All About Allison
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"All About Allison" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series '' Homeland'', and the 56th 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 November 22, 2015.


Plot


2005 flashback

In flashbacks,
Carrie Mathison Carrie Anne Mathison, played by actress Claire Danes, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television drama/thriller series ''Homeland'' on Showtime, created by Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon. Carrie is a CIA officer who, wh ...
(
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 ...
) arrives in Baghdad for the first time. She is there to replace Allison Carr (
Miranda Otto Miranda Otto (born 16 December 1967) is an Australian actress. She is the daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto and the paternal half-sister of actress Gracie Otto. Otto began her acting career in 1986 at age 18 and appeared in a variety of ...
), a case officer who is frustrated with the futility of the situation in Iraq and has decided to take leave. Allison introduces Carrie to one of their most valuable assets, Iraqi attorney Ahmed Nazari ( Darwin Shaw), though Ahmed voices his refusal to work with anyone other than Allison. Allison and Ahmed meet privately, where Ahmed indicates romantic feelings for Allison and reveals he's systematically stolen $8 million from the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...
. When Allison agrees to run away with him, Russian intelligence agent Krupin ( Mark Ivanir) enters the room. Krupin points out that everything in the room has been recorded and hints that Allison could face federal prison. If Allison agrees to become a double agent for the SVR instead, he offers her half of the money along with mutual information exchange that will help her climb the ranks of the CIA.


Present-day

Saul (
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 ...
) is detained while
Mossad Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...
negotiates with the CIA to arrange his return. When Etai ( Allan Corduner) gets word that a deal has been reached, he helps Saul escape the premises. During a stop for supplies, Quinn (
Rupert Friend Rupert William Anthony Friend (born 9 October 1981) is an English actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in '' The Libertine'' (2004) and '' Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont'' (2005), both of which won him awards for best newcomer. He port ...
) gets suspicious of the jihadist group he's escorting to Syria. When he goes to investigate what is being loaded onto their truck, one of the men knocks him out. Bibi (René Ifrah) remarks to a confused compatriot that they are going back to Berlin, as was always the true plan. Quinn wakes up later, finding himself tied up in the back of the now moving truck, where he can see a supply of chemical weapons. Carrie arranges a public meeting with Allison where she pleads with Allison to review the case files regarding Ahmed Nazari. A sniper is positioned to shoot Carrie on Allison's signal, but she opts against it. When Numan (Atheer Adel) successfully hacks into Ahmed's laptop, Carrie takes note of a photo of Ahmed at a beachside bar. Carrie recalls a conversation in Baghdad where Allison mentioned a bar in St. Lucia. After a web search confirms it to be the same bar, a shocked Carrie says "Oh my God... Allison."


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 written by co-executive producer
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 a rating of 82% with an average score of 7.8 out of 10 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 ...
, with the site's consensus stating "''Homeland'' finally provides a compelling backstory for Allison's character, though too few narrative pieces snap into place in 'All About Allison'".
Judith Warner Judith Warner (born July 4, 1965) is an American writer. Warner is a senior fellow at American Progress, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine and a columnist for Time.com as well as the author of a range of nonfiction books, amon ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' commended the way in which Carrie and Allison's perspectives were integrated in the flashback scenes, while also opining that Carrie's discovery of Allison's secret was "a bit too much of a shortcut".
TV.com TV.com was a website owned by Red Ventures that covered television series and episodes with a focus on English-language shows made or broadcast in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Origin ...
's Cory Barker said of Allison's backstory: "this reveal did what all great flashback reveals do: made the audience reconsider some of the assumptions they had about a presumably villainous or treacherous character". Cynthia Littleton of '' Variety'' praised the episode's cinematography, and also described Miranda Otto's performance as "fantastic in the episode, letting her cool exterior melt just enough for us to get a glimpse inside".


Ratings

The original broadcast was watched by 1.47 million viewers, an increase in viewership from the previous week of 1.35 million viewers.


References


External links


"All About Allison"
at Showtime * {{Homeland 2015 American television episodes Homeland season 5 episodes Fiction set in 2005 Television episodes directed by Dan Attias