It’s actually quite coincidental that today I watched clips from The X-Files and reminisced about a time of faster-paced television because Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, who worked on the show and later 24, just premiered their new series, Homeland.

For those who have seen those other two series, this “Pilot” was a ride through familiar territory of politics, conspiracies, and the like. And while Homeland won’t ever be The X-Files (it’s just not wired that way), it’s definitely damn good and a breath of fresh air in our current TV landscape.

Carrie: I’m just making sure we don’t get hit again!

In this post-9/11 world, we do our best to keep the country safe no matter what the cost. That cost is exactly what Homeland is concerned about:

The cost to the public who would be at risk of a terrorist attack if Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) does nothing. The cost to Nicholas Brody’s (Damian Lewis) family and wife (Morena Baccarin) when they lose all privacy after Carrie places them under secret surveillance. The cost to Carrie and her old boss Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) for doing something illegal in order to protect the country. Even the cost to Brody himself if they drag his name through the mud without proof of his terrorist ties.

Carrie: An American prisoner of war has been turned.

So it’s important to be aware of all that’s at stake as Carrie points the finger at and begins to take action against Brody. More to the point, there’s nothing to even suggest she’s right. Carrie’s simply relying on her gut instinct and the unreliable warning she was given by a prisoner in Iraq.

This is all the information we’re given about what’s going on, and yet, for some reason, we put all our faith in Carrie from the start. Why? Well, even though Carrie is noticeably eccentric, she’s also smart and driven. (Claire Danes is always brilliant at playing these clever yet off-kilter characters.) It isn’t until much later that we’re given a reason to believe her. She has a point when she asks Brody’s debrief panel: Why was Brody tortured and kept alive for eight years?

David Estes: What did I tell you when I agreed to give her one more chance? I said it would end badly, for both of you.

Unfortunately, this is also when Carrie’s own credibility starts to unravel in our eyes. We find out she’s taking anti-psychotics. She was put on probation and reassigned to Langley after conducting an unauthorized operation in Iraq. And she seeks out and sleeps with men who won’t be interested in anything long term. So Carrie is clearly no stranger to problems or controversy. Who should we really be trusting here?

Carrie turns out to be the ultimate unreliable narrator. For those who saw The Killing, she reminds me of Sarah Linden, someone who leads the investigation but whose methods we question. Homeland also shares another thing in common with The Killing, it’s the twisty mind-bending thriller the other show started to but ultimately only wishes it could have been.

But I have faith this show is going to turn out a lot better because just as the episode ends, and we’re unsure on what we should believe, it’s revealed Brody has been actually sending a secret signal to someone while he’s on camera. Not only that, but in flashback we learn he’s also responsible for the death of his partner. It seems Brody really is the terrorist we’ve been led this whole time to believe.

Carrie: If somebody’s trying to make contact with Brody, it’ll only happen once.

Yes, maybe Brody just has a nervous tic in his hand that looks like morse code. Or maybe he’s only convinced himself that he killed his partner. Regardless, the knowledge of what we believe to be true still makes the last shot of Brody standing in front of the White House that much more haunting.

This season on Homeland:

Brody is haunted by his time as a POW and all the things they said and did to him. They made him question his country, his comrades, and his wife. All of this can’t be good for someone who’s suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and whose psyche is clearly already fragile.

Is Brody now a terrorist? Or is he not a terrorist until he takes that final step? You’ll have to watch Homeland to find out.