'Homeland' and 'The Invisible Hand'

That’s the conclusion I came to watching the final episode of Homeland’s fourth season and The Invisible Hand, the powerful new play by Ayad Akhtar, now running at New York Theatre Workshop.

Homeland, the powerhouse espionage thriller that has kept everyone glued to the TV on Sunday nights, tells of the adventures of Carrie Mathison, a daring and determined CIA officer who goes where angels fear to tread – this time, Pakistan. Carrie (Claire Danes) has been appointed head of the CIA unit in Islamabad, and her mission is to avenge the brutal murder of her predecessor. We expect her to succeed, given her track record in accomplishing the impossible at home and abroad over the past three seasons, as well as her medical condition (bipolar disorder), which in Carrie’s case is an asset, endowing her with extraordinary energy and powers of insight.

Treacherous terrain

Through a series of hair-raising plot twists and turns, we see Pakistan as a treacherous terrain where your closest colleague can be your enemy and vice versa, where nothing is sacred and nothing is safe. It’s a frightening no-man’s-land where, literally, you can trust no man. There are the factions of the government, the military, the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), and the Taliban, all of which are vying for power and willing to sacrifice anyone for self-interest.

The American side is its mirror image. There is a mole within the American diplomatic team, resulting in a horrifying massacre at the embassy. There’s a treacherous power struggle between the State Department and the CIA, and within the CIA. Meanwhile, Carrie will not hesitate to sacrifice members of her own team — even, at one point, her beloved mentor Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) — to accomplish her mission.

Yes, the Pakistan of Homeland is unknowable to a culture like ours that sees the rest of the world in black and white. Writer Alex Gansa has done his homework. As we know, Pakistan — a country whose military harbored bin Laden; whose diplomatic dealings are unpredictable; and whose Taliban recently massacred 132 school children — is a land of violent contradictions beyond our comprehension.

The many faces of Pakistan

Whereas Homeland offers dozens of characters to portray the face of Pakistan, playwright Ayad Akhtar accomplishes the same — and more — with only four. In The Invisible Hand, this playwright of Pakistani descent goes to the heart of the matter, namely, “the confluence and conflict of everyone’s self-interest” (as the title’s use of Adam Smith’s term suggests).

Nick Bright, an American bank official, has just been captured by Pakistani terrorists and is being held for ransom. He’s being guarded by Dar, a compassionate underling who tends to his needs and surreptitiously removes Nick’s handcuffs to ease the pain. Soon, Nick is accosted by his volatile captor Bashir, who threatens to kill him. But as Nick explains to Bashir and his pious uncle, the Imam, they’ve captured the wrong man. Nick is only Number Two at the bank, so they won’t come up with the unrealistic $10 million to free him.

So Nick makes a counteroffer. He has $3 million stashed away in an off-shore bank, and he’ll give that to his captors and tutor Bashir how to play the stock market and raise the remaining funds. It’s a wonderful plot premise, and the dramatic payoffs in this gripping two-hour parable are considerable. Nick and Bashir soon form a strong bond of fellowship and collegiality, in their quest for the same goal.

Ideology vs. self-interest

But, predictably, true human nature (greed and power lust) reveals itself. As Nick (the voice of realpolitik) explains: “This is what money does to people — you get a taste of it, and it goes to your head.” As the money rolls in, tables turn and alliances shift among the four characters. The elements of ideology and loyalty break down, and self-interest and survival instinct take over. Soon, Bashir and the Imam become locked in a power struggle, and Nick finds himself in peril. Nick’s adage — “He who controls the currency controls the day” — plays itself out to a heart-stopping conclusion.

The title of Akhtar’s powerful, provocative drama evokes Adam Smith, but it also refers to the handshake between Nick and Bashir, pledging that if the funds are raised, Bashir will set him free. Does Bashir keep his word? Can he? Akhtar has captured that country’s complexities and at the same time offers universal insights into man’s fundamental relationship to his fellow man.

Looking for the truth

What is our hope of understanding this complex country? I turned to the riveting 2010 documentary Bhutto, which celebrates the life of Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of Pakistan. An avowed humanitarian as well as a charismatic leader, Bhutto was assassinated in 2007 after receiving the United Nations prize in the field of human rights. In the film, family members implied that Bhutto knew that martyrdom was her destiny. Yet, viewing this moving documentary, one can’t help believe that a country that produced such a great leader will one day produce another.

Thrillers like Homeland may exploit the tragic realities of this country for entertainment purposes. Meanwhile, playwrights like Akhtar and documentary producers like Mark Siegel still hold out hope for this conflicted country. If only we could understand Pakistan — and ourselves.

Photo of Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin by Kent Smith (© Copyright: Showtime 2012); Photo of Benazir Bhutto by iFaqeer via Creative Commons/Wikimedia.