Sometimes I feel that Showtime has an arbitrary number of sex scenes, violence and curse words they have to reach every episode, and they just sort of write episodes around these requirements. Sometimes, though, they actually write a pretty good show. This is a prime example. The show has a plot that's similar to its brilliant predecessor, "Sleeper Cell," but lacks the enormously high stakes and tension that made SC such an engrossing show. Luckily, it's managed to crawl out from under the 24/sleeper cell husk and find some new ground in a genre that has been very well trodden. It does this with the exquisite use of Claire Danes, making sure that the story isn't just, "intrepid CIA agent versus charismatic yet sinister terrorist," and is instead, "mildly psychotic CIA agent versus mildly psychotic terrorist." As I said before, I feel like Showtime is constantly throwing sex and violence in my face, sometimes for no good reason, just in case I forget what I'm paying for, but none of it actively detracted from the entertainment, just slowed it down, like they were running out the clock. Also, without spoiling anything, I want to say that the show has set up a rather unbelievable turn around in one of the character's motivation. And while they have an entire season to explain that turn (which I am very excited to discover), I feel that with all the other sub plots they've introduced and the myriad they will likely pile on as time goes by, I doubt that one season is going to be enough time. And if I have to wait until season 2 to figure out why a character is doing literally anything they are doing, I'm going to be unhappy.