5 Questions for Season 5 of 'Homeland'

Hmm. I'm super late to the party, but I actually just watched the head-scratching, oddly quiet season finale of Homeland. I've been hearing about it for weeks now — how strangely it juxtaposed with the rest of the action-packed season, how the big twist of the night was the fact that there was no big twist. The whole time, I've been figuring people were exaggerating, but now that I've actually seen it? I think I'd have to agree. Don't get me wrong; I actually liked it a lot — the slowness of the episode felt earned, and the whole funeral sequence was just beautiful. I mean, when they were all toasting whiskey in paper cups? Glorious acting all around. The only problem? Boy did it leave everything open ended. When Homeland Season 5 premieres, it's going to have to a lot of questions to answer.

The combination of less spy drama than usual, plus a romantic ultimatum, the reappearance of an estranged mother, and a brand new teenage half-brother, all conspired together to make this the most vague season finale to date. Will Carrie stay stateside and deal with her family drama and daughter? Will she go to Iraq, in search of Quinn? Lord only knows — here are the biggest questions Season 5 is going to have to answer for us.

What's the Deal with Carrie/Quinn?

I'm glad they finally (finally!) kissed, but can you believe how they left things? Now, we all know Homeland loves nothing more than some good ol' fashioned star-crossed lovers, but sending Quinn to Iraq indefinitely without an extraction plan? Come on now, that's just cruel (and I swear, if Season 5 opens with that black ops newbie handing Carrie that letter from Quinn, blood will be shed).

That said, what did you think of their (kind of) getting together? I felt mixed — on the one hand, I was delighted, but on the other? It didn't feel quite... earned yet. On his side, sure, but on hers? The whole Carrie-just-didn't-want-to-admit-her-feelings-to-herself-because-of-her-bipolar-disorder felt kind of like a cop-out. Instead of giving her actual time to come to terms with her feelings, the whole thing seemed a little slapdash.

And What's the Deal with Dar Adal?

So he wasn't undercover or a traitor, but I still don't trust him — and Carrie sure doesn't either. Jury's still out on Saul. Who knows what his game is; he's got a lot at stake and a lot to lose — and if/when Saul ends up as Director of the CIA, Dar's going to have a lot of power over him, which kind of makes me nervous. Dar was benched for a good portion of this season, but I have a big feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of him in Season 5. Speaking of which...

Will Carrie & Saul Patch Things Up?

Things were not looking good for the pair of them at the end of the episode — this could be a real stumbling block in their relationship. Then again, on Homeland, you never know. Remember back in Season 3, where they convinced us for half of the season that Saul was having Carrie locked up in asylum, when actually they were in on something together the whole time? Maybe in Season 5 we'll see them take on Dar Adal together.

How Will Carrie's Mom Factor In?

I don't think you drop a bomb like that without intending to stick around for the detonation — meaning, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of Victoria Clarke in Season 5. But how? Will Carrie be commuting back and forth to Missouri? Will she even be in the right country? The finale made it feel like Carrie's family was going to be coming into her life in a major way, but it's hard to reconcile the idea of the show moving back stateside after knocking it so totally out of the park overseas.

Will Lockhart Be Coming Back?

His character may be getting the axe, but I sure hope Tracy Letts won't be (I about died when he showed up at Carrie's sister's house with a lasagna in hand). The finale announced that he resigned his post, but will they find a way to keep Letts on the show? Let's hope so, because Homeland just won't be the same without Senator Andrew "F-bomb" Lockhart.

It's going to be a long wait until Homeland Season 5 hits the screen, likely sometime next fall, but if it's anywhere near as good as Season 4, it'll be well worth the wait!

Images: David Bloomer/Showtime (3); emilyyprentiss, hellyeahomeland/Tumblr