Showtime
Well, it took three seasons to do it, but Brody is finally dead. Unfortunately, his death was as boring and uneventful as this entire season has been. Since we found out that the writers of Homeland had originally planned to kill off Brody at the end of the first season, the last two seasons have just been a countdown to when his journey would finally come to an end. So by the time I saw Brody hanging from a rope in Iran as he’s about to take his last breath, I said, “Finally.” It’s definitely not a positive sign when the audience is rooting for a main character to die. However, the good news is that now that he’s gone, a gigantic weight has been lifted from the writers’ shoulders and the audience’s shoulders. We’re no longer going to have to watch Brody struggle over his morality. We’re no longer going to have to see Carrie make stupid mistakes for love. And we’re no longer going to have to wonder what side Brody is actually on. It doesn’t matter anymore. He was who he was, and now he’s gone.
As for the rest of the episode? It was pretty lackluster. The first 15 minutes or so are filled with anxiety as Carrie does her best to extract Brody from Iran and take him to the CIA’s safe house, but after that, things get a little wonky. First off, Saul is apparently on board to send in a team to save Brody, even though what would be best for the CIA (and best for his mission to advance Javadi to a position of power in the IRGC) would be for them to give up Brody. So the writers are telling us that the man who has been completely ruthless this entire season and who only seems to care about “saving Iran” is willing to save Brody just because it’s the right thing to do? Bulls**t. Saul has been morally corrupt for the past 11 episodes and now they’re trying to say that he actually gives a crap about Brody. It’s just completely out of character for Season 3 Saul to do that.
Secondly, they pulled a romantic angle on us. Carrie finally tells Brody that she’s pregnant, and what results is five minutes of me covering my eyes because I can’t handle the amount of soap opera drama that is going on in my once-favorite spy show. Candles are lit, blankets have been wrapped around shoulders, and now Carrie and Brody are talking about how their love is the only thing that makes sense in this world. Yuck. And while we’re talking about things that don’t make sense, what the hell happened to Dana and Jessica? Yes, I feel like the show has been stronger since Dana and Jessica haven’t had much airtime, but to totally cut them out of the season is a little ridiculous. They can make Chris disappear all they want, but it’s a lot harder to forget about Dana. Also, why did Quinn get basically one line in this episode? Why is Carrie all buddy-buddy with Lockhart, and why is she accepting a position under him in Istanbul? And why is Saul going to New York? There are just way too many questions left unanswered in this finale for it to be deemed a good end to the season.
And plotholes aside, the overall feeling I got from watching the episode was underwhelming disappointment. It seemed like everyone in the show was getting closure except for me. Brody literally stares at himself in the mirror looking at who he has become and what he has done, and when it comes time for his hanging, he seems to be at peace with his fate. He is no longer under anyone’s control. Meanwhile, Saul is ousted from the CIA, but four months later he’s apparently living the life while lounging with Mira in beach pants while munching on warm croissants. And as for Carrie, it finally seems like she’s done with her Brody saga. Yes, she’s having his child (even though she might not keep it), but by drawing a star in honor of Brody on the CIA wall next to all of the fallen heroes, she seems to be saying that she’s moving on. But what about me? I’m not ready to move on. I want to be at peace like everyone else is. The main characters in the show have had to face themselves in the mirror and reflect on their pasts, and they’ve all seem to come to terms with what has happened, but I haven’t been given any closure. But the past is the past, and there’s nothing I can do but prepare for season four. Now, with no Brody to worry about, anything can happen on Homeland.
Best part of the episode: When Carrie says, “I just didn’t think it through.” Carrie’s biggest flaw is that she never thinks anything through, and it’s nice to hear the writers admit that they also know that it’s her biggest flaw. That admission almost makes everything I went through this season worth it. Almost.
