“Well that’s quite a story.” - Dar
This week’s extended Homeland episode was one of, if not THE best episode of the season, in my opinion. It went through a wide range of emotions. It made me gasp and awe. It made me shout and cry. The episode finally circled through a lot issues, gave answers and resolutions. And to top it all off “Litvinov Ruse” had all the spy shit that had me fall in love with the show in the first place. This episode was premium class TV.
Carrie and Saul started the season at odds with each other. Paraphrasing Saul, there was a fucking wall between them. Well, that fucking wall is no more. Finally. They’re back to working together, just like we want them too. “Litvinov Ruse” was the reunion between the two core characters, the real reunion, and it felt good. In a show like “Homeland,” a show with so much tension, so much drama, in a show with so deception and treachery, it’s a relief to see how some relationships can survive the toughest of times, how the characters can pull through and find their way to the people that matter.
“You broke his heart, you know, when you lobbied against his bid for the directorship.” - Etai
Their relationship is, for me, the “One True Pairing.” I don’t really care for the love stories, they’re simply fillers, what’s important is who you have in your corner, always, and that’s Saul for Carrie. Her reaction when finally she saw him, after everything she’s experienced this season, alone, and how he opened his arms leading to their overdue hug, was more heartwarming. We could see and feel how bad he felt for being so hard on her when she came to him for help, see that everything else seems to be water under the bridge.
Last week, Carrie had put it all together: Allison, the lawyer, the Russians, everything. It seemed simple enough for us, with all the information laid before us, that she’d see the connection. Putting myself in Saul’s shoes, I have to agree with him, the screensaver picture of an Italian bar that Allison liked, on a Russian spy’s computer, is stretch. It’s very little to go on, very little to condemn someone for. But while the picture is definitely a stretch, Saul knows to trust the woman’s instincts, so he does. He trusts that the picture points to a deeper and more personal connection between the Berlin Station Chief and her asset, and go about to prove it, or disprove it.
Saul and Carrie go about it smartly, asking for help outside the CIA, to the Germans. This episode was free of Otto and his weird, undefined agenda, free of Laura and her annoying agenda, and free of Jonas, who’s simply annoying, and that was a good thing, there was already enough things going on here. “Litvinov Ruse” was really top class spy material as the German Officials play Allison and Dar. Because this season, he’s too stupid to be kept in the loop. Explaining how an important wannabe Russian defector had contacted them, they hope to catch Allison off balance, and to get proof of her treason, thus proving that Allison is playing on two teams. Little did they know they’d find another field completely she’d been playing on. The red-head has balls of steel. Allison, your cover might be blown. Hum… Vietnamese or Italian?
Their first run at her yields nothing except the pasta induced sexcapade which Saul had trouble watching. The episode showcased him having trouble with the whole idea of Allison being a traitor, and of being with someone else. Did Saul really have feelings for Allison?
If he did, I have trouble accepting that. Astrid’s facial expression when she let Carrie in on the information mimicked my feelings on the subject. Through his actions this week, I see someone who’s genuinely hurt, genuinely troubled by the idea, on a personal level. In the past few episodes, I read their relationship as one of convenience, not one of feelings. Did I really misread the whole thing? I guess so. A melodramatic Saul, who I believe honestly sees their night as the last time he sees her, used his connection to plant the bug in Allison’s bag and phone. As I mentioned before, this episode was filled with spy induced tension, and as Saul was planting the bug I think I stopped breathing in order to make as little noise as possible. The scene was simply beautifully done.
I loved how out of the loop Carrie was about it, but there really was no way she could have lessened the blow. This omission amplified how far apart they have been for the last few years, but only brings them closer in that moment. I’d had momentarily forgotten how Carrie had been there, just like Saul, in love with a traitor. It’s another thing to bond over guys, and it was a sweet and totally called for interaction between them.
When Allison doesn’t seem to be taking the bait, the team decides it’s time to up the ante. Astrid goes to Allison to explain to her, in confidence, that the deflector has inside information, and proof of Russian infiltration in the Berlin CIA Station. A previously calm and composed Allison starts to panic, realising the predicament she’s in, understanding she’d been burned. In a totally Homeland fashion, she makes a run for it. It was a scene in which I loved the scenery, the tempo, and the feel, and while I understand the length of her ditching tactics were an important part of her escape route, in my opinion, it dragged on a little, but maybe that was only on my second watch. Anyone share the feeling?
“Calm down? Oh, I’m calm. I am very calm. How the fuck could you be so careless? Unbelievable.”
-Yvan
-Yvan
Allison makes it to the SVR Safe-house only to be told by Yvan, that it’s not possible. That she’d been played. When the federal police crashed into the compound, there was momentary panic, but she can play that game too, and she’s damn good at it. Allison managed to weave a story that may very well save her ass, for now. Did Allison just win my respect, and Dar lose it? I mean she’s an awful human being, but damn, she’s quick on her feet. I can respect that, and fear it. As for Dar, I’ll have to give him the benefit of the doubt on, until next week.
On to the second, but in no way less important, portion of the episode Quin’s predicament goes from bad to worst. This storyline didn’t have as much build-up as the Russians, but that doesn’t relieve it of its capacity to pull the heartstrings. Homeland has, since its beginning, been about the war on terror, and that what we see here, a desperate Quinn fighting for his life, and for the better good.
Quinn had thought he had been recruited to lead a team back to Syria, to fight, when in reality he’d been played. He was the missing piece they needed in order to make the demonstration of the Serine Gas, in the hopes of having their demands met. Quin was the alternative to the soldier they would have captured, or the Jew. Am I the only one who’s eyes widened when I heard. A Jew, in a gas chamber, no one goes there… ever. Especially in Germany, that's a bold move.
“Maybe it’s Allah’s will that you stop this.” -Quinn
Quin knows exactly who he can turn on his brother, who will sympathise and become his unlikely ally, the person who’d never been into a warzone, never killed someone. After the guy watches the effect the poisonous gas on a Youtube video, the guy has a crisis of conscience but when it’s too late to dump the DF, he tells Quinn to make a run for as he is about to enter the gas chambers. He tackles him to the floor and injects him with the atropine, the anti-poison that will maybe save his life.
It’s what I love to hate about this show. After Brody’s death, I feel that no one, maybe except Carrie, is ultimately safe. It’s a rare quality in shows to fear for your characters well-being. No, I did not watch Game of Thrones, but I hear it’s a lot deadlier. In “Homeland,” everything doesn’t always go as planned for the protagonists so maybe he will live, maybe he won’t. There’s still a real possibility he’ll die, or that he’ll have long lasting nerve damage. Quin was exposed to a ton of poison, is it really possible for him to walk away without a scratch. It was a pretty gruesome scene to watch, A+ acting here, but can Quin really fake that good?
“Maybe you will live.”
