5 burning questions after Homeland Season 8, Episode 2

By Greg O'Shalae | Feb 18, 2020

Mandy Patinkin as Saul in HOMELAND, "Deception Indicated". Photo Credit: Sifeddine Elamine/SHOWTIME. /

As Homeland reaches the final stretch, do Carrie and Saul really think they can bring peace to a region that has been warring for decades?

So Carrie is back in action after a short stint in the psych ward. She may or may not have ratted out an agent, or multiple, because the Russians and Yevgeny Gromov took away her max strength Zoloft while in captivity. As always with Homeland, there is a more nefarious mission behind the scenes, which both Saul and Max are working simultaneously.

An upcoming meeting with Afghan VP Abdul Qarid G’ulom could determine region stability and Carrie’s sanity.

1. Did Tasneem Qureshi lead the ambush/kidnapping?

The one thing to remember about this relationship is the chaos it has caused. Remember, Tasneem Qureshi recruited Dennis Boyd, who eventually created the scenario and security breach that allowed Haissam Haqqani to attack the U.S. Embassy. When the plane landed with the prisoners, she sure did seem eager to see Saul.

Later when she talked with her father, after they figured out Saul’s strategy to use Haqqani’s recently-released-from-GITMO-cousin as a liaison, he insinuated she could go as far as she needed to go in order to stop the U.S. from brokering peace in Afghanistan, and potentially the region at large.

2. Is Max really a good luck charm?

Multiple soldiers leaving on convoy patted his head like he is the Dalida in Paris or Lincoln’s nose in Springfield, Illinois. Only one soldier refused to touch Max’s head. The fear is that he may already be wearing a Star Trek red shirt. If he dies, then Max will become legendary and part of the pre-deployment checklist. Based upon Saul’s luck, the good luck charm only works if touched.

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3. Will the USB drive really sink G’ulom?

What are the odds that information from an audit is going to potentially sink the most powerful man in Afghanistan? Carrie seems to think she can work with Samari Noori to make it happen, but the relationship is tepid at best.

The USB drive she had contains info about a fake Afghani military base funded by $30M in U.S. funds, with an annual $14M payroll, and it’s all tied to Q’urom. He stole at least $100M, humiliated the Afghani President by going against the peace process, and backtracked on his prisoner statement when confronted with the evidence. But will he remain silent because of the threat?

4. Why is Yevgeny helping Carrie?

When they run into each other in the seedy club, he is very confident about the interaction. In fact, he tells Carrie that the Samari Noori lead was his doing. But why is he helping Carrie? Is Homeland about to go full circle with the brainwashed POW angle? Is that the final story arc?

5. Will Saul survive Haqqani?

While it appears the Pakistanis were behind the attack on the Taliban convoy, somehow Saul ends up in the clutches of Haqqani’s men. So how did the Taliban kidnap Saul if there is a mole in the organization? Wouldn’t that have put him with the Pakistan ISI? Maybe the kidnapping was intended the entire time, and it’s a complete double-cross?

Next. Homeland: The beginning of Saul's demise. dark

Homeland airs Sunday nights on Showtime.