Showtime lets them [the producers] take their time to spin serpentine story lines, gradually pulling us deep into one very sticky, scary web of intrigue.
It's no lie to say you don't get this sort of stylish and challenging stuff very frequently on TV, adult subject matter treated maturely in a series that makes you squirm and think.
Homeland juggles a number of subplots and minidramas, which fortunately don't turn out to be either intimidating or confusing because they're introduced smoothly and painlessly.