it really was. Carrie is the CIA expert (Read: Obsessed) on Nazir yet the conversation of organic food and beach houses did not really accomplish anything. Carrie kept calling him a terrorist and Nazir just insulted the wasteful ways of American life. She eventually gets free and calls the CIA. They send their people, but classic irrational Carrie thinks it’s a good idea to run back in with a lead pipe before the backup arrives.

While all this is going on Saul confronts Dar Udal, a secretive man (so secretive that he lives somewhere else every few weeks but somehow finds it safe to eat waffles at the same diner every Tuesday) in charge of black ops missions and Quinn (the sketchy guy that Saul and Carrie do not like because he appeared from nowhere). Saul gains a bunch of information on Quinn and what his purpose on the team is, so he confronts Estes. Then, they find out about Carrie and the plot-line is put on hold.

Jess continues to drag the dead cat of the marriage Brody and her have. She complains about the fact that Brody is always doing something wrong, always circling the point that she really likes Mike: she likes him enough to get intimate with him in close proximity to the kids.

Lastly Abu Nazir contacts Brody and he has to leave his family looking like he is having an allergic reaction. It seems actually that Brody has a phone where whenever anybody calls him he enters a Skype-sponsored video chat. He Skypes with Nazir and his family, while the secret service agents stand outside the Vice President’s office.

After three attempts by Nazir to kill Walden, the most logical third attempt was for Brody to steal Walden’s pacemaker serial number and give him a heart attack wirelessly. It works in the end and Brody gets the final word, but the pacemaker just did not seem like the next way to kill somebody.

Those moments of disbelief (Udal eating waffles at the same diner every Tuesday, Brody FaceTiming a known terrorist with his own family, Brody FaceTiming a known terrorist in the VP’s office, the fact that the CIA doesn’t wire tap the “ex-terrorist” Brody when he’s Facetiming a known terrorist and the fact that Nazir only uses wrist-ties to hold a prisoner) allowed for the plot to move forward and set up the show for a great final two episodes of the season. The plot may be getting absurd, but the acting, character development, and writing allows for that. This episode was the weakest of the season, but I faith in the writers being able to excavate themselves from this whole.

This show does a few things so exceptionally well that nobody cares about the few specific flaws it has. The show works because it simply juxtaposes an amazing character study and a cloak-and-dagger thriller. The crazy Carrie Mathinson is played brilliantly by the skilled Danes. Her mix of emotions is entertaining to watch. As dumb as it was for her to run back into Nazir’s hideout with just a lead pipe, I am enthralled by what will happen next. She’s legitimately psychotic and there may not be any other character on television that is as fun to watch.

Another draw of the show is putting Brody’s back against the wall. It seems as if every episode he has to solve another problem of morals on his own. In last week’s episode he had to deal with the saving the woman he has been involved with, Carrie, and killing Walden. The only way for Brody to do what Nazir wants is to get someone he loved in danger. But kill his running mate? In the end, he was rash and released all his anger, the reasons behind him becoming a terrorist in the first place, on Walden as he dies of a heart attack.

Those dumb flaws are laughable and act as a simple way to keep the plot moving forward. This episode may have some flaws, and it may not be the best episode yet, but it was a thrilling episode that provided moments that viewers have been waiting for all season.

“Homeland” airs Sundays at 9 pm on Showtime.