The crazy things about that crazy Homeland episode, “Still Positive,” in order of increasing craziness:
5. Dana Brody changes her name. A pretty sensible development, actually, and it was nice to see Jessica back her up on it. Hopefully, every moment of harmony between daughter and mother brings us closer to the two of them not being in the show at all. But it's not clear what we were supposed to get from the clerk recognizing them—yes, it underlined idea that the Brodys will remain tainted even if they change their names, but what’s gained by having that news delivered by a condescending Christian stereotype?
4. Dar Adal joins Team Lockhart. We don’t really know who Dar Adal is, so there’s no real twist to the fact that he’d play yes-man for the incoming boss at the expense of the old one. But also: Anyone else feel like they’d also be on Senator Lockhart’s side were it not for his pompousness? He says the CIA seems to be poorly run, which, given the other events of this episode, remains incontrovertible. Adal gives the sensible response one would give to the new guy who’s hoping for no surprises on Day One—"God forbid"—and then slightly mischaracterizes the conversation to Saul. Viewers root for Saul, so it’s no fun to see Adal turn away from him. But the fact that Saul trusted him in the first place just adds to the growing perception that our sad master spy is a surprisingly poor judge of character.