THE HOME STRETCH
It’s not as buzzed-about as it once was, but spy series ‘Homeland’ promises a thrilling final season
Homeland is back after a two-year hiatus to chronicle Carrie Mathison’s toughest assignment yet: a return to Afghanistan as the US attempts to end its longest-running war. The eighth – and final – season opens with the tenacious CIA intelligence officer (Claire Danes) recovering in a treatment centre after suffering a mental breakdown during a seven-month stint in a Russian prison at the end of last season.
Mathison is drafted back into action by long-time colleague Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) – now national security adviser to President Warner (Beau Bridges) – to help close a peace agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Naturally, the peace treaty doesn’t go according to plan, and Mathison has to try to save the day and deal with colleagues suspicious that she might have betrayed her country while in prison.
And given her fragmented memory, she’s not entirely sure herself. “I loved the idea that Carrie is positioned as this suspected traitor – a Brody,” Danes says, referencing Damian Lewis’ morally conflicted veteran from the show’s early seasons. “That’s such a perfect parallel, and fun to play; she’s struggling from PTSD and doesn’t know how to narrate her own story.”
Expect a grounded-feeling season as the drama wrestles earnestly with the real-world complexities of having US forces in the Middle East, while also focusing on wrapping up Saul and Carrie’s roller-coaster relationship. “Homeland was conceived as a story about a protégée and a mentor,” showrunner Alex Gansa says. “The SaulCarrie story has been the one constant through eight seasons, and we really get to bring that story to a close. I hope we did it some justice.”
For Danes, the finale marks the end of a decade-long journey, and she says her last day of filming was “a rough one. Things really come to a head with Saul. It was very emotional, and I kind of lost it at the end”.
James Hibberd