Homeland Season 8, Episode 1 questions we have

After the long-awaited season 8 premiere of Homeland, there are five burning questions that could spell chaos for Carrie and the Middle East.

Homeland is FINALLY back. It’s been so long you probably had to binge the last two or three seasons to know what’s actually going on. Here’s a quick primer:

Carried got caught behind the lines in Russia. She got out the Russian asset, but it was only because she sacrificed herself. Only Saul couldn’t use his sway or power to get her back from the Russians. As a result, season 7 of Homeland ended with Carrie looking crazy for cocoa puffs because the Russians had her for an extended stay without her meds.

1. Does Carrie have Afghani pull any more?

Afghan VP (Abdul Qarid G’ulom) just said he’s not trading prisoners, which kinds of screws up the peace talks between the U.S. and the Taliban. G’ulom, however, is willing to talk with Carrie when Saul sends her straight from the nuthouse to Kabul. The only problem is, when she goes to meet with him, she sees a laughing Yevgeny Gromov leaving G’ulom’s office. So will he listen to her? Or will he throw feces at her, like she did to Gromov?

2. Exactly how crazy is Carrie?

Nearly a year has passed since Carrie was repatriated, and she’s shaking off her meds in a much better facility than Girl, Interrupted. She has failed a polygraph (likely due to her time with Brody for those who haven’t been with Homeland the entire ride), and has large patches of memorize absolutely gone. Don’t we all.

As a result, some don’t trust her, and the memory gaps could be a reason she won’t be officially reinstated into the CIA. Well, that and one other glaring issue…

3. Did Carrie give up an asset, or several?

One other issue is what else her lapse could have caused. Did the Tobokov Russian interrogation tactics and withheld medication lead her to give up a safe house or an asset? The Russian and Taliban link is real, and the Kremlin is actively engaged in subverting American efforts.

Aaaaaand, it just so happens one of her former clandestine Ghazni assets, whose widow says he was killed by the Taliban just five months ago for being connected to the Americans and the CIA, conveniently when she was imprisoned, may be proof that she actually did spill the beans.

4. Is Saul digging his own grave?

HOMELAND — Photo: Kata Vermes/SHOWTIME – Acquired via CBS Press Express /

All his scowling and histrionics with the Pakistan delegation do not appear to be taken well. In fact, he’s outright rejected, and the U.S. foreign policy is deeply criticized. To be honest, what the Pakistani delegate doesn’t see is the no-win situation. If the U.S. keeps military in the region, they are occupiers and the enemy. If the U.S. pulls out, the region destabilizes and the U.S. remains the enemy, only more susceptible to large-scale attacks.

It’s probably better for Saul’s personal safety to be a diplomat, but for his country’s safety it’s better if he protects national interests as the National Security Advisor. Right now, however, he’s more of a partner with Taliban leader Agha Jan than with foreign colleagues.

5. Will Max’s mission be successful?

Max Piotrowski flies into a remote Combat Outpost in Afghanistan. He’s on a classified mission that will put himself and troops in danger. While walking to a dangerous spot the soldiers have traversed before, and have taken casualties, Max repairs a secretive listening device inside a fake rock near the Pakistan border. The U.S. wants to see whether or not the connection between Saul and the Pakistani leaders are bearing fruit, or if they’re just blowing smoke. It’s about time Max got his Homeland props, because he’s pretty much the only one left who Carrie hasn’t used and abused.

Next. Homeland: Look back at how we got here. dark

Homeland airs Sunday nights on Showtime.

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5 burning questions after Homeland Season 8, Episode 1

By Greg O'Shalae | Feb 11, 2020