Kent Smith/SHOWTIMESNL made it hard to look at parts of Homeland in the same way, but this episode was so good, we slowly got past Anne Hathaway's interpretation.
Tonight solidified the fact that Carrie (Claire Danes) and Brody (Damian Lewis) need to be together, as do Mike (Diego Klattenhoff) and Jessica (Morena Baccarin). Considering one of these couples had a steamy sex scene this episode, there is no time to waste.
Let's recap "I'll Fly Away" right now.
The Bickersons: Jessica and Brody are at odds over how he handled the Dana situation. After a blow-up fight, Brody has to meet to meet Roya Hammad (Zuleikha Robinson) and he's certainly looked better. All the pressure of being a double agent clearly is weighing on him because when he finds her he tells Roya he's done. After essentially quitting he takes off and Carrie goes after him.
Hit and No Fun: Anyone else not entirely into this storyline still? That's why we'll keep it brief. Dana (Morgan Saylor) is hiding out at Mike's house and is still feeling really guilty. She goes to see the daughter of the woman she killed and—so surprise here—isn't exactly welcomed with open arms. The daughter tells Dana to leave her alone and not tell anyone what happened, or else she won't keep the money she was given to keep her mouth shut.
(Sex) Noise Heard Round the CIA: Carrie takes Brody to a motel in hopes of convincing him to go back to Roya. After some emotional chitchat (including what Carrie imagined their future to be) the mood is just right for Carrie and Brody to go at it. The motel Carrie picked was a safe house so it served as a subliminal message to Saul (Mandy Patinkin) that she was trying to get Brody back on track. But it was almost too easy because Saul and Peter (Rupert Friend) set up audio devices and surveillance so their entire team heard Carrie and Brody having sex. This obviously raises concerns with everyone that Carrie is getting too emotionally (and physically) involved again.
Liftoff: Carrie's persuasion clearly works because the next morning Brody calls to make amends with Roya. They meet up and she leads him to an abandoned meadow. Roya says they are about to find out if Brody really meant his apology. They pull over and Mystery Man walks up (out of nowhere). Carrie is following in a van and starts to freak out. They lose audio—and visual since it's so dark—so she wants to go on foot. Peter tells her to stand down because her judgment is clouded due to her "personal attachment to a terrorist you were boning last night." Carrie of course gets out just as a helicopter lands which Brody is thrown into. The episode ends with Brody being taken to an abandoned warehouse where he comes face to face with Abu Nazir (Navid Negahban).