Homeland season 6

The sixth season of the American television drama series Homeland premiered on January 15, 2017, and concluded on April 9, 2017, on Showtime, consisting of 12 episodes.^[1] The series started as a loosely based variation of the two-season run of the Israeli television series Hatufim (English: Prisoners of War) created by Gideon Raff and was developed for American television by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa.^[2] The sixth season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on February 6, 2018.^[3]

Homeland
Season 6
Home media cover art
Starring	Claire Danes Rupert Friend Elizabeth Marvel F. Murray Abraham Mandy Patinkin
No. of episodes	12
Release
Original network	Showtime
Original release	January 15 (2017-01-15) – April 9, 2017 (2017-04-09)
Season chronology
List of episodes

Plot

Set several months after her actions prevent a sarin attack in Berlin, Carrie Mathison is back in the United States, living in Brooklyn, New York with her young pre-school aged daughter. She works for a nonprofit organization providing legal aid to local Muslims. Alive, but now disabled, Peter Quinn lives with the fallout of a major stroke and PTSD. Dar Adal and Saul Berenson continue to work for the CIA, dealing with United States counterterrorism initiatives.

The season is set around the imminent election of the United States' first female president, Senator Elizabeth Keane, and takes place between her election day and inauguration day.^[4] The season deals with a suspected cover-up of a terror plot, and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.^[5]

Cast and characters

Main article: List of Homeland characters

Main

Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and Rupert Friend (left to right) portray lead roles Carrie Mathison, Saul Berenson and Peter Quinn, respectively.

F. Murray Abraham and Maury Sterling (left to right) portray Dar Adal and Max, respectively.

• Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison, now working at a civil rights organization that represents Muslims mistreated by domestic law enforcement in New York
• Rupert Friend as Peter Quinn, a former CIA SAD/SOG (black ops) operative recovering from sarin poisoning
• Elizabeth Marvel as Elizabeth Keane, a junior senator from New York, elected as the President of United States^[6]
• F. Murray Abraham as Dar Adal, a CIA official and black ops specialist
• Mandy Patinkin as Saul Berenson, a CIA official and Carrie's former boss and mentor

Recurring

• Hill Harper as Rob Emmons, the White House Chief of Staff designate to President-elect Keane^[7]
• Robert Knepper as General Jamie McClendon, the Department of Defense representative briefing President-elect Keane and her transition team^[8]
• Dominic Fumusa as FBI Special Agent Ray Conlin^[9]
• Patrick Sabongui as Reda Hashem, CUNY School of Law professor and lawyer to the Muslim-American community^[7]
• Zainab Jah as Aby Bah, Sekou's mother
• J. Mallory McCree as Sekou Bah, a Muslim man suspected of radicalization and a client of Carrie's
• Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as Simone Bah, Sekou's sister
• Leo Manzari as Saad Mahsud, Sekou's friend and an FBI informant
• Mickey O'Hagan as Clarice, a prostitute and Quinn's friend
• Claire and McKenna Keane as Frances "Franny" Mathison, Carrie's daughter
• Maury Sterling as Max Piotrowski, a freelance surveillance expert
• C.J. Wilson as Porteous Belli, a mercenary
• Bernard White as Farhad Nafisi, a mysterious financier associated with Iran and the IRGC
• James Mount as Secret Service Agent Thoms, President-elect Keane's head of security
• Shaun Toub as Majid Javadi, an IRGC general and CIA asset
• Jake Weber as Brett O’Keefe, TV host and provocateur
• Seth Numrich as Nate Joseph, a CIA analyst/technician
• Nina Hoss as Astrid, a German Intelligence officer working for the BND
• Marin Hinkle as Christine Lonas, a youth care social worker
• David Thornton as George Pallis, Solicitor General of the United States

Guest

• Hadar Ratzon-Rotem as Tova Rivlin, a Mossad agent
• Alfredo Narciso as Senator Elian Coto
• Bobby Moreno as Tommy
• Sebastian Koch as Otto Düring, a German philanthropist
• Jacqueline Antaramian as Dorit
• Ian Kahn as Roger
• Allan Corduner as Etai Luskin, a Mossad agent
• Deborah Hedwall as Marjorie Diehl
• Robert Bogue as E.S.U. Captain Wilson
• Rachel Ticotin as Mercedes, New York CIA Station Chief
• Alan Dale as President Morse
• Ronald Guttman as Viktor
• Anthony Azizi as Naser
• Martha Raddatz as herself
• Orlagh Cassidy as Rachel Crofts
• Chris Coy as Rudy
• Lesli Margherita as Sharon Aldright
• David Adkins as Dr. Schouten
• Bradford Anderson as Trent
• Sarita Choudhury as Mira Berenson, Saul's ex-wife
• Erin Darke as Nicki
• Dov Tiefenbach as The Jeweler
• Julee Cerda as Reiko Umon
• Linus Roache as David Wellington, President's Chief of Staff
• John Getz as Joe Crocker
• Philip Casnoff as Christopher

Episodes

See also: List of Homeland episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date	Prod. code	U.S. viewers (millions)
61	1	"Fair Game"	Keith Gordon	Alex Gansa & Ted Mann	January 15, 2017 (2017-01-15)[a]	6WAH01	1.08[10]
Three months after the events of season 5, Carrie is living in New York City, helping run a nonprofit defending the civil liberties of American Muslims. Her latest client is Sekou Bah, a young Muslim man arrested by the FBI for possible terrorist ties after posting a series of online videos sympathizing with Al-Qaeda. Carrie additionally looks after Quinn, who is recovering from his stroke at a veterans' hospital. After Quinn leaves the hospital to indulge in drugs with prostitutes and gets his gun and veterans' check stolen from him, Carrie provides him shelter in her home. Saul and Dar Adal advise President-elect Elizabeth Keane on the state of the CIA. Dar, concerned that Keane may demilitarize the CIA due to her son's death while serving in Iraq, covertly plots with his cabal of senior government officials to undermine Keane.
62	2	"The Man in the Basement"	Keith Gordon	Chip Johannessen	January 22, 2017 (2017-01-22)	6WAH02	1.45[11]
The FBI find $5,000 under Sekou's mattress, which Sekou claims was loaned to him by his friend Saad for a family trip to Nigeria. Carrie and Max learn that Saad is an FBI informant; Carrie defies court orders and confronts Saad herself, where she learns he was instructed by the FBI to give Sekou the money despite his belief in Sekou's innocence. Dar Adal reports to President-elect Keane's chief of staff that Iran may be working with North Korea to develop a clandestine nuclear program, and that Israel wants the Americans' help to apprehend Iran's liaison in Abu Dhabi. Carrie, who is secretly advising Keane, suggests that Saul be the one to represent the U.S. during the mission. Quinn refuses his medication and suffers a seizure while shopping; he has Carrie show him the video footage of his exposure to sarin gas, claiming he has no memory of the incident, and asks her why she saved his life.
63	3	"The Covenant"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Ron Nyswaner	January 29, 2017 (2017-01-29)	6WAH03	1.13[12]
Sekou's plea deal is revoked. Carrie reaches out to a former NSA contact to obtain a recording proving that FBI agent Ray Conlin attempted to entrap Sekou on false charges, and uses it to blackmail Conlin into releasing Sekou. Saul arrives in Abu Dhabi to interrogate Farhad Nafisi, an Iranian banker, over a large transfer of funds made from a covert account. Nafisi denies any involvement with North Korea, but Saul is unable to prove he is lying and is forced to release him. Dar Adal nonetheless reports to Keane that the U.S. has "conclusive" evidence of Iran's parallel nuclear program; he later eavesdrops on a meeting between Keane and Carrie, who casts doubt over Dar's report. Saul visits his sister in the West Bank and has an unknown contact pick him up that night. Quinn reclaims his gun from the drug dealer who robbed him and lurks outside Carrie's apartment while armed, paranoid that someone may be spying on them.
64	4	"A Flash of Light"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Patrick Harbinson	February 12, 2017 (2017-02-12)	6WAH04	1.05[13]
Saul covertly meets with Majid Javadi – still the chief of the IRGC – in the West Bank, and asks him to investigate Nafisi's possible involvement with North Korea. The following day, Saul is detained by Etai Luskin, who wants details on the meeting. Keane heeds Carrie's advice and decides not to take immediate action against Iran; Dar Adal retaliates by planting a news story criticizing Keane. Dar later attempts to talk Carrie out of advising Keane. Quinn follows the man living across from Carrie's apartment and watches him arrive at Sekou's workplace. The following morning, Sekou makes a routine delivery for his job; as he drives into Manhattan, a bomb planted in his van explodes. Saul is called back to the U.S. in the wake of the attack.
65	5	"Casus Belli"	Alex Graves	Chip Johannessen	February 19, 2017 (2017-02-19)	6WAH05	1.07[14]
Sekou is publicly identified as a suspect in the bombing. Carrie is outed as Sekou's attorney's legal assistant, which leads to a hostile mob of protesters and reporters gathering outside her apartment. An agitated Quinn shoots at a protestor, prompting the NYPD to surround the building and treat it as a hostage situation. Quinn takes an ESU officer hostage, forcing the police to abort the operation. Carrie returns home and attempts to talk Quinn down; Quinn claims to have proof that Carrie is being spied on. An ESU team storms the apartment and arrests Quinn; Carrie later finds his phone, containing photos of the man across the street, who Carrie notices watching her through the window.
66	6	"The Return"	Alex Graves	Charlotte Stoudt	February 26, 2017 (2017-02-26)	6WAH06	0.90[15]
Carrie shows Quinn's photos of the man across the street to Conlin, who confirms with Saad that the man was not Sekou's accomplice. Conlin tracks down the vehicle in Quinn's photos to a mysterious private corporation that hires formal federal employees to manage large amounts of sensitive data. He calls Carrie to his home to discuss his findings, but when Carrie arrives, she finds that Conlin was just assassinated by her suspicious neighbor, from whom she narrowly escapes. Quinn, who has been commissioned to a psychiatric institution since his arrest, is extracted from the ward at night by Astrid.
67	7	"Imminent Risk"	Tucker Gates	Ron Nyswaner	March 5, 2017 (2017-03-05)	6WAH07	1.44[16]
Carrie learns that Frannie has been placed in the care of child protective services, who deem Carrie an imminent risk to her daughter following the hostage situation with Quinn at her home. Carrie loses the court hearing, and Frannie is put in foster care. Quinn is taken to a cabin by Astrid, who informs him that Dar Adal secured his release. Dar visits Quinn that night and reveals that Carrie chose to have him revived from his coma, likely causing his stroke. Javadi arrives in New York and informs Saul that Farhad Nafisi was a longtime Mossad asset. They determine that Dar Adal was behind the charade, and Saul asks Javadi to confirm to the President-elect that Iran is not running a parallel nuclear program. Dar Adal is revealed to have hired the man living across Carrie's apartment, as well as having reported Carrie to child services.
68	8	"alt.truth"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Patrick Harbinson	March 12, 2017 (2017-03-12)	6WAH08	1.27[17]
Saul has Carrie facilitate a meeting between Javadi and President-elect Keane. However, Javadi reverses course and tells Keane that Iran is indeed violating the nuclear agreement; he tells an indignant Saul that he made a deal with Dar Adal out of self-preservation. A paranoid Quinn empties the bullets out of Astrid's gun in her car, and spots the assassin who lives across from Carrie while at a supermarket. Quinn rebuffs Astrid and attempts to track down the assassin alone, but ends up attacking a stranger by mistake. He attempts to reconcile with Astrid when he returns, but the real assassin shoots at them, injuring Quinn and killing Astrid.
69	9	"Sock Puppets"	Dan Attias	Chip Johannessen & Evan Wright	March 19, 2017 (2017-03-19)	6WAH09	1.26[18]
Dar Adal betrays Javadi to Mossad; Javadi covertly calls Carrie to allow her to trace his location, but he is extracted before she and Saul arrive. Carrie finds Javadi's phone, which contains footage of Nafisi confessing his allegiance to Mossad. Carrie and Saul present the footage to Keane as evidence that Dar Adal is behind the conspiracy to antagonize Iran. Keane involves the solicitor general, who advises Carrie to testify that Dar covered up the Russian infiltration of the CIA's Berlin station. Carrie reluctantly agrees, aware that it would disgrace Saul due to his relationship with Allison Carr. Max applies for a job at the private company Conlin was investigating, and learns that it is a massive troll farm run by right-wing provocateur Brett O'Keefe (who, unbeknownst to them, also works for Dar). Quinn ambushes Dar at his home and learns that Dar did not order the hit on him and Astrid.
70	10	"The Flag House"	Michael Klick	Alex Gansa	March 26, 2017 (2017-03-26)	6WAH10	1.43[19]
Quinn tracks the assassin to a house used to plan black ops missions, including ones Quinn was part of; he finds Sekou's van parked inside. Carrie prepares to make her deposition, but learns that her appointment to see her daughter has been cancelled. Realizing Dar Adal is blackmailing her, Carrie opts out of making her statement. After being rebuffed by Keane, Dar Adal allows Brett O'Keefe to release an edited video slandering Keane's late son as a false war hero. Max covertly records a video of Dar meeting with O'Keefe and sends it to Carrie. Saul prepares to go into hiding, but Mira talks him out of it. Carrie is brought to see Quinn, who has secured a vantage point to watch the black ops soldiers' house through a sniper rifle.
71	11	"R Is for Romeo"	Seith Mann	Chip Johannessen & Patrick Harbinson	April 2, 2017 (2017-04-02)	6WAH11	1.34[20]
Saul presents Keane with evidence that Dar Adal worked with O'Keefe to defame Keane's son. O'Keefe publicly invites Keane on his show, which she accepts on Saul's recommendation. Over live broadcast, she accuses O'Keefe of spreading disinformation and discloses her knowledge of his government-funded social media firm. Dar Adal enlists Max's help in uncovering a disinformation campaign against Quinn. Carrie searches the house Quinn is investigating, only to be ambushed by the assassin living across from her; Quinn intervenes and brutally murders the assassin as revenge for Astrid's death. The FBI and solicitor general arrive and find Sekou's van, which can be used as evidence to prosecute Dar Adal and grant Quinn immunity. Quinn finds evidence that the special ops team is planning an attack on the President-elect. Carrie calls Keane's staff to warn them, but a bomb hidden in the house's garage explodes.
72	12	"America First"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Alex Gansa & Ron Nyswaner	April 9, 2017 (2017-04-09)	6WAH12	1.90[21]
Carrie and Quinn rush to Keane's headquarters, where the staff receive word of a bomb threat in the building. As they evacuate, Dar Adal calls Carrie and warns that the threat is a ruse to lure Keane out of her hotel so she can be assassinated, with Quinn to be framed as the killer. Carrie stops Keane's car from leaving right as a bomb detonates outdoors; Quinn finds them and escorts them to safety by driving through a barricade of armed soldiers sent to kill Keane, and dies in the process. Six weeks later, Keane has been inaugurated, with Carrie working as her liaison to the intelligence community; several senior intelligence officials, including Dar Adal, have been incarcerated. Carrie gets a call from Saul, who is being arrested, and realizes that Keane is apprehending dozens of innocent government officials in retaliation for the assassination attempt.

1. "Fair Game" was released online and on demand by Showtime on December 30, 2016 (2016-12-30), ahead of its broadcast on television.

Production

The season's episodes’ opening includes excerpts from The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.

Development

On December 9, 2015, the series was renewed for a sixth season.^[22] On August 11, 2016, at the 2016 Summer TCA Press Tour it was announced that filming of the season would begin in August 2016 in New York City.^[5] Showrunners Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon along with Gideon Raff, Chip Johannessen, Michael Klick, Patrick Harbinson, Lesli Linka Glatter, Avi Nir, Ran Telem, and Claire Danes are executive producers.^[23]

In September 2016, co-star Rupert Friend sustained an injury to his foot, forcing production to shoot around his character Peter Quinn. Also announced that month was that the production would return to film scenes in Morocco (subbing for Abu Dhabi and Israel), where the series had not filmed since its third season.^[24] A promotional poster and a behind-the-scenes video was released on November 17, 2016.^[25]

Casting

On July 27, 2016, Elizabeth Marvel was cast in the role of Elizabeth Keane, a senator from New York who was just elected to be the next President of the United States.^[6] On August 10, 2016, it was announced that Hill Harper and Patrick Sabongui joined the cast.^[7] On August 16, 2016, Robert Knepper joined the cast in the recurring role of General Jamie McClendon, the Department of Defense representative.^[8] On September 10, 2016, it was announced that Dominic Fumusa had joined as FBI Special Agent Ray Conlin.^[9]

Reception

Critical reception

The sixth season of Homeland received mixed to positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the season has a score of 68 out of 100 based on 15 reviews.^[26] On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 78% with an average rating of 7.45 out of 10 based on 169 reviews. The site's critical consensus is, "Homeland delivers introspective comfort food with a satisfyingly strong leading female character and storylines that continue to surprise."^[27]

Accolades

For the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received three nominations–Mandy Patinkin for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Lesli Linka Glatter for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for "America First", and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series for "America First". This is the first season in which Claire Danes has not been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.^[28]