Tonight is the eighth and final season of Homeland on Showtime. Season 8 will premiere at 9pm ET/PT.
This Season Shows Carrie Back in Afghanistan
Season 8 puts Carrie back in Afghanistan after spending months in Russian captivity. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Carrie and Saul’s relationship will be at the center of the season, with some characters from Season 1 reemerging.
In their review of the first four episodes, Salon writes, “The opening four episodes of its eighth and final season return “Homeland” to a share of its former glory – in the view of someone who pulled away a few years ago; others never abandoned it – by bringing the show’s theme full circle to where it began.”
When we left off in Season 7 of the show, Carrie had sacrificed herself in the hopes of saving a witness who would “safeguard democracy from Russian interference.” She then spent months in the hands of the Russians, where she was tortured by being kept off her bipolar disorder medication.
In coming full circle, the show starts off with people doubting Carrie’s allegiance to America, just as people questioned Brody’s allegiance to his country upon his return. In a recent interview with EW, Danes said, “I loved the idea that Carrie is positioned as this suspected traitor — a Brody… That’s such a perfect parallel and fun to play; she’s struggling from PTSD and doesn’t know how to narrate her own story.”
The Show Is Returning After a Two-Year Hiatus
Fans of the series are acutely aware that it is returning tonight after a two-year hiatus. Asked simply about the reason for the long break, showrunner Alex Gansa shared with EW, “Claire had a baby, a second baby, a little boy. She really wanted some family leave and got it. We all got a chance to take some time, the writing staff and the rest of the crew. It was a very welcome break after seven hard years in which we spent a lot of time moving around the globe. It also gave us a chance to sit down and take a bit more time in the story room than usual. I remember saying that we were really hoping to wind up in Israel and ultimately had to abandon that.”
Getting into a discussion of Afghanistan, Gansa added that it felt like the right choice because they were given the ability to tie up loose ends from season 4. “It also felt more current than Israel. And it was much easier to put an American intelligence officer at the center of a story there rather than in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.”
The showrunner explains being excited about the culmination of Saul and Carrie’s relationship. “… we really get to bring that story to a close. It’s the reason that I stuck around for eight seasons. And I hope we did some justice.”
Claire Danes is said to give a stunning performance in the latter four episodes of the show. For now, fans will have to wait as it all unfolds.
Be sure to tune in to Showtime at 9pm ET/PT to watch the 8th and final season of Homeland.
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