It's fitting that the Season 2 finale of "Homeland" was titled "The Choice," because I'm pretty sure many viewers approached it wondering whether they would choose to return for Season 3 or decide it's time to break up with "Homeland."

At its core, "Homeland" has always been first and foremost a show about two characters: Nicholas Brody, the heroic POW who fell under the sway of his captor, Abu Nazir; and Carrie Mathison, the bipolar CIA officer whose unpleasant personality makes her really good at her job. For all its increasingly loony plot twists, the show has stayed true to those characters, allowing them to evolve in mostly believable ways and bringing them together in a mostly swallowable fashion.

Now this is the "Homeland" we've been waiting for! In "Two Hats," the writers piled intrigue on top of intrigue. That tension was there from the start, coiled tight as a spring, as Estes, Quinn, Saul and Carrie puzzle over the disappearance of Brody.

Are the writers signaling to us that Nicholas Brody's days are numbered? It doesn't seem possible that Showtime would give Damian Lewis the Sean Bean treatment ... But clearly, the countdown to Abu Nazir's big attack is under way.

Nazir's plan to attack America is in its final stages -- "Things are going to move very quickly now," Roya promises with homicidal glee -- and both the terrorist's network and the CIA have big plans for Brody.

Nod your head if you understand why I love "Homeland." Yes, this series has been edging toward soap-opera territory at times. And yet, the good stuff is so good that there's no way I'm quitting it now.

I have a feeling "Q&A" may end up being the most divisive episode of "Homeland" yet -- maybe even moreso than last year's mostly acclaimed finale.

Uh, now what? Saul's plan made so much sense. Even Estes was on board! But then Carrie proved yet again that she's incapable of not going rogue -- and the writers proved that they are the Honey Badgers of premium cable.

You've got to hand it to the writers of "Homeland": They don't play it safe. Now we're left with a whole host of what-next questions, and that's just the beginning of what happened in this tense, eventful hour of television.

After weeks of hype, "Homeland" is back where it belongs: on our TV screens! And judging from tonight's Season 2 premiere, didn't need to worry about the show finding a way to generate tension after solving the central mystery of Season 1.

Obama and the Dark Knight know that it's hard to get credit for averting a catastrophe, but Carrie's situation is even worse. She's living proof of Kurt Vonnegut's famous observation that "a sane person to an insane society must appear insane."

It's not easy being Carrie Mathison, that's for sure. In this tense, suspenseful episode of 'Homeland,' we finally learn the truth about her myster...