The Man in the Basement

The Man in the Basement
Written by:	Chip Johannessen
Directed by:	Keith Gordon
Production number:	6WAH02
Running time:	56 minutes
Original airdate:	January 22, 2017
Viewers (millions):	1.46

The Man in the Basement is the second episode of Season 6 of Homeland. It aired on January 22, 2017.

Synopsis[]

Carrie Mathison and Reda Hashem defend their client's rights, while Peter Quinn fights against his new life. Meanwhile, Saul Berenson and Dar Adal believe Elizabeth Keane is hiding a secret.

Episode guide[]

Quinn is watching TV, motionless. Franny tries to hear what Quinn is upstairs. She would like to meet him, but Carrie only explains that she met him when he was a baby and likes him. Then the doorbell rings and the mother of a friend from daycare is at the door to pick up Franny. Carrie promises that she will return the favor in the next week. Then Carrie tries to contact Quinn. He locked the door so Carrie is trying to get through to him through the garden. She speaks to him emphatically through the window pane because he has to take his medicine. Quinn throws a coffee cup at Carrie, breaking the glass. Carrie goes in and tries to get through to him, but Quinn just turns up the TV. Carrie leaves frustrated. A short time later there is a knock at the door. Max came by. Carrie explains that he has to take the medicine. When Carrie left for work, Quinn comes out and asks what she said. Max explains that he should be misbehaving and take his pills. Quinn replies that he has to go shopping.

Carrie and Reda are in Sekou's interrogation room and confront him that $5,000 was found under his mattress and they believe he works for terrorists. Sekou ensures that everything he says is confidential and won't get anyone into trouble, explaining that he wanted to take his family to visit his father, so he accepted the money. He finally reveals that he got the money from his friend Saad Mahsud. In addition, he asked him to meet a man, which Sekou immediately refused. He got the money anyway.

Reda and Carrie talk to Sekou's mother, who confirms that he was going to visit his father and that he certainly has no terrorist intentions. Regarding Saad she couldn't help. As Carrie and Reda leave, Simone comes running after them and says she wants to help her brother. She doesn't know where Saad is, but she used to be with him and gives them a photo. A little later, Carrie forwarded this to Max, who is now searching the databases for Saad. Carrie hangs up because Saul comes into the office. He tells Carrie about his encounter with the incoming president and explains that he overheard Carrie in her statements and intentions and now believes Carrie is working as an adviser to Keane. Carrie denies this. Saul accepts this and explains that it is also a shame for everyone involved if she is working for the new president. Carrie replies that she is no longer with the CIA because of these games. She tells Saul to go, which Saul finally does without a word.

Dar Adal meets up with Rob Hemmis at a restaurant and explains that he was sitting in this restaurant when the Twin Towers collapsed and that he has had a connection with the people here since that event, they meet regularly and he never remembers 9/11 will forget. The President-elect apparently has this, which Hemmis immediately denies. He explains that she should be given a chance first, but Dar Adal says that as a president you can't get any chances. He also explains to Hemmis that Iran has a secret parallel program to circumvent international controls and still build a nuclear bomb. This parallel program takes place outside the country. Farhad Nafisi has contacts in North Korea. He is traveling to a conference in Abu Dhabi in three days and will be intercepted there by the Israelis to be questioned about his past trips. Hemmis asks if the CIA is deliberately provoking a crisis just before the President takes office, which Dar Adal denies. He says the outgoing president has concerns as well and wants to get Keane involved so she can decide how the CIA should act.

Max reports to Carrie. He found out about Saad Mahsud that he also goes by the name of Tyrone Banks Jr., who was in a gang whose members are now all in jail for betraying them by a confidential source. So apparently Saad works for the FBI. Max has to hang up because Quinn just leaves the house, but she doesn't tell Carrie. Carrie confers with Reda. She finds it very interesting that Sekou was supported by an FBI informant in his critical videos and received money. She finds this very suspicious. Reda plans to get a court hearing while Carrie tries to figure out how to talk to Saad.

Quinn is on his way to a small grocery store and Max is quietly following him. Quinn gets cans of beer and makes Max pay. He then wants to get more, but his vision becomes increasingly blurry, he makes strange noises and has trouble finding words. Eventually he falls down and has a seizure.

In a short hearing between the judge and the prosecutor, Reda tries to get Saad to take the witness stand. However, the judge has concerns because Saad's action has already saved the lives of many people and this has to do with his cover. Ray Conlin walks in and Carrie immediately takes him aside to accuse him of setting a trap for Sekou to get another hit. However, Ray explains that his story that the money was for plane tickets cannot be true because he had already bought them two months earlier. He explains that Carrie is welcome to believe in her client's innocence, but if she tries to talk to Saad he will have her locked up. Reda comes out of the courtroom and explains that they can't get to Saad because of national security, but at least they can see the reports he passed on. Carrie isn't thrilled. Despite this, Reda believes the action was successful because the judge isn't thrilled that the prosecutor withheld this information about Saad. There is now an offer that Sekou will be sentenced to seven years in prison. That is at least a start.

Quinn is examined and questioned by a paramedic. Not wanting to go to the hospital, Quinn explains that he has Max, his babysitter, with him. The paramedic dismisses him against her medical advice. Max asks if everything is ok with Quinn and he replies that of course he is not ok. Max should definitely not tell Carrie.

Carrie and Reda talk to Sekou, who they told Saad was an informant. Sekou swears that the money was for the flight and that Saad was lying. You have to interrogate him or he will testify in court. Reda explains that the former is not possible and that he advises against taking the witness stand yourself, because then every single statement from the Internet would be discussed with him for days and that a jury would certainly not be able to convince him of his innocence. Sekou asks how he even has a chance then. Reda explains to him that she offered him seven years that could possibly be negotiated down. Sekou doesn't agree at all. However, Reda explains that a negotiation will certainly get twice as many years. Sekou freaks out and stands up, whereupon a prison guard walks in, ends the call and forcibly takes a swearing Sekou back into the cell. Reda is not enthusiastic about the development. Carrie says she can still talk to Saad, but Reda says she can't. Carrie gets a text and has to leave urgently. Reda confirms again that Carrie understood that the court prohibited them from speaking to Saad. She confirms that she knows this and then leaves.

Carrie gets in a car and is taken to Elizabeth Keane. There they are informed about the information that Rob Hemmis received from Dar Adal. Carrie explains that while Dar would love to have the CIA involved in this operation with Nafisi, that's exactly what Keane wanted to change. However, doing nothing is also not an option because the Israeli secret service is not objective about the matter and the charges would be too serious. You have to have someone you can trust. She proposes to Saul, even though he paid her an awkward visit today. In the matter with Iran, he is on their side because he helped draw up the nuclear agreement and wants it to work. In that case Saul could be trusted.

Dar looks at pictures of Carrie being scanned by security before meeting the President. Saul comes in. Dar tells him that he should be the local man in Abu Dhabi. Saul is surprised, especially when Dar explains that the incoming president gave the order. That's why Dar wants to talk to Saul again about who is now advising Keane. Saul explains that he also thought it might be Carrie, so he visited her and asked her directly. Saul believes Carrie's reaction is real and she had nothing to do with it. Dar Adal takes note of this with a reference that Carrie is still a threat.

Simone has sought out Saad, who is trying to get closer to her. Carrie steps in and confronts him about what she thinks she knows about him. Saad denies everything. He also didn't know a man named Conlin. But when Carrie confronts Saad about Sekou getting at least 15 years, Saad slips out that he knows what that means. Carrie realizes that Saad himself faced jail if he couldn't be of any help. Saad finally admits that Conlin saved him from prison in Pittsburgh because his Pakistani ancestry could be useful. He should definitely slip Sekou the $5,000 in the end. Carrie explains that he must tell the truth, but he replies that he already has. He explained to Conlin that Sekou would not accept the money and had no terrorist intentions whatsoever. The fact that they have now visited him has also changed and destroyed everything.

Carrie comes home and is happy to see a drawing on the table. She goes to the sleeping Franny and gives her a kiss. Max comes over to her and tells her about what happened and that there was no way Quinn wanted her to know. Carrie is upset and thinks this is a big deal. But Max says it's nothing, considering what Quinn had to go through. You shouldn't hang it on the big bell. Quinn really isn't happy and their strange relationship doesn't help much. Carrie is at a loss and explains that she is trying her best. Max says goodbye and makes it clear that she can always ask him for help again.

Carrie checks on Quinn and they strike up a conversation on Quinn's initiative. He finally asks what actually happened to him and Carrie is surprised that he doesn't seem to know that he was about to die. She tells him about the video, which he has never wanted to see before, but now wants to make up for it. Carrie first tells him what happened then and then shows him the video showing the effects of the poison gas. Carrie says she saw what felt like a thousand times the video as she was looking for a clue to save him. She also reveals what eventually led her to him. She tells that he was already dead for three minutes in the ambulance but was rescued. Quinn states that Carrie saved him and asks why. Carrie is surprised by the question and struggles with her emotions. She starts crying and apologizes. Quinn just looks at Carrie and Carrie finally leaves, trying to collect herself before going to bed.

Quotes[]

When Quinn asked Carrie "what happened to me." She showed him the video.

CARRIE: "You nearly didn't make it."

QUINN: "But you saved me."

CARRIE: "Yes."

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Claire Keane As Franny Mathison
McKenna Keane as Franny Mathison
Debbie Troche as U.S. Attorney Ortiz
Jose Guns Alvez as Prison Guard
Celeste Den as Liz Nash
Liche Ariza as Bodega Proprietor
Jane Dashow as Federal Judge
Rebecca White as EMT

Videos[]

Homeland Next on Episode 2 Season 6

Season 6

#601	"Fair Game"	#607	"Imminent Risk"
#602	"The Man in the Basement"	#608	"Alt. Truth"
#603	"The Covenant"	#609	"Sock Puppets"
#604	"A Flash of Light"	#610	"The Flag House"
#605	"Casus Belli"	#611	"R Is for Romeo"
#606	"The Return"	#612	"America First"