Morena Baccarin

Cheers to Morena Baccarin for proving she’s flesh and blood on Homeland.

The Brazilian-born actress is best known for her role as alien queen Anna on ABC’s short-lived sci-fi remake V. That makes her down-to-earth work as Jessica, the morally conflicted wife of tortured ex-POW Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) on Showtime’s anti-terrorism drama all the more refreshing. As Jessica deals with her husband’s PTSD — and grapples with the affair she had with his best friend after she assumed he was dead — Baccarin gives an emotionally (and sometimes physically) naked performance.

She’s not the only Homeland costar showing off a new side: Claire Danes displays an impressive toughness as a CIA agent whose obsession with exposing Brody as a sleeper borders on insanity, and Mandy Patinkin is admirably restrained as her wary mentor. Thanks to such a stellar ensemble, Homeland is truly out-of-this-world.

What do you think Homeland — and Morena Baccarin?