Separation Anxiety (Homeland)
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"Separation Anxiety" is the fifth-season premiere 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 49th 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 October 4, 2015.


Plot

Approximately 28 months after the events of the end of Season 4,
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 ...
), has left the CIA and is working as the head of security for the philanthropic Düring Foundation in Berlin. Carrie is informed by boss Otto Düring (
Sebastian Koch Sebastian Koch (born 31 May 1962) is a German television and film actor. He is known for roles in the 2007 Academy Award-winning film ''The Lives of Others'', in Steven Spielberg's '' Bridge of Spies'', and as Otto Düring in the fifth season of ...
) that he intends to travel to a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon in order to secure relief funds from several benefactors. He gives Carrie three days to prepare Düring and herself for this extremely dangerous trip. Carrie first consults with CIA Berlin station chief 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 ...
), requesting intelligence on the current situation in Lebanon, and is taken aback when Allison offers nothing unless Carrie reciprocates with inside information on the Düring Foundation's dealings. Carrie leaves and has a tense run-in with 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 ...
), who sharply criticizes her for leaving the CIA and working for "the other side". Two hackers in Berlin vandalize an
Islamic State An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
recruitment web site. A CIA technician in Berlin, monitoring traffic to this web site, witnesses the breach and probes the hackers' computer in an attempt to identify it. The hackers take this opportunity and counterattack, gaining access to the CIA network and obtaining many classified documents. One of the documents is leaked to Laura Sutton (
Sarah Sokolovic Sarah Sokolovic (born 1980) is an American film, television, and theatre actress, who starred in ''Homeland'' as Laura Sutton and has a recurring role on '' Big Little Lies''. She has performed in several plays including ''The Shaggs: Philoso ...
), a journalist at the Düring Foundation. The document reveals that German intelligence was subverting their country's
privacy law Privacy law is the body of law that deals with the regulating, storing, and using of personally identifiable information, personal healthcare information, and financial information of individuals, which can be Personally identifiable information ...
s by hiring the CIA to perform surveillance in Germany and report back information on jihadists who are living there. When German officials learn from Saul and Allison that the CIA computer network was breached, they immediately call an end to the surveillance program. Saul opts to continue the program independent of the Germans, enlisting 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 ...
) to assassinate confirmed targets, though without any agency support. Quinn readily agrees. Carrie manages to arrange a meeting with
Hezbollah Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...
commander Al-Amin where she requests safe passage to the Syrian refugee camp which is under their control. She is seemingly rebuffed when Al-Amin makes note of Carrie's past affiliation with the CIA and ends the conversation. However, Carrie receives a call that night confirming that Otto Düring is now an invited guest of Hezbollah.


Production

The episode was directed by executive producer
Lesli Linka Glatter Lesli Linka Glatter (born July 26, 1953) is an American film and television director. She is best known for her work on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' and the Showtime series ''Homeland'', for which she's received eight Primetime Emmy Award nomi ...
and co-written by executive producer
Chip Johannessen George Frederick "Chip" Johannessen (born November 16, 1955) is an American writer, editor, and producer of several popular television series. He is credited with work on ''24 (TV series), 24'', ''Homeland (TV series), Homeland'', ''Dexter (TV ser ...
and co-executive producer
Ted Mann Ted Mann (April 16, 1916 – January 15, 2001) was an American businessman involved in the film industry and head of Mann Theatres. In 1973, he purchased the National General Theatre chain and changed the name of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, whi ...
, who joined the writing staff this season.


Reception


Reviews

With 14 positive reviews out of 15, the episode received a rating of 93% with an average score of 8.2 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'' sets the table for a thrilling fifth season mired in real-world strife with 'Separation Anxiety', an episode showcasing both Carrie's strengths and flaws." Price Peterson 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 4 out of 5 stars, writing that the episode did well to establish Carrie Mathison's new life, adding that "Claire Danes's performance remains a TV marvel".
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
's Ben Travers gave the episode a B+ grade, saying that "writers Chip Johannessen and Ted Mann along with director Lesli Linka Glatter do a superb job of foreshadowing the fateful events to come and illustrating where Carrie's at both professionally and emotionally".


Ratings

The original broadcast was watched by 1.66 million viewers, a slight increase over the fourth-season premiere. Its cumulative viewership across multiple Sunday airings was 2.1 million.


References


External links


"Separation Anxiety"
at Showtime * {{Homeland 2015 American television episodes Homeland (season 5) episodes Television episodes directed by Lesli Linka Glatter