Homeland Ending Explained: Did Carrie Betray Her Country?
Homeland ended its eighth and last season Sunday with a tense episode that without end modified the destiny of Carrie Mathison.
Main spoilers for “Prisoners of Battle,” the collection finale of Showtime’s Homeland, within the interview that follows.
Within the final episode of the espionage drama, Carrie (Claire Danes) seemingly got here very near killing her mentor Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) in an effort to compel him to disclose the title of his secret asset with a view to persuade the Russian intelligence company to show over the flight recorder proof that was key to stopping a brand new conflict within the Center East. Saul referred to as Carrie’s bluff and she or he discovered a approach to burn the asset anyway. Within the last scenes, a time bounce reveals Carrie has fled to Russia the place she’s now dwelling with Yevgeny Gromov (Costa Ronin), and penned a guide slamming the CIA a la Edward Snowden. However in a single final twist, we study Carrie has begun sending intelligence to Saul, successfully changing the asset she destroyed.
Beneath showrunner Alex Gansa talks to EW in regards to the becoming finish to the drama collection, and solutions a few of our lingering questions.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How lengthy have you ever had this ending in thoughts?
ALEX GANSA: Not that lengthy. We began speaking in regards to the finale as we bought episodes 9 and 10 as we have been breaking the season. Like, “If we make this resolution right here, the place is it going to steer? How are we going to get to an ending that we like?” We knew we needed Carrie to wind up in Russia. We had that as a landmark forward of us. However how she bought there and what occurred when bought there was very a lot up for debate. One approach to finish can be to have Carrie exiled in Russia and dwelling in some Soviet-like condo block in an extremely grim scenario, remoted from the world like Ed Snowden. However we needed extra for her than that. So we gave her a companion and gave her a duplicitous relationship with him, but a real one on the similar time. And likewise a mission. She takes the asset’s place. So I felt prefer it labored.
In some methods, you get to have your cake and eat it too. Does Carrie betray her nation or proceed as a CIA spy? Each.
Precisely. And he or she begins to restore the connection with Saul, which was necessary to us.
George RR. Martin lengthy promised a “bittersweet” ending for Recreation of Thrones and that’s additionally the perfect phrase for yours. The ending is triumphant as a result of Carrie looks like she’s happier than we’ve ever seen her and remains to be doing what she loves and making a distinction, however on the similar time, her relationship is a lie — she’s a prisoner of conflict, if you’ll.
And he or she was liable for the demise of a vital American asset in Moscow, and she or he betrayed her nation. That is simply simple. She did it for her personal causes, however she’s bought blood on her fingers for positive.
Does Carrie love Gromov?
I believe she does. She loves him in the best way that Carrie can love any individual. However, after all, she’s utilizing him too.
The ending in Moscow jogged my memory a little bit of the ultimate act of Thomas Harris’ guide Hannibal, which was very completely different than the film, as a result of Clarice Starling will get seduced by Hannibal Lecter and runs off with him— one thing followers have been very upset about, nevertheless it was essentially the most stunning and boldest attainable story selection. Was there any debate about Carrie ending up with a person like him?
I by no means learn that guide. I do not suppose there was a lot debate as a result of in case you take a look at Carrie’s historical past with males in the middle of the eight seasons, all her relationships with guys must be charged in a approach for them to even enchantment to her at any stage. We tried to present her a standard life in season 5 and it was simply untenable for her. She could not tolerate that. She has to exist in these heightened, exaggerated conditions and clearly that is considered one of them. And with Yevgeny, the trick was to create a state of affairs by which he would not be overly suspicious of her. That was the true troublesome a part of developing the coda of the episode. What had Carrie been as much as for 2 years? How was she capable of present cowl for herself to renew her espionage work? That was the troublesome factor and we did not understand that till 24 hours earlier than we shot the finale.
If Gromov found her betrayal, would he defend her or flip her in?
I do not suppose there’s any query that, that he would, he can be, he would really feel betrayed too, could be very cool. After which most likely would simply curse and beat himself up that he did not understand that this was what she was as much as all alongside.
How did Claire Danes react after she learn the script?
Effectively, the finale script went by way of numerous drafts and there was loads of dialogue amongst all events concerned. Mandy, Carrie, [executive producers Lesli Glatter, Howard Gordon]. We have been all wrestling with this and it went by way of many iterations. Finally, it form of boiled right down to me and Claire. This explicit ending actually appealed to each of us as a result of the character can proceed on in our followers’ imaginations. The story progresses in all people’s thoughts, simply not as a TV present.
What about Mandy Patinkin, what was his take?
Mandy was at all times advocating for some type of hopeful ending. He felt the season as much as that time had been very tragic and grim and hopeless. He was pushing for one thing that lifted individuals up moderately than devastated and crushed them. That was a extremely necessary voice within the combine.
May Carrie have killed Saul, or is {that a} laborious line that she wouldn’t cross whatever the stakes?
I depart that as much as our followers. I believe. I believe that she felt very strongly about avoiding one other mass casualty scenario. If she might have achieved something to cease that, I believe she would go fairly far – that is my opinion as any individual who wrote these scenes. She knew that she wasn’t going to kill Saul within the scene. She hoped to scare him to demise in order that he would give her the asset’s title. When he caught to his weapons, she had a fallback plan, nevertheless it was a Hail Mary – she had no concept that Dorit in Israel really had the envelope. So she was taking an enormous likelihood.
What was the closest runner-up concept that you simply didn’t go along with?
there actually wasn’t a detailed second. One of many shut seconds was that she really killed him. However that was a distant second.
Effectively, when you ended the penultimate episode with Gromov telling her “kill Saul” – which was a terrific cliffhanger – then instantly that turned the one factor the finale can not do.
Proper. You do not wish to do what you have telegraphed.
Right here’s my learn of the sequence watching Kamasi Washington and his band on the finish, and please right if that is unsuitable: The primary a part of that scene exhibits how the discordant jazz of the opening credit that represents Carrie’s psychological state has now smoothed into this melodic and pleasant kind that lastly makes her completely happy. However after she comes again to her seat, within the final shot, the music takes on a harsher and extra jagged high quality now that we have realized Carrie remains to be within the sport and can by no means be absolutely freed from it.
That’s fully correct. That is precisely how we doled out the music. And wasn’t Kamasi Washington so nice? We positively curated these songs, in order that shot of Carrie was a cacophonous mixture of sounds and also you sense that it is in that chaos that she thrives.
Your ending moderately firmly leaves open the potential of revisiting these characters sooner or later. If Netflix backed up the cash truck 5 years from now for a Homeland film, are you down?
As Howard has mentioned, “by no means say by no means.” All of us are proud of the place we ended the present and the collection. One other chapter does not really feel crucial in the meanwhile. However who is aware of what is going on to occur. Who is aware of what Claire and Mandy wish to do. Who is aware of what Howard desires to do. We do not know what that appears like. For now, it looks like closure.
