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S04.E08: Halfway To A Donut

Tara Ariano

By Tara Ariano
in Homeland

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

(edited)

Carrie organizes a last-ditch operation; Lockhart and Martha stall Pakistan's Inter-Services-Intelligence.

--seems to imply Hot ISI Guy returns Carrie to her home in Pakistan--or maybe Quinn puts on his shining armor and rides to the rescue? I don't see her escaping without help. Maybe Fara goes undercover as a maid and gets her out? And if Hot ISI guy calls the embassy to come get their crazy drugged head of agency, how would she be doing any operations right after? Right. It's Carrie. Never mind. Edited by shapeshifter
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Morbs

Morbs

I don't get how quickly Carrie was able to figure out it was her meds, but I'm glad she did so we can move on from that stupid storyline.  Why not just kill her if you want her out of the way that badly?  And then with Saul saying he wanted to die instead of being captured again and Carrie tricking him, it was like they just wanted to clean the slate and redeem Carrie for ordering the drone to wipe him out instead of moving the story forward.

 

I think Carrie and the handsome terrorist are going to get married in the next episode.

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Hava

Hava

OK. Is it just me or is there some sexual tension between Khan and Carrie, especially from Khan's side? In each of their scenes tonight, I had the feeling that he was about to lean in and kiss her, and I want to know if that is intentional on the part of the writers or if the two actors just have good chemistry.

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I-Kare

I-Kare

I like the idea of Khan and Carrie together, but that's mainly due to loving Raza and that would guarantee him more air time. But damn, is there some rule that Carrie has to have multiple men in love with her at all times? It really gets old after a while.

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mjc570

mjc570

wow, what a great episode.   Poor Saul - I really thought that he was going to go through with it, since I figured its time for Mandy P. to leave the show.

 

I can't believe how much I like Lockhart now - I would totally vote for him, for president or dictator. 

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

Just like Brody was supposed to die at the end of season one but they kept him alive because Damien Lewis was worth keeping on the show, I think it might have been a mistake here to not let Saul and Carrie do their ILYs over the phone and then he shoots himself, even though it is Mandy F'in' Patinkin. I mean, doesn't he have some Broadway show calling him? Well, he better get an Emmy.

So when Dennis gets interrogated by the CIA, he'll squeal like a piglet. I'm guessing the ISI won't let him get taken alive. Hrmph.

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turnitwayup

turnitwayup

 

wow, what a great episode.   Poor Saul - I really thought that he was going to go through with it, since I figured its time for Mandy P. to leave the show.

 

IA, the whole leading Saul through the town was so intense. Yeah I thought he was gonna leave the show too since he was interviewed on 60 minutes earlier tonight.

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Toxic

Toxic

Holy fuck, you guys. That scene! ITA, as much as I hated the thought of losing Saul/Mandy Patinkin in that moment, his death right then would have had an amazing impact. I could not breathe for 10 minutes!

Also glad they got Carrie's meds and the mole worked out in the episode so we can move the plot along. Kinda digging this season!

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Mama No Life

Mama No Life

I don't remember the last time my stomach dropped the way it did when that little blue triangle was surrounded by all of those red ones.  It was like vultures at a kill.  Horrific.  I'm not sure Carrie did the right thing there, and she and Quinn don't appear so sure themselves.

 

There is definite chemistry with good looking ISI guy but please God, don't go there show.  Can Carrie just either stay out of romantic situation or find a nice American who is ON OUR SIDE for once? 

 

Speaking of, I find Quinn's love/hate for her fascinating. He clearly doesn't want to care about her, and tried so hard not to be concerned when she was missing. But he clearly was, judging by his hospital visit.   They both seemed so capable in the war room when they were trying to help Saul...very frustrating for them that it was a doomed mission. And for us too...I feel like it's time we got a win. :/

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Boundary

Boundary

I think Carrie did the right thing. Live to fight another if you've lost a battle - the war is still on. Saul will feel betrayed because that's the kind of man he is but as far as Carrie is concerned it's better to have him angry at her, but alive to do so. If there was a time to take out Saul, it was when taking him out meant taking Haqqani out too; no time to second guess that decision now. Is Saul's life worth giving up the whole command structure? No, but it gives breathing room to try again and as luck would have it, Carrie gets the Boyd clue.

 

I didn't get the romantic/sexual vibe from Khan towards Carrie. But what it reminded me of was that Saul had  judged him to be a man worth dealing with. He seems to have adhere to certain standards - he's not going to betray Tasneem but he will give up Boyd and form a working relationship with Carrie, as long as Carrie drops her usual attitude. I like him, he seems reasonable but he's a senior ISI guy, a relationship with Carrie is off limits, he won't be that unbelievably stupid.

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Mozelle

Mozelle

(edited)

My heart began pounding in my chest when I initially thought that Saul hanged himself. Like, once the guard started to take him down and I thought, "Oh, maybe this is just a ruse" only to find out it was a ruse, my heart couldn't stop racing. Next when Azam Shah had his gun pointed at Saul and Saul told him to shoot him if he didn't believe him followed by Azam giving Saul the gun, I was like, "Oh no! Chekhov's gun!"

 

This episode was so gripping! And though I can't stand Lockhart, I was on his side in wanting to wipe that smug look off Tasneem's face. It's interesting, though, that Khan (I so wanted to call him Zaf just now) pointed the finger at Duck Phillips as the breach when Khan knows that Tasneem is also the breach on his side. 

Edited by Mozelle
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shelley1234

shelley1234

Ok, while I found the whole Saul storyline totally riveting and couldn't take my eyes off it....I have a few problems.  One, it actually takes quite a bit of prep and usually a harness to fake hanged yourself.  I doubt Saul would have been able to get that done with the lovely provisions he was given in his cell....stolen nail from the floor included.  In the time it took the guard to hear him and get in and take him down....in the real world Saul would be dead.  

 

Secondly, while the final scene with Saul and Carrie was heartbreaking...when the Taliban are circling him, doesn't he still have a gun?  Couldn't he have called Carrie a lying bitch and then shot himself in the face?  Just asking...  

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NorthstarATL

NorthstarATL

I don't get how quickly Carrie was able to figure out it was her meds, but I'm glad she did so we can move on from that stupid storyline.  Why not just kill her if you want her out of the way that badly?  And then with Saul saying he wanted to die instead of being captured again and Carrie tricking him, it was like they just wanted to clean the slate and redeem Carrie for ordering the drone to wipe him out instead of moving the story forward.

 

I think Carrie and the handsome terrorist are going to get married in the next episode.

Showing that the Americans placed an unstable person in charge of such an important location would have far more impact than killing Carrie. I don't see how placing Saul back into the hands of those people redeeems Carrie in any way. She comes off as reprehensible IMO for removing Saul's agency.

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Pallas

Pallas

Yes to everything above: the show managed to make watching other people watch a screen, riveting. What mattered is that the crisis felt earned, from within the story and within the character. We keenly felt why Saul might or might not pull the trigger, and what the stakes were for him. In the end, the sea of red around him (that Mama No Life mentioned) was like Saul bleeding out.

Without Brody, the show is finding new ways to depict the cost of the war on its warriors. I said last year that for Carrie, Brody is America: the America she loves and protects fiercely and perhaps unreasonably, loves despite its sins, loves despite its frailties, loves more because it suffered, loves with all her loneliness. Loves like a mother. Now Carrie herself, and Saul, and Quinn, and Fara, and the Americans we are meeting this season all represent the "who" that we are sacrificing in our own cause.  

The re-done opening credits with the mostly-new snippets of old dialogue do a much better job of painting that landscape. Carrie's vehement, "You'll die over there!" -- as if it weren't she who was doing the sending into harm's way. Saul's resolute, "I'm so, so sorry." Brody's resigned yet tender, "We have to say good-bye now." Along with Carrie's desperate, "Just one more minute," and her benedictory "Fuck!" All that has already played out again this season, and not only with Aayan -- someone who, like Brody, was "fucked from the minute" he played his role in the war and survived: fucked by both sides who have no borders. 

I was struck by Carrie's waking up in Khan's house, and how it mirrored the abducted Brody's waking up in the Saudi diplomat's safe house in DC.  The same disorientation and distrust, and her then confronting a figure who asked to be seen as benevolent. This time it seems he is, but of course, Carrie wasn't as easily convinced. Her need is to doubt.  She doubts the world more than the world doubts her: that's what she thinks she has to give. That's the kind of mother she is, the only kind of mother she is. 

Despite her doubt, Carrie keeps asking for one minute to figure it out, to do something. More often than not the result is still "Fuck!" but she knew that, going in. Yet some part of her may be beginning to know that life is more than figuring it out, or doing something. Carrie figured out Nazir, and Nazir took out Langley. Carrie killed hundreds of people in their own country to potentially protect more in her own. Carrie ordered Saul's death, then tricked Saul into life. To what purpose?  Which way's home?

This seems to be a show about how it's no longer true -- if it ever was -- that America is a country that can keep itself safe, and so, save the world. And nothing anyone can figure out or do, can make it so. Meanwhile, Carrie and Quinn have children they don't know, Brody had a family he abandoned, Saul has a wife in name only. Saul said Haqqani was raising a generation with one foot in the hereafter. HOMELAND's guardians of the homefire are somewhere else, as well.

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hendersonrocks

hendersonrocks

That was intense. Well done, show--I especially admired how the minor "tag those guys" comments paid off a few minutes later when we saw the sea of red triangles take over the blue dot. It was a striking visual.

 

I was kind of shaken when Lockhart referenced Daniel Pearl and Jim Foley's murders. I knew Jim--it is still surreal to see his pictures or name and that it's in connection with the heartbreaking circumstances of his death, so it really threw me to hear his name in the context of this show. It makes sense, but also felt a little opportunistic. It's too soon. (Then again, it will probably always feel too soon.)

 

 

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stillshimpy

stillshimpy

(edited)

Wow, so I watched that while on the damned elliptical on a really heavy-duty program and I have to say, nothing like having the living hell scared out of you to really help with going for the burn.   

 

Also, yay, show!! Finally a little nuance with Exceptionally Good-looking Guy (whose character name I now know is Khan), because I really enjoyed that there was some shading to the position of the ISI by placing Khan and Tasneem on a different side of the equation for the direction they would like Pakistan to go.    

 

I'm with everybody else, I really thought Saul was going to pull that trigger and to the person saying it takes a lot of prep to fake a hanging like that....I think the point was that it wasn't entirely faked, Saul was getting out of there one way or another.    

 

So when Dennis gets interrogated by the CIA, he'll squeal like a piglet. I'm guessing the ISI won't let him get taken alive. Hrmph.

 

Well, for his sake, he might want to hope that Tasneem takes him out before his wife knows what he's done.  

Edited by stillshimpy
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Boundary

Boundary

Yes I agree that Saul meant to hang himself and when the opportunity came to escape he took it.

 

The ambassador continues to be unbelievably stupid, what kind of a diplomat trusts her husband to that extent? Especially with top class intelligence. I was also surprised at Lockhart's eagerness to tell the ambassador but I shouldn't have been, it's a continuation of last season's lack of smarts regarding these things.

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

(edited)

Who in heavens name are responsible for naming these episodes? Is there a metaphor hidden in here, or is it really drawn from a throwaway phrase from Boyd that has no significance whatsoever?

I always wonder about obscur episode titles here and elsewhere.

For this one, "halfway to a donut" does illustrate Dennis' insensitivity to others' culture, and others in general.

I heard an NPR interview this weekend with the author of a book on narcissism who descibed narcissists as being without empathy. Fits Dennis.

I agree with Sarah Bunting's speculation about the pastry gift:

http://previously.tv/homeland/the-road-to-recovery-2/

...

What's On The Comfort-Food Menu In Martha's Office?

Balushahi: Dennis describes the pastries as "halfway to a donut" (drink!). The other "half" is probably a parabolic microphone, because Dennis is just.that.good.

...

And, in case anyone else was wondering, here's what a balushahi looks like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balushahi Edited by shapeshifter
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Kerrey92

Kerrey92

I didn't understand why Lockhart immediately gave in to iSI demands when they recaptured Saul. PreSaul escape everyone was firmly no exchange so I thought Lockhart might toe a stronger no deal line. Anyone know why the change of heart?

And I love Khan. He's awesome. The ending to the show was very dramatic and good.

Also the text was in Urdu and said something like "American soldiers spotted"

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stillshimpy

stillshimpy

On a much lighter note, as poor Saul made his doomed trek through town all I could think was, "Saul. maybe you should at least consider a hat of some sort??"

 

I'm sure it was done partially because of the visuals for filming, they actually needed to have Saul standing out on the streets for ease of viewing, particularly for the overhead shots. 

 

But it did lead to a lot of shouted directions from me.  Most of them ending with "....Gah!!!!"  

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bluebonnet

bluebonnet

It's interesting, though, that Khan (I so wanted to call him Zaf just now) pointed the finger at Duck Phillips as the breach when Khan knows that Tasneem is also the breach on his side. 

Tasneem is his colleague.  Khan loses all trust he's built up if he immediately fingers one of his own.  Carrie (and everyone at the embassy, for that matter) is already perfectly aware that the ISI and Pakistani government aren't exactly trustworthy.  

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ElectricBoogaloo

ElectricBoogaloo

as poor Saul made his doomed trek through town all I could think was, "Saul. maybe you should at least consider a hat of some sort??"

When the asset gave Saul his gun, I really thought he was going to give him a hat too. You can spare a gun but you don't have one extra hat anywhere?

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Pallas

Pallas

I didn't understand why Lockhart immediately gave in to iSI demands when they recaptured Saul. PreSaul escape everyone was firmly no exchange so I thought Lockhart might toe a stronger no deal line. Anyone know why the change of heart?

 

Lockhart, on the other hand, does have empathy: who knew?  (Though actually, his actions even last year were not undiscerning or even unmoved about human motive, just very much more regarding of his own.)   He just saw Saul, his immediate predecessor -- the guy he beat out for the job -- on the run, panting and weeping, after having nearly blown his head off, which he knows Saul would have preferred to what Lockhart saw happen instead: Saul's being swarmed and carried off by enemies that his people (Saul's and Lockhart's) brought down on his head.  

 

I took Lockhart's statement at face value.  He's a political animal and a human being: this worked the last nerve of both.

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Maximona

Maximona

Terrific episode.

 

The video game drone images, Saul by the fountain holding the gun to his head, Carrie lying to Saul -- just brilliant, emotionally gripping, moving stuff.

 

Of course, Saul knows Carrie is lying to him.  One has to assume that in his position, he's lied similarly to many other people over the years.

 

Loved Quinn telling Carrie, "Good night, when she is going into one of her mania-fueled angst-and-self-flagellation monologues.

 

I suspect the plot is edging toward a Carrie/Quinn Trek into the Tribal Lands to save Saul.  Maybe Khan comes with them.

 

Kahn and Carrie definitely have a Thing for one another.  For my own selfish reasons, I 'd like to have them have One Night of Passion from multiple camera angles.

  • Love 4
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vesperholly

vesperholly

I enjoyed the visual of the ops room's monitors, tracking Taliban like so many video-game blips. A cool way to show us that info, imo.

 

All I could think of was, Where was that technology when Saul was shown to the drone, then spirited away in one of the three Awesome Escape Trucks?!

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Pallas

Pallas

Kahn and Carrie definitely have a Thing for one another.  For my own selfish reasons, I 'd like to have them have One Night of Passion from multiple camera angles.

 

Carrie got the jump on Brody/Khan slash fic.  

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Haleth

Haleth

(edited)

Well, I take back my suspicion of Exceptionally Good Looking Khan.  I thought last week he was part of the plot with the poison pills but apparently he is the writers' device to show that not all the Pakistanis are corrupt.  Thankfully he exposed Dennis so he should be getting his comeuppance soon.

 

I'm not sure what the whole point (regarding the writing) was of having Saul escape, only to be recaptured by the end.  It was cool to see him escape but it was kind of laughable to think he could overtake and kill a guard half his age.  

 

(Edited to clarify I was questioning the writers, not the terrorists.)

Edited by Haleth
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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

(edited)

...I'm not sure what the whole point was of having Saul escape, only to be recaptured by the end.....

Probably to make it more heartbreaking at the end, but also, I'm guessing more escapes lead to recapture than not--although he should have been successful once the Special Forces got involved.

...It was cool to see him escape but it was kind of laughable to think he could overtake and kill a guard half his age....

Yeah, not just half (or even less) his age, but Saul probably hadn't eaten much since that one dinner at Haqqani's, and a hard floor in your 60s is not very conducive to a restorative sleep. So I fanwanked that Saul knew some special pressure points and choking methods from his youthful days as a spy, plus adrenalin.

Nimrat Kaur (Tasneem) was sort of quietly chewing scenery with her smug looks, but kudos to her for making it clear with no clunky exposition lines that the ISI was indeed closing in on Saul.

Edited by shapeshifter
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alexvillage

alexvillage

I really liked the episode (finally!)

They are going to kill Saul, aren't they? Oh, no! I need Saul in the show! 

I'd rather see a cheesy, implausible escape for Saul than lose him.

And that woman from ISI needs to die a painful, slow, horrible death. I really hate her

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RitaV

RitaV

(edited)

I thought this was the best episode so far this season and for the first time in ages I find myself truly excited for the next episode.

 

I've always enjoyed the emotional beats this show hits regardless of the lack of plausibility. The relationship between Saul and Carrie is my favorite and hearing him curse her was truly heartbreaking. I look forward to their dynamic in the aftermath of these events (if Saul survives).

 

I am wondering what Khan bring to the table in terms of a future working relationship with Carrie. Would it be a backchannel type of deal or could they work together and coordinate operations openly? I don't know enough about the real life relationship between our intelligence agencies to hazard a guess.

Edited by RitaV
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Babalu

Babalu

Did Khan figure out that Boyd was providing intel to Tazneen simply because he saw the two conversing before the mtg. (and something with a napkin?), or was there something else?

Yes, Khan saw Tasneem write something on a napkin and leave the napkin on the table and then saw Boyd pick it up.

  

So is it assumed that Saul is dead?.

No, Saul isn't dead (yet). Who knows whether he'll make it alive to the end of the season, though.

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Superpole2000

Superpole2000

I gave the previous episode an F-, and this deserved an A+. I promise I am not always full of hyperbole. This is just Homeland...the most uneven show I can remember.

 

Khan and the intelligence woman are great characters. The woman is such a great villain without being over the top. She makes me nervous, but I respect her too. And Khan...well I like that he is unusual. Most shows do not provide this much depth for their heroes' adversaries, but this show is so much richer because of it.

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Milburn Stone

Milburn Stone

The only thing that puzzles me a bit is how Khan could be the one figure in all of Pakistani government who doesn't know his government is secretly on the side of the Taliban. I mean, I get that Tasneem is on Team Haqqani. But the Americans seem to be coming to a realization that so is the Pakistani president. (Or whatever the title is of the head guy who sits on that side of the table.) In other words, every single member of the Pakistani government except the head of their intelligence services!

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shapeshifter

shapeshifter

The only thing that puzzles me a bit is how Khan could be the one figure in all of Pakistani government who doesn't know his government is secretly on the side of the Taliban. I mean, I get that Tasneem is on Team Haqqani. But the Americans seem to be coming to a realization that so is the Pakistani president. (Or whatever the title is of the head guy who sits on that side of the table.) In other words, every single member of the Pakistani government except the head of their intelligence services!

Plausible deniability, Pakistani style?
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