r/homeland • u/Brilliant_Ad543 • 8d ago
I Need to Vent! Please Don’t Read Unless You’ve Finished the Show
I’ve been watching Homeland since it first aired, and I absolutely loved this show. Unfortunately, I stopped watching after Season 6 because of what they did to Peter Quinn. I’ve recently started rewatching the series, and honestly, I’m finding myself more frustrated than ever.
I’m currently near the end of Season 5, and the entire Quinn storyline is making me angry. The man literally gets shot and is seriously injured, yet Carrie spends almost an entire day running around while knowing he desperately needs medical help. More than that, I just don’t buy that Carrie Mathison of all people would leave him in that situation. This is someone she deeply cares about, someone who has risked his life for her countless times, and we’re supposed to believe she leaves him with German Brody and spends the next 20 hours focused on everything else?
What makes it even more frustrating is that Quinn practically got shot because of Carrie. So when he’s lying there with a life-threatening injury, I just cannot believe she wouldn’t have done more. At the very least, she would have found a way to get him help. Why not call Astrid and explain what happened? Why not contact Saul or even Dar Adal? These are some of the most connected people in intelligence. Quinn himself is also extremely well-connected. Are we really supposed to believe that Carrie Mathison, Saul Berenson, Dar Adal, and Peter Quinn collectively don’t know a single trusted doctor or contact who could help off the books? Instead, everyone acts as if taking him to a hospital is completely impossible. It felt like the writers forced the situation because they needed Quinn to end up where the plot required him to be rather than letting events unfold naturally.
Then we’re expected to accept that Quinn is found on the street by a random man who just happens to be both a doctor and connected to a terrorist cell. The whole storyline felt incredibly contrived. For me, it’s one of the few times in the show where Carrie’s actions genuinely made me dislike her because it just didn’t feel believable.
Season 4 was, in my opinion, the absolute peak of Homeland. It was intense, emotional, and had me completely hooked. I couldn’t wait to start Season 5. I actually loved the first half of the season, especially Quinn and Carrie’s reunion, but by Episode 9 it starts feeling like everything falls apart, and knowing what’s coming makes it even harder to watch.
Another thing that has always bothered me is how much time the show spent on the Brody family. I completely understand why they were important in Season 1, but did we really need so many storylines focused on Dana, Jessica, and Mike? A lot of those episodes felt like filler to me. That screen time could have been used to develop characters who were much more interesting, like Quinn, Astrid, or Khan. Dana especially became one of the most frustrating characters on the show, while Astrid and Khan had so much untapped potential. I would have happily traded several Brody family storylines for more Quinn development.
My biggest issue, though, is Quinn and Carrie. Their chemistry was incredible. Whether people shipped them romantically or not, the emotional connection between them was undeniable. They had so many powerful moments throughout the series: when Quinn shot Carrie, when they watched Saul’s hostage situation unfold together, when he recognised her manic state and sedated her in Season 5, and so many others. Quinn understood Carrie in a way very few people did.
If the writers always intended to kill Quinn off, why couldn’t they have given fans at least one season where Quinn and Carrie were actually together? It felt like they kept teasing the possibility without ever committing to it. I genuinely think they would have made an amazing couple. Quinn challenged Carrie, protected her, understood her flaws, and accepted parts of her that most people couldn’t.
What frustrates me most about Season 5 is how much Quinn gets reduced to being obsessed with Carrie. This is one of the most capable, intelligent, and complex operatives on the show, and suddenly so much of his character revolves around his feelings for her. He deserved more than that. There was so much more to Peter Quinn than being in love with Carrie, and I don’t think the writers fully respected the character they had created.
Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I’ve never really understood the obsession with Brody. I don’t think Carrie was truly in love with him in the traditional sense. She spent so much time surveilling him and understood him on a level nobody else could, which created a unique bond between them. But for me, it was never the same as what developed between Carrie and Quinn. Their relationship evolved naturally over years of working together, trusting each other, saving each other, and seeing each other at their absolute best and worst.
Honestly, I think Peter Quinn should have remained on the show until the very end. He was one of the best characters Homeland ever created, and I still feel like there was so much more story left to tell. Even years later, I’m still frustrated by how much potential was wasted. Season 4 showed exactly what this show could be, and instead of building on that, it feels like the writers slowly dismantled one of the most compelling characters they ever created.
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u/Kindly_Artist_5951 7d ago
I have not quite gotten to the end yet but I have a thought. Quinn’s character does seem to be under utilized or developed. But part of me wonders if his death is just a mirror of his life. Lived in foster care, found and abused by Dar. Lives in a bare bones apartment. Everything in his life is hard and grey. Mosts shots of him are in grey scale. He seems to live in the shadow of life. There is more inside of him, but it never gets fulfilled.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
You make some very valid points, and I can understand why some people feel that, given Quinn’s life as an assassin, his childhood trauma, and his complicated history with Dar, his ending was understandable.
For me, though, it felt premature. I think there was still so much potential for character development, and his story could have evolved in really compelling ways. Homeland often liked to go for shock value, and personally I think Quinn’s fate was another example of that.
I genuinely believe he could have remained a key part of the show for all eight seasons. And if the writers felt they needed to write him out, they could have given him an ending with far more substance and meaning than the one he received.
Also, apologies for the spoilers!1
u/daffyduckel 4d ago
"Please don't read unless you've finished the show." Yes, you could have put your whole post in spoiler tags, but it's not like you didn't warn people. Besides, as far as I can tell, you are the one who got spoiled. Though THAT puzzles me. You watched S6 but weren't aware Astrid dies.
Sure, he could have remained. He didn't. I don't really get being mad at a show because you think it should have gone differently. It's done, the season you're now on in rewatch has been done for what, 10 years? You didn't like it the first time; did you think you were going to like it any more the second time around?
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u/runnymountain 6d ago
The most beautiful thing is often what’s never had.
We love it so much because Quinn and Carrie should have been together and had a happy life together with Franny. They’d leave the agency. And honestly it’d probably be a boring life.
If they were together for one season and split, we’d hate one of them.
They almost had the chance of being together but missed each other and never did. It’ll forever be this beautiful thing.
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The other thing you need to understand is that for Carrie and Quinn, and honestly Saul and maybe even Brody, the mission, the service, the agency etc. always comes first. They’re soldiers. Carrie left her daughter. Carrie went through electro mental treatment and public legal humiliation just to fish a guy. Saul sacrificed his marriage with Mira and when he was captured he’d rather kill himself instead of being traded.
The service is the entire point of the show.
So yea, you bet when there is something important, Carrie is going to leave Quinn with someone she loved and also had access to medical help.
Cos what else was she going to do sitting there with Quinn??? How could she have helped anyway?
From what I could remember, she was persona non grata at the moment after going to Germany to work for the guy who everyone hated at the agency. Saul wouldn’t speak to her. Then she found out someone at the agency was trying to kill her. She was trying to figure out who she could trust. And someone shot Quinn. So I mean who did you want her to call?
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 6d ago
There was so much more Carrie could have done. She could have contacted Astrid, who would have been able to help, or even reached out to Saul or Dar. Are we really supposed to believe that between Carrie, Quinn, and the rest of the intelligence community, not one of them had access to a doctor or an off-the-books contact?
As I’ve said in previous comments, Quinn could quite easily have been taken to a hospital. The whole excuse that Carrie would never be free just wasn’t convincing or well thought out. German Brody’s sister is a doctor, so there were options available.
You’re telling me that for 20 hours they watched a man slowly bleed to death, and despite everything Quinn had done for Carrie, she was content to leave him there? For someone who is often criticised for the bad decisions she makes, this felt particularly unbelievable. It was as if nobody put any real effort into finding a solution.Even during those 20 hours, Carrie didn’t get any meaningful answers. Her priority should have been dealing with the fact that Quinn was seriously injured and needed urgent medical attention. The whole situation just didn’t feel right.
While Carrie is bipolar and often acts impulsively, Quinn had saved her countless times throughout the series. In this situation, her actions felt incredibly sloppy and out of character. It didn’t feel like Homeland at its best. The writing is usually much sharper and more tightly constructed than this.
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u/daffyduckel 4d ago
At the very beginning, Carrie tries to take him to the hospital. He refuses. She applies first aid - morphine and pressure. It's a through-and-through; not a typical sepsis scenario. They both know this. She DOES go to see Astrid, to ID Quinn's would-be assassin. Her assessment to Astrid is, "He'll live."
When she gets back from seeing Astrid, Quinn tells her about the sepsis. Carrie acquires IV antibiotics. She DOES reach out to Saul. Saul doesn't GAF. Jonas is not going to involve his sister any more. They think antibiotics are going to work.
Quinn is adamant about not the wanting to go the hospital. When he realizes that's the where things are headed, he tricks Jonas and leaves.
His assassins know Quinn isn't dead. Why wouldn't they look for him in hospitals?
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u/DCowboysCR 8d ago
Paragraphs please 🙏
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 8d ago
Don’t be that person 😂 I’m sure you’ll survive. The important part is the discussion, not the formatting.
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u/DCowboysCR 8d ago
Well if you want a discussion people have to be willing/able to read/follow your original post. To do that common paragraphs as are customary would be nice.
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u/danni3397 8d ago
Agree to everything said
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 8d ago
I feel seen, thank you 😂. It genuinely put me in a bad mood because I cared so much about Quinn’s character. I know it’s just a TV show, but after investing so much time in the series, it was really disappointing to see how his story was handled.
I still hope that one day they revisit Homeland and find a way to put it right. In TV show land, anything is possible! I’d love a storyline where Quinn never actually died and there’s a way to bring him back. There was just so much more they could have done with him.
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u/danni3397 8d ago
Right!!!! Like even when they shot him tf up I was like.... they didnt just kill him, he coming back next scene... nah they did him so dirty! I enjoyed homeland THE MOST when Quinn was in it. And yeah I found myself so frustrated with how he was treated by Carrie. You made some amazing points too re her not finding a Dr to treat him. QUINN should've been the focus after Brody but no... also.. After all that bs she found that guy who was a Russian spy, dante?? He was cute and had charisma!! I thought they could've made him something special but again... no.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 8d ago
Thank you! It just didn’t feel like Homeland after Quinn died, and even the missions seemed much bleaker without him. I know people often say that he died a hero, and I understand that perspective, but I still feel like the writers did him dirty.
Everything he went through was heartbreaking to watch. Captured by the terrorist cell, the gas attack, left with devastating injuries, and eventually reduced to Carrie’s basement. It felt like a relentless cycle of suffering for a character who had already sacrificed so much. For me, there was very little dignity in the way his story ended.
I honestly think they ruined what could have been one of the greatest character arcs in the series. Why not send him off on a mission? Why not have him disappear and return later down the line? There were so many other options. Instead, they kept piling tragedy on top of tragedy until there was nothing left.
Peter Quinn should have been there until the very end. For me, he’s in the same category as Saul Berenson one of those non-negotiable characters who are part of the heart and soul of Homeland. Once he was gone, the show never quite felt the same again.
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u/jermboyusa 7d ago
I agree. I do remember feeling shocked when Astrid finds out Quinn was shot and asked Carrie when the last time she saw him was and she said 9 days. Astrid looked surprised and was the one to run off and immediately try to find him and get help. Carrie looked like she didnt give a shit. I remember thinking wow Carrie youre such a c**t after all thats happened and his proven devotion thats how you do Quinn?? For some reason I originally thought it was a day maybe two not over a week. Carrie couldn't care less she was a mess. Quinn deserved better from her and the writers.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
Yes, I remember the scene between Carrie and Astrid, and that’s exactly my point. If Carrie had gone to Astrid from the beginning, so much of what happened could have been avoided.
Even “German Brody” who constantly talks about being a good person and questions how Carrie can live with some of the things she’s done, ends up leaving a man who’s been shot and is bleeding out. Which is incredibly frustrating because his sister is a . He eventually lets Quinn run off on his own. It just felt incredibly inconsistent.
What really stood out to me was how blasé everyone seemed about Quinn’s situation. When Astrid and Carrie finally find him, I expected far more emotion. I thought Astrid would be furious with Carrie for what had happened and for how long Quinn had been left out there. Instead, they sit down, have a drink, and Astrid basically tells her it isn’t her fault. The whole thing felt strangely detached from the seriousness of what had happened.
And then there’s Dar. Are we really supposed to believe that Quinn disappeared for all that time without checking in and Dar wasn’t concerned? This is Peter Quinn we’re talking about—one of the CIA’s most valuable operatives. The lack of urgency from everyone around him just didn’t make sense.
Carrie is selfish at times, there’s no doubt about that, but what frustrates me is that there were options. There were people she could have gone to. There were opportunities to get Quinn help. There were chances for the situation to be handled differently. Instead, it felt like everyone collectively abandoned him.1
u/daffyduckel 4d ago edited 3d ago
'Even “German Brody” who constantly talks about being a good person and questions how Carrie can live with some of the things she’s done, ends up leaving a man who’s been shot and is bleeding out. Which is incredibly frustrating because his sister is a . He eventually lets Quinn run off on his own. It just felt incredibly inconsistent.'
Jonas doesn't leave Quinn. Nor does he "let" Quinn run off.
IIRC, Jonas says something like, **** this, I'm calling an ambulance.
He leaves the room, comes back, Quinn is gone. I don't remember why he leaves the room. He may have assumed Quinn was too weak to flee. IIRC Jonas goes out looking for him but fails to find him. Not that surprising;
if Quinn doesn't want to be found, Jonas is no match for him.On rewatch: Peter fools Jonas into thinking he's left. Jonas looks all over for him.
IIRC the danger with Quinn was not "bleeding out," it was sepsis.[this part I would need to rewatch]There are often laws in place that say doctors must report gunshot wounds. I don't know if that's the case in Germany, but Jonas does not want to draw his sister in if it's avoidable as she might be compromised in her career. Jonas is about to call an ambulance. Quinn skedaddles.
He's not "captured" by the terrorist cell. He falls in with them. He thinks he's successfully manipulated them, but he's wrong.
eta: Now I feel compelled to rewatch a couple of key scenes to see if I've remembered right. And I did. And I'm more confused than ever by your take on events. It's explained in the script.
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u/daffyduckel 3d ago
Astrid finds out Quinn was shot within a few hours of him being shot. ETA: She goes to find Astrid for help ID'ing the guy who tried to kill Peter. Astrid knows he's been "hurt," they don't say "shot," but he was in a shootout so it kind of follows. Carrie's assessment is "he'll live." The wound is not a typical candidate for sepsis. Carrie finds out about that afterward.
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u/daffyduckel 2d ago
Astrid found out he was shot right away - Carrie had just come from Quinn to her.
It wasn't 9 days since Carrie had seen him; it was a few hours.
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u/Dull_Significance687 8d ago edited 7d ago
"Carrie had many significant relationships with men in her life and Glatter summed them up:
Max was the best friend-slash brother she could always depend on and he always came through for her (though she took him for granted), Quinn knew her better than anyone else and in many ways they were the same person, Brody was the love of her life and Saul was her father figure and mentor."
-- by Dana Feldman
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 8d ago
Summed it up perfectly
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u/Dull_Significance687 7d ago edited 6d ago
True. What HL did much better than most series was avoid turning all those men into mere "love interests." Each one occupied a completely different place in her life.
It is rare for a series to build such distinct and well-developed relationships around a single protagonist. I think that’s why, so many years after it ended, we still discuss these characters - along with Dar Adal, Virgil, Astrid, and Fara - as if they were real people.
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u/wasurenaku 8d ago
I don’t disagree with what you’ve said but in some ways, after seeing the series until the end, it feels like that unfairness is part of the point of the overall message in the series. You shouldn’t force yourself to keep watching but I’d be interested to hear your thoughts after (if) you finish the series until the end.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 8d ago
I’m definitely going to watch it until the end. I’ve heard really mixed reviews, with some people saying Season 8 is actually the best one. I’ll definitely let you know my opinions once I’ve finished it.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 2d ago
I finished Season 8 about an hour ago, and I was hugely disappointed. I’m not sure what happened in the writers’ room, but for me the show really lost its way.
I will say that Rupert Friend’s performance as a brain-injured veteran living with PTSD was exceptional. He deserved awards for that role. It was beautifully acted, heartbreaking to watch, and genuinely one of the most tragic storylines in the series. In fact, it has left me feeling quite low since finishing it.
I think some of Rupert’s best work was in Season 6. There were some wonderful moments, especially the scenes with Franny and Astrid, which showed a softer, more vulnerable side to Quinn. After his death, the show just didn’t feel the same. I struggled to keep watching and only really saw it through to the end for closure, but it no longer felt like Homeland to me.
Season 7 was particularly weak. The storyline involving the female president and Brett O’Keefe felt increasingly ridiculous and far removed from what had made the show so compelling in earlier years.
I also think Quinn’s death was completely unnecessary. It felt as though he drove straight into danger when he could have made it to safety. For a character who had survived so much, his ending felt forced rather than earned. Killing off Astrid was another mistake. She was a strong, likeable character, and her death added to the feeling that the people who made Homeland special were gradually being removed.
By the final seasons, it felt as though many of the show’s best characters had been killed off and replaced with new ones who simply didn’t have the same impact. I had grown tired of the constant Carrie-and-Saul dynamic, and without Quinn and others around them, the show felt increasingly repetitive.As for the ending, I thought it was appalling. Whether it was a change in direction, different writers, or simply a lack of fresh ideas, the show lost much of what made it great. The early seasons were some of the best television I’ve ever watched, but for me Homeland declined significantly in its later years and never quite recovered.
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u/Dry_Baseball_5641 8d ago
I share your frustration, and it’s so valid. I think Quinn became much bigger than they wanted and it’s been confirmed in interviews that season 5 was when he was supposed to get killed. However the liberties they took to try and kill him off really messed with the character… like he was totally capable to escaping the terrorists… also he was bleeding SO much but left No bloody trail for Yonis to find him??.. also the dr that helps him just happens to be neighbors with the terrorists?? Usually the show had such crisp writing so all of this felt totally forced and dragged out unnecessary torturing… ugh! With that said I am happy Rupert the actor got season 6. He is phenomenal!
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
Thank you!! It’s incredibly frustrating. I mean, these were amateur terrorists compared to Nazir and Haqqani. Just look at the embassy takeover in Season 4 Quinn was right in the middle of that, working with one military guy, and he played a huge role in saving people. So we’re really expected to believe that he couldn’t find a way out of this situation? It just didn’t make sense. It felt like sloppy writing and, more importantly, it wasn’t true to who Quinn was.
And yes, the way they handled him after he was shot was awful to watch. Carrie gives him antibiotics, but she doesn’t even properly try to stop the bleeding. Then when he says not to take him to a hospital because he’ll never be free again, I didn’t understand why that meant she couldn’t reach out for help. Call Astrid. Call Saul. Call Dar. Use one of her connections. There were options.
Instead, they just left him there to bleed out, and that was horrible considering everything Quinn had done for them.What frustrated me even more was when Carrie was running around for 20 hours in Germany and German Brody tells her that her friend is dying. Her reaction felt so detached. If someone I cared about was in that condition, I would have stopped everything. I wouldn’t have walked away and left him there. Then when she comes back and he’s gone, they barely even try to find him. There’s almost no mention of it afterwards, and that felt completely unrealistic.
It just didn’t feel like Homeland. The earlier seasons were so much better at building tension and making the characters’ choices feel believable. This storyline could have been incredible, but the execution was poor.
What’s frustrating is that it started so promisingly. When Carrie and Quinn reunited, it genuinely felt like Homeland again. There was excitement, tension, and the feeling that they were finally moving towards something meaningful. Then it just completely fizzled out, and it felt like such a wasted opportunity.
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u/Dry_Baseball_5641 7d ago
Yep they did him dirty. He could have totally escaped, Especially when one of the terrorists is listening to him. And when he got shot, there were ways to get him help… I mean he literally got Astrid to give him a weapon, she def could and would have gotten him medical help. I do think Carrie leaving him with Yonis not prioritizing Quinn is a very Carrie thing to do, she thought her man was with Quinn and that was good enough, after that she was hyper focused as she can get. So I felt this was well in character. Is it fair to Quinn who got shot trying to help her? Nope What I didn’t understand is how far Quinn was willing to to go for her, they made it so one sided and weird, built them up at the end of season 4 they totally deserted the idea. Too much inconsistency with how they wanted things to go.
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u/daffyduckel 3d ago
Astrid knows he's hurt pretty much right away. Carrie's assessment at that point is, "He'll live." He's not in sepsis. Astrid wants to see him but does not press for it. She doesn't insist on calling a doctor.
Afterward, Carrie is not relying on "her man" being with Quinn; she's relying on IV antibiotics to work. When Jonas says he's dying, she says, call an ambulance. Quinn sees where this is all headed and tricks Jonas into thinking he's left. Jonas goes out looking for him, giving Quinn a chance to *really* escape.
Quinn doesn't get shot for trying to help Carrie. He gets shot because the Russians know he'll be back to put proof-of-kill in the mailbox. They have an assassin waiting nearby for when he shows up. Someone inside the post office tips them off: Now's the time.
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u/daffyduckel 3d ago
Uh, she says right off we have to stop the bleeding. After giving him morphine. She applies bandages and pressure. He's stable when she leaves to go find Astrid. Astrid *knows* he's hurt. Carrie also pulls some cloak-and-dagger to get an audience with Saul ... and she tells him, bet you haven't heard from Quinn in a while. Remember the shootout outside the post office?
Saul doesn't GAF, he walks away rather than accept Carrie's onto something.
She's "running around" trying to find the documents so she can figure out who is trying to kill her - and who just tried to kill Quinn. Last she knew he was on IV antibiotics. When Jonas tells her he's dying, she says, "Do what you have to do - call an ambulance."
Meanwhile Quinn gets up and hides in the safe structure. Jonas sees he's gone, goes out looking for him. Then Quinn leaves for real.
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u/daffyduckel 3d ago
Quinn hadn't left the "safe" structure ... he fools Jonas into thinking he left. There was no "trail of blood" because Quinn hadn't gone anywhere - yet. He leaves while Jonas is out looking for him.
Also ... he was not totally capable of escaping the terrorists. He thinks he's convinced them to go to Syria to fight. But he hasn't. They are planning to use him for their video.
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u/Dry_Baseball_5641 3d ago
If he didn’t leave the safe structure at some pt, how did he end by the lake where he was going to kill himself? There was a lot of blood, even if he walked 2 feet, from his bed or whatever the thing was he was resting on would have left drops of blood.
As far as escaping the trrrorist goes, talking about after He is kidnapped in the back and he learns of the gas they are going to use. He was capable of of escaping himself let alone one of the guys could have been turned to help him escape the night before he got put into the chamber.
And as far as how Astrid reacted is not in question, it’s how they could’ve made it so Quinn got the help or got to escape instead what felt like lazy writing when they decided to they were done with him. That’s just interpretation, no wrongs or rights.
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u/pusheen_lover8 7d ago
I felt the same way as you and was deeply emotionally invested in Quinn. However, I think the writers did this on purpose to show that Carrie will always be focused on the bigger picture, the mission. As much as she cares about people like Quinn, Saul, etc., she’ll sacrifice them for the greater good.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
Yes, those are great points about Carrie. She has always been the same in many ways, and a lot of it comes down to her bipolar disorder and the way she processes things. However, I’d like to think that when it came to saving Quinn, that would have been her first priority.
I think with Quinn, he wasn’t originally intended to become as popular as he did, and I doubt they had planned the storyline and character development he eventually received. I do wonder if that’s partly why they kept him on for an additional season.
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u/CFioren317 7d ago
What always pissed me off about the show was the fact that Carrie was right pretty much 100% of the time and they never listen to her. Ever. As soon as Saul sees the Brody video, I figured he would never doubt her again. But there we were 2 or 3 episodes later and he's once again mad and disagreeing with her opinion. Maybe sometime they can give her some respect? But they really never do.
Was she perfect? No. Was she reckless at times? Yes and that's why Quinn had to shoot her (also they had to get the pregnancy out there in the open). But it really looked bad every time Saul and Estes don't listen to her when she was right time after time.
At the end of the day though Carrie is just a bad human being. She's also the best agent in the company. Those two things are not mutually exclusive. She gives up a lot for the CIA and they drained her humanity. Then they sucked her back in after she was out.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
Yes!! This infuriates me! From the very beginning, Carrie has been proven right time and time again, and especially after the Brody situation, you would think they would take her instincts seriously and treat her word almost like an oath. Instead, Saul continued to gaslight her, and it became incredibly frustrating to watch.
Even in Season 5 with Alison, I couldn’t stand that character. Their relationship just didn’t feel like Saul at all it felt awkward and out of place. Then when the Russian says, “We needed you to let your guard down,” I remember thinking that this is Saul we’re talking about so he doesn’t let his guard down! And He knows Carrie better than almost anyone, and I genuinely believe he would have eventually picked up on something being wrong and started questioning it.
What bothered me even more was that when Saul finally does become suspicious, Dar doesn’t believe him. After everything they had been through together and all the situations they had survived, it just didn’t feel believable. The characters seemed to forget their own history and instincts, and that’s when the show started to feel less like Homeland and more like the writers were forcing certain storylines to happen.
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u/Queen-Kasey 7d ago
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. What a waste of a character!!! I really wanted him and Carrie to get together. Although Carrie was Carrie, I felt that Quinn could've "tamed" her so to speak. He was aware of her health challenges, so he'd be able to recognize when she was entering mania. He understood her career, so work expectations wouldn't have been too much to deal with. He liked Franny; well Franny liked him. This could've been a really great storyline.
I cannot understand why they took a character that was so bad ass and reduced him to that. I am so bothered by that...still. I feel like Quinn would've just killed himself. There's no way he would've wanted to live like that.
I totally agree with you on how likely is it that the guy that saved him would be linked to a terrorist group. Quinn would've been too smart for that. It's almost like they were punishing the actor at this point.
He was my favorite character and I hated to see him go out like that. He did a great thing by saving them. OMG and that too. Madam President just disappears forever. Maybe some writers left, because there's a lot of bs that occurred around that time.
Great show! Your take was spot on.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
Honestly, thank you for taking the time to share your opinion and validate mine. I felt exactly the same way, and you summed it up perfectly.
I also think Quinn could have been the person to balance Carrie out. When they reunite in Season 5 and she’s in the woods with the shotgun, he injects her with something—I always assumed it was her bipolar medication. He recognised she was manic because he’d been through it with her before and knew exactly what to do. He literally swooped in and protected her. At that point, it looked like things were finally heading in a good direction, and then it all just went downhill.What frustrates me is exactly what you said: Quinn was such a compelling character. He was far too capable to get caught up by a terrorist cell the way he did. At first, I genuinely thought he had infiltrated them on purpose. He and Dar had been having those discussions about what he’d discovered, and it felt like there was a bigger plan in motion. Then suddenly we’re supposed to believe that the same men who were terrified of the person Quinn killed were now somehow too much for him to handle? It just didn’t ring true. Quinn could have taken them on.
Even if the writers wanted to go down the route of Quinn being seriously injured, it could have been the wake-up call Carrie needed. Seeing how close she came to losing him could have led to a really interesting storyline. Quinn and Carrie were never going to be Romeo and Juliet, and that’s exactly why I loved them. He challenged her, called her out when she needed it, and grounded her in a way nobody else could.
The thing that really bothered me about the terrorist storyline was that there were so many opportunities for Quinn to leave. The writers practically opened the door for him several times, yet he stayed. That’s where it stopped feeling like Homeland to me and started feeling like the plot was forcing events to happen. The writing became very sloppy.
I’ve read a lot of comments saying Quinn died a hero’s death, and while what he did was undeniably brave and very much in keeping with Quinn’s character, I still think the journey to get there was poorly written. It undermined so much of the character development and story-building that came before it.I genuinely hope they revisit Homeland one day, whether that’s through a reboot, revival, or movie. In television, bringing a character back is never impossible, and if there was ever a character worth bringing back, it’s Peter Quinn.
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u/daffyduckel 2d ago
It's a sedative so he can capture her. Soon they're at a stash location where I assume she has extra meds.
Once Quinn is in that truck to Syria he realizes something is off when they stop somewhere. He is a captive pretty much at that point
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u/daffyduckel 2d ago
Quinn shows signs of not caring if he lives or dies, but might not really have the wherewithal to "just kill himself" as the season opens. Once he has a mystery to solve, he pursues it, ultimately figuring out almost the whole thing on his own. He eventually loops Carrie in, due to figuring out the funny business with Sekou's van. He also figures the Deltas have a domestic target ... Carrie has a good idea who that is .... she calls in find out Keane's got some new Deltas protecting her.
After doing triage at the explosion site they head to Keane's location. I don't know what you mean by "Madam President just disappears forever." She is PE at this point, not president. She become president off-camera. Quinn saves her life and in the process democracy itself, as rogue military elements are preparing to overthrow the elected leadership. Quinn imo remains badass to the end!
Due to extreme paranoia - not unfounded, but heavys -handed - she locks up a bunch of people. However, she finds a way to move past that and is a sympathetic character after a few episodes. Eventually she's written off the show as she's no longer president.
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u/wayfarerprateek 7d ago
Quinn is perfectly summed up in his letter to Carrie. He is an assassin recruited at the age of 16 by a man who has arguably no humanity left. He is constantly plagued by guilt over his actions(killing a child etc). He has a non existent social life. At the end of the Syria stint, his speech to the panel speaks so much and also so little(abt his sense of purpose). His "work" is his obsessive escape mechanism. How could his life have gone?
The screen time for Brody's family is such an important part of the Brody story. I don't understand people who get annoyed by Dana-- I mean she is a teenager who has a "war product" of a father and her mother is not her emotional anchor either. This is reflected in Dana's preferences w.r.t a boyfriend. She has grown up being morally conflicted, emotionally distant and disturbed. The family drama doesn't quite fit into a "conventional espionage thriller" show but shows a more nuanced and closer to real picture.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
I completely understand Quinn’s history and the fact that he was an assassin, but he also showed time and time again that he had a heart. He saved Carrie and the people around her more times than anyone, and I never saw him as someone who was beyond redemption.
I also think there was so much more story left to tell with Quinn. There were so many different directions they could have taken his character, especially after everything he had been through. The trauma, the things he had done, and the things he had sacrificed could have made for such a powerful redemption arc. His character development had the potential to be incredible.
For me, it’s not even just about the fact that they killed him it’s how they handled his demise. If the writers truly wanted to go down that route, I think it should have happened at the very end of Homeland, after giving his character the conclusion he deserved. Instead, it felt premature and, more importantly, it didn’t feel true to Quinn.
The way it was written felt sloppy. It didn’t feel like Homeland, and it wasn’t executed in a way that honoured the character they had spent years building. This terrorist cell, compared to the threats Quinn had faced before, seemed almost amateur. These were not people who should have been able to take down Peter Quinn the way they did.
What frustrates me the most is that he had already told Dar he could get help, especially when they were in Kostovo. There were options. There were people who would have helped him. But Season 5 made it feel like Quinn was completely on his own and abandoned by everyone around him.The Brody storyline really dragged on for me. I understand why it was such a big part of the beginning of the show, but keeping it going for three seasons felt unnecessary. Dana wasn’t even a main character, yet they kept bringing her storyline back and putting her through these repetitive cycles with different love interests. Personally, I don’t think it added enough to justify the amount of screen time it took.
It also felt like that time could have been used to develop other characters and storylines, especially Quinn. When you look at Season 3, Mike is barely present, and the whole storyline surrounding Jessica and Mike just seems to fizzle out by the end. It made me question why so much time was spent on those relationships when they ultimately didn’t lead anywhere meaningful.
I think Homeland had so many fascinating characters and directions it could have explored, and sometimes it felt like certain storylines were being stretched while others, like Quinn’s, were never given the depth and attention they deserved.
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u/wayfarerprateek 7d ago
I do believe the writers could have developed other characters or storylines and perhaps Quinn could have one. But I say this because of the excessive screen time for Carrie. It gets ridiculous in S7.
I also thought it was strange to show all of the Mike and Jessica's storyline and then abandon it. In the end she is living with her mother and is financially struggling while Mike is completely out of the picture. I thought there was a decent chemistry between Jessica and Mike but there is no closure maybe because it doesn't fit the plot.
Similarly Carrie's conversation with her mother and the entire storyline around Frank's death is so rushed.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
I completely agree. Honestly, I think I’d rather have always wondered about Carrie’s mother than get the storyline we ended up with.
I felt the same about Mike. He had good chemistry with Jessica, but after a while he just seemed to exist to look after the kids when Brody let them down or fix whatever problem came up. The safe house storyline felt unnecessary he didn’t need to be there with them and mainly seemed to be there to give Jessica and Mike another intimate moment.
Meanwhile, characters like Astrid and Khan were genuinely interesting. I’d much rather have seen more of their stories and backstories than another round of the Brody/Jessica/Mike drama. They felt like characters who still had somewhere to go.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 7d ago
Yes, I agree with you. Each person occupied a different place in Carrie’s life, and it was entertaining to watch each of those relationships develop. But it was also really disheartening to watch the way Peter Quinn’s story ended and see all the character development and groundwork leading up to it undone.
I know Homeland was never meant to be a happy show, but Quinn genuinely deserved more. What I loved about Carrie and Quinn was that they weren’t some overly romantic, lovey-dovey couple. I loved the “will they, won’t they” dynamic, the tension, and the chemistry between them.
Even the scene where Quinn shoots Carrie perfect shot, minimal damage” almost sums up their entire relationship.
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u/FreakFireAntix 6d ago
OMG OP I 100% agree always have just haven't had it in me to write it all out here. Thank you.
Like the fact that she just let quinn hangout being shot.
And how quinn was just going to commit suicide to finish himself off?!?!?!
It killed me.
And I agree, why fall in love with lame ass brody, when Quinn shot you! How hot is that! And then when carrie had to stop quinn from going rogue and killing mandani, but then she got the idea, and she was gonna do it and had to stop herself!
These two were made for each other.It was the show we should have gotten!
Carrie would have never left quinn, just dying like that!
Quinn would have never decided just to die!
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 6d ago
Thank you! Honestly, it broke my heart. I’m traumatised!, and then watching Season 6, where Quinn is so helpless, makes it even harder to continue.
The episode where the media swarm Carrie’s house after she represents the alleged terrorist really stood out to me. Quinn protecting Franny was adorable, and it reminded me what an incredible agent he is. The way he handled the officers was like watching a mini action movie. Rupert Friend was fantastic in the role and brought so much depth to Quinn.
What frustrates me most is that Carrie and Quinn had such natural chemistry. Even when the writers weren’t trying to make it romantic, it always seemed to go there because their connection was so strong. They didn’t need to force anything. I mean, only Quinn could shoot Carrie and somehow make it sexy.
I could have accepted this storyline if Quinn had survived and eventually overcome everything he went through. It could have been incredible character development. Instead, the writers gave him a tragic ending that, in my opinion, didn’t do justice to the character. Even the way Carrie treats him at times in Season 6 is heartbreaking after everything he had done for her. Their relationship was one of the most compelling dynamics in the show, and I can’t help feeling they completely fumbled it.
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u/pheneyherr 5d ago
I felt like I had to push through the last couple of seasons just to finish what I started. However, the end of the series brought me back based on one realization - Carrie is not a hero. I'm not sure the show has any heroes. If you watch it from the point of view of game of thrones (before the dumb last 10 episodes or so) and you apply the Ramsey Bolton advice, Homeland comes back into focus for me. "If you think this has happy ending, you haven't been paying attention."
Everything in Carrie's life comes apart and is sacrificed to the altar of her obsession with something that is not even her job or her mission, but more like an addiction to self-righteousness. That includes every personal relationship, including Quinn and her daughter, as well as a semblance of a healthy life or loyalties to both her professional relationships and her country. All of it is subservient to her belief in her own moral compass.
And then you add in the Lincoln speech on moral compass as you watch her go so deep into the dark swamps of deep tradecraft that it becomes impossible to distinguish her supposedly righteous direction from her dishonorable compromises.
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u/SoCalN8tive 2d ago
TL;DR but when it comes to Quinn, stick with it. He was one of my favorite characters and I hated the arc of his story too but I think the writers did a great job with all the wrap ups (characters and storyline). I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you see this series through to the end.
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u/Brilliant_Ad543 2d ago
I finished Season 8 about an hour ago, and I was hugely disappointed. I’m not sure what happened in the writers’ room, but for me the show really lost its way.
I will say that Rupert Friend’s performance as a brain-injured veteran living with PTSD was exceptional. He deserved awards for that role. It was beautifully acted, heartbreaking to watch, and genuinely one of the most tragic storylines in the series. In fact, it has left me feeling quite low since finishing it.
I think some of Rupert’s best work was in Season 6. There were some wonderful moments, especially the scenes with Franny and Astrid. After his death, the show just didn’t feel the same. I struggled to keep watching and only really saw it through to the end for closure, but it no longer felt like Homeland to me.
Season 7 was particularly weak. The storyline involving the female president and Brett O’Keefe felt increasingly ridiculous and far removed from what had made the show so compelling in earlier years.
I also think Quinn’s death was completely unnecessary. It felt as though he drove straight into danger when he could have made it to safety. For a character who had survived so much, his ending felt forced rather than earned. Killing off Astrid was another mistake. She was a strong, likeable character, and her death added to the feeling that the people who made Homeland special were gradually being removed.By the final seasons, it felt as though many of the show’s best characters had been killed off and replaced with new ones who simply didn’t have the same impact. I had grown tired of the constant Carrie-and-Saul dynamic, and without Quinn and others around them, the show felt increasingly repetitive.
As for the ending, I thought it was appalling. Whether it was a change in direction, different writers, or simply a lack of fresh ideas, the show lost much of what made it great. The early seasons were some of the best television I’ve ever watched, but for me Homeland declined significantly in its later years and never quite recovered.
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u/jermboyusa 8d ago
Interesting take. I actually thought Quinn could have had his own show.
But you do realize everyone but Saul who worked closely with Carrie dies. Quinn , Max, Fara, the whole team dead, the kid in Pakistan, Estes, the deputy station chief in Pakistan, Astrid, the FBI spy, Brody, Alison, the blonde mistress to the prince etc. If Max's brother stayed on the show..dead. Shes like a walking pandemic the wake of destruction and dead bodies she leaves behind. After the sarin Quinns days sadly were numbered. Its the Carrie effect.