S06.E02: The Man in the Basement

[ElectricBoogaloo]

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Carrie and Reda fight for their client; Quinn battles against his new life; Saul and Dar suspect Keane has a secret.

Promo:

Clips:

 

[SimoneS]

So Saul was right about Carrie advising the President-elect. Hilarious. I hope that she and Sol crush Dar in the end. Carrie has been underestimated before. 

I find it difficult to feel for sorry that kid. He is so stupid. Who in the right mind supports terrorism and doesn't expect the FBI to come after them? 

Who was Quinn hitting in the preview?

[Primetimer]

The rotten situations our heroes find ourselves in in 'The Man In The Basement.'

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[WaltersHair]

Nobody, but nobody is likable this season. I don't like or have much sympathy for the angry kid, Carrie is a screeching bore, liar, and an idiot for denying she is advising the the Madam president elect. She thinks the freaking CIA won't figure that out?

[Tesla]

As soon as they told Carrie that Saad is off limits, I groaned internally.  Of course she is going to involve herself, post haste.  Or, as Mr. Tesla said, she'll be pregnant with his baby in no time. ??

[mjc570]

Ha ha, I agree with everybody above.  I have NO sympathy for the kid (and I am as liberal as they come, on all sorts of issues) and am glad that the FBI targeted him.   Carrie is tiresome (lying to Saul, not recognizing boundaries with Quinn, jeopardizing an FBI CI etc. etc.).   I do like both Dar and Saul, especially when they're competent (Saul figuring out that Carrie was advising PEOTUS), although I thought Dar was looking pretty gleeful at the end.  My true fave, though, is Max.  This show needs more Max!

I thought it was going to come out that the drawing was made by Quinn, not Franny.  Speaking of Quinn - while I guess it's good that the show isn't glossing over the continuing effects of his poisoning (and shooting, stabbing etc), it just isn't something I have any interest in watching.  I pretty much just FF his scenes, because I get that he is depressed, frustrated, brain-damaged and physically challenged.   I assumed that the point was for him to hate Carrie for "saving" him instead of letting him die once and for all, but I guess not.  Please show - give him a break, he's earned it, and start him on the road to "recovery" ASAP.

[maraleia]

Why do I feel like I should stop watching this show? I felt the same way with Shameless this past season and I found I didn't miss it at all. Maybe I'm sick of these kinds of stories or this show has gone on too long. Is anyone else feeling the same way?

[patty1h]

Yes, I understand.  I have been watching since the beginning; I liked the first 3 seasons, but I got sick of Carrie's bug eyed hysterics, her terrorist-stopping super powers and being a man magnet.  I watched last week to see the direction of the new season, with Carrie in NY and off the government clock.  I didn't see any progress or fresh ideas, so it's sayonara.

[dwmarch]

Carrie is fucking rude. Characters like that work well on Billions, in which no one is really supposed to be a sympathetic character but here, where she's trying to accomplish things via calling in favors a please and thank you would go a long way. I loved Max's summary of Carrie's opinion on Quinn as "she said you're being kind of an asshole" and if Quinn was a little quicker on his feet right now he would have reminded Max that he learned from the best.

[Valmarmar]

I was hoping for more and different this season when the previews announced the show would take place in a new arena.  Disappointed so far, but will give it a chance, for Quinn's sake.

[scrb]

Poor Franny inherited the ginger gene.  Perhaps she'll luck out and avoid the sour face that Carrie again flashed in this episode.

Poor Sekou, who's facing 7 years in prison, maybe more.  The last guy Carrie tried to protect was Aayan, whom she seduced.  Sekou doesn't even get that action.  Or maybe given the fate of her previous lovers, it's just as well.

Poor Quinn, who made a miraculous recovery from a sarin attack, only to play the spazz on a show about the spy game.

Poor Homeland, which has lost the plot, because there doesn't seem to be any this season.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yay for Max! We're getting the band back together! And of course Carrie already has him babysitting Quinn and then she calls and asks him to do even more work for her.

I don't blame Quinn for not wanting to watch a video of himself PAINFULLY DYING. But I had to laugh when Carrie went to check on him and he casually asked, "How was your day?" like nothing had happened. I guess when you're secret assassin CIA coworkers, you learn how to let go of shit. Bygones!

As much as I enjoy watching Saul and Dar plot and scheme together, they're even better when they're adversaries so this should be fun. Love that Saul knew all about Dar's bullshit story about the restaurant and 9/11.

[Quark]

Rupert Friend deserves awards.

[Ina123]

Yeah, we all knew when they told her hands off the CI, that she would immediately get to him. I'm not really enjoying this. if something doesn't happen soon, I say goodbye Homeland. The only thing that would possibly keep me is it Quinn sucks it up and decides to go to rehab and work hard at getting what he can. Then I can rest easy leaving the watching to others. Heck, if he takes a shower next episode, I might keep watching.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quinn is breaking my heart. (And I just realized who he's reminding me of right now, in looks anyway: Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones.)

Saul stays being a fool and I don't know why he thinks he can trust Dar Adal. I can only hope he's treating Dar with no more than the level of regard with which he's being treated by Dar.

Quote

Who was Quinn hitting in the preview?

I kept waiting for that scene. Whatever, it looks like a steady diet of extreme wingnut talk radio is going to steer Quinn in a bad direction, especially since he probably feels like he doesn't have much else to believe in right now. It's an interesting parallel to how Sekou got radicalized.

[brilliantbreakfast]

10 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I thought it was going to come out that the drawing was made by Quinn, not Franny.  Speaking of Quinn - while I guess it's good that the show isn't glossing over the continuing effects of his poisoning (and shooting, stabbing etc), it just isn't something I have any interest in watching.  I pretty much just FF his scenes, because I get that he is depressed, frustrated, brain-damaged and physically challenged.   I assumed that the point was for him to hate Carrie for "saving" him instead of letting him die once and for all, but I guess not.  Please show - give him a break, he's earned it, and start him on the road to "recovery" ASAP.

Oh perish the thought.  What I'm afraid of is that Quinn will develop an "aww...the feels..." bond with Franny, which would make me puke.  Unlike you, though, for reasons I stated in my comments for "Fair Game", do want to see more of his scenes, except that in this episode his speech suddenly got better when he was talking to Carrie and I suspect that his miraculous recovery from a stroke that had a prognosis of severe brain damage will be remarkable quick.

[attica]

I really hate shows that keep giving us "I promise to [handle routine life event, usually involving children], honest!" scenes. We all know the promise will be broken. They only serve to make the characters that spout them unsympathetic, and the show look unrealistic in that there's always some other character available -- eager, even -- to pick up the slack. You can omit these scenes, show! Doing so will not cost you anything! I'd rather amuse myself with whatever device you use to explain away inconvenient real-life than have to sit through more "Mommy loves you, but has to catch the next plane to Iran" scenes.

The excuse that cleaning a thing is only a temporary fix should only be used for inanimate objects (lord knows I've used it to avoid vacuuming in my life), not living creatures. Bathing is a good thing in and of itself.

[Milburn Stone]

What, no mentions yet of Carrie's "cry face"? What's wrong with you people? :)

This episode was marginally better (IMHO) than the first one, but I agree with everyone that Homeland has made a gradual descent from must-see TV to not-sure-it's-worth-the-time-or-effort TV.

[bluewave]

44 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

What, no mentions yet of Carrie's "cry face"? What's wrong with you people? :)

This episode was marginally better (IMHO) than the first one, but I agree with everyone that Homeland has made a gradual descent from must-see TV to not-sure-it's-worth-the-time-or-effort TV.

I am sad to say I agree with you. Unless something comes along to save this season it might be my last OR it could be the last season for Homeland. I hate when a show I enjoy jumps the shark. I enjoy so few so when I find something that is a must see, it is missed when it no longer is driven by a script or writers that give a damn.

[scrb]

That FBI dude is really being a douchebag.

Jackie cheating on him must have really messed him up.  

[Addlepated]

Because I love you. 

Because you're the only one who has ever stuck by me always. 

Because you would have done it for me. 

 

Just a tip, Carrie. If your best friend who is probably suicidal and horribly damaged asked why you saved him, don't cry and run away. 

[chick binewski]

I liked this episode much less than the premiere. I'm also not crazy about the NYC location so I'm looking forward to watching Saul go to work next week. And Max is back yay.

I'll always stick with Quinn just for Rupert who is killing it. But I'm not sure where the writers are going with the Carrie/Quinn scenes and since I never trust them when it comes to Carrie's allure I don't look forward much to those parts of the show anymore. I'm also doing a re-watch of the entire series so this feels a little Brody in Venezuela 2.0.

[roughing it]

Over the Christmas holiday, I treated myself to a viewing of "Little Women".  A little Claire Danes played sick "Beth", where Claire first sported the tremble-chin.  The tremble-chin is still at work weekly in Homeland.  Apparently it's Claire's go-to emotional scene trick.  Carrie also uses the tremble-chin whenever it best affords her, this time when Saul *horrors* accuses her of colluding with the PEOTUS.  Just like Claire, Carrie can also turn it on and turn it off.  Ugh, so so tired of the tremble-chin affect by both the character and the actress.

[roughing it]

Oh, and another thing.  If they have to have Carrie in a romantic relationship, I would rather see her with Saul than with Quinn.  Well, not really, but I would really really really hate it if Carrie and Quinn got together.  So just stop it now.  Carrie really needs to be man-free and stay on her meds this season.

[sunflower]

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Well, not really, but I would really really really hate it if Carrie and Quinn got together.

At this point, Carrie and Quinn's relationship, romantic or not, is a huge part of the show.  Since they didn't kill him off when they easily could have last year, I don't see how their relationship going forward doesn't eventually become a romantic one.  I love the idea, they're both fucked up in their own ways and the actors have great chemistry.  I think it would just be easier to put them together as a given and let the CIA stories play out.  Like beginning of S7, they're just together and it's not even a thing.  

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Addlepated said:

Because I love you. 

Because you're the only one who has ever stuck by me always. 

Because you would have done it for me. 

 

Just a tip, Carrie. If your best friend who is probably suicidal and horribly damaged asked why you saved him, don't cry and run away. 

I still can't believe Carrie showed Quinn that video. The guy's been in her house for, how long? One day? Maybe two? He's mentally unstable and Carrie knows it and yet she has to bring up there's a video of him dying from being poisoned? What kind of horrible human being do you have to be to introduce that trauma to a man who's already barely hanging on by a thread? 

And was she crying because she wanted to tell him she loved him and that's why she saved him or was she crying because she missed her chance to kill him when she could? 

[clb1016]

16 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Yay for Max! We're getting the band back together! And of course Carrie already has him babysitting Quinn and then she calls and asks him to do even more work for her.

But what is Max doing there?  Granted, I'm no longer paying strict attention to every detail of every scene of this show, but shouldn't Max still be in the DC area working for the CIA?  What's he doing in Brooklyn where Carrie can call him and ask him to hop right over to do her a favor?

[meowmommy]

Happy to see Max.  He's come a long way from being Virgil's bumbling little helper.  

Dar's "Presidents don't get chances, they get tested," felt scarily ripped from reality.  Unlike the plotline with the female PE, which will always feel disjointed given the current state of the nation.

Why would Quinn be drawn to that Alex Jones-ish program?

[piequinn35]

I agree, this season is different from the other seasons, kinda declining, I hope it picks up soon, and as long as my boyfriend is here I am watching it, if he dies, bye bye show! :) :) :)

[Lady Iris]

Well Peter Quinn just broke my heart when he asked what happened to him. He's so broken. This is some depressing shit.

[Lemons]

I still love this show but I hope there is a better plot line than some stupid kid making videos. And I don't care how unrealistic, I want Quinn to recover completely. 

[grommit2]

I am rooting for Quinn to recover and get back to being the baddest secret agent on the planet. Better than all the 007's put together (except maybe Daniel Craig).  The episode where he "chatted" with the slimey New York banker who was laundering money was the best of any scripted TV show in a long time.  

[Milburn Stone]

On 1/23/2017 at 9:32 PM, clb1016 said:

But what is Max doing there?  Granted, I'm no longer paying strict attention to every detail of every scene of this show, but shouldn't Max still be in the DC area working for the CIA?  What's he doing in Brooklyn where Carrie can call him and ask him to hop right over to do her a favor?

And what a coincidence that the PEOTUS for whatever reasons of her own just happens to be bivouacked in New York City, the same place Carrie's new career happens, so that Carrie can advise her! And so that Dar Adal and Saul have a reason to be in NY also!

They've wrenched the plot around to suit Showtime's production budget. The suits obviously said, "We'll pay for you to shoot in NY (and some place to stand in for wherever Saul is headed), but hell if we're going to pay for Washington, too."

Edited January 25, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[Duke2801]

On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 2:33 PM, scrb said:

That FBI dude is really being a douchebag.

Jackie cheating on him must have really messed him up.  

Ha.  I haven't seen Nurse Jackie, but I knew he was on that show.  I still see him as the douchebag that Miranda is interested in (and that Carrie used to date but broke up with because "he's an asshole") on Sex and the City. 

Was anybody surprised that Saul was right about Carrie advising the President elect?  Anybody....?    *crickets* 

[Ottis]

I suppose this season is well done, but geez is it boring. It's like House of Cards, but less interesting. Why is anyone doing anything this season? Seeing Quinn as he is, not trying to get better, is painful ... and will lead to what? Will he save Franny from a DC terrorist cell?

What the FBI did to Sekue is not right, I get it. At the same time, you don't do some things unless you want trouble. I don't walk down dangerous streets alone at 2 a.m. If I did, and I was mugged or shot, I didn't do anything wrong, but I should never have put myself in that position. That's what the kid did. So I get the ethical issue, however, it was all so unnecessary the way it was presented.

[Lady Iris]

3 hours ago, Duke2801 said:

Was anybody surprised that Saul was right about Carrie advising the President elect?  Anybody....?    *crickets* 

Heh, I shouldn't have been surprised but Carrie was pretty convincing. That Saul is one smart cookie.

[yourmomiseasy]

On 1/23/2017 at 3:59 PM, Giant Misfit said:

And was she crying because she wanted to tell him she loved him and that's why she saved him or was she crying because she missed her chance to kill him when she could? 

I thought she was crying because he even had to ask either because he was so depressed that he didn't feel he was worth saving or so brain damaged that he didn't remember their bond.  Another interpretation could be that he was asking more in a why couldn't you just let me die way which would also be heartbreaking.

Edited January 26, 2017 by yourmomiseasy

[Milburn Stone]

On 1/25/2017 at 9:45 AM, Ottis said:

What the FBI did to Sekue is not right, I get it. At the same time, you don't do some things unless you want trouble. I don't walk down dangerous streets alone at 2 a.m. If I did, and I was mugged or shot, I didn't do anything wrong, but I should never have put myself in that position. That's what the kid did. So I get the ethical issue, however, it was all so unnecessary the way it was presented.

I agree completely, but...there are young people who (in their false sense of invulnerability) foolishly walk down dangerous streets at 2 am, and I have no doubt there are some who foolishly do what it seems Sekue did. He seems believable to me, he engenders my empathy--his foolishness moves me at least as much as it irritates me--and I have no trouble with him as a plot line. As long as what surrounds it seems not to have been engineered within an inch of its life, which unfortunately is how it's seeming so far.

Edited January 28, 2017 by Milburn Stone

[chick binewski]

On 1/23/2017 at 6:59 PM, Giant Misfit said:

I still can't believe Carrie showed Quinn that video. The guy's been in her house for, how long? One day? Maybe two? He's mentally unstable and Carrie knows it and yet she has to bring up there's a video of him dying from being poisoned? What kind of horrible human being do you have to be to introduce that trauma to a man who's already barely hanging on by a thread? 

And was she crying because she wanted to tell him she loved him and that's why she saved him or was she crying because she missed her chance to kill him when she could? 

One of my countless problems with Carrie. She puts Quinn at arms length then overshares about his condition. And conveniently forgets to mention that she and Saul are the most responsible for his current condition. 

On 1/24/2017 at 3:27 PM, Lemons said:

I still love this show but I hope there is a better plot line than some stupid kid making videos. And I don't care how unrealistic, I want Quinn to recover completely. 

 

On 1/24/2017 at 5:39 PM, grommit2 said:

I am rooting for Quinn to recover and get back to being the baddest secret agent on the planet. Better than all the 007's put together (except maybe Daniel Craig).  The episode where he "chatted" with the slimey New York banker who was laundering money was the best of any scripted TV show in a long time.  

I just rewatched that season and now I wish Berlin was a Bobby in the Shower dream season for Quinn. He already had Issues; make him better so he can go back to struggling with being such a bad ass!

I'm also wondering if there's any way Sekou will know more than he's letting on? I doubt it but I'm not really interested in Homeland going down the true crime false imprisonment path. (I also had a lifelong friend who was locked up through entrapment and the whole subject just enrages me.)    

[shelley1234]

Quinn killed me this episode....finally asking what happened to him and watching it.  And then wondering why Carrie would try to save him.  Damn.   It's not like he hasn't saved her a million times over.  I did have some fear that she was gonna try to comfort him by fucking him and was so relieved that didn't happen.  At least not yet.  

I do feel for Sekou.  As someone who spent my weekend protesting things the govt is doing that is bullshit, I am a fundamental believer in free speech.  In this country the truth is that certain people have free speech and certain people better watch their fucking mouth.  Sekou learned which group he is a part of and I hope Carrie and Co. fights hard for him.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

On 1/23/2017 at 2:32 PM, roughing it said:

Over the Christmas holiday, I treated myself to a viewing of "Little Women".  A little Claire Danes played sick "Beth", where Claire first sported the tremble-chin.  The tremble-chin is still at work weekly in Homeland.  Apparently it's Claire's go-to emotional scene trick.  Carrie also uses the tremble-chin whenever it best affords her, this time when Saul *horrors* accuses her of colluding with the PEOTUS.  Just like Claire, Carrie can also turn it on and turn it off.  Ugh, so so tired of the tremble-chin affect by both the character and the actress.

Minor nitpick: the tremble-chin first appeared on My So-Called Life. The first half of MSCL's first (and only) season was filmed before Claire began filming Little Women. 

[John Potts]

OK, I have no doubt that Quinn's portrayal of a soldier experiencing PTSD is accurate (or at least plausible)... that doesn't make it fun to watch. Do have to praise Claire Danes on her ability to unashamedly "Cry Ugly" (again) rather than just let a dainty tear trickle down her cheek. And on the subject of crying:

On ‎26‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 11:41 PM, yourmomiseasy said:

I thought she was crying because he even had to ask either because he was so depressed that he didn't feel he was worth saving or so brain damaged that he didn't remember their bond.  Another interpretation could be that he was asking more in a why couldn't you just let me die way which would also be heartbreaking.

I think it's probably a bit of all of them, possibly combined with burying any feelings she'd had for Quinn before and now having to confront them again (maybe).

On ‎30‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 11:47 AM, shelley1005 said:

 As someone who spent my weekend protesting things the govt is doing that is bullshit, I am a fundamental believer in free speech.  In this country the truth is that certain people have free speech and certain people better watch their fucking mouth.

Sing it! Totally agree with you there - that's why I'm hoping that the CIA will turn out to be the "Bad Guys"(TM) this Season and are acting increasingly paranoid with no justification - and that FBI guy looks like a complete Slimeball (probably a sincere one, but a slimeball nonetheless) with the way he's implying guilt by association. And it certainly looks like Dar (and to a lesser extent, Saul) are prepared to "defend" America by coercing their elected leader.

On ‎24‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 3:32 AM, clb1016 said:

But what is Max doing there?...shouldn't Max still be in the DC area working for the CIA?

IIRC, Max was a private contractor (probably ex-CIA) Carrie hired to watch Brodie in Season 1. So he HAS been outside the CIA.

[Roseanna]

On ‎23‎.‎1‎.‎2017 at 7:00 AM, mjc570 said:

Ha ha, I agree with everybody above.  I have NO sympathy for the kid (and I am as liberal as they come, on all sorts of issues) and am glad that the FBI targeted him.  

You are glad that the FBI fabricates "terrorists" with the help of informers, so that the bureau seems to be effective?

To me, this seems just like the McCarthy period.

[Roseanna]

Can anybody explain to me how the President-elect can be involved in the CIA operation? Wouldn't it be unlawlawful?

Edited February 20, 2017 by Roseanna

[Roseanna]

On ‎23‎.‎1‎.‎2017 at 7:27 AM, maraleia said:

Why do I feel like I should stop watching this show? I felt the same way with Shameless this past season and I found I didn't miss it at all. Maybe I'm sick of these kinds of stories or this show has gone on too long. Is anyone else feeling the same way?

I admit that the two parts that are so far shown here aren't especially good, especially as just saw via Netflix the Norwegian series Nobel which has a perfect mix of Norwegian soldiers fighting in Afghanistan where a little boy or as police can be a suicide bomber and Norway where own interests or national interests or both are driven in the name of humanitarian actions.

 The reason why I still watch Homeland is that I am interested in the paranoid attitudes it describes the CIA and the USA to have.

[grommit2]

13 hours ago, Roseanna said:

Can anybody explain to me how the President-elect can be involved in the CIA operation? Wouldn't it be unlawlawful?

Ah...the answer is that the Prez-elect does not trust the CIA, or, as the PE refers to it, the "failing CIA, so sad".  Rather, the Prez-elect skips the daily security briefings and relies on fair and balanced TV shows that report the real news, not the fake news.  And, since the PE is going to take over the country and make it great again, the PE needs to get started really, really fast.  But, first the PE needs to examine the constitution and eliminate a few expensive, profit-eating articles and amendments, and remove a few so-called judges. 

Oops, looks like I left the <sarcasm> button on.  My bad!

[John Potts]

10 hours ago, Roseanna said:

The reason why I still watch Homeland is that I am interested in the paranoid attitudes it describes the CIA and the USA to have.

They're certainly playing up that angle this Season, and it's looking like the CIA, rather than any terrorists, are going to be the primary villains this Season.

[Roseanna]

On ‎23‎.‎1‎.‎2017 at 7:00 AM, mjc570 said:

Ha ha, I agree with everybody above.  I have NO sympathy for the kid (and I am as liberal as they come, on all sorts of issues) and am glad that the FBI targeted him. 

 

On ‎25‎.‎1‎.‎2017 at 5:45 PM, Ottis said:

What the FBI did to Sekue is not right, I get it. At the same time, you don't do some things unless you want trouble. I don't walk down dangerous streets alone at 2 a.m. If I did, and I was mugged or shot, I didn't do anything wrong, but I should never have put myself in that position. That's what the kid did. So I get the ethical issue, however, it was all so unnecessary the way it was presented.

 

On ‎28‎.‎1‎.‎2017 at 5:27 PM, Milburn Stone said:

I agree completely, but...there are young people who (in their false sense of invulnerability) foolishly walk down dangerous streets at 2 am, and I have no doubt there are some who foolishly do what it seems Sekue did. He seems believable to me, he engenders my empathy--his foolishness moves me at least as much as it irritates me--and I have no trouble with him as a plot line. As long as what surrounds it seems not to have been engineered within an inch of its life, which unfortunately is how it's seeming so far.

I agree with Milburn. Sekou is a teenager who had to leave the school and had nothing to wait in life, so there is no wonder he found a compensation in "cause" and and now he is in prison because of an informed deceived him - he has reason enough to be angry.

It would be more intelligent to make a difference between people who are really dangorous and youths like Sekou. What he needs is a chnace to get education and adults who teach him positive values and how one can achieve one's goals.

[Anela]

I love Max.