"The War at Home", the title pretty much summing up exactly what the story is all about, has proven to be somewhat of a love or hate episode. With the most common criticisms from what has been seen and heard being the military being portrayed in an unflattering light (sure their portrayal is less than positive, but many episodes in the franchise and in similar shows did this a lot and in some cases less tastefully), too much Goren and Goren being out of character.
Count me in as one of those people who actually loves "The War at Home", while actually sort of understanding why others don't (the Goren being out of character criticism in my view though isn't taking into account enough Goren's situation and that his state of mind and way of thinking would actually be different to normal). It is not an easy episode to watch, both the case and even more so Goren's subplot being truly hard-hitting, even for a show and franchise that are quite uncompromising in the first place, but it's easy to figure out from the synopsis that it was not going to be.
Although the case may not be the most complex in the world, or the most non-stop tense, it has enough turns to avoid over-obviousness while also not being convoluted. The perpetrator and motive were not expected. Better though is the truly harrowing and poignant Goren personal life subplot, that really stuck in my mind a lot on first viewing and still has that quality. His personal life was illuminating and really hit hard and was relatable. To be honest, it is no surprise and understandable when he breaks and it is amazing that he didn't do it earlier on in the show if it was that bad (that enormity of pressure would break anybody).
Vincent D'Onofrio cannot be raved about enough, a gut-wrenching, intense and heart-rending performance. Kathryn Erbe contrasts with him beautifully and her serious side was great to see, as was her clear care for Goren. There are excellent supporting performances all round, Fran Drescher (better known for comedy) and Rita Moreno (best known to me as Anita from 'West Side Story') are both against type and pull their interesting characters off beautifully. Especially Moreno in a performance that is as powerful as D'Onofrio's. Ross didn't bother me here for the first time.
Photography and such as usual are fully professional, the slickness still remaining. The music is used sparingly and is haunting and non-overwrought when it is used, and it's mainly used when a crucial revelation or plot development is revealed. The direction has some nice tension while keeping things steady, without going too far the other way. The script is taut and emotionally varied, never rambling.
In my view, this episode is brilliant. 10/10
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