| The Drone Queen | ||||
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| Written by: | Alex Gansa | |||
| Directed by: | Lesli Linka Glatter | |||
| Production number: | 4WAH01 | |||
| Running time: | 49 minutes | |||
| Original airdate: | October 5, 2014 | |||
| Viewers (millions): | 1.61 | |||
GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FACE, LIEUTENANT! - Carrie
The Drone Queen is the season premiere of Season 4 of Homeland. It aired on October 5, 2014.
Synopsis[]
From Kabul, Afghanistan, Carrie Mathison directs various drone missions to track down and eliminate high-ranking Al Qaeda operatives. On one such mission, she relies on information from Sandy Bachman, the station chief in Islamabad, Pakistan, as she often does, but this time, many innocent people are killed, fueling the locals' hatred of the United States.
Episode guide[]
Carrie is in Kabul, Afghanistan, observing the situation when she receives a call and is asked to go to the operations center. There they tell her that an important terrorist has been located and could be dealt with. Carrie wants to speak to the embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan first before deciding on the attack. The CIA chief there, Sandy Bachman, confirms that his source has confirmed the presence of Haqqani. Carrie's request for confirmation with a second source, or at least the name of this source, he replies with a lack of time and trust in the source because it had already made four other attacks possible. The opportunity to meet Haqqani will not come again anytime soon. Carrie wants to see the satellite images and gets more information from Hank Wonham. She points out that it is a farmhouse and that innocent people can also be met there. Ultimately, however, she has to seize the opportunity and gives the order. On the satellite you can see the rockets hitting. Carrie congratulates everyone as the lights go out and the staff sing Carrie a birthday song and give her a cake touting her as "The Drone Queen" - for destroying 167 targets with drones, missiles and ground operations in 6 months as station chief in Kabul (Super Powers).
Carrie comes home, treats herself to white wine and takes a pill. Then she sits down at the laptop and skyped with her sister Maggie. She explains that she just missed her father and daughter because Carrie was late. Carrie is disappointed because she was happy. Maggie congratulates Carrie and makes it clear that Carrie should be safe in Istanbul with her daughter. On the Internet you can only read how dangerous it is in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Carrie just says it was the plan, but it's different now.
Eager clean-up work is being carried out at the site where the rockets hit. They find a boy who survived the attack. Meanwhile, Saul is in the US at the Pentagon, advising the government as a private advisor on operations in the Middle East and the associated funds. However, Saul spontaneously deviates from the actual intentions and explains that one should not withdraw from the region because one is not yet finished. His boss Aaron asks for a break and confronts Saul because that would prevent him from getting the lucrative job. Saul explains that he has invested too much to just think about the money now. Aaron only explains that he has a different job now.
Carrie is back at headquarters to hear on the news not only that Haqqani was killed, but that it happened at a private wedding that killed 40 civilians. The Taliban announce corresponding retaliation. There are demonstrations in front of the American embassy in Islamabad. Inside, Ambassador Martha Boyd is speaking to Peter Quinn, who is complaining about developments over the last few years. When Sandy comes in, she wants to know what the news is because she has to explain herself to the secretary of state. Sandy explains that everything is just theater to set the mood. And even if there is some truth to the wedding story, the guests would have deliberately put themselves in danger because they were celebrating with a wanted terrorist. Haqqani bears the blame for the civilian casualties because he took the risk.
The rescued boy wakes up and immediately tries to find out what happened. He is told about the air raid. When asked about his sister and his mother, the boy, Aayan, receives no answer, so he already suspects what is going on. He gets up and walks to the ruins. Next to it he sees the corpses laid out in a row and also finds his mother there. Meanwhile, Carrie has received recent footage of the scene of the attack and sees the bodies and Aayan on them. As she lets the drone fly closer, Aayan notices her and almost looks directly at her before running away. Carrie realizes how many people actually died. Hank walks in and puts Carrie on the phone. It's Quinn talking to her about the attack. Carrie admits that it wouldn't be ideal if it was actually a wedding, but one can't blame the situation. Quinn is a bit puzzled.
Saul comes home and again apologizes that it took him longer and therefore he missed the meal with Mira, her boss and his wife. He will personally call her boss again and explain everything. Mira confronts him about the fact that everyone recommends that they buy an apartment in New York, but Saul still thinks renting is good. But Mira doesn't think it's good that he doesn't want to commit himself. Saul says he wants to be flexible. After all, today didn't go well either. Mira says he should pull himself together and apologize tomorrow. They finally agreed that Mira's wishes and her job are now the top priority.
Aayan takes the bus home and looks at the video he made just before the bomb hit on his damaged cell phone. When he arrives at his dormitory, his roommate Rahim immediately asks him how he is doing because they were already worried.
Carrie is sitting in a bar drinking beer when a lieutenant approaches her. Carrie thinks he's flirting with her, but he turns out to be the one piloting the drone. He wants to know if it was really a wedding he shot at. Carrie replies she doesn't know, but the lieutenant asks if she has any remorse. She says she sees the big picture, but the lieutenant just calls her a monster and she angrily sends him away.
Rahim, Aayan and Kiran are sitting together in a bar and Rahim cannot understand that Aayan wants to study for tomorrow's exam. Rahim is upset that Americans still claim there was no marriage. He suggests that the video be uploaded to the Internet to spread the truth. But Aayan doesn't want that.
Lockhard calls Carrie early in the morning and informs them that a video of the wedding is circulating on the Internet that looks very real. She should consider with Sandy how to get out of the situation. Carrie asks if they can't just admit the mistake, but Lockhard wants another solution. Carrie should go to Islamabad immediately and find a solution.
In New York, Saul watches the video at night, which Mira overhears unhappily. She goes back to bed and Saul decides to call Carrie. But she ignores him and just lets the phone ring.
Aayan comes home and complains to Rahim that the video is online. He should delete it immediately because he can also be seen in the video. Since Rahim did not upload the video himself, he should immediately call his cousin to have the video removed.
Peter Quinn explains to Sandy what the situation is like. He says it would only make sense to sit down together when Carrie is there. He gets a text from an unknown contact and makes a date with him while telling Quinn he's getting some fresh air. He also deletes the messages immediately.
Sandy takes a back exit and mingle with the crowd. Meanwhile, Carrie has landed in Islamabad and is picked up by Quinn. He gives her the first information and they discuss why Sandy's source was so good up to now and has now caused such a thing. But they also do not agree on what the source is all about. Peter asks how Carrie is doing with the deaths, but she only says it's a job and the victims put themselves in danger. Peter is surprised that she talks like Sandy. He also wonders why she's back in Kabul, which Carrie explains by saying it's more action and more money. As they are about to leave, they see on the news that Sandy's picture is there, so he's blown.
Sandy walks through the streets and feels watched. He goes into a house entrance and tries to open a door, but the lock has been changed. He tries to reach his contact, but he doesn't respond to his messages. Quinn calls and explains that he's been busted and they need to get him to the embassy right away. Sandy explains where he is and Peter says he'll be there in five minutes. Sandy wants to go out into the street, but a crowd has already gathered there. When they see him, he has to find another exit to escape. But he's also quickly recognized on the street and it doesn't take long before he's surrounded. As he draws his gun, Carrie and Quinn appear with the car behind them. He quickly gets in and they drive off, but the path is blocked and the pack smashes the car, preventing them from leaving. They smash the window and try to grab Sandy. Quinn tries to fight back with his gun, but they can't prevent Sandy from being dragged into the street. There are too many people. Carrie wants to help Sandy, but Peter makes it clear that they can't help him anymore and have to save themselves. Since the pack is mainly attacking Sandy, they can disappear with the car and finally reach the embassy. Carrie is mad because Peter needs a minute to breathe. Carrie explains they have to make up a story as to why they didn't save Sandy. Peter can't believe Carrie actually thinks Sandy could have been saved. They go their separate ways and Carrie wants to go to the ambassador, but is first told at the entrance that she has blood on her face. She goes to the bathroom and washes it off. You look at yourself in the mirror and bring your pulse down first.
Quotes[]
- Carrie said: “If it wasn’t a wedding, they’d say it was a mosque we hit or an orphanage or a mosque for orphans.”
- "I guess Istanbul was too tame for you." - Quinn
- "Well, we get along. Why can’t you be my station chief?” - Carrie
- "Fucking monsters, all of you," - The pilot who carries out the bombing confronts Carrie in a bar.
- Bulletproof?
- Is a normal bowel movement too much to ask for?
- You are blown.
- He’s gone.
- No, really, Carrie. Fuck you.
- There 's a reason you don 't get many shots at a guy like Haissam Haqqani.
- He's famously careful.
- Well, we trained him, didn't we?
- “Trained him”? Hell, he learned how to jump out of airplanes with the 82nd Airborne.
- If we'd known in 2001 we were staying in Afghanistan this long, we'd have made some very different choices.
- Right?
- Instead, our planning cycles rarely look more than 12 months ahead.
- So it hasn't been a 14-year war we've been waging, but a one-year war waged 14 times.
- I think we're walking away with the job half done.
- I was there when we first went in, Aaron.
- Kabul looked like one of those black-and-white photos of Dresden, 1945-blasted, wasted, deserted.
- I'm aware of how much of your life you have invested in this fight.
- Girls not allowed in school.
- Roving gangs of men with whips enforcing sharia law.
- A safe haven again for Al-Qaeda.
- It's not your job anymoreto have a say in the matter. - Saul is clearly still stuck in his CIA mindset, rightfully so, and it isn't until the bossman outright says to him.
- Happy birthday, Chief. Happy birthday.
- “The Drone Queen”?
- Speech, speech.
- Uh- Well, I, uh-I don't know what to say.
- Blow out the candles.
- All right.
- Hey! Well done.
- Thank you. Thanks, guys.
- You're Mathison, chief of station.
- Who are you?
- First Lieutenant J.G. Edgars.
- Uh, well, you got my name right, but I'm not Agency. I'm an FSO in the political section.
- Bullshit. Ma'am.
- What do you want, Lieutenant?
- You know me as Smash 12. I flew the mission into Pakistan the other night.
- Hey, why don't you sit down? Let me buy you a beer.
- No, thanks. Is it true what they're saying? It was a wedding party?
- I don't know. Even if I did, I couldn't tell you.
- Well, I feel sick to my stomach about it.
- Yeah.
- You? You ever feel that-sick to your stomach?
- Sometimes.
- I try to see the big picture though. The mission. It was a wedding, wasn't it?
- I told you, I don't know.
- I killed four Canadian soldiers in January on bad orders. Dropped a 200-pound bomb on their heads.
- I'm sorry. I really am.
- Monsters.
- Wh-What did you say?
- Fucking monsters, all of you.
- Get the fuck out of my face, Lieutenant.
- Yes, ma'am.
Comments[]
‘Homeland’ Season 4 Review: Fresh Start for Carrie, Terrorism Drama - by Matt Morava
“In reaction to Brody’s death she became numb to the world. She became sort of stony. And that allowed her to be “the drone queen,” as we called her.” - Meredith Stiehm
“Indeed, while Homeland has always exhibited some sense of unease about American foreign involvement, I can’t recall the show ever being quite as damning in its assessments as it is here. Everywhere you turn, there is a character criticising US foreign policy, from Saul – now working in the private sector – denouncing the conflict in Afghanistan as ‘a one-year war waged 14 times,’ to the pilot involved in the air strike calling Carrie and her fellow decision-makers ‘fucking monsters.’ And while in previous series such criticism might have been tempered with a cartoonish villain – the moustache-twirling likes of Abu Nazir and Javadi – this time there doesn’t seem to be one; just a bereaved student, Aayan, wanting to be left alone.” – Gwilym Mumford
“It is a scene recognizable to anyone who has worked in an office with a lovable but vulnerable boss. During a break, the employees surprise Carrie with a birthday cake. She is touched but awkward, blowing out the candles and refusing to make a speech even when people start chanting for one. She slinks away while everyone enjoys a slice. It’s classic American middle-management stuff, except that in this case the office kills people.” –Stephen Marche
But I, with the fearlessness of Carrie Mathison, have taken on the daunting task of creating a Homeland Season 3 recap for you, my dear Bustle readers. - by Caitlin Gallagher
Trivia[]
- I don't know if you read about the Haqqani Network but US sent special forces (dudes like Quinn) to clear out Haqqani insurgents. Maybe that's where Quinn is going??
- One of the season 2 posters, the one where we see Carrie in front of the panel forming Brody's face, in the left corner we can see the name of HAQQANI on a paper where it says "Haqqani Network" and a description of the character. The Haqqani Network is a real thing.
- "Islamabad is a tranquil and stunning city, with beautiful mountains and lush vegetation".
- The series of incidents which followed were totally not inspired by the Raymond Davis story? Raymond Allen Davis incident
- A station chief – also called chief of station (COS) – is responsible for managing the CIA's station in a country, from coordinating work between operations officers and others to understanding the overarching mission of the particular station. Many station chiefs previously serve as operations officers at several stations before rising through the CIA ranks to become a COS. Their first post is typically at a small station where they can learn the job tasks as a whole and those that are individual to that country. Still, even small stations are important posts for a COS because coups, bombings, and other life- and mission-threatening emergencies can occur anywhere. Station chiefs work undercover as operations officers do, and the CIA does not publicize their names. However, when Gina Haspel was nominated for CIA director in 2018, her CIA bio was released by the agency. While showing necessary gaps, it revealed that she had served as an operations officer for many years and as station chief first in Africa, although the bio declines to identify where, and also in London, a prestigious post at the station of a major U.S. ally that comes only after years of experience.
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[]
- Suraj Sharma as Aayan Ibrahim
- Bradley James as J.G. Edgars
- Amy Hargreaves as Maggie Mathison
- Sarita Choudhury as Mira Berenson
- Alex Lanipekun as Hank Wonham
- Patrick St. Esprit as Aaron
- Akshay Kumar as Rahim
- Shavani Seth as Kiran
- Corey Stoll as Sandy Bachman
Co-Starring[]
- Pope Jerrod as General Josiah Loch
- James Alexander as Joint Terminal Attack Controller
- Hemali Juta-Pillay as Burqa
- Tufail Khan as Pakistani News Anchor
- Stephen Newton as Reapear Pilot
- Annika Larsen as CNB Anchor
- Candice D'Arcy as Female Marine
- Bianca Simone Mannie as Female Analyst
- Abu Baker as Taliban Spokesman
Note[]
- Although credited, Nazanin Boniadi does not appear in this episode
Videos[]
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