As they say, the hardest thing for a show is to end it and end it in a way that it’s remembered for what it stood for. The end of the show must give closure to the audience, tying all the nodes. There are a substantial number of shows that receive criticism because we tend to develop our own sense of the end to that story.
Homeland came out to be no stranger of the plight.
The Bittersweet Affair
Fans expected the show to finally pay Carrie Mathison the honour and respect for all the work she has done. But that’s when we realise that the show she couldn’t have been able to do it if not for being an undercover agent. Likes of her sometimes go unnamed and in anonymity and just lost in history.
The finale of the Homeland emphasises on a big part of what it has always been all about across the 8 seasons of it. The complicated nature of spycraft and delicate relationship between Carrie and Saul which plays out until the bitter end. The big central moment of the series finale was Carrie’s betrayal where shes willing to do whatever it takes to out the asset who has been communicating through Russia all this time and ensure that she gets the black box and the information in order to stop the war. The beauty of the finale lied in the way Carrie tried to get through to Saul even when the stake was this high. In that powerful moment, when Saul didn’t like it but understood the headspace of Carrie. It’s only logical to let go of one person instead of tens of thousands, but she doesn’t kill Saul and tries to get what she wants the other way by going to Saul’s sister which resulted in an enormous betrayal. As we’ve seen, Carrie’s always bailed on herself for the country.
Saul has a glitter in his eyes knowing of the fact that he’s not lost Carrie forever. Homeland offers closure to the fans as a gift of Carrie making amends with Saul for the betrayal.