The Vest
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"The Vest" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the psychological thriller TV series '' Homeland''. It originally aired 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 December 11, 2011. Brody takes his family on a trip to Gettysburg. The aftermath of the explosion finds
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 ...
experiencing a manic episode.


Plot

Saul ( Mandy Patinkin) goes to the hospital to pick up
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), who has been there for a week recuperating from her injuries. To his shock, he finds Carrie acting like a totally different person, talking a mile a minute, and ranting and raving about needing a green pen and theories about Abu Nazir. Saul and 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 ...
) take Carrie home. Maggie explains to Saul that Carrie has bipolar disorder, that the trauma from the explosion triggered a major manic episode in her, and that she will need to be supervised around the clock while her medication takes effect. Saul agrees to start staying overnight at Carrie's house. Meanwhile, Estes ( David Harewood) meets with Vice President Walden ( Jamey Sheridan) who is being kept in a safehouse after the bombing at Farragut Square. Walden is going to announce his candidacy for President soon and is frustrated that he is under protection and not out campaigning. He tells Estes he must track down Tom Walker and to "fire somebody...I don't care who." Brody takes his family on a trip to Gettysburg, proposing it as a way to spend time together before he embarks on his campaign for Congress. Brody shows the family where the Battle of Gettysburg took place, and tells them stories of Civil War heroes. Later on, they go to a
diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a com ...
for lunch, and Brody excuses himself to get something at the drugstore. Brody instead heads to the back of a clothing store. Waiting there is a man who has tailored an explosive suicide vest for Brody. Brody tries on the vest while coldly asking whether the explosion will sever his head cleanly off his body. Saul spends the night going through the sea of papers that Carrie had been working on all day. He groups everything by the color that Carrie assigned it and puts it all up on a wall, effectively producing a timeline of Abu Nazir's activity. Carrie and Saul analyze the timeline the next morning and focus on a period of inactivity from Abu Nazir which, unbeknownst to them, coincides with the death of Issa. The Brody family returns home. Dana (
Morgan Saylor Morgan Frances Saylor (born October 26, 1994) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Dana Brody in the Showtime series ''Homeland'', 2019's ''Blow the Man Down'' and for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Leah in the 2016 Su ...
) finds the package that contains the vest. Brody does not let her open it, claiming it is a gift for Jessica (
Morena Baccarin Morena Silva de Vaz Setta Baccarin (; born 2 June 1979) is a Brazilian actress known for portraying Inara Serra in the sci-fi series '' Firefly'' and its follow-up film '' Serenity'', Vanessa in the superhero comedy franchise ''Deadpool'', Jessi ...
). Dana shows her boyfriend some unsettling footage that she recorded of her father on her camera: a long period where he stood blankly in front of the battlefield, completely still. Despite her father's ( James Rebhorn) protests, Carrie calls Brody. She describes the period that Abu Nazir went silent, and asks Brody whether he has any insights into it, since he was there and had a personal connection with Nazir. Brody offers to come over and discuss it. Shortly after, Carrie answers her door, anticipating Brody's arrival, but she finds Estes at the door instead. Estes reveals that Brody talked to him, confessing to an affair with Carrie and claiming that Carrie was spying on him and continually harassing him. He finds Carrie to be acting bizarrely and discovers the "timeline" which is made up of highly classified materials that should not be in her home. Estes, already looking for a
scapegoat In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designate ...
, needs no more convincing—he fires Carrie.


Production

Consulting producer
Meredith Stiehm Meredith Stiehm (born 1968) is an American television producer and writer. She is the creator of the hit crime drama '' Cold Case'' and the FX thriller drama '' The Bridge''. She is President of the Writers Guild of America. Early life and ed ...
and co-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 ...
co-wrote the episode, it was Stiehm's second writing credit for the series and Johannessen's third credit. It was directed by
Clark Johnson Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954), is an American-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both television and film. He is best known for his roles as David Jefferson in ''Night Heat'' (1985–1988), Clark Roberts in ''E.N.G.'' (1989â ...
, his second directing credit for the series. Carrie Mathison's behavior during her manic episode was based in part on the personal experiences of writer Meredith Stiehm's sister, Jamie Stiehm, who is bipolar.


Reception


Ratings

The original broadcast had 1.32 million viewers, an increase of 100,000 over the previous week.


Reviews

Critics were unanimous in their acclaim for the episode and for Claire Danes' performance.
Andy Greenwald Andy Greenwald (born May 19, 1977) is an American author, critic, podcaster, screenwriter, and television producer. Life and career Greenwald grew up in Philadelphia and currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Friends' C ...
of
Grantland.com ''Grantland'' was a sports and pop-culture blog owned and operated by ESPN. The blog was started in 2011 by veteran writer and sports journalist Bill Simmons, who remained as editor-in-chief until May 2015. ''Grantland'' was named after famed e ...
called it "an intoxicatingly intense hour" and said of two of the principals "Claire Danes will and should receive accolades for her performance here" and "Mandy Patinkin is a marvel as her partner, a study in stillness as he tries to manage an unmanageable situation."
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
's Scott Collura gave "The Vest" a 9/10 score, declaring it to be "an excellent study of our two main characters" and that Danes would surely be winning awards for her performance. Emily VanDerWerff of '' The A.V. Club'' gave the episode an "A−" grade, and had high praise for both Danes' multi-faceted portrayal of Carrie's mania, and Damian Lewis' ability to play two almost irreconcilable halves of one character.


Accolades

Claire Danes won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in this submitted episode at the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards.


References


External links


"The Vest"
at Showtime * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vest, The 2011 American television episodes Homeland season 1 episodes Television episodes directed by Clark Johnson