Episode Title: “One Last Time”
Writer: Barbara Hall
Director: Jeffrey Reiner
Previously on “Homeland”:
Two things stood out in “One Last Time.” The first is that “Homeland” missed a chance for a full on training montage with Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) getting back into shape for a suicide mission. A training montage set to music may have been too over-the-top even for this show, but I’m willing to bet that some “Homeland” fans will cut one together… if they haven’t already.
The second thing was a stark reminder of just how selfish Brody and Carrie (Claire Danes) can be. And of all the characters to point this out, it was Dana (Morgan Saylor); a pretty selfish young woman in her own way. But at least Dana has a reasonable excuse for her reaction in this episode.
Surprisingly Saul (Mandy Patinkin) was very generous and selfless when he was handed a major win, in a quick reversal from last week. I’m not a fan of the way that two major plot elements of the season were so easily brushed aside, but I can respect Saul’s choice to take the option that gives him almost everything he wants and spares his wife a public humiliation.
There are full spoilers ahead for last night’s episode of “Homeland,” so if you happened to miss the latest installment then you should probably skip this review or else Brody will be thrown overboard.
Last week’s reveal that Alain Bernard (William Abadie) — the estranged lover of Saul’s wife, Mira (Sarita Choudhury) — was a spy who had secretly bugged Saul’s computer had some very dangerous implications for Saul, Mira and the entire operation. At the same time, Saul had a ticking clock in the form of Senator Lockhart’s (Tracy Letts).impending confirmation hearing to run the CIA.
But in a flash, both problems were solved when Saul was handed evidence that Alain was an Israeli spy who was sharing intel with Lockhart. That was dealt with way too easily, especially since Lockhart’s ascension to CIA Director has been such a big subplot. Saul does come out of that looking like a decent human being for sparing his wife and the agency such an ugly scandal. However, that quick resolution undercut two sources of dramatic tension.
In the meantime, a good deal of the episode dealt with Saul’s attempt to get Brody clean from drugs and ready for a suicide mission in Iran… in six days. Even Saul’s men balked at that accelerated timeline, before eventually getting some extra time from Lockhart.
There was a deliberate parallel between the CIA’s treatment of Brody and the way that Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban) broke Brody’s will and turned him into a terrorist. During Brody’s drug induced visions, we see both Nazir and Brody’s former collaborator, Tom Walker (Chris Chalk) again. But more meaningfully, we see Carrie and Brody in the same room together for the first time this season.
The reunion of Brody and Carrie had an interesting pace and the camera kept Carrie out of focus until Brody finally turned around to look at her. Like Brody, Carrie is primarily motivated by her own needs. She’s so blinded by her love for Brody that Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend) had to shoot Carrie in the arm last week just to keep her from ruining the CIA’s operation. It was really hilarious that Carrie bitterly admitted that Quinn was just a great shot because his bullet didn’t do any lasting damage.
Carrie wants Brody back in her life, but even she tries to compel him to go on the suicide mission. It seems that the only thing that keeps Carrie in the door at the CIA is her connection to Brody. Once that’s gone and assuming the worst for Brody, how will “Homeland” justify keeping Carrie in the CIA’s employ?
Using Brody’s love for Dana as leverage, Carrie finally gets him to go along with Saul’s plan. But Brody demands to see Dana before he’s shipped out, leading to an intense father and daughter reunion in which Dana basically tells Brody and Carrie to get the hell out of her life. It’s the best moment that Dana’s had all season, as we see that she’s become a high school dropout who is working as a hotel maid.
Thankfully, Dana had no CW misadventures this week. Her life currently revolves around her job and that means that Dana can’t foolishly put herself in danger… again. Note that Brody never brought up his ex-wife Jessica (Morena Baccarin) or his son, Chris (Jackson Pace). Even if those two characters aren’t very important to the show, they are (and should be) important to Brody. And he didn’t even ask about them.
At the very least, Brody’s new spec ops team goes out of their way to get Brody through his recovery and make him feel like he belongs once again. It’s what Brody needs and it may be more than he deserves. But if the mission to Iran is a one-way trip, then Brody and his team might as well bond. In the field, all they will have is each other.
It has to be said that Saul’s plan to use Brody as an assassin to help move Majid Javadi (Shaun Toub) up the Iranian chain of command is incredibly optimistic. But it can’t work, it just can’t. Saul is relying too heavily on Javadi’s continued cooperation and his ability to get Brody in the same room with his target. Both are long shots at best. And even if Brody succeeds and Saul gets what he wants, there’s no guarantee that this won’t create an even bigger mess than the one Saul already has on his hands.
In the end, it comes back to Saul and Carrie, neither of whom particularly trusts the other at this point. There are too many lies and conflicting agendas between them. That makes for a bad partnership, but it’s entertaining to watch. The last three “Homeland” episodes have had a much tighter focus than the earlier episodes this season. It’s an encouraging sign as we head towards the remaining episodes of the third season. Hopefully “Homeland’ will finally pull it together with a solid ending.
