| Halfway to a Donut | ||||
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| Written by: | Chip Johannessen | |||
| Directed by: | Alex Graves | |||
| Production number: | 4WAH08 | |||
| Running time: | 49 minutes | |||
| Original airdate: | November 16, 2014 | |||
| Viewers (millions): | 1.66 | |||
Halfway to a Donut is the eighth episode of Season 4 of Homeland. It aired on November 16, 2014.
Synopsis[]
Carrie Mathison organizes a mission to rescue Saul Berenson while Andrew Lockhart and Martha Boyd attempt to stop the ISI hold on to something else.
Episode guide[]
Carrie wakes up in Aasar Khan's apartment. Confused, she goes onto the terrace when Aasar comes up. She asks him how she got here, to which he tells her that she was arrested by the police after causing a commotion on the street. He then tells her about her hallucinations, whereupon the still weak Carrie leaves him. Aasar then puts her back in bed.
Lockhart, Martha and Quinn are on their way to meet the Pakistani delegation. Martha reminds Lockhart to behave this time. Aasar and Tasneem are preparing as well, with Tasneem pointing out to Aasar that Carrie is mentally unstable and she would probably be on her way back to the US now if he hadn't interfered.
When everyone is sitting together, a live transmission takes place in which Saul says that under no circumstances should they deal with the Taliban. He is immediately taken away again and Haqqani sits down in front of the camera. He lists several names of Pakistani prisoners without comment. Lockhart immediately understands that Haqqani is proposing an exchange of prisoners. But since the names also include a man who is responsible for the bombing of Karachi, in which Pakistanis were also killed, he asks the delegation whether this is really their will. Martha intervenes and proposes to meet again the next day so that they have time to discuss the next steps with their governments. Saul, meanwhile, is brought back to his cell, briefly struggling and picking up a nail on the floor.
Carrie wants to swallow her pill, but when she suddenly realizes something, she quickly spits it out again. A few seconds later, Aasar comes back. She asks him why his men followed her, whereupon Aasar explains what happened again. Carrie explains that she suspects her pills have been tampered with. She wants to know if he is responsible, which Aasar denies. Carrie doesn't believe him and leaves him.
Carrie then has new medication prescribed. She then tells Quinn that there must be someone at the embassy working against her who exchanged their pills. She demands a conversation with Lockhart, who immediately informs her about Haqqani's exchange proposal. It's immediately clear to Carrie that they can't go into this. Lockhart urges her to come up with a plan while he is about to update Martha on what happened to Carrie. Carrie then talks to Quinn about it and protests that she can't remember anything. Quinn also assumes that Aasar poisoned her.
Saul, meanwhile, tries desperately to free himself from his handcuffs with the nail. Meanwhile, Lockhart informed Martha. When he disappears, Dennis visits her. Martha asks him not to leave the embassy and also tells him about the mole they have under them. Dennis promises her to be careful.
Meanwhile, Saul managed to free himself and hang himself from the chain with the handcuffs. When his guard comes to him, Saul first pretends to be dead, then puts the chain around the man's neck and strangles him. After lying motionless next to him, Saul grabs his keys and cell phone and quickly disappears. A few minutes later, Carrie receives a call from Saul, who managed to escape the building. Carrie immediately wakes Quinn and the two head to the control room, where they locate Saul over his phone. Quinn asks Saul to run to a ridge, then orders his colleague to send a drone to Saul so they can watch him the next morning at the latest. When Saul arrives at the ridge, Quinn tells him to go to the town of Makin, twenty miles away, where there is an ally named Azam Shah. Saul then asks to speak to Carrie. He tries to make her understand that he will not take part in Haqqani's game and in no case wants to be traded for his men. He makes Carrie promise that she'll drop a bomb if she needs to, even if it kills him. Saul's only option is to escape or die. After the conversation, he makes his way to Makin.
The next morning, Saul is still on his way to Makin. Quinn asks Carrie what he told her on the phone, then Lockhart comes over and tells them that the Pakistani delegation has arrived. Meanwhile, Dennis takes the opportunity to talk to Tasneem. She leaves him a note on a napkin with a task, which Aasar observes unnoticed. In the conversation, Martha lists the terms of the White House prisoner swap. Carrie is surprised that the Pakistani delegation seems so unconcerned.
Meanwhile, Saul has arrived in Makin and has also been able to locate Azam Shah's grocery store. Suddenly he stands behind him and threatens him with a gun, which he lowers after realizing that Saul needs his help. At the same time, Carrie leaves the conversation with the Pakistani delegation, sure that they know where Saul is, otherwise they wouldn't be so calm. She tries to contact a man who is driving his car to Makin. However, the way there is blocked by the Taliban, which is why they have to turn around and choose another, much longer route.
Meanwhile, Saul was taken in by Azam Shan and given food. Azam tells him about his father who fought against the Taliban and died in the process. He then gets a call from Carrie, which he passes on to Saul. She tells him to go to Makin's hospital since he's closer to the city limits and they can pick him up there. Saul agrees and then gets Azam's gun and cell phone.
Martha cannot continue the negotiations because both Carrie and Lockhart are no longer present. Tasneem gets a message on her cell phone and agrees to wait for her. Meanwhile, the car on the way to Makin encounters more Taliban and gets involved in a shootout. Meanwhile, several Taliban have surfaced in Makin, so Carrie keeps in touch with Saul, who notices something is wrong. Carrie tries to calm him down, even if the Taliban are increasing. Saul has lost hope and reminds Carrie that he would rather die than end up in Taliban hands again. He pulls out the gun and puts it to his head, but Carrie begs him not to give up as there is still hope. Eventually, Saul lowers the gun and Carrie leads him around town. She claims that he almost reached the goal, but instead lets him run straight into the arms of the Taliban. Saul can't believe Carrie lied to him and is arrested again. Lockhart then returns to the conference room and tells the delegation that they accept Haqqani's demands.
Carrie feels guilty because Saul is alive because of her, but she betrayed him. Quinn doesn't say anything else except that they should sleep. Carrie follows his suggestion, but just as she's turned off the light, she gets a call from Aasar. She meets him soon after. He insists he didn't switch her meds and wants her to believe him. Carrie replies that it wasn't fair in any case and she believes him because she can now remember what happened at the end of her delusions. Then Aasar reveals to her that it was Dennis Boyd who swapped her pills and is working against her.
Trivia[]
- What are the words written on the flag in the Haqqani video that appears in this episode? [ جهاد الاسلام ] Jihad al islam Its meaning revolves around fighting either to defend islam (defending bilad al muslimeen- which means the land of the muslims) or fighting in order to spread islam. It could be summarised as the fight for Islam (for the preservation of Islam).
Quotes[]
“It’s like I’m finally seeing now… nothing good can happen in this fucked up world that we’ve made for ourselves.” - Carrie
"You really don't remember."
"We have a breach here in the embassy."
"These are Haqqanis demands not ours."
"You need to promise!"
Carrie: I need you to believe me;
Aasar: Why?;
Carrie: I’m not sure... I know you’re telling the truth because I remember. Not everything, but enough. The part at the end with you…
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison
- Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn
- Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson
- Nazanin Boniadi as Fara Sherazi
- Tracy Letts as Andrew Lockhart
- Laila Robins as Martha Boyd
Guest Starring[]
- Mark Moses as Dennis Boyd
- Raza Jaffrey as Aasar Khan
- Nimrat Kaur as Tasneem Qureshi
- Michael O'Keefe as John Redmond
- Numan Acar as Haissam Haqqani
- Art Malik as Bunran Latif
Co-Starring[]
- Dylan Edy as a member of the special forces
- Tyrone Keogh as a member of the special forces
- Jòvan Muthray as shopkeeper
- Gary Green as Technician
- Nicole Sherwin as Nurse
Note[]
- Although credited, Nazanin Boniadi does not appear in this episode
Videos[]
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