We’re back in Islamabad and Carrie’s back to being her bossy, childless self. She takes her first few moments back in Pakistan to visit the scene where Sandy was killed. For the first time in a while, we see her register some semblance of emotion but it’s still work-related so she doesn’t get too many brownie points for that.
At Langley, Quinn’s attempting, for the second time, to leave the CIA. As previously discussed, the man is damaged, stressed, and wants to get the hell out of dodge and after all he’s seen? I can’t particularly blame him. But, as per CIA protocol, they have to make sure everything’s kosher with him before he leaves so that he won’t be a threat to himself or others. The exit interviewer presses Quinn on all of the terrible events he’s been a part in his tenure and repeatedly brings up Carrie. After touching the “are you guys a thing?” nerve, Quinn snaps and abruptly leaves the room. All-seeing omniscient Dar Adal has been watching from a camera the whole time and remains stoic as Quinn leaves.
Carrie heads to the embassy and the first thing she sees is the busted car from the failed Sandy endeavor, followed almost immediately by seeing a security guard that tugs at her (and my…) heartstrings because he’s reminiscent of Brody. I’m sort of missing that guy… ANYWAY. In traveling back to her old office, Carrie finds out that the entire embassy is on lockdown and no one has been made aware that there is a full-staff meeting that morning. She heads to the ambassadors office and is met with an icy reception from Redmond, who makes no effort to hide his discontent that Carrie has taken over Sandy’s position. The ambassador tells Carrie that the lockdown is necessary for the safety of the staff while Carrie argues that she needs her men on the street. Carrie dishes out some “Lean In”-esque crap to try and make the ambassador take her side but the ambassador doesn’t take the bait.
After Redmond informs the staff of the meeting Carrie wanted, everyone convenes and Carrie asks them about Jordan Harris. She tells them the information she’s garnered about Sandy and no one seems suspicious about him except for Carrie but they also can’t make any moves until the lockdown is lifted. When the meeting is over, Redmond’s bitterness comes to a head and he flat out tells Carrie that he has no idea how she managed to take this job away from him. She dishes out a condescending lie and manages to insult Redmond several times before he leaves. I don’t exactly like the schlub but I do feel pretty bad for him. Carrie is an uber bitch sometimes.
Quinn’s alcohol-fueled bender with the overweight hotel manager continues. He airs his frustration with trying to quit his job to her and the conversation is actually semi-intimate. The exchange is interrupted by his phone ringing which he ignores by throwing in the hotel pool. Quinn’s just done with errrrybody.
Apparently the CIA gives its employees swanky apartments because Carrie’s pad in Islamabad is awesome. She’s just about to settle in when she gets a text from a mysterious number that just says ‘Landed.’ She convinces her team to make moves and drive her to a location where she can shake them, hop in a cab, and drive to another location to see this mystery person. The entire time she’s being followed by members of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, ISI. After narrowly escaping the ISI, Carrie heads to the office of Fara, the face behind the text. Max is also there and the three of them discuss the plans for the following morning. The operation at hand is that they’re going to talk to Aayan and everyone’s nervous about it.
Dar Adal goes to Quinn’s residence and tries to convince Quinn to stay at the agency. After another accusation of Quinn not saving Sandy because he’s secretly in love with Carrie, Quinn goes batshit and chokes out Dar Adal. He nearly kills Dar Adal and then regains sanity and lets him go. With his CIA career now officially down the tubes, Dar Adal bids Quinn adieu by saying “have a nice life.” Someone needs to give Quinn a hug… and maybe a 5150 hold, particularly after he falls down a YouTube rabbit hole and watches the video of the attack on Sandy on repeat.
Upon return from a casual run around the embassy, Carrie runs into the ambassador chatting it up with Saul. She’s equally shocked as she is relieved to see him because she doesn’t want it to look like she asked for help but she also legitimately does need his help. Saul agrees to help get the hold on the lockdown lifted so Carrie’s case officers can get back to work. The dynamic duo is back.
Later that morning, the mission to chat with Aayan fails miserably as he rebuts any attempt Fara makes to talk. Fara, Max, and Carrie reconvene to discuss alternative courses of action on how to get to Aayan. Carrie resolves to think on it. The next scene is nighttime and Carrie is dramatically pondering while smoking a cigarette. The ambassador, also with a cigarette in hand, appears and the two discuss starting over with one another because they’ve clearly gotten off on the wrong foot. Personally, I blame Carrie 100% for this but I’ll leave you all to your own thoughts. As the conversation continues, the ambassador drops a fantastic little nugget of information about Saul: apparently the two almost got married. IN BEIRUT. How adventurous! Reverting back to business, the ambassador agrees to lift the lockdown if Carrie agrees to check in with her periodically. The two smoke a second round of cigarettes and it looks like this is about to be the best power couple ‘Homeland’ has ever seen.
The lockdown has been lifted at the embassy, courtesy of Saul. Carrie finds him eating breakfast and takes the opportunity to get back into their old groove. They discuss the “tyranny of secrets” and it’s just further emphasis on how I will never want to become a member of the CIA. I’d never be able to keep that many secrets. Or maybe I could. I never want to find out.
Saul knows Carrie can’t tell him what she’s doing with the day but he correctly guesses when he says she needs to get Sandy’s networks up and running again and that she also needs to find out who she can trust so she needs to set up a station outside the embassy with people of her own. There’s an ADORABLE father-daughteresque moment when Saul realizes she’s already done that and is visibly impressed. Carrie gets suddenly bashful and it’s, again, another moment when she’s certifiably human. Carrie gets up to leave and Saul says he leaves the following morning. Stay, Saul, stay.
Aayan’s chilling out, drinking coffee at a coffee shop when the shop owner comes rushing out saying she needs a doctor. I guess being a medical student in Pakistan basically makes you a doctor because they send Aayan up to the ladies bathroom where the woman needing a doctor apparently is. Aayan gets behind the door and the crying woman turns out to be none other than Carrie. Carrie tells Aayan that she wants to be the one to tell his story and that in exchange she can help him relocate and protect him from whoever is threatening him. The scene becomes bizarrely seductive as she slips a card into Aayan’s pocket but Aayan looks nothing but perturbed, scared, and annoyed. He leaves without agreeing and Carrie feels semi-confident that her mission was a success.
Quinn continues to obsessively watch the YouTube videos of Sandy’s bludgeoning and he spots a man with an earpiece in several of the videos. Realizing that the entire attack was coordinated and that he truly could not have done anything more to save Sandy, Quinn calls Carrie. He sends Carrie the link to the video so she can see for herself and Carrie realizes how much this changes the situation at hand. She begs Quinn to come help her and, in typical “Homeland” fashion, he agrees without agreeing. He’s so in love with Carrie and it’s probably not going to end well. If the creepy foreboding music juxtaposed over the phone call didn’t emphasize it enough… love hurts, y’all.
“Homeland” airs on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on Showtime.
