Threnody(s) | Directed by Michael Klick, Cinematography by David Klein
Sara: The solitude of Haqqani’s final day continues to remind me of what they did with Brody in season three. No resistance, total acceptance. I still don’t know why the writers went in this direction, as it seems very intentional. Is Haqqani Saul’s Brody?
Gail: Haqqani’s acceptance of his fate is framed so beautifully in this shot of him quietly reading. The colors of this scene are very serene and spa-like as well. All of it together is very calming, which is a little odd given the metal bars that remind us he is in jail.
Gail: The shots into the cells of the other prisoners look much less serene than Haqqani’s adding a layer of unease to Haqqani’s dead man walking.
Sara: I mentioned this moment in my recap. The prisoners banging their cups on the cell walls is a real thing that happens in American prisons on death row. I loved this (horrifying) detail and act of protest.
Sara: These two men, both framed in shadow, but with completely opposite fates. These are such incredible shots.
Gail: The cape is to G’ulom like the separated beard is to John Zabel.
Sara: I would have loved the details of these framed photos on Zabel’s wall but the payoff with Wellington’s line– “for someone who was never in the military, you sure do have a pictures of tanks”–makes me doubly love it!
Gail: Ugh, THAT BEARD.
Sara: This on the other hand… If you read closely (and the show allows for it, as they do several close-ups of the text), this speech actually looks startlingly like what Hayes says at the end of the episode. Right down to the details about Jalal Haqqani being the one responsible for the presidents’ murders. This threw me for such a loop when I watched the episode that I was going full-on conspiracy thinking Zabel was in on it. Then I realized it was probably just a gaffe, albeit a massive one. What say you, Gail?
Gail: Oh weird! Has to be a gaffe since Zabel did not know about Jalal at that point. I do love the details on the speech though!
Sara: Haqqani refuses a hood, just like Brody…
Gail: If I had hair like that, I’d refuse that hood too.
Gail: Saul bearing witness to Haqqani’s death is very similar to when he watched Jalal’s brush with death earlier in the season. I also think it’s important to note that Saul stays to watch it. There is honor in that gesture.
Sara: Saul physically jumping when Haqqani was shot is something I won’t forget.
Sara: The scope of this shot is quite masterful. Saul and G’ulom standing opposite each other, both dressed in black. Haqqani’s dress almost blending in seamlessly with the ground and wall behind him, save for the bright red blood stains on his shirt.
Gail: It feels religious as well.
Sara: This is an incredible (and incredibly sad) sequence. The device of Carrie watching Max die from afar and then running a great distance to close that gap was dramatically stunning. Then the contrast when she arrives and gets as close to him as possible.
Gail: Like Saul, Carrie bears witness to a death. And like Saul, there is nothing Carrie can do to stop it. Like Sara, I thought Carrie’s run to Max was beautifully done. The last shot of Carrie holding him in this tight shot put us right there with her.
Sara: I’ll just say it, Linus looks cute in glasses.
Gail: He’s really grown on me!
Gail: I loved how the light filtered through the windows onto Haqqani. The light feels peaceful, even hopeful. Carrie’s call to Saul breaks through the quiet ritual he is observing. Carrie’s heartbreak over Max is palpable. I love how she was sitting down on the ground next to him. She was on his level and protective.
Sara: The way they shot the scene of Saul observing the preparation of Haqqani’s body is so visually similar to Brody observing Issa in “Crossfire” it must be intentional. That said, this phone call between Carrie and Saul reminds me of a brilliant line from Jacob Clifton’s recap of “The Choice”:
“The first time she says his name, he ignores it. The girl whose heart he tried to break, before she died. The girl who tried to tell him love and loss of self were worth it, before he left for a monster’s funeral. He ignores her voice because he would come apart if he could hear it. But the second time she names him, he turns around. It breaks him open.”
Gail: I blame Tasneem for this one.
Sara: Well, my prediction last week that we don’t need to worry about Jalal because they showed him to be quite stupid didn’t pan out too well! That said, I loved they way they shot this scene.
Sara: This episode has so many standout scenes. The climax here, of Carrie kneeling down beside Max to apologize for taking him for granted, is haunting. I just… fuck, I don’t know. This was so good. This moment feels religious in nature (maybe it’s the kneeling?), some sort of grand shift in Carrie’s personhood.
Gail: This scene illustrates so much growth for Carrie. I love everything about it.
Sara: What’s great about this scene is it serves more than one purpose. Obviously we learn just how much Carrie regrets the way she treated Max all these years. There is also a sizable shift in Carrie and Yevgeny’s relationship, beyond the obvious meaning of Carrie being this emotional and vulnerable in front of another person. Yevgeny’s hesitation to comfort her in such an intimate way, before finally giving into it, suggests a similar openness and vulnerability.
Gail: Ugh, I agree.
Gail: Wellington has the higher ground, but it’s short lived.
Sara: *chef’s kiss*
Gail: Saul’s life’s work came crashing down along with those helicopters. The fallout from it is coming in waves like aftershocks that follow an earthquake. Saul’s choreography gets more and more dejected with each one.
Sara: I am finally buying into this storyline of Saul’s great professional downfall, Gail. Maybe it’s shots like this? Seeing all his work this season crumble in an instant.
Sara: IJLTP.
Gail: Does she have dry shampoo with her there? IJLTP(s).
Sara: I truly stan these shots and YES it’s because she looks mean and angry!!!
Sara: What I love about the beginning of the scene is the camera stays close in on Carrie. We can’t see that she’s trapped by the special ops team. This, along with the shaky cam filmmaking, leads to a sense of uneasiness and anxiety among the audience that matches her own. I’d also like to note that after a season-long motif of showing Carrie being trapped inside rooms, cars, etc. – she finally becomes literally encircled by this team of men holding automatic weapons.
Gail: As the soldiers begin to fold in around her it felt like she was being ensnared in a spider's web. I agree, Carrie’s uneasiness is accentuated with the shaky cam and the uptick of the musical score woven throughout.
Gail: I find it so interesting that Yevgeny stayed to see what happened. Here he is shot center frame, giving the audience a clue as to his importance in this scene.
Sara: This expression of fear and concern (for Carrie’s well-being, obviously) is everything.
Gail: I love how Carrie couldn’t really bring herself to fully point the gun at Saul. It was very half-hearted and he knows it, given his open arms approach to her.
Sara: This season is giving us a lot to live for on the Carrie/Saul front. I’ve already spoken at length about how this confrontation feels monumental to me. Claire and Mandy were so stellar. The dialogue, the way Claire spat “in fucking handcuffs” at him. It’s all so perfect.
Gail: We’ve seen Carrie turn her back on Saul before, but never like this.
Sara: Iconic.
Sara: These twin shots of Carrie and Saul staring back at each other (again, from a great distance) are so evocative. We have an entire scene of shaky cam and then everything gets incredibly still here, the strings in the score build… We have to wonder whether this is the last time they’ll ever see each other (obviously it’s not but we still have to wonder).
Gail: There is no turning back now and they both know it. The reflection of Saul in the helicopter windows is stunning.
Sara: I love when this show surprises me. The way Claire plays Carrie’s reaction surprised me. It’s less hurt and betrayed and more “what the fuck did I just do?” It’s all over her face.
Gail: Her reaction struck me as child-like. She knows she shouldn’t have just done that, but she did and now what?
Sara: I can’t properly explain how much I love the way this was edited. The close-up of Saul looking out the window, not unlike his expression last season when he left Carrie in Moscow, Yevgeny and Carrie speeding away to God knows where. Again, it feels like something so extremely final has just happened.
Gail: Me too. We are watching the distance between Carrie and Saul grow in real time. It’s powerful.
Sara: … A season’s worth of shots of Carrie looking out a closed car window, and now the windows are down, open-air. Is she finally free?
Gail: Great insight. They’ve been playing all season at Carrie feeling trapped by her circumstances. Now she is creating them.
[Hi! We’re back. We haven’t done a Director’s Chair feature since “R is for Romeo” so please bear with us as we get back into the swing of it. This week’s episode was directed by Michael Klick, who has been a producer on the show since the very beginning and directed his first episode last year (“The Flag House,” which you can read our Director’s Chair feature on here). The DP for this episode was Giorgio Scali, who, along with David Klein, heads up the photography department on the show.]
“Standoff” | Directed by Michael Klick
The episode opens not with a shot of Carrie’s face, but of her hands. Her manic energy--she’s restless and can’t stop fidgeting--is further highlighted by what we hear but don’t yet see: those signature Carrie Mathison huffs and puffs. The device reminded us of the reveal of manic Carrie in “The Vest,” as Saul hears her gradually loudening yelling about her green pen before the camera finally reveals her battered and bruised face.
Our first glimpse of the compound in this episode comes as the fleet of FBI vehicles approach. That yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flag was a major symbol of the American revolution. Notably missing: the American flag.
Next, JJ and a clearly happy dog appear down one half of a forked road. This fork in the road, and the hesitation and impasse associated with that image, come to represent the main thematic elements of this episode, at least as it pertains to Saul and O’Keefe. These two men (themselves with massively divergent paths) face major decisions in this episode and their storyline is wrapped up in their “wait and see” approach to the brewing confrontation on the compound.
As Saul and JJ meet, we get the first of many medium or wide shots that Klick and Scali use in the episode, showing two characters in this kind of symmetrical yet combative stance. Saul’s on one side, and O’Keefe and his “army” are on the other.
We also got some season one vibes from the scene of Carrie and Maggie in Maggie’s kitchen. Carrie’s ensuing panic attack and Maggie’s calm brings us back to the end of “Blind Spot” when Carrie shows up on Maggie’s doorstep, distraught.
Sara’s notes here were simply “cool ass shots.” We don’t really have much more to say but the focus shift in this scene from O’Keefe to Saul was some fancy camerawork. Kudos!
As this is our first Director’s Chair for season seven, let’s talk about how they’re shooting Keane this season. Namely, it’s exactly the same as they shot her last season! Tons of close-ups where she’s just inches away from her adversary (or advisor, as it were) -- literally mano a mano. The camera angle even contributes to the power dynamics at play here, as they typically film Keane slightly from below, so it appears she’s looking down on Wellington.
Keane has always been shown as a principled, rigid politician when it comes to her policies. What’s changed, of course, is what those policies are. The way she talks to Wellington here is almost identical to how she talked to Dar Adal last year: perpetually in confrontation mode, and never backing down.
Nothing to add here but what do we think is in the box in Carrie’s closet labeled “GREY”? All of her grey pantsuits? Her Grey’s Anatomy DVD boxsets? PROP MASTERS OF HOMELAND, PLEASE LET US KNOW.
~IJLTP~
Last year we evaluated the contents of Carrie’s refrigerator, and this season we’re getting even more personal. Just what the heck is in Josie Mathison-Dunn’s medicine cabinet? (Also, guess Bill’s last name is Dunn. We still want to call him Bill Mathison.)
First, some Mario Badescu Skincare products. Sara has literally never heard of this man. We have an aloe, cucumber, and green tea cucumber spray. Also an aloe, herbs, and rosewater facial spray. (Side note: what is “facial spray”? Sara has also never heard of this.)
A bottle of Murad Razor Burn Rescue at the far left.
That tube in the middle with the happy-go-luck young woman is Benefit Pore Fessional Minimizer. Gail says this smells really good and works wonders. Sara has never heard of this product before but she does get her eyebrows waxed at the Benefit Cosmetics stores in NYC and really likes them and all the millennial pink and calm vibes there.
That tiny blue bottle next to the nail polish (speaking of nail polish, Sara calls BS that a teen as moody as Josie has bright pink and purple nail polish. WWDBD?) is Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which is some sort of eyelid primer. Once again, Sara has never heard of it and Gail hasn’t used it (“I’m a Smashbox girl!”). We do both love that the prop department found a product called “Too Faced.” We see what you did there.
Our thoughts on the cosmetic and facial care portions of Josie’s medicine cabinet can be described thusly:
Sara: I’m sorry but do teenage girls have this many products in their medicine cabinets? Is this a thing? Did she pick this up in Rome? Am I just that out of touch??
Gail: There is no way a teenage girl that owns a shadow primer only has one make-up brush in her arsenal. Sorry, not buying it.
Josie also has three meds in her cabinet. The first is Isotretinoin, which according to the world wide web is used for treating severe acne.
The second bottle is of course Adderall.
We think the third bottle is Methylphenidate (the generic name for Ritalin), which, like Adderall, is used to treat ADHD.
We get the second Carrie mirror shot in as many episodes. This is just one in a long trend on this show (i.e., it is the thirty-seventh but certainly not the last!). And while the mirror and hair length may change, the tone and meaning of them almost never does. She’s steeling herself here--for an inevitable crash, for another day of a waking nightmare, for the descent further into the rabbit hole.
The Saul/O’Keefe confrontation is notable for a few reasons. First, again Klick and Scali shoot almost the entire sequence in a series of medium or wide shots where both characters are contained in the shot yet standing opposite each other. There are almost no shot/reverse shot cuts where we see a frame of just Saul and then one of just O’Keefe. They are literally in a standoff.
The progression of their stance is also interesting. As Saul first approaches O’Keefe, he’s standing on the opposite side of the picnic table. As their conversation continues, he comes around to O’Keefe’s side and sits next to him.
The wider shots in this scene also reveal the imbalance at play and, in hindsight, hint at O’Keefe’s long game. Behind Saul, we see the FBI in the distance, ready to pounce. In a show of power, the FBI has numbers, large vehicles, and a coordinated presence. The playing field isn’t even. O’Keefe only has a handful of supporters, including some young children. Abandoned bicycles, an empty picnic table, and an over-turned red wagon depict a typical rural yard of an American family. This is not a war zone in some faraway place. The country is in a civil war and Klick sets the scene to drive this point home--literally.
Sara picked up on this facial reaction upon first viewing--after Dante says his bipolar ex-girlfriend left him--but couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Gail chipped in with a simple explanation: it’s her appreciation of his empathy, which is not something she’s that used to in her daily life. Carrie still views her bipolar disorder as a reason not to be with her--those wounds may be buried, but they exist nonetheless. The jury remains out on whether Dante’s intentions are altruistic or not, but this moment was interesting nonetheless.
The sequence of Carrie resisting being booked was a powerful reminder of early season three, where she is restrained and drugged against her will (though as part of a larger “play”). When you combine this with the images we’ll see weekly in the opening credits, what does this tell us about the path Carrie’s going down?
Here we have yet another shot where the camera is shooting Keane from slightly above. This angle further illustrates the tension (they are literally not seeing each other “eye to eye”) and power dynamics of their relationship. It’s clear that Keane does not see them as equals (nor should she, to be honest).
With each episode this season, Carrie is more isolated and alone. Here she’s locked inside a sterile and dark room all by herself, bolstering her current estrangement from anything resembling a normal life. These shots especially call back to the end of “Tower of David,” when she’s crouched and alone in her room in the hospital. The combination of these images, their heavy parallel to past seasons, and Carrie’s comment to Maggie about a “locked ward” leads to a potent sense of foreboding.
This is a totally gorgeous shot--the blue and red in the background and the way Carrie is lit from behind. Sometimes this show is really visually arresting.
Klick and Scali film Carrie and Dante here just as they shot Saul and O’Keefe earlier in the episode. The wide shot with both characters in frame suggests the same adversarial “standoff” stance, and yet the moment itself seems on the surface healing and supportive. Have we mentioned the show is giving us mixed messages about Dante?
We don’t have to remind you all of the parallels between this scene and the one with Carrie and Quinn at the end of “Still Positive,” but we will anyway. Even the shed in the back is red!
The final shot of the episode, an absolutely beautiful wide shot, again depicts both characters in frame. Dante looks over at Carrie while she stares straight ahead. And despite the light in the background (Quinn’s “light on the headlands, steering [her] clear of the rocks”?), Carrie is still shown in the dark. Again we must ask, is there more going on with Dante than she realizes?
The score used at the end of this episode was originally used at the end of “The Star” (and later at the end of “The Man in the Basement”) when Carrie draws a star on the wall for Brody. The use of it in this scene, along with the visual callbacks to a famous scene with Quinn, combine to form a strange and eerie amalgam of Carrie’s past romances. Brody’s music and Quinn’s words. Where does Dante fit into this equation and what is the show trying to say? For now, those remain open questions.
Finally, the colors in this last shot--red, white, and blue--feel symbolic. Carrie is forever fighting for the country she loves--the country she feels an innate duty to protect--even to her own detriment. In this episode alone she sacrifices her mental health, yet again, to continue on with this battle. As the bright lights illuminate the sky against a brilliant backdrop of the colors of the American flag, the music viewers have come to associate with loss, broken promises, and missed chances swells.
Our freedom doesn’t come free. And Carrie has chosen her price.
ETA: Ashley would like us to point out that we missed the Clean & Clear in Josie’s cabinet and that cabinets are entirely her domain for all future reference. We deeply and sincerely apologize, Ashley.
Right off the block, we would not be HYH if we didn’t note the hat! In this opening sequence it is clear that Quinn is confused and beginning to remember the diner. Klick (who has been the show’s line producer since the series started) and David Klein (director of photography) choose to portray his confused state with the blurry diner as Quinn’s face enters the camera from the right.
It’s not every Sunday we see Quinn checking out a woman’s behind and, well, this just had to be included for posterior posterity. Also, note how the patron is also flirty and the background is a bit dreamy and unfocused as Quinn begins to recall Nicki and his surroundings.
The children were shown playing basketball twice and, it seems clear, there was more to it than simply setting up Quinn’s later conversation with the boy. We know that basketball is Quinn’s sport from “Separation Anxiety,” when he said, “I see you like to use potassium chlorate… but the smell reminds me of the visitors' changing room at a high school basketball game.” Who knows if Quinn ever really played high school basketball given the backstory we have for him now but it seems clear these children, happily and carelessly playing, may represent everything Quinn did not have.
Note that Klein chose to make these shots relatively colorless and stark. The tones are muted with a predominance of gray.
One of the first camera angles Klick and Klein depict of the flag house is, interestingly, from the point of view of the flag itself. One could interpret this as patriotism literally blocking our perspective, or maybe Klick and Klein just thought it would look cool!
The Works of Franny Mathison #1: “A Cat”
We’re fairly certain the set designers weren’t thinking about Laura’s cat from season five but we just appreciated Franny’s drawing (bottom left) so we threw this in. We’re wondering how many of these were drawn by the twins themselves.
The Works of Franny Mathison #2: “Very Big Mommy”
And while we’re touring the Mathison Progeny Art Gallery, any child psychologists care to ring in on the drawing above the dresser? Carrie is very large compared to a very small and very red Franny. We’re happy Carrie is smiling!
The Works of Franny Mathison #3: “Quinn & Mommy Living in a Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G”
Franny uses the evocative color of purple to represent and link those whom she loves the most. We’re kidding, but the “C” and the “Q” in Franny’s tree are the same color. We get that the star nightlight shown early in the season was just a star but this…
maybe, just maybe
(It’s possible Franny didn’t actually draw this one but the artwork in this kid’s room is certainly not to be ignored.)
This is pretty standard Homeland with its themes of watching and being watched. Here, however, Klick and Klein shoot Saul looking up at the camera almost like the trapped animal he is. The grey colors are almost prison-like. Saul is, narratively and physically, in a small place, a cornered man in every way.
This, too, is a fairly simple shot of Carrie coming to a dramatic realization. Carrie has a choice: seeing her child or giving a deposition in which she will compromise Dar. Situated almost perfectly between two black and white windows, we understand how she’s caught in the middle.
And, well, the videographer was just plain creepy and reminded us of all those weird side characters on The X Files.
Okay, the letter is just starting to seem very, very weird. Dar is constantly offering, pocketing it, unfolding it. (We know of another letter that seemed to mean a great deal...) We’ve even seen the names when he was in the car last week. First, Dar, please consider email. Second, we’re wondering if there’s more to the letter than meets the eye. Is Dar trying to covertly communicate something to Keane with these names? Are they characters for next season? Any other theories?
Keane’s pose jumped out here as provocative. It’s “man spay” in every way (there are legit warnings against this pose on NYC subways in order to allow seat space for people). Some of us considered this to be a nonsexual version of Sharon Stone’s iconic Basic Instinct pose but regardless, this girl is clearly not bowing to the boys without a fight. Klick likely intended her to look masculine and dominating.
Once in awhile we must take a moment for a man with the solemn hubris and pedigree to pull off what F. Murray Abraham does here. It was a beautiful acting moment. Nothing more or less. Except, perhaps, these may be our last moments with this fine actor who has made us feel so much anger, confusion, and interest over the years.
Again, the flag house is filmed from the inside out with the boy--and, yes, we’re gonna say it--the symbolic maybe-fill-in for a young Quinn John. Quinn was looking at those boys playing basketball with much nostalgia.
It’s a dangerous game of ding dong ditch this boy is playing… and didn’t we all think it was about to be more of a crisis than it was? By the way, what’s the phone number of the CIA landscaper? This winter has been mild in NYC, but still, that’s some nice upkeep.
Arguably the lighting for Quinn’s flashback is rather forced with its blaring yellow tones. This shot, however, is decidedly evocative, with messiah levels of light chosen by Klein. And, again, the window.
More framed artwork adorns the Mathison household, but this caught Sara’s eye because the photo on Carrie’s desk on the far left is the same one of her and Franny from season four. Sometimes prop continuity is nice.
If we’ve learned from set spying, it’s this: they don’t shoot any frame on accident. So… the church steeple as savior Mira is rushed to Saul may have been intentional. The gray winter landscape and colorless cars (part of the call sheets) were also intentional as Klick painted a wintery, bleak visual narrative.
This is the final scene with Mira (ever?) and, Manhattan hazy behind them, she she stands over Saul and asks him, “When has that [humiliation] ever made the slightest bit of fucking difference to you?” God bless you, Mira Berenson.
Klick keeps the camera on this shot for a surprisingly long time. Note Andrew, his medals and honors displayed across his chest and the word “cowardice” sitting just above them, his gaze fixed squarely on his mother.
Klick has several frames of the sock puppet troll images cast onto the figures of O’Keefe and Dar. These men are, literally, wearing their own lies. Also, note the continuation of the gray tones within the Onyx scenes.
We’re not sure what to say about this but it sure has the fandom buzzing (is Quinn going to be framed?) so we thought we’d throw it in.
These shots were simply beautiful; Saul (in a possible callback to... My Fair Lady? A Streetcar Named Desire?) is almost calling to the sky (the gods?) in search of Carrie in the first shot. The second shot shows the seemingly endless brownstones with Saul at his ultimate destination, Carrie’s home. Note that Carrie’s house lights--on the right of the shot and beside the steps--are the only ones lit on the darkened street. One could argue that it’s Carrie’s home which is the light of “truth,” considering what Saul discovers inside.
Some have argued that it’s meaningful that Saul gets into Carrie’s home from the hole that Quinn, in his paranoia and depression, created in “The Man in the Basement.” Quinn claims to have thought “someone was trying to break in” and it’s ironic that Saul is ultimately the one who does.
Klick chooses several shots of ascending stairs in this episode, and we suspect this is important as all the characters seem to be rising out of the swamp of murkiness as they unravel the conspiracy. The very first shot of Carrie features her and Max making their way up the stairs to Franny’s room. In this sequence, Saul is first shown ascending the basement stairs and then after tea (!) ascends the second set of stairs to Carrie’s hidden room. Finally, when Carrie goes to Quinn in the final scene, she is again shown climbing stairs. (The caveat here is that NYC is a very vertical city.)
The sweeping panorama of Carrie’s bulletin boards was almost exactly how they shot Onyx’s enormous sock puppet reveal last week. Together with Sean Callery’s score, Saul and the viewer are given access to this surprise underworld of Carrie’s mind: a different kind of conspiracy this time, one in which fragments of truth, instead of lies, are uncovered.
The production designers put plenty of thought into Carrie’s bulletin board. Note that the strings are in primary colors and actually represent a certain kind of logic. The strings and sticky notes that are blue represent Keane (Democrats take note!) while the red represents Dar (Republicans take note!). Yellow seems to represent the FBI.
Fun fact: The news article above has a by-line of John Kretschmer who has been the production designer on Homeland for years.
Again the direction here plays with the glare of Keane’s laptop screen. The lies aren’t projected onto her, as they were with Dar or O’Keefe, but literally reflected back at her (much as they have been with Max). In one of the most heartbreaking moments of the season, Keane comes face-to-face not only with these lies but with her own decision to bring her son out from the shadows and into the light.
As pointed out in past Director Chair features, Klein loves his blues, and the final scene was beautifully backlit with the blue tarps surrounding the house creating almost a sci-fi feeling. Blue, notably, is often associated with clarity as all the pieces start to fall into place (which is the actual logline for the finale, by the way).
As noted earlier, Carrie ascends the stairs to get to Quinn who has his own truths to reveal. The use of her cell phone light here is almost star-like. That’s likely a notable choice by Klick and Klein because so often flashlight sequences depict a long beam of light. In this shot, however, Carrie emits a single point of light.
Only Homeland could make a close-up of an assault weapon seem so beautiful. Note, again, the circle of light in the distance.
One of the final shots of the episode depicts Belli in the bullseye in an eerie mirror of his own targeting of Astrid in “alt.truth.” Strangely, Belli appears to be looking upward, not at the group seated all below him, but across the street to Carrie and Quinn, who are waiting in the wings.
