Homeland keeps getting better with every week passing. “There’s Something Else Going On” had me on the edge of my seat, with my heart clenched. The episode was tense, emotional, beautiful and surprising all at once. And what an ending that was!
Last week, Carrie had a heart-rending decision to make, choosing between Saul’s life and his trust. She betrayed her friend, her mentor, breaking her promise to save his life, and Saul’s becoming what he despises, what he fears, a pawn in Haqqani’s grand scheme of things. He doesn’t want the prisoners exchanged, doesn’t want the war they’ve been fighting to take a step back on his account, and this week again, Mandy Patinkin was incredible in his portrayal of Saul.
The episode takes place during the hours leading to the prisoner exchange, Saul’s wife, who we haven’t hear from or about for a while now, season premier if I’m not mistaken, calls Carrie. She wants to make sure Carrie is on board with the task at hand, getting Saul back, alive. She wants to be sure Saul isn’t expendable in Carrie’s eyes. It’s nice to continue seeing the more human, less robot, mission oriented Carrie. Things are harder when you don’t see things in black and white, but in different shades of grey. It must be hard for Carrie to slowly understand how she’s being perceived, because she thought Mira would be relieved to learn Lockhart wasn’t the one to be orchestrating the exchange, but she wasn’t. Mira was afraid of what Carrie would do, wanted to make sure Carrie remembered the person Saul is, before the job, before the CIA, that he shouldn't be expendable.
When finally, it’s time for the exchange, Carrie has her usual hunch that they’re missing something, that it doesn’t feel right. In a tense, where I almost stopped breathing moment, Saul is brought to the exchange rendezvous and hauled out of the car, along with a boy wearing a suicide vest.
Saul’s still in the same state of mine, he doesn’t want the exchange to happen, not on his watch, not if he can do anything with it. When he sees the five men in the orange jumpsuits start to march, he panics and as his breathing quickened, so did mine. He sits downs, him an the man with the detonator are both playing chicken, only Saul’s not bluffing, he’s not giving a f*ck as to what will happen to him, not caring the bomb will blow up, not caring he dies, that the boy dies, anyone dies.
Carrie’s the only one who has the possibility of getting through to Saul, so she goes to him, in a last effort to keep him alive, to keep the boy alive. And I seriously thought he was going to tell her to f*ck off, but when so much emotions are flying around, there’s not much place for grudges. He’s still mad, but Carrie can get through to him.
Carrie’s not leaving without him, she already has too many deaths on her conscience, one more just might send her over the edge. This was possibly the best scene of the episode, emotion-filled, heart-breaking, and it brought tears in my eyes, I can’t be the only one! It’s finally Carrie’s “I want to go home” that does for Saul, and he gets up, puts one foot in front of the other and marches, with Carrie back to his people.
Another major bomb last week was Aasar Khan’s revelation to Carrie that he Dennis Boyd was the mole and as it seems tonight is the episode where it all falls together. They know it’s him, everyone does, even the Ambassador. They’re trying to break him one step at a time, because the ISI is planning something big, something of National proportion, something relating to National security. But he denies it, blow after blow until the explosion. I don’t understand why he got in bed with those people in the first place. They keep telling that it’s because Sandy and him were friends, and convinced him it was for the war effort, but it seems thin. Obviously, now he’s just in way over his head, and just wants to save his own *ss, but why did he join their forces to begin with?
This ending shocked me completely, I wasn't expecting any of that. It was… wow, rendered me speechless. Saul, Carrie and the convoy bringing them back to the embassy is bombed. All the cars seem completely toast, how are they going to get out of this? Killing Brody was bold, but killing off Carrie AND Saul, that’s suicide. The American military is sent to the site.
Carrie has had a theory about Haqqani and his greater plan, that it all started way before Saul got kidnapped, that it involves Sandy, the wedding, the drone strikes in some way. She knows there’s something they’re missing. Is that why they wanted her out in the first place, poisoned her so she would lose her credibility? Because she’s good, sees things other people don’t and that would threaten their ultimate plan? I’m still unclear as to how everything from the first episodes connect with this, but with this episode, Haqqani’s bigger agenda is revealed. The prisoner exchange, it was a distraction, a red herring. With the military out of the embassy, out to help the convoy, he’s going to overturn it, take back control, through the tunnels. Did Dennis’ confession come in too late?
Sorry for the lack of dialoging last week. I’d love to hear you thoughts about the episode!
Am I the only one that would like a little more of Quinn?
