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The English Teacher
Homeland - 8.11 - The English Teacher
Season 8, Episode 11
Written by: Patrick Harbinson & Chip Johannessen
Directed by: Michael Cuesta
Production number: 8WAH11
Running time: 51 minutes
Original airdate: April 19, 2020
Viewers (millions): 0.96

YOU MUST KILL SAUL - GROMOV,YEVGENY

The English Teacher is the eleventh episode of the final season of Homeland. It aired on April 19, 2020.

Synopsis[]

Saul backchannels. Carrie needs one more favor. Back in the US, Carrie is awaiting trial for treason. While awaiting her indictment, she and Jenna set out to find Saul's alleged contact in the Kremlin. A trail leads the two to Andrei Kuznetsov, who now lives in the witness protection program and once fled East Germany with Saul's help. Meanwhile, Saul flies to the UN summit in New York to extract information from the Russian delegation about their foul play.

Episode guide[]

The English Teacher began with Carrie in CIA custody before she was released thank to Saul and the lawyer he got for her (Chris Bauer). She would also be staying at his house. Upon leaving, Carrie heard the news of the car bomb at the border. Meanwhile, Saul tried to be the voice of reason in the oval office. It seemed to work. He suggested a diplomatic option and a surgical strike to take out Jalal Haqqani.

Once Saul returned home, Carrie tried to get him to reveal his Russian asset but he pretty much denied it (though we kind of know that he has one). As he looked at one of his books, we were then treated to a flashback of young Saul (Ben Savage, though with Mandy Patinkin’s voice for some weird reason) in a 1986 East Berlin bookstore buying the same book, Meanwhile, after the bombing, Jenna was brought back to the States so she could recuperate from her injuries while also testifying against Carrie. Of course Carrie ambushed Jenna to ask for one more favor but she was certainly not in the mood to be further lied to. She told Jenna the truth about her situation and wanted help to find Saul’s asset though all Jenna wanted to do was expose her. However, a conversation with Saul about Carrie and her motivations seemed to turn her around.

Standing in court and listening to all the charges against her definitely made Carrie’s bottom lip tremble as she often did among some other general discomfort. In the washroom, she was ambushed by a contact of Gromov. Fresh off her talk with Saul, Jenna second-guessed testifying. Meanwhile, Saul tried to ask Qureshi for help to find Jalal Haqqani for which she did not know but the White House appeared to later get a tip for a possible location from the Pakistanis which they subsequently launched a successful drone strike against. Following the strike, Saul headed to the United Nations in New York.

Jenna came through and gave Carrie the name of someone from his time in East Berlin who Saul helped defect. Despite this, she was done with the CIA as she no longer believed she was making things better. Jenna’s lead told Carrie about his time at East Berlin’s KGB language school where Saul had helped him escape torture and execution, also mentioning a female English teacher who seemingly disappeared. Meanwhile at the United Nations, Saul’s idea was to make a scene with the Russian delegation (targeting a female translator), demanding to make a trade for the black box. His plan seemed to work as the translator bought another copy of the same book at a nearby bookstore. Another flashback confirmed the translator being his asset. She wanted to help Saul after what the Russians did to her students but he was reticent to accept it.

Back in Saul’s home, Carrie went through his books and appeared to solve his system. Meanwhile, Saul received a package at his hotel in New York with the book the translator had bought for him. He pulled a note from its spine, revealing that Gromov was in charge of the black box situation. Another flashback showed the translator proving her worth by saving Saul in East Berlin.

With her discovery, Carrie arranged a meeting with Gromov through his contact at vacant home. She didn’t yet have a name but wanted his help to find records from East Berlin which unfortunately were destroyed in a fire. Carrie claimed that there was nothing else she can do but there was still one more thing she could do which was kill Saul so his asset would be passed onto her. Carrie was certainly not thrilled about that idea.

Quotes[]

  • If there were ever a time… - Carrie for Saul
  • “There’s no time, Saul. It’s high purple.” - Carrie
  • I will hear things. I can help. - young Anna
  • You’re CIA, sniffing around the language school, making defectors? - KGB for Young Saul
  • Do you trust me now? - Anna
  • But everything she does–everything–is because she never loses sight of what’s important. And honestly, she’s the only person I’ve ever known I can say that of. So we’re all here fiddling while Rome burns. - Saul for Jenna
  • Very Saul. He liked the old ways. Things hidden in plain sight.
  • “That’s what this means to you? After what you found here? After you thought your way through it? You think that’s a reason to quit?” - Carrie
  • You’re not listening. There’s nothing else I can do. - Carrie
  • I'm not exactly sure what she did do or didn't do or what mistakes she made.
  • There's always some.
  • But everything she does, everything... is because she never loses sight of what's important.
  • And honestly, she's the only person I've ever known.
  • I can say that of. - Saul
  • 'The Price Has Already Been Asked' - Saul
  • Jenna Bragg: Anyway, I'm done.
  • Carrie Mathison: What do you mean you're done?
  • Jenna Bragg: I mean, I'm done. Not just with this, with everything, the whole CIA.
  • Carrie Mathison: Wh-that-that's what this means to you? After what you found here, after you thought your way through it, you think that's a reason to quit?
  • Jenna Bragg: No, but the Special Ops team dying that's a reason. And this asset will be tortured to death if you find him. That's a reason.
  • Carrie Mathison: It'll get us the flight recorder.
  • Jenna Bragg: That's how you see it. I know. And I've tried to see it like you, but I just can't. I got into this thinking I would make things better. But I don't actually believe that anymore. All I see is damage.

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Cast[]

Co-Starring[]

  • Stephan Goldbach as Stasi Officer #1
  • Sacha Slobodyanik as Foreign Minister
  • Jon Eiswerth as U.S. Bookstore Owner
  • KT Thangevelu as Security Council Chairman
  • Peter Arpesella as German Bookstore Owner
  • Trina Dong as Nurse

Videos[]


Season 8
#801 "Deception Indicated" #807 "F**ker Shot Me"
#802 "Catch and Release" #808 "Threnody(s)"
#803 "False Friends" #809 "In Full Flight"
#804 "Chalk One Up" #810 "Designated Driver"
#805 "Chalk Two Down" #811 "The English Teacher"
#806 "Two Minutes" #812 "Prisoners of War"
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