After a tumultuous eight-year run, ShowTime’s Homeland has finally come to an end. Not only did the show finish on a high note, but, in true Homeland style, it left us wanting more. The relationships which audiences have formed with each character over the years has been unmatched, making it more difficult for us to say goodbye to this beloved show.
While some may be satisfied with how their favorite characters’ storylines were wrapped up, there are some characters whose endings we’re still reeling over. From our protagonist Carrie Matthison to supporting characters such as President Warner, there were characters in the show who got fitting endings, as well as those who deserved more. Here are five characters who received fitting endings, as well as five who deserved so much more.
Fitting Ending: Yevgeny Gromov
Yevgeny Gromov got exactly what he deserved by the end of Homeland’s finale. In the titillating S8 finale, fans watched as Carrie battled over loyalty to Saul, her country, and Gromov. Though it seemed like Yevgeny had persuaded Carrie to move over to his side, we find out that Carrie had actually outsmarted both he and the Russian intelligence.
Carrie becomes a secret informant to the US government within the Russian government, giving an unaware Gromov a blind taste of his own medicine. In that sense, this character got exactly what he not only deserved, as well as what he practiced throughout the show.
Deserved More: Anna Pomerantseva
As we come to discover, Anna Pomerantseva was a secret informant for Saul Berenson and the US government against Russia. Her work has provided Saul valuable information over the years which has allowed the US to remain on top of Russia. Anna had done so successfully for many years and remained undetectable.
However, after being exposed by Carrie to the Russian Government and awaiting lengthy interrogations and even torture, Anna takes matters into her hands and ends her life. As Saul expressed to her before she died, Anna was an incredibly brave woman who, unfortunately, not many will know about. For continuously putting her life on the line and risking it all, Anna deserved a more heroic recognition as her ending.
Fitting Ending: Haissam Haqqani
Despite desperately trying to make amends in this series’s last season, former leader of the Taliban Haqqani was met with an unfortunate and spectacular ending. Though he was not responsible for the downing of the president’s helicopters in “Chalk Two Down,” Haqqani spent his last days accepting a fate he had for a long time seen coming. Haqqani’s death was a fitting ending, as, in hindsight, it was also a form of reckoning for the crimes and murders he committed in the “13 Hours in Islamabad.”
Deserved More: President Ralph Warner
President Warner was by far the best President the show had ever had. President Warner was fair and reasonable in character and had a lot of leadership wisdom and experience on his belt. The importance of this was really felt when his less experienced and more gullible successor, President Ben Hayes, was appointed as President.
Warner’s death was not only an unexpected outcome, but it was also unfortunate, as he had traveled to establish a groundbreaking peace deal with the Taliban. President Warner’s work towards achieving peace truly set him apart from the other leaders of the show, which is why he deserved more as a character.
Fitting Ending: Quinn
While Quinn’s death in the season six finale upset and frustrated many, it can’t be argued that his exit was anything but heroic. While we all wished he could have spent his last days in a more stable condition, the sarin gas attack, which left him with severe brain damage, changed his entire life for the worst.
Quinn’s character development in S6 really showed us that he really was not going to recover from the trauma he suffered in the previous season. Quinn’s final sacrificial act in S6 was a fitting ending, as he finally was able to show who he really was and do one last good act before he passed on.
Deserved More: Max
Max’s death in this season was the final seal on this supporting character’s storyline. Throughout the show, he has acted as Carrie’s sidekick, being at her beck and call until in season eight’s “ Threnody(s)” episode when he is shot dead by Jalal Haqqani.
As Carrie herself mourned, rather than just being a casualty in the state’s quarrel, Max deserved more for all that he had sacrificed for her. Max was the only person aside from Saul still loyal to Carrie ever since the first season, and his death meant that he was never truly recognized for his work and support of Carrie over the years. It would have been nice to see Carrie learn from her past mistakes and acknowledge Max’s importance in her life sooner, which would have made his ending more fitting.
Fitting Ending: Saul Berenson
Towards the end, fans were treated to a conclusive and clear understanding of who Saul actually was. We know now that, as well as being a patriot, Saul was deeply loyal to the assets he recruited over the years. Despite being betrayed by Carrie in the S8 finale “Prisoners Of War,” Saul and Carrie’s secret tradecraft signal left him hopeful at the fact that he had not entirely lost his once most loved and treasured asset.
This provided audiences with a fitting ending for the character where they could expect Saul to continue his work in intelligence and perhaps mentor more exceptional and valuable assets.
Deserved More: Sgt Nicholas Brody
Sgt Brody’s death in season three not only changed Carrie’s life, but also the entire course of the show. Brody was a beloved character of Homeland, and the showrunners’ audacious move to write him off left audiences with many more unanswered questions. We knew Brody as the disturbed war hero turned terrorist who struggled to find his way back, but there was so much that was left unresolved in the Brody storyline, particularly that of his family and his innocence from the crimes he was being accused of before his death.
Ultimately, his death in season three left viewers shocked, as they knew his story was not yet complete. For someone who continually attempted to do the right thing and serve his country, Brody deserved more than being routinely executed in a place far from home.
Fitting Ending: Carrie Matthison
Carrie Matthison’s journey in Homeland brought an unprecedented level of engagement and emotion from audiences all around the world. This headstrong and deeply patriotic intelligence agent was the best primetime TV has ever seen. Despite going through some difficulties and complicated character changes, Carrie Matthison always stayed to the task of serving and protecting her country.
Even as our faith in her was wavering towards the end, her surprise infiltration into the Russian Government as a US informant was the fitting ending for this character, as she is reminded by Saul reminds her to “never lose sight of what’s important.”
Deserved More: Carrie’s Female Protégés (Fara Sherazi and Jenna Bragg)
Over the course of the show, there have been junior female agents whom Carrie has had to oversee and lead. One of those was financial analyst Fara Sherazi in the third and fourth season, as well as CIA field agent Jenna in season eight. Even though both Fara and Jenna initially looked up to Carrie for guidance and inspiration, when Fara passed in S4, Max told Carrie that all Fara wanted was to gain Carrie’s approval.
The same goes for Jenna in season eight who followed Carrie around and tried to always lean into everything she is doing. Unfortunately, Carrie was always distant, often underappreciating them. This even led Jenna to question her patriotic values and ultimately leave the agency in the final season. For their dedication and loyalty towards Carrie and the US, these women both deserved mentorship, nurturing, and certainly more recognition for their hard work.
