Brody features a lot in the second episode and we see some of his dreams which mean that we feel sorry for him. His dreams are horrible and build up tension. The dreams take place back in Iraq post 9/11. The dreams are uncomfortable to watch due to the music increasing in volume, it's used to highlight Brody's feelings whilst causing a scene of tension for the audience for example when he's trapped in his cell cradled in the corner, the loud ringing enhances his paranoia.
You see from Brody's expressing he's angry and disgusted that he's burying Walker. Hearing him sing a patriotic song targets the audiences' raw emotions as it's likely they can relate to having friends and family in the marines. The loud shot wakes Brody up which suggest his dream isn't the real version of events. This allows the audience to question Brody further. What isn't he remembering? Why is he dreaming something different? This could suggest that Brody's doubting his actions and is dreaming of different, more noble circumstances as he's still mentally scarred from the horrific events. This is reinforced by the sense of being trapped in his home when he sits in the corner flash backing to his prison cell in Iraq.
Some good analysis of the sequence here, but you aren't really addressing the question. How does this sequence evoke feelings in the audience and then position them to Brody's character? Is the audience's relationship with Brody an uneasy one? Do we trust him?
ReplyDeleteUltimately, sympathy is a very powerful emotion when positioning an audience. Once we sympathise with a character, we have been positioned to identify with them; we are close to them whether we want to be or not. Homeland constantly challenges its audience to identify with Brody (and Carrie) even though they do things we dont agree with or find hard to understand.