"Clarity" is the tenth episode of the seventh season of the American television drama series ''

Homeland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

'', and the 82nd episode overall. It premiered on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

on April 15, 2018.

Plot

With Dante's death confirmed, the chain of evidence to vindicate President Keane falls apart. To salvage the situation, Saul's (

Mandy Patinkin Mandel Bruce Patinkin (; born November 30, 1952) is an American actor and singer, known for his work in musical theatre, television and film. He is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received three Tony Award nominations, winning ...

) plan is to exfiltrate Simone Martin from Russia. He makes a plea to

Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...

(

Claire Danes Claire Catherine Danes (born April 12, 1979) is an American actress. She is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. In 2012, ''Time'' named her one of the 100 most influentia ...

), asking her to lead a team of operatives to carry out the mission. Carrie declines, as she faces a custody hearing and needs to put that type of work behind her. Her lawyer, Rhonda (

Adrienne C. Moore Adrienne C. Moore is an American actress. She is known for her role as Cindy "Black Cindy" Hayes in the Netflix comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019). Life and career Moore was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in ...

), urges her to consider a temporary custody arrangement that allows her to visit Franny every third weekend in order to avoid the hearing, but Carrie refuses. Carrie gets a visit from Anson (

James D'Arcy James D'Arcy (born Simon Richard D'Arcy; 24 August 1975) is an English actor and film director. He is known for his portrayals of Howard Stark's butler, Edwin Jarvis, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series '' Agent Carter'' and the ...

). They discuss the upcoming hearing and how to weaken Maggie's case. Carrie notes that Maggie used to illegally treat Carrie's bipolar disorder by supplying medication and administering blood tests. Anson breaks into Maggie's office, procures the corresponding medical records, and delivers them to Carrie. President Keane (

Elizabeth Marvel Elizabeth Marvel (born November 27, 1969) is an American actress. Her most prominent roles include Det. Nancy Parras on ''The District'', Solicitor General of the United States, Solicitor General Heather Dunbar on ''House of Cards (American TV se ...

) faces an uprising from her Cabinet, who are pushing to collect enough votes to invoke the

25th Amendment The Twenty-fifth Amendment (Amendment XXV) to the United States Constitution deals with presidential succession and disability. It clarifies that the vice president becomes president if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office, a ...

and remove her from office. Only Vice President Warner's (

Beau Bridges Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) is an American actor and director. He is a three-time Emmy, two-time Golden Globe and one-time Grammy Award winner, as well as a two-time Screen Actors Guild Award nominee. Bridges was a ...

) signature is needed to complete the process. Senator Paley (

Dylan Baker Dylan Baker (born October 7, 1959) is an American actor. He gained recognition for his roles in the films such as ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), ''Happiness'' (1998), '' Thirteen Days'' (2000), ''Road to Perdition'' (2002), ''Spider-M ...

) meets with Warner to make his case against Keane. Keane learns of the meeting and fears the worst when she is unable to contact Warner afterwards. She goes on the offensive, firing four of the Cabinet members she suspects betrayed her so they cannot vote against her. Wellington (

Linus Roache Linus William Roache (born 1 February 1964) is a British actor. He is known for playing Executive ADA Michael Cutter in the NBC dramas ''Law & Order'' (2008–2010) and '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2011–2012). More recently, Roach ...

) unsuccessfully tries to dissuade her, telling her it would be political suicide, and exactly the type of crisis the Russians were trying to engender. After news of the firing goes public, Warner informs her that, after giving it thought, he never signed the document already signed by the majority of the cabinet members. He insists that she reverse course and not go through with dismissing her Cabinet members. Keane refuses, stating that because of his actions, she does not trust him and suspects he plans to sign the document anyway as he is "one signature away from the presidency." Warner said her actions are

tyrannical A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to rep ...

and likely unconstitutional, and that she left him no choice but to deliver the document declaring her unfit to the President ''pro tempore'' of the Senate. He later petitions to the Supreme Court to declare her pre-emptive firing of the Cabinet members illegal. At the custody hearing, numerous witnesses testify against Carrie's competency as a mother. Maggie (

Amy Hargreaves Amy Hargreaves (born January 27, 1970) is an American actress who has worked in film, television, video games and theater. She had a recurring role on ''Homeland'' as Maggie Mathison. In 1994, she starred in ''Brainscan'' with Edward Furlong. I ...

) takes the stand and then addresses Carrie directly; she argues that Carrie was born to do extraordinary things but is incapable of giving Franny the stable environment she needs. Maggie states that she does not believe Carrie's promise to give up her job. During a recess, Carrie agrees to give up the custody fight and accepts the visitation agreement, negotiating to see Franny every other weekend, opting not to discredit Maggie with the medical records. At Dante's funeral, Carrie asks Saul if she can still head up the operation in Russia. He answers in the affirmative, and the episode ends with Carrie and Saul en route.

Production

The episode was directed by

Dan Attias Daniel Attias (born December 4, 1951) is an American television director and producer. He is also director of his only feature film ''Silver Bullet'' from 1985, based on the novella by Stephen King. Attias' career has spanned four decades, dur ...

and co-written by executive producers

Howard Gordon Howard Gordon (born March 31, 1961) is an American television writer and producer. He is well known for his work on the Fox action series '' 24'' alongside the Showtime thriller ''Homeland'', which he co-developed with Alex Gansa and Gideon ...

and

Ron Nyswaner Ronald L. Nyswaner (born October 5, 1956) is an American screenwriter and film director. He has been nominated for numerous awards including an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He is known for his screenplays '' Smitheree ...

Reception

Reviews

The episode received an approval rating of 89% on the review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

based on 9 reviews. Shirley Li of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' rated the episode a "B+", writing "The strength of this hour.. came from Carrie’s story". Brian Tallerico of ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...

'' rated the episode 3 out of 5 stars, describing Carrie's closing scene with Maggie and Franny as "tender and emotional", but also criticized the episode for requiring too much suspension of disbelief.

Ratings

The original broadcast was watched by 1.28 million viewers.

References

External links

"Clarity"
at

* {{Homeland 2018 American television episodes Homeland (season 7) episodes Television episodes directed by Dan Attias