'Homeland' Season 8 Episode 11 Review: Carrie Mathison's final mission may come at a price, will Saul pay it?
Spoilers for 'Homeland' Season 8 Episode 11 'The English Teacher'
It had to. It just had to boil down to this where Carrie Mathison's (Claire Danes) final mission to save the world would mean doing the one thing no one ever dreamed of. This was an outcome that maybe even she didn't see coming. For all the flaws, the weaknesses, the ill-timed decisions. the sheer will and bravado despite a failing mind and body, Carrie has almost always managed to accomplish her missions. Some came at a price, but not this, a moment at the end of the episode that leaves a lump in the throat and a mind frantically waiting to fast-forward the week for a finale that we're yet to find adjectives for.
Saul Berenson (Mandy Patinkin) has been the driving force of Showtime's long-running political thriller. He's been there for Carrie, almost every step of the way. This was a man who saw Carrie at her best and her worst and their friendship and the relationship over the course of the series has been beyond that of protege-teacher. And yet, there's a tinge of sadness when picturing Saul's dire fate in the finale.
For the first 15 minutes of the episode, it was hard to not squirm considering this was something of part 1 to a tight finale. It was quiet, there was a tease of something that was a dark blast from the past and then back to the grim present which was pretty much t**ts up for the US and their situation with Pakistan thanks to Jalal Haqqani (Elham Ehsas).
And Jalal's end, it looks like it is was abrupt. Agreed that this was a young Taliban hotshot who wanted to establish a new world order, but he was bombed out of existence soon after he pulled a terrorist attack. And it does feel like Saul masterminded this event by convincing Tasneem Qureishi (Nimrat Kaur) to pass on co-ordinates so a drone could snuff out Jalal & Co. Especially, when John Zabel (Hugh Dancy) says Jalal's location came from a mysterious source.
That the season took 11 episodes to finally establish Saul as a hero is purely and probably to hint at the end of the road for the skilled agent.
'The English Teacher' is a chapter from Saul's secret life— something that shows the man's operating skills in his day. Picking from where it left off, Carrie is arraigned for multiple counts, we counted nine, if there were more, we wouldn't know because next, we see, she's throwing up with anxiety and panic.
Jenna Brag, Andrea Deck's character gets her due considering how her arc ended. She was a classic example of why Carrie made it this far and she didn't. Brag's a woman with a heart and people with heart aren't suited for cold business which is central in agency life. She bids adieu after handing a file of classified information on Saul and his mission in 1986 that puts Carrie on a path to the mission she can't possibly pull off.
Those who've caught the episode would know what we're talking about. But before Carrie's final mission, 'The English Teacher' narrates a flashback that sees the introduction of an old character, Anna Pomerantseva (Tatyana Mukha in the present and Julie Engelbrecht in the '86 days).
There was indeed an asset in the Kremlin and Anna was the woman trickling in the information. Their mode of communication: putting in messages between the narrow slit of the head cap and the spine of Joseph's Conrad's 'The Secret Agent.' Call it old-fashioned, but it worked for the agent so far.
Carrie's decoding of the transmissions between Saul and Anna is probably the most amazing and edge-of-the-seat moment as she chronicles the dates of the multiple copies of the book that Saul has. The book sees the messages exchanged during some of the most tumultuous, notable world events that include the Chernobyl coverup, the Gorbachev coup, and the Aldrich Ames saga.
Anna has been an integral part of Saul's days as an agent and still is. And their encounter in the present isn't by chance. Delving into the details would mean handing out a major chunk of information and that isn't the motive. All said and done, this is the epic ending 'Homeland' fans will take time to process. Yevgeny Gromov (Costa Ronin) was always the man in play and now Carrie has to choose. Will it be sacrificing a relationship with the Russian agent, or will it be taking Saul out of the equation when the fate of the world rests in her hand?
It's almost hard to imagine the outcome by the end of the finale. If Saul dodges a bullet, it means the end of the road for Carrie. And if he does take one for her, it just suggests eight seasons built up to this very moment. And if there is a casualty, it just might be the old warhorse who's been America's white knight.
'Homeland' may have come a long way from the Nick Brody saga, but this, this is personal. This entire season has been about the last man standing and we don't know if it will be Carrie or Saul. Oh, and there's that matter of Pakistan, Russia, and America. Jalal Haqqani's reported death may just have triggered a war and two people have the power to put this to an end. But will they?
'Homeland' airs 9 pm ET on Showtime.