I guess starting episodes of "Homeland" with Carrie and Aayan in bed is a trend now because that's where we're at for the second week in a row this season. The two are really (read: strangely) comfortable with one another and they interact like old lovers. As they laze about in bed, Carrie quizzes Aayan on the new identity he's to take on and she gives him a passport with some money because they're actually going to London. Carrie says they leave that night and Aayan insists that he reclaim his things from school before they catch the flight. As much as Carrie insists that he should just leave it all, Aayan says that it's all he has so she relents. Yup, we're not even five minutes in and I already know that something's going to get really screwed up in this transit plan.
Aayan heads to his medical school, or rather, OLD medical school, to get his limited possessions. While there, his (ex?) girlfriend, Kiran, happens to show up and wants to know where he's going. She's completely perplexed by the whole situation and grills Aayan while he haphazardly throws things into a bag. Kiran is heartbroken when Aayan says he has to leave for London and asks for Aayan to take her with him. The heartbreak continues when Aayan indicates that the "journalist" helping him is a woman and Kiran asks Aayan if he loves her. Aayan hesitates way too long, signaling in the way that all TV shows and romance movies do, that he does love Carrie. He leaves the dorm room -- and Kiran -- with a pained look on his face. Upon leaving, he narrowly escapes what looks like an ISI operative stationed directly outside the exit. Like I said, getting to London is not going to be easy.
Carrie approaches Quinn about getting a small and "discreet" team together. There's enough tension in the room to cut a knife as the two spit vitriol at one another - Quinn's disgust for Carrie's behavior has reached new heights. Carrie doesn't stand for it, obviously, and goes to Redmond instead.
Dennis heads to the embassy under the guise of delivering a "thank you" bottle of booze to Redmond for that night at the bar. Quinn takes Dennis to Redmond's office to drop off the bottle and Quinn is just as suspicious as I am. I know he's attempting to get something from Redmond's office to deliver to his ISI contact, but I'm not sure what just yet. In the interim, Quinn gets pulled over by another embassy worker and is briefed on the events that went down at the airport last week. No one is aware that Saul hasn't made it to DC yet because he's still drugged and in the trunk of a random cleric's car. They do know, however, that Ghazi never made it to Africa. Baby steps, y'all, baby steps.
The same man that followed Aayan at the medical college is now hanging outside Carrie and Aayan's apartment hideaway. Carrie's freaking out over everything, particularly the fact that Aayan told Kiran where he's going. Aayan tries to cool Carrie down and insists that his uncle, Haqqani, will help him with safe passage to England. Pleased with this information, Carrie gives him the passport and money just as intruders break into the apartment. They attack Carrie and chase Aayan out onto the street. It isn't until we see Carrie thrown into a car and her mauling is followed by casual conversation with the attackers that we realize that they're not attackers but rather fellow embassy members. The whole event was staged. Carrie has convinced Aayan that she's been kidnapped by ISI and he is officially on his own. I can't help but feel terrible for this kid. I know he's assisted terrorists, but they've made him such a human character and he's lost most of his family and now he's also lost the woman who took his v-card so excuse my empathy just this one time. Thanks.
Fara, Max, Redmond, Carrie, and the "attackers" all convene at the embassy to discuss what's about to go down with Aayan. Fara asks Carrie what's going on and Carrie takes the opportunity to rip into Fara for failing in her mission to get information out of Aayan. Carrie's clearly not into the guilt/judgment trip that Fara and Quinn, respectively, have been laying on her about her behavior with Aayan. Again, Carrie defends her actions by making grandiose claims that she's been doing everything she can to save the United States. She then makes Fara go back to hers and Aayan's love nest to clean out any remnants that might implicate either of them. All the while, Dennis has been secretly looking on from a secluded corner. This was one of those scenes that reminds me why Carrie would be such a terrible real-life individual. Her self-righteousness takes on new levels every day and I can't imagine how one would cope with interacting with a person like her.
Carrie, Max, and Fara watch Aayan on cameras situated at the bus terminal and they watch him get on a bus to Goza, the first leg of his journey to London. Things go haywire when mid-trip, the bus stops so that papers can be checked. Aayan panics as the men harass him on his identity, but ends up getting out of a potentially fatal situation by offering them the only money he has on him. The journey continues.
Back in Islamabad, Fara cleans the apartment and is unaware that Dennis has stopped by to lurk around. After creepily looking through a few windows, he disappears and Fara is none the wiser. At the embassy, there's finally murmurings about Saul's disappearance. Quinn tries to discount any theory that there's something wrong. but ultimately realizes that there could be something going on. FINALLY. Somebody, for the love of God, save Saul.
Carrie and company are still checking in on Aayan via random video feeds (umm... am I the only one questioning the believability of this? No? Okay) at his respective stops along the way of his journey. Aayan calls his uncle on a pay phone and the two arrange a meeting place. After hanging up with Haqqani, Aayan calls Carrie and tells her he loves her and that he can't wait to see her again. Carrie tells him she loves him too - WHAT THE HELL. Carrie, stop toying with this boy's emotions. He can't take it - as seen by his post-call, dramatic walk in the rain - and neither can I. Some semblance of guilt seems to wash over Carrie after she talks to Aayan because she asks Redmond what everyone thinks after hearing the phone call. Redmond gives her the pat on the back she's essentially asking for by saying he's pleased with her for getting the appropriate intel on how to get to Haqqani. In the same breath, he tells her without telling her that he doesn't particularly agree with how she went about everything with Aayan. Redmond knows how to play the game with Carrie, but he's certainly not to concede to her entirely.
Dennis meets with Tasneem, right outside Carrie and Aayan's old apartment, to show her the photos he took at Carrie's apartment. Dennis knows his intel is valuable and gets quite sassy when he indicates that the apartment building they're across from was a CIA safe-house, information he knows Tasneem did not have. He then gives Tasneem a bag of Aayan's, full of all his personal effects, that he clearly procured from the house after Fara left. Tasneem happily takes everything she's been provided and jettisons off.
Aayan has reached another part of his journey and is taken by assorted Pakistani men to a secluded location. The armed men are quickly joined by three cars, one of which opens up to reveal Haqqani. Carrie and the rest of the embassy watch as what should be a happy reunion quickly turns sour when Haqqani pulls the kidnapped and bound Saul from the car. Haqqani tells Aayan that Carrie is a member of the CIA, a daughter-figure to the man (Saul) who stands in front of him. He also tells Aayan that there is a drone overhead watching their every move. Aayan is reeling from the information and, before he even has time to process, Haqqani gives him a half-hearted "thanks for all that medicine you gave me that saved my life" and SHOOTS HIM IN THE HEAD. NO NO NO NO. I think I may be more upset at this death than I was at Brody's...
Everyone at the embassy is shocked by the appearance of Saul on the video and the death of Aayan, but they all remain relatively composed... except for Carrie. Carrie insists that they attack and take out Haqqani, even if that means they also take out Saul. It isn't until Quinn literally gets in her face and basically says "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING?" that Carrie understands that she can't kill Saul, even if it means getting Haqqani. Haqqani leaves the scene in a car, with Saul, and disappears. Aayan's body is left lifeless in the middle of the desert as Carrie paces, cries, and destroys things in her office.
Tonight, I leave my heart in Pakistan. R.I.P. Aayan, R.I.P.
Keep up with "Homeland" recaps here every week. "Homeland" airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.
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