Homeland - Season 3 Finale - The Star - Review

Tonight ended the rock road that has been season three. “The Star” was Homeland’s twelfth episode to its third season. I’m still kind of shaking; I did not expect them to actually do it. I did not expect to feel this way at the end of this season; Homeland’s cliffhangers usually aren’t like this. I cried, I don’t usually cry during Homeland. Actually, I don’t usually cry watching TV shows, but yet, there’s still this ball in my throat.

“You were right about him, he did what he said. Tell him good job.” Nicolas Brody, as was expected of him, killed Akbari in the last minutes of last week’s episode. I’m still a believer that he was not playing it the whole time, and that at some point during his conversation with Carrie he changed his mind. Carrie, Saul and what seemed like the rest of the team seemed keen on helping the pair out of Tehran. Carrie and Brody headed to the safe-house for what seemed like an easy enough extraction plan. But, when things go seen to be too easy on Homeland, something always goes wrong. After finally reuniting, after everything they have both been through, Carrie and Brody's world fell apart once again. To help Javadi earn his position in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Dal sold Saul, Carrie and Brody out. I will hold a grudge, I really hope this betrayal comes biting Dal and Lockhart in the ass next season.

The cast outdid themself tonight. Every scene with Claire Danes tonight seemed to designed to break my heart. I felt the actual pain of Brody's death and I thought of him as an unstable prick. This episode, he redeemed himself, in my eyes at least. One scene, though, made me want to break my TV. After the emotional phone call to Brody, she called Saul for help, but mostly for comfort. He’s her mentor, yes, but also her friend, a father figure. He was so cold. Seriously all you can say is: I’m so sorry. I wanted to punch him in the neck.

Brody: “I want it to be over, I’m okay. I really am.” Judged by a military tribunal, and declared an enemy of the state, Brody was sentenced to death by hanging. The Iranians version of death by hanging, more accurately death by strangulation, really is horrible. First of all, there are thousands of people, including kids (Wake up kids, we’re going to see someone get hanged! Really?) are there cheering on. Also, the process is long and torturous. Death by hanging, back in the days usually meant you stepped off a platform and your neck broke when the rope stopped your fall. It was fast and mostly painless. This was torture, publicly exposed torture. I just couldn’t stand seeing his face get bloated and blue. I really was having a hard time understanding why Carrie would want to be there. I didn’t want to be there. I didn't want to see that. What possible reasons could she have to? I felt cheated out of a goodbye with them. No goodbye, no I love yous, but I feel it's just more powerful that way.

Four months later, Carrie is still pregnant and still CIA. Who would have known? Lockhart knowing how pregnant she is, and how much she must hate him, offers her a job as station chief in Istanbul. Is he testing her? Getting rid of her? I don’t know what his deal is. Carrie's having a bad time and its understandable. Finally, she seems to be understanding that having this baby, while working the job she has, will be next to impossible. “Is that baby going to come with you in that Bjorn?” But mostly, I feel the reason she wanted to keep the baby in the first place is now proving to be the reason she doesn’t want it anymore. It's the part of Brody she wanted to hold on to. She’s scared, but mostly, she’s sad. When has Carrie ever admitted to being sad, probably never? She misses Brody, the gruesome images are, as are in mine, probably constantly popping in her mind. How can she forget them, if she’s constantly thinking about him? I’m with the sister on this one, I think it will be good for Carrie if she keeps the baby, it will help her. I’m not sure what it would do to the show, though.

Saul, who’s back with his cheating wife (who am I to judge?), is no longer CIA. He’s back at Langley for the ceremony in honor of the military that died on the line of duty. Carrie still believes Brody deserves his star, but Lockhart has different opinions on the matter. America probably still sees Brody as the terrorist who bombed Langley and it would be hard to justify giving him the star. I just don’t agree with any of it. Brody did what was asked of him, he should be allowed his redemption, he should be remembered for the good he’s done. Lockhart used to be the reasonable one in the group, but I agree with Carrie on this one. Brody deserves the Star, his family deserves the truth, he deserves to have his honor back. “You were asked to do a mission on behalf of your country, and you did it. “ The scribbling of the star on the wall made me more emotional than expected. I believe it was Carrie’s farewell to the CIA. They’ll never agree, and I can’t accept that she doesn’t at least secretly blame them for Brody’s death.

We actually witnessed Brody die, I saw it. Yet, a part of me was hoping that, in real soap opera form, he would show up again, alive. I know it would contradict everything, but I don’t know how I feel about Homeland without Brody. Farewell Damian Lewis, you will be missed. (Unless you magically come back!)

See you next year!

Theories: What is going to happen next season?
It’s hard to say. This episode felt more like a series finale, than a season finale. I’m thinking next season will be very different from the first three. Carrie will eventually dump the CIA. Lockhart will not be able to keep her in check the same way Saul could. I’m not sure what Saul is doing in New York, but Carrie will at some point join him.