Season 5 of Showtime’s intensely brooding CIA drama, Homeland took audiences to Europe and it’s long suffering characters back down the path of morally murky counter-terrorism. This resulted in some unsettling events that will undoubtedly cause profound changes to how and where we catch up with them in season 6.
Homeland is expected to return in October 2016, and in the meantime, some key hints about what to expect from the upcoming season have been revealed by the show’s producers. These hints will provoke fan interest and speculation regarding the fate of their favorite agents – and what kind of plot will be explored in season 6 by the highly adaptable, internationally-spanned TV show.
Homeland follows the prodigal CIA agent Carrie Matheson (Claire Danes) as she navigates the underworld of terrorism and battles issues with bipolar disorder – not to mention, the fallout of her sometimes contemptible professional decisions (as they inevitably effect her personal life and relationships). The show is created by 24 alums Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa and features Mandy Patinkin (Saul Berenson), Rupert Friend (Peter Quinn) and F. Murray Abraham (Dar Adal) in recurring roles.
The show has branched out of the U.S, following its characters on mission to the Middle-East and entire seasons taking place in Pakistan and Germany. It has recently been revealed by Showtime producer Gary Levine (as reported by Breathecast) that season 6 will, in part see action back on U.S soil in New York City. Levine also discussed the fate of Carrie’s colleague and one time love interest Quinn, whose own survival was left in question at the end of season 5. According to the producer, Quinn will survive his exposure to chemical weapons… but will be left with some physical/mental damage from the attack, making his role within the future series unclear.
After a rocky stint in Berlin that involved a threat against her life, fans will be interested to see what developments the show has in store for Carrie in Homeland season 6. Gansa has discussed his heroine (in an interview with Siouxcityjournal via Movienewsguide) – who will return to the CIA after a stint in private security, a short-lived relationship with lawyer Jonas Hollander (Alexander Fehling) and an unexpected marriage proposal from her shifty boss Otto During (Sebastian Koch) during her season 5 arc:
“We’ve taken her through so much sturm and drang over the last few years that we thought it would be nice to give her a little domestic bliss — which, by the way, was not something everybody wanted to do or everyone wanted to see on our staff. But it was nice because, especially what happened after Season 4, Carrie had become thoroughly disenchanted with the Central Intelligence Agency and with the work she had been asked to do. And it was nice to see her in a completely different environment doing something completely different from that work but using her old skill set to do so. We found her in a stable relationship with a stable, normal, appropriate man and doing work at a foundation, which essentially was doing the exact opposite kind of work that she was doing before as an intelligence officer. We did really pick her up this season in a completely different emotional and professional place. ”
Gansa has also opened up about the development of a lesser explored character – namely, Dar Adal:
“He [Dar Adal] has been such a solid, unemotional character, and his relationship with Quinn mirrors Saul’s relationship with Carrie. You can see in that moment how affected he is by what happened to Quinn, and you will see more of that as this season moves forward.”
An interesting possible development that could happen beyond Homeland season 6 is a revisit of the Brody family that Gansa has expressed an interest in exploring; mainly the future of troubled but headstrong daughter Dana (Morgan Saylor):
“You know, I don’t think about Dana, but I think about Morgan Saylor a lot. I wonder what she’s up to because she’s a great actress. I’m still interested in the Brody family, though. I know they caused grimaces across the Internet….. What if she became a CIA officer, right? That would be so interesting.”
The success of Homeland is partially due to how the extreme events, often mirroring real life threats to western society are portrayed with a degree of realism – meaning that the character’s humanity is threatened by their more extreme actions, sacrifices are made and no one is above mental or physical retribution. The incredible Danes brings a degree of vulnerability to her role which provides depth and balance while her character delves into the darker and often morally offensive aspects of human nature (when pushed to extremes).
It will be interesting to see how the creators tackle the disability of their previously most talented black ops agent; Quinn, as his character has often been used as a device that provides much of the action scenes on the show. Also how his relationship with the calamity-attracting Carrie develops with his current situation over season 6. Although it will be satisfying to see Carrie back in the fold of the CIA, will audiences continue to support the formula of watching Carrie bring destruction equal to her brilliance indefinitely?
NEXT: Homeland Season 5 Overview
Homeland is expected to return with season 6 in October 2016.
