There's Something Else Going On

There's Something Else Going On
Written by:	Patrick Harbinson
Directed by:	Seth Mann
Production number:	4WAH09
Running time:	47 minutes
Original airdate:	November 23, 2014
Viewers (millions):	1.77

There's Something Else Going On is the ninth episode of Season 4 of Homeland. It aired on November 23, 2014.

Synopsis[]

Carrie Mathison prepares to hand over the prisoners and has to deal with a traitor in her own ranks.

Episode guide[]

Quinn is asked to sign off on how to proceed with the captured Taliban. Carrie then informs Lockhart that the prisoners are now on their way to Islamabad. She has also told him that Dennis Boyd is the impostor in their ranks, but Lockhart does not rule out that Aasar is just kidding Carrie.

Redmond asks to speak to Boyd and tells him that Sandy Bachman traded CIA secrets for information stored on Martha's computer. Redmond asks Boyd if he knew anything about it, but Boyd insists he had nothing to do with it, even though he was a good friend of Sandy's. After stressing several times that he didn't know anything about it, Redmond lets him go and then goes over to Carrie, who was watching the conversation on security cameras. They decide to take Boyd to the mantle again a few hours later. Meanwhile, Saul's face is being cleaned by a veiled woman. He is then dragged into a trunk.

A short time later, the captured Taliban arrive in Islamabad. Afterwards, Carrie asks to speak to Boyd. The two are locked in a room where Carrie brings up Boyd again about the documents from Martha's computer and makes it clear to him that it must have been him since he was the only one at the embassy at the time the documents were downloaded. Carrie asks him who Sandy's contact at the ISI was and is now giving orders to Boyd. She also reveals to him that she knows her medication was swapped by him and tells him about the aftermath. When Boyd still won't confess, she leaves him alone in the room.

Saul was taken to Islamabad where he is placed in front of a camera in a room. Haqqani greets him and tells the camera that Saul Berenson will be traded for the Taliban, with whom he will invade Kabul. Everyone cheers, whereupon Haqqani speaks something more into the camera in his native language. Then everyone but a young boy leave the room sitting directly across from Saul.

Carrie gets a surprise call from Mira. She reminds Carrie that she is aware that the CIA is interchangeable and that the Taliban's swap is a great loss to the CIA. She therefore reminds Carrie that Saul is her husband and she loves him, as does Carrie, so she shouldn't let him die. Meanwhile, Saul watches as the boy has nightmares while he sleeps. Saul speaks something in Urdu, whereupon the boy suddenly calms down.

The next morning, Carrie wakes Boyd to show him the video of Sandy's murder. She makes it clear to him that he works for these people and that she needs to know what other information he has passed on. When Boyd refuses to say anything, Carrie gets impatient and makes it clear that she can have him professionally questioned as well as locked up in a secret prison. Just as Carrie is about to make a call, Martha arrives and frees Boyd from Carrie's violence. He tells her that she had no right to do so and that she will no longer act independently in her message. When she gets home, she talks to Dennis about what happened, who tells her what he was accused of. Martha wants to know why the CIA suspects him, but Dennis pretends he doesn't know. She then goes back to Lockhart and Carrie and tells them that Boyd still hasn't confessed. While Martha promises to keep trying to extract information from her husband, Carrie sets out to exchange Saul and the prisoners. Before that, she asks Quinn to stay in the embassy and watch what's happening on the monitors.

Meanwhile, the boy wakes Saul up and hands him a cup of tea. Dennis wants to leave the house, but he is stopped by some security guards. Martha comes over and Dennis explains to her that he has essays to correct, but when Martha takes a look in his bag, she doesn't find any essays, but a lot of money and his passport. She wants to know what he's up to, otherwise she'll have him locked up. Boyd still doesn't say anything, so Martha tells her staff to lock him up again.

Carrie and Redmond meet Tasneem, Aasar and Bunny. Tasneem is surprised Lockhart isn't there. Redmond discusses further details with her and Bunny, while Carrie takes the opportunity and claims to be on the phone with Lockhart, when in fact she is talking to Aasar. She feels uncomfortable because the place of exchange is so vulnerable. Aasar cannot give her any more information about this because he was excluded from the planning of the exchange. Carrie suspects someone is playing doubles.

Saul is put back in the trunk of the car while the boy is put on a bomb vest. Saul can't believe it and is told that the boy is happy to wear them because his father and brother were killed by a CIA drone when Saul was still director of the CIA.

As the trade begins, Carrie keeps in touch with Quinn, who, along with Lockhart and Martha, is watching over the monitors. First, the five Taliban are taken out of the car. Carrie then demands to see Saul, whose car pulls up. The Taliban drag Saul out of the car and Tasneem demands that the CIA now let the prisoners go. However, Carrie wants the car to go away first. The Taliban obey but leave the boy next to Saul, confusing both Tasneem and Carrie. Noticing that he is wearing a bomb vest, Carrie asks Quinn where the trigger for it is. Tasneem, meanwhile, has contacted Haqqani and tells Carrie that the boy is only for cover and will leave once the CIA releases the prisoners. She makes it clear that she must now let the prisoners go. Though Carrie has no assurances that the bomb won't go off, she takes Tasneem's advice.

Saul then sits on the ground, prompting the Taliban, who is holding the trigger for the bomb, to threaten to pull the trigger. Carrie has the prisoners stopped and wants to send some men to Saul, but Tasneem advises her against it, since Haqqani will then set off the bomb as well. Carrie then decides to go alone. She tells Saul that she promised Mira to take him home, but Saul tells her that he can't live with himself and that she shouldn't leave the prisoners to Haqqani. When Carrie refuses, Saul says that if they do, they will both die, to which Carrie points out that the innocent boy will die too. Saul doesn't seem to care about the child's life, though, which Carrie finds hard to believe. She tells him that this is not himself and then pleads with him to come with her. With tears in her eyes, she declares that no one should die anymore. Saul then stands up and Carrie orders Redmond to release the prisoners. She then goes with Saul to the rest of the CIA and the two parties separate. Shortly thereafter, Bunny gives the order to free the former prisoners from their handcuffs.

Martha visits Boyd in his cell. She wonders how it came to this, whereupon Boyd tells her that the source of all evil is the CIA, which was responsible for the bombing of Haqqani's family wedding. Redmond, Saul and Carrie are in the car together at the same time. Just as Saul is about to take a call from Mira, the car in front and behind them explodes. Lockhart is informed immediately and orders the entire navy to move to the scene of the accident. Martha is also notified and wants to make her way to Lockhart, when Dennis suddenly realizes that Tasneem wanted information on how Carrie got to the embassy. Martha digs deeper and he confesses that he told Tanseem about the tunnel. At the same time, Haqqani and his men are already breaking into the embassy through the tunnel.

Notes and observations[]

For some excellent ruminations on Homeland’s depiction of US involvement in the region, I recommend this Vox essay on the subject.

Carrie was drugged with 25i, otherwise known as N-Bomb. It sounds pretty intense.

“Great job, Dennis. Now you and the rest of the embassy are about to be taken hostage by terrorists.” —Gwilym Mumford

Quotes[]

"I can't tell you, what I don't know."

"What the fucking fuck?" - Lockhart

“14 years of war and this is what it’s come to?”
“Asking a child to blow you to kingdom come, and for what?”
“For fucking what?”
“This is not who we are” - Carrie talking to Saul

Cast[]

Main Cast[]

Guest Starring[]

Co-Starring[]

Nick Boraine as Alan Hansleigh
Anton Jeftha as Marine Sergeant
Justin Munitz as Drone Operator
Irshaad Ally as Haji
Neil Coppen as Bill Franzen
Robert Hobbs as PMC Gary
Dayne Green as Boy
Esperanzia Adonis as Woman
Dean Johnson as Guard

Note[]

Although credited, Nazanin Boniadi does not appear in this episode

Videos[]

Homeland Next on Episode 9 Season 4

Season 4

#401	"The Drone Queen"	#407	"Redux"
#402	"Trylon and Perisphere"	#408	"Halfway to a Donut"
#403	"Shalwar Kameez"	#409	"There's Something Else Going On"
#404	"Iron in the Fire"	#410	"13 Hours in Islamabad"
#405	"About a Boy"	#411	"Krieg Nicht Lieb"
#406	"From A to B and Back Again"	#412	"Long Time Coming"