S06.E01: Fair Game

[Cranberry]

Quote

Carrie returns home to the US with Franny to work as an advocate for Muslim Americans. Dar and Saul brief President-elect Keane. Quinn struggles with his new circumstances.

This episode was available online on December 30, and aired normally on January 15. 

[dwmarch]

Well I was certainly surprised to see that this was available today.

Off to a good start I think. Carrie and During do nothing for me and he should know better than to advise her to get laid. Someone dies almost every time that happens.

It will be interesting to see the idea of "wimpy liberal president dismantles the strong arm of the CIA" as opposed to a certain POTUS-elect whose attitude is more along the lines of "what do we have all these toys for if not to fuck up our enemies?"

Quinn has decided to become Jesse circa season 3 of Breaking Bad. I know it's the more realistic take on someone who took an unrealistic lungful or two of deadly nerve gas and survived with minimal injuries but I'm not going to love this plot if it's just Quinn getting suckered and robbed all the time or acting out because he needs a fix. Brody was addicted to hard drugs too and all it took for him to get better was a couple minutes of boot camp and Carrie's passive-aggressive attitude.

Carrie's mental health seems to be in order for the moment. I wonder if they're going to do a Carrie-goes-manic plot this season. I could live without it.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

If they go back to their Carrie goes manic storyline, I'm hoping it won't be until Quinn gets his shit together because I don't think I can handle watching both of them go off the rails at the same time. Even though I'm not crazy about what's going on with Quinn, right now it's understandable and part of me is just glad he isn't dead. I'm a little surprised that Carrie is willing to let Quinn be in the same house as Franny while he's in this state.

Disappointing to see that During was still around but hopefully this is the last we'll see of him.

President Heather Dunbar!

[preeya]

I'm guessing the episode was in the can before election day. I was a bit taken aback when she said "Madame President Elect." For me that was sort of an OOPS moment.

Edited December 31, 2016 by preeya

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I'm a little surprised that Carrie is willing to let Quinn be in the same house as Franny while he's in this state.

But with a locked door between their living quarters.  By the way, Carrie rents out her downstairs as a BnB. The stove does not work, you have to jiggle the bathroom handle, I bet she gets bad reviews.

[lullaby]

S6E1 is a good set up for what's to come. It's an introduction to new characters and shows us what the characters from previous seasons are up to. And nothing else.

12 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I'm not going to love this plot if it's just Quinn getting suckered and robbed all the time or acting out because he needs a fix.

At the end of the episode there's a preview and Quinn is telling Carrie:

Spoiler

"in the apartment across the street there's someone watching you"

and Carrie tells him

Spoiler

"you were in the apartment?"

So I think Quinn's struggles with his new life won't be his main plot. Of course he's in bad shape and won't be old Quinn in a few episodes, and I imagine he'll relapse or will continue allucinating from time to time, but it seems he wakes up from his nightmare pretty soon.

[sunflower]

I didn't expect Carrie to take Quinn home, which was a nice surprise.  I suppose watching him being held down and screaming is a clear flash to her psych hosp moments.  Also, she wuvs him, right?  I know I love the dude, fucked up or otherwise.  

Edited January 1, 2017 by sunflower

[piequinn35]

Nice to see my boyfriend Quinn again on tv. ;)

[scrb]

I'm not sure I'd buy that Quinn would choose living by Carrie over the VA when at the beginning of the episode, she was the last person he wanted to see.

When she's not going thru a manic episode, she's self-righteous, a scold and just a lot to take.  Yet Otto wants that and Quinn did too at one time?

Poor Franny is in for a bumpy upbringing.

Now, she owns a home in Brooklyn and runs a firm which gets occasional donations from Otto but otherwise doesn't seem to be generating a big cash flow.

Unless there's some secret stock options plan for ex CIA officers, how does she afford a home in NY, have a nanny and run some advocacy group?

She will no doubt save the day again so she can't be encumbered by normal people problems like money.  Hell they should have just given her Monica and Rachel's old apartment in Greenwich Village, on the street full of over $10 million apartments.

[dwmarch]

8 minutes ago, scrb said:

I'm not sure I'd buy that Quinn would choose living by Carrie over the VA when at the beginning of the episode, she was the last person he wanted to see.

When she's not going thru a manic episode, she's self-righteous, a scold and just a lot to take.  Yet Otto wants that and Quinn did too at one time?

Unless there's some secret stock options plan for ex CIA officers, how does she afford a home in NY, have a nanny and run some advocacy group?

She will no doubt save the day again so she can't be encumbered by normal people problems like money.  Hell they should have just given her Monica and Rachel's old apartment in Greenwich Village, on the street full of over $10 million apartments.

Indeed, you've helped me realize something that has always bugged me about this show: for any person Carrie needs help from but isn't sleeping with (and sometimes those people too) she tends to get her way by being obnoxious, rude, self-righteous, judgmental, stupid (for example in this episode slapping During with "IS THIS AN ULTIMATUM?!?!" when he's trying to let her off the hook) and a general pain in the ass until people cave in to her demands because they want her to go away now. And Quinn is in for it. She's going to go up one side of him and down the other for being a druggie in her house. And who invited the druggie into the house Ms. Matheson?

As regards her financial situation, I think you called it. She's obviously done some trading while manic and made out like gangbusters. But since she knows she can't do that full time she has to work a day job. Or maybe she got an inheritance after her dad died. That'll certainly ramp up the dramatic tension this season, when her sister shows up to fight with her over what's left of the estate...

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was really taken aback by how poorly Carrie read the situation when During said he'd met someone else. Like seriously, Carrie?

[scrb]

Tony Soprano said that his father was such a badass, a violent capo.

He also said that his mother Livia wore down his father to a nub with her nagging and complaining.

Quinn's kind of a badass but he couldn't put up with Carrie.

Run away!

[yourmomiseasy]

Sure it's realistic, but I can't handle Quinn being such a mess.  It hurts my heart.

[ally862]

Ugh I am so glad Quinn is alive but that was painful to watch.  I hate seeing him like that.  I actually think I'll be glad to not binge watch this season because I think I'll need a break from watching him.

[Quark]

Fabulous premiere. Was gripped the whole way through. It's nice to have the gang back.

[chocolatine]

I'm stunned that Quinn's not a vegetable after everything that was done to him last season. It wasn't just the toxic substance he inhaled, he'd almost died from a gunshot would before that, and later was knocked out with a tire iron. And in this episode he gets knocked out again.

I was also wondering how Carrie affords the Brooklyn townhouse. It can't be with the income from the sad AirBnB with the nonworking stove. I'm worried about Frannie living with her with no support other than the nanny. In DC she had her sister, and in Berlin she had Jonas. Who will take care of Frannie when Carrie goes off the rails again?

I also don't really understand what Carrie is trying to achieve with her non-profit, or whatever that was. Is she feeling that guilty about her CIA work that's she's turned into a bleeding heart? It seems like a huge waste of talent.

On 12/31/2016 at 6:08 AM, preeya said:

I'm guessing the episode was in the can before election day. I was a bit taken aback when she said "Madame President Elect." For me that was sort of an OOPS moment.

Yes, absolutely. They've totally set it up for Saul and Dar to disobey her though, didn't they?

[chick binewski]

I'm always surprised how much I love this show because I have huge problems with Claire Danes' portrayal of Carrie as well as Carrie's magical ladyparts that no man can resist. I really liked the premiere and can't wait for the next episode. Rupert can do no wrong in my book as Quinn but I hope the writers cure him of his poor frail state quickly. And Elizabeth Marvel is always great. I'll put up with During just because Sebastian Koch is fabulous.

Poor Saul.

[Primetimer]

Who's back from the dead and who's committing career suicide in the Season 6 premiere?

View the full article

[Milburn Stone]

I don't recall previous seasons of Homeland having this much clunky dialogue designed to make sure we understand stuff that isn't that hard to understand.

[TrininisaScorp]

Homeland is back!! Yay!

Though Quinn broke my heart, Rupert having something new and meaty is quite cool! I was thoroughly impressed  with  him and he was my favorite part of the episode.

Carrie quickly reminded me how shrill she can be.  I didn't miss that.

I'm loving the chessboard set up with the PE, Saul, and Dar.

[Addlepated]

On 1/2/2017 at 1:11 AM, scrb said:

I'm not sure I'd buy that Quinn would choose living by Carrie over the VA when at the beginning of the episode, she was the last person he wanted to see.

Thinking about this, I thought that maybe his anger was that she was leaving him there, and that's what was making him angry.  She was able to go home and have a normal life and he was stuck in the hospital, and every time she came to see him, it reminded him that he wasn't with her.  I mean, he was really hung up on her, from his letter in last season's finale.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Showtime has the entire first episode available on their YouTube channel:

[mrspidey]

Franny: Mommy, Mommy there's a monster in my cupboard!

Carrie: No, honey, that's just the crazy guy I've locked up downstairs. Go back to sleep.

[SimoneS]

I watched because Showtime has been foisted up me. I am already that annoyed that it is obvious that the President who is coming in with ideals is going to be influenced to back down by Saul in the end. Obvious whatever those conspirators are plotting will fail thanks to Saul, Carrie, and Quinn.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Though Quinn broke my heart, Rupert having something new and meaty is quite cool! I was thoroughly impressed  with  him and he was my favorite part of the episode.

Mine too. I'm really interested to see how he progresses. This whole episode I was half expecting him to turn back to super agent Quinn again and start beating up the people who were robbing him. And I love his new facial hair.

[Unapologetic]

VA disability is paid direct deposit these days.  It's been like this for at least three years, and before that it was pretty much only those who didn't have bank accounts right away who received paper checks.  The first disability check is often paper, but after that definitely direct deposit.  There are many reasons the VA has switched over to this method of payment, but one is to prevent these very things from happening.  This plot was so incredibly outdated and completely unbelievable.  

[clb1016]

I'm apparently in the minority here, but why is Quinn still alive?  Did TPTB learn nothing from Season 1?  Sometimes a character needs to be killed off for the good of the narrative through-line, even if the actor is a fan favorite.  I like Rupert Friend too, but since the series essentially reboots at the start of every Season, show some real imagination and cut off the dead wood (although, frankly, I wouldn't want to see a new guy brought in just to fall hopelessly in love with Carrie, as all the men in her life except Saul and Dar seem to do).

[attica]

In the discussion the old spooks were having about PEOTUS, Dar mentioned that she never talked publicly about her son's death, "even in the debate with Hoynes."  I don't think I can be alone immediately thinking it's a hat-tip to The West Wing? And put Tim Matheson in the role? Of course I can't. 

[ForeverAlone]

I agree that the VA is heading toward direct deposit, and certainly wants you to set up a direct deposit, but the VA will keep sending you paper checks until you specifically arrange for deposits to be directly deposited into your bank account. I had to do this only a couple months ago. 

[brilliantbreakfast]

So much of the commentary on Quinn seems to focus on his so-called drug addiction or his PTSD. What's wrong with Quinn is more than that. He's brain damaged from the stroke he had. This was some absolutely brilliant work by Rupert Friend. He LOOKED like someone with brain damage. He can't find words and this frustrates him. He can hardly walk and that frustrates him. He can't tell that Clarence and the hooker are grifting him because his executive functioning is shot. And Rupert BRINGS it. He LOOKS like someone who's had a stroke. I sure hope he doesn't have a miraculous recovery and is back to Badass Quinn in four episodes. It will make FAR more interesting television to show what a hard road back someone with this kind of brain damage has.

[Ina123]

As far as Carrie and her finances, I figure she has a lot socked away. She certainly hasn't spent money on clothes. During is fronting the charity and probably settled on a healthy paycheck for her. She's probably got an expense account too.

Quinn can't get better without rehab. If he improves I hope they include rehab. Otherwise even more stupid than the fact he even recovered.

[Constantinople]

I've tried to watch this episode twice.  Fell asleep both times.

[preeya]

15 hours ago, Ina123 said:

As far as Carrie and her finances, I figure she has a lot socked away. She certainly hasn't spent money on clothes. During is fronting the charity and probably settled on a healthy paycheck for her. She's probably got an expense account too.

Quinn can't get better without rehab. If he improves I hope they include rehab. Otherwise even more stupid than the fact he even recovered.

Totally agree. There is no way he could have survived everything that he's gone through. And even if he did he'd be a bed ridden veggie.

[MaggieG]

I'm happy Peter is still alive but man, he has been through a lot.

It was funny seeing T-Bag from Prison Break in full military uniform.

On ‎12‎/‎31‎/‎2016 at 7:37 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

If they go back to their Carrie goes manic storyline, I'm hoping it won't be until Quinn gets his shit together because I don't think I can handle watching both of them go off the rails at the same time. Even though I'm not crazy about what's going on with Quinn, right now it's understandable and part of me is just glad he isn't dead. I'm a little surprised that Carrie is willing to let Quinn be in the same house as Franny while he's in this state.

Goodness, can you imagine the two of them?! Hope Franny is nowhere near when that happens

Edited January 17, 2017 by MaggieG

[Duke2801]

On ‎12‎/‎31‎/‎2016 at 7:37 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

President Heather Dunbar!

Hee. Yes, so she finally made it to the oval office.  They definitely made her look more dowdy than she appeared on House of Cards, though, didn't they?

On ‎1‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 10:17 PM, Milburn Stone said:

I don't recall previous seasons of Homeland having this much clunky dialogue designed to make sure we understand stuff that isn't that hard to understand.

Apparently not clunky enough for dum dums like me. Like: WHY are they all in NYC now?  I feel like I totally missed an explanation for this.  Also, Carrie and During never even dated or did the horizontal mambo, right?? So why would she care that "he met somebody"?? 

[Unapologetic]

19 hours ago, ForeverAlone said:

I agree that the VA is heading toward direct deposit, and certainly wants you to set up a direct deposit, but the VA will keep sending you paper checks until you specifically arrange for deposits to be directly deposited into your bank account. I had to do this only a couple months ago. 

Nope, that's not how it works, sorry.  They may send the first check or two paper but then they stop.  Knowing how payments for disabled veterans are issued is my job, plus I'm a disabled vet myself.  2013 is the year the VA put a stop to issuing paper checks beyond the first one (sometimes very rarely the second one, but then they WILL stop sending until dd is set up).  

Certainly someone like Quinn would not be receiving paper checks even if your thesis were true or if we accept that the real world doesn't inform the show (which, to be fair, it often doesn't).  There's simply no way he would not have direct deposits already set up.  Not only is he a prior government employee, not only does he have a caretaker in Carrie who clearly would have done this for him seeing as she's the one who apparently helped him enact his disability pay as well as care at the VA, but the VA itself would have made sure to perform this function the moment he started long term residential treatment at one of their facilities.

Of course, it's also completely unbelievable that he received disability benefits in such a short period of time, but I find that easier to handwave since he was CIA and someone probably knew someone who knew someone who could push it through mega fast.  

[brilliantbreakfast]

5 hours ago, preeya said:

Totally agree. There is no way he could have survived everything that he's gone through. And even if he did he'd be a bed ridden veggie.

Yes, well, this is what I DIDN'T say.  As you all saw from my earlier post, my take on Quinn has less to do with sarin gas effects and drug addiction (and the drug den as an "escape") than it does with aftereffects of a stroke.  It is a hard thing for me to watch, just as hard as watching him in ICU was in last season's finale (which damn near destroyed me) because three years ago, after the dreaded "family meeting", my husband was taken off a ventilator due to complications (unremitting seizures) following a stroke and died 20 minutes later.  He wasn't as badass as Quinn, but he was a pretty strong, capable guy, and he had made very clear that he would NOT want to be alive in a significantly diminished state.  When I watch Quinn, I see my husband under the BEST scenario -- one in which he'd be even marginally functional.  But the truth is, that while there are miracles that sometimes happen, a state that is "just above" minimally conscious, as they said Quinn was in last season, results in a long, drawn-out march towards an inevitable death.  

I saw there in last season's finale saying "Gee, they took him off the vent awfully fast for someone who is just this side of minimally conscious."  What I was told at the time this was happening in MY life was that my other options were allowing a trache and PEG and wait an indefinite time to see IF he would ever wake up, which I knew my husband didn't want (advance directive and all that) -- into at best a diminished state.  A massive stroke like Quinn's causes severe brain damage.    But since I already suspend so much disbelief with this show, I figured OK, let's suspend it for this.

A diminished, paranoid Quinn with impaired executive functioning stands to be a heck of a lot more interesting this season than whatever machinations Saul and Dar, the Best of Frenemies, come up with.  After all, has either one of them ever been right about anything?

[attica]

1 hour ago, brilliantbreakfast said:

A diminished, paranoid Quinn with impaired executive functioning stands to be a heck of a lot more interesting this season

I take your point, but whyyyyyy can't he have impaired functioning and still take a shower? :)

[MaggieG]

26 minutes ago, attica said:

I take your point, but whyyyyyy can't he have impaired functioning and still take a shower? :)

Quinn and Daryl Dixon from TWD can hang out in the non shower section. I'm sure it smells like a bed of roses over there.

[Lady Iris]

Old Quinn would've dismantled the jerk thief with two fingers. I'm glad he's still there but its heartbreaking for sure. Kudos to RF for doing such an amazing portrayal.

[meowmommy]

On January 16, 2017 at 11:38 AM, Unapologetic said:

VA disability is paid direct deposit these days.  It's been like this for at least three years, and before that it was pretty much only those who didn't have bank accounts right away who received paper checks.  The first disability check is often paper, but after that definitely direct deposit.  There are many reasons the VA has switched over to this method of payment, but one is to prevent these very things from happening.  This plot was so incredibly outdated and completely unbelievable.  

I probably missed it, but did they say it was the VA?  Or could it have been his regular check from whatever cover the CIA uses?

[ForeverAlone]

On 1/17/2017 at 10:56 AM, Unapologetic said:

Nope, that's not how it works, sorry.  They may send the first check or two paper but then they stop.  Knowing how payments for disabled veterans are issued is my job, plus I'm a disabled vet myself.  2013 is the year the VA put a stop to issuing paper checks beyond the first one (sometimes very rarely the second one, but then they WILL stop sending until dd is set up).  

 

I can tell you, that in my case, that is not true. I received six paper checks from the VA last year when I first started receiving the checks, and the paper checks only stopped, because I set up direct deposit for all subsequent payments.

[WaltersHair]

This is the first time I can remember that Showtime hasn't advertised Homeland every hour on the hour for 2 months before the premiere. At first I thought it was because of the election, but I think they're also embarrassed that they biffed on the president elect. There have been rumors for years that the producers had an 'in' with the White House. Something tells me not so much next time around.

Dar just feels like a third wheel to me, even moreso this season.

Poor, poor Quinn. I just can't.

Carrie also has break downs whenever she has sex so she needs to keep that purse closed.

It's unfortunate that the 'Muslim kid unfairly jailed' was just done on HBO. I hope it goes in a different direction.

I'm in.

[Agfa]

My first thought on seeing the boys club that met up at the end (with Dar and I'm guessing a bunch of big guns from CIA, FBI, NSA,...), is that they are going to make sure that an attack occurs on US soil, probably carried by muslims, in order to change the president elect mind/twist her hand to keep funding these agencies to prevent domestic terrorism and fight daech. And since Saul will probably be against something like that (too soft), he's been kept out of the meeting. 

[Occasional Hope]

I didn't like this episode much, but Homeland does have a tendency to start badly and improve through a season. 

[love2lovebadtv]

On 1/15/2017 at 10:17 PM, Milburn Stone said:

I don't recall previous seasons of Homeland having this much clunky dialogue designed to make sure we understand stuff that isn't that hard to understand.

Speak for yourself...this show is hard for me to understand lol. 

[love2lovebadtv]

On 1/16/2017 at 4:45 PM, brilliantbreakfast said:

So much of the commentary on Quinn seems to focus on his so-called drug addiction or his PTSD. What's wrong with Quinn is more than that. He's brain damaged from the stroke he had. This was some absolutely brilliant work by Rupert Friend. He LOOKED like someone with brain damage. He can't find words and this frustrates him. He can hardly walk and that frustrates him. He can't tell that Clarence and the hooker are grifting him because his executive functioning is shot. And Rupert BRINGS it. He LOOKS like someone who's had a stroke. I sure hope he doesn't have a miraculous recovery and is back to Badass Quinn in four episodes. It will make FAR more interesting television to show what a hard road back someone with this kind of brain damage has.

He is wonderful and he totally nails the brain injury symptoms. But God, it hurts to watch him struggle.

[love2lovebadtv]

On 1/17/2017 at 11:56 AM, Unapologetic said:

Nope, that's not how it works, sorry.  They may send the first check or two paper but then they stop.  Knowing how payments for disabled veterans are issued is my job, plus I'm a disabled vet myself.  2013 is the year the VA put a stop to issuing paper checks beyond the first one (sometimes very rarely the second one, but then they WILL stop sending until dd is set up).  

Certainly someone like Quinn would not be receiving paper checks even if your thesis were true or if we accept that the real world doesn't inform the show (which, to be fair, it often doesn't).  There's simply no way he would not have direct deposits already set up.  Not only is he a prior government employee, not only does he have a caretaker in Carrie who clearly would have done this for him seeing as she's the one who apparently helped him enact his disability pay as well as care at the VA, but the VA itself would have made sure to perform this function the moment he started long term residential treatment at one of their facilities.

Of course, it's also completely unbelievable that he received disability benefits in such a short period of time, but I find that easier to handwave since he was CIA and someone probably knew someone who knew someone who could push it through mega fast.  

I think those who didn't set up direct deposits receive a pre-paid debit card.

[Milburn Stone]

25 minutes ago, love2lovebadtv said:

Speak for yourself...this show is hard for me to understand lol. 

Hey, I feel you. :) We all have a different threshold. For instance, I almost gave up on the Westworld topic because it was clear that practically everyone else was understanding stuff I didn't get at all. (Up to a point, I was learning from all the other posters. After that point, it was like, "I'm clearly not getting this show! Why am I watching or reading?!?")

Edited January 23, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[John Potts]

Given Carrie is definitely out of the CIA, I'm wondering if they're going to make the CIA the "Bad Guys" this Season - I know the showrunners are big hawks so would tend to be pro-CIA, but so far they've persecuted a guy who is Guilty by Association AND has been (peacefully) blogging about offences carried out by Israel & the US. Of course, it may turn out that's actually a cover for the fact that he's an evil  genius, but so far he's just a victim of circumstance (and racial profiling).

Carrie has always been a somewhat annoying character, but I've never found her so clueless. Maybe Quinn is pissed because he asked you to euthanise him and you didn't, not because he's now disabled. Now that decision was understandable (I would imagine it's pretty hard to kill somebody you care about and it's not as if he discussed it with her ahead of time) but he did not want to live like that.

On ‎31‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 6:44 AM, dwmarch said:

Carrie's mental health seems to be in order for the moment. I wonder if they're going to do a Carrie-goes-manic plot this season. I could live without it.

On ‎31‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 6:44 AM, dwmarch said:

It will be interesting to see the idea of "wimpy liberal president dismantles the strong arm of the CIA" as opposed to a certain POTUS-elect whose attitude is more along the lines of "what do we have all these toys for if not to fuck up our enemies?"

But Carrie having a meltdown is a running gag on Homeland - like a "setting a hard perimeter" or "Jack Bauer tortures somebody for info" on 24. It wouldn't be Homeland without it!

The irony was palpable - but I love the way the President was perfectly logical in going, "Our strategy isn't working so let's change it!" and yet the "Secret Guardians of Democracy" immediately want to subvert the elected President.

On ‎22‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 4:19 AM, Agfa said:

My first thought on seeing the boys club that met up at the end (with Dar and I'm guessing a bunch of big guns from CIA, FBI, NSA,...), is that they are going to make sure that an attack occurs on US soil

Wow, you went darker than me: I thought they're going to blackmail the President Elect. Maybe leak a few E-mails or something.

On ‎17‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 4:22 PM, Duke2801 said:

Carrie and During never even dated or did the horizontal mambo, right?? So why would she care that "he met somebody"?? 

He asked her out at the end of last Season (and from Carrie's dialogue, several times since). So presumably implying, "I'm not hitting on you (again)".

Edited January 25, 2017 by John Potts