The prospect of foiling the plot against the President-elect appears even bleaker as the CIA’s Dar Adal stymies our heroes at every turn. By the end of this episode, Saul’s planned meeting between President-elect Keane and Iran Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) chief Javadi backfires miserably, and Quinn is almost murdered by the mysterious stranger in the knit cap.
Dar never disappoints when the viewer wonders what new depths of depravity he can reach. To discredit the President-elect even more, Dar now conspires with right-wing TV host Brett O’Keefe. The Rush Limbaugh clone has now prepared a show featuring soldiers who served under Keane’s son and claim he was a coward in the battle in which he was killed—so much for respecting Gold Star mothers.
Dar quashes Saul’s plan as well. Saul needs Carrie to arrange a meeting between President-elect Kean and Javadi but finds his former protégé distraught after losing custody of her daughter Franny. Ever resourceful, Saul gains Carrie’s cooperation by bringing her to the home of the foster family where Franny is staying and enabling her to see her daughter from afar.
In return, Carrie arranges the meeting with the incoming president. Contrary to his previous information, Javadi advises the stunned President-elect that Iran is indeed violating the nuclear agreement and developing a parallel program with North Korea. An outraged Saul confronts Javadi after the meeting, only to learn that the IRGC chief believes it safer to cast his lot with Dar and lie to President-elect Keane. Carrie, meanwhile, pleads with Keane and insists Javadi was lying. Her appeal falls on deaf ears. Keane, clearly irritated, tells Carrie she made a mistake trusting her and walks away.
Saul and Carrie have not only lost their best ally in foiling Dar’s plot but have inadvertently convinced Keane that Iran is deceiving the U.S.
A recurrent theme throughout Homeland’s run has been Carrie’s growing isolation from those closest to her, and this season is no exception. Thanks to Dar, Carrie’s friend Quinn has been spirited away and held captive, her daughter has been wrenched from her custody, and now she has alienated her most powerful ally, the President-elect of the United States. Two other characters she began to develop relationships with, Sekou Bah and FBI Agent Conlin, have been murdered. As in past seasons, only Saul remains, but both of them are now alone and seemingly without hope.
Quinn, while acting friendly with Astrid, secretly resists his captivity. While she is out jogging, Quinn finds her phone and gun in her car. He unloads the gun and throws the bullets away, a decision he will later regret. While the two are out shopping, Quinn suddenly spots the mysterious stranger in a convenience store and then at a nearby motel. That night his mood towards Astrid sours as he fires questions at her about her role in his confinement. In a rage, he doubles Astrid over with a punch to the gut, takes her car, goes to the motel and bashes the stranger on the head with a tire iron—unfortunately, it’s the wrong stranger.
Quinn sheepishly returns to Astrid and begs her forgiveness. Suddenly a shot pierces the window—this time it is the stranger, armed and hunting Quinn. Astrid rushes to her car and grabs her weapon, which, thanks to Quinn, is unloaded. Defenseless, she is shot dead by the stranger. He then pursues Quinn, and in a hail of gunfire, hears his prey fall into the lake. Assuming Quinn is dead, the stranger leaves.
But all is not lost. As the episode ends, Quinn suddenly emerges from the lake. He’s had a rough season so far—beaten up and robbed by a street punk, arrested in a police raid, placed in a psych ward, and imprisoned by Dar. He’s mad as hell, and I suspect at some stage he will release that pent-up anger in a well justified rampage against Dar, the murderous stranger, and anyone else involved in their plot.
Nailed it: When Javadi meets the President-elect, she says she understands he is working with the CIA. Javadi denies it and claims that he and Saul “sometimes speak when it’s beneficial.” Javadi’s response is fairly typical of spies, especially high level ones, who prefer to rationalize their espionage under more noble motives. Of course, while Javadi may be casting the relationship as a mutual back channel, it’s certainly been “beneficial” for him since the CIA has deposited the handsome sum of $45 million in his escrow account.
Failed it: Dar is about to add yet another violation to his litany of sins as he conspires with the right-wing TV host. The CIA is strictly prohibited from engaging in propaganda that could influence U.S. public opinion. Then again, this pales by comparison with Dar’s involvement in murder and plotting against the incoming President.
Failed it again: Saul’s abysmal tradecraft in dealing with Javadi has improved—but not much. He stashes his prize asset away in a homeless shelter, which is infinitely better than meeting him at a hockey game, but it’s still a public place. A real operator would find a venue for an asset like Javadi completely out of the public eye.
