Homeland showrunner discusses shocking final episode
The fate of Carrie Mathison has been revealed (**SPOILERS FOR HOMELAND SERIES FINALE**)
Long-running espionage thriller Homeland has just concluded its eighth and final season, revealing the ultimate fate of CIA operative Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes).
The series began back in 2011 and initially explored her case against US marine Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), who she believed had been converted to the side of the terrorists.
However, the story has since moved on to other gripping cases, culminating with a shocking series finale - be careful, there will be full spoilers in this article...
What happened in the Homeland series finale?
The series finale sees Carrie and her mentor Saul (Mandy Patinkin) come to blows after years of escalating tension. She wants him to reveal his mole in Russia, in exchange for access to a flight recorder that could prevent another war in the Middle East. When he refuses, she almost has him killed by Russian Intelligence forces she has allied herself with, but calls it off at the last minute.
She finds another way to expose his informant, Anna, who shoots herself to avoid arrest, but in doing so burns all bridges with Saul and the United States of America. Jump forward two years and Carrie has fled to Russia with her partner, Yevgeny Gromov (Costa Ronin), where she appears to have found happiness. Not only has she published a book criticising the US, but her relationship remains strong and she is seen enjoying the music at a jazz club in Moscow.
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But, in a final twist, it is revealed that Carrie is feeding information back to Saul, effectively replacing Anna as his source in Russia. While there can be no doubt that she betrayed the US, costing a life in the process, she seems to be atoning for that by spending the rest of her days in service to the CIA overseas.
Why did the finale unfold how it did?
Homeland showrunner Alex Gansa discussed the finale with Entertainment Weekly, revealing that Carrie's fate always awaited her in Russia.
"We knew we wanted Carrie to wind up in Russia," he explained. "We had that as a landmark ahead of us. But how she got there and what happened when [she] got there was very much up for debate. One way to end would be to have Carrie exiled in Russia and living in some Soviet-like apartment block in an incredibly grim situation, isolated from the world like Ed Snowden."
Homeland is available to stream on Netflix, catch up with the current season on All 4. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV Guide.
