Brody sees Roya while running. He wants answers about the tailor shop incident. She’s grief stricken over the one member of her team lost and wants to know why Brody all of a sudden wants answers.

Saul goes to prison to visit Aileen, the woman arrested in season 1 for terrorism.  He reminded her that he said he’d call on her if he needed help.  He shows her a picture of the mysterious man Roya met with and who led the shooting in Gettysburg.  She said she knows him, but won’t say his name. She’s holding out for an above the ground cell with a window.  Saul tells her he’ll be back and leaves the picture with her.

Carrie visits Peter in the hospital.  Galvez is in very bad shape. Bad enough that his parents have been summoned.  C4 is what was in the trunk.  Enough to level an embassy Carrie says.  Peter wants out the hospital, so he gets out of bed and dresses.

Finn and the Brody kids are in a motorcade.  Dana tells Finn that she went to their victim’s funeral.  There was hardly any money in the collection plate and her conscience is not letting her rest.  She’ll go this alone if she must to make it right.  

The Brody’s are in another car.  The subject of Mike comes up and dim bulb Jessica tells Brody what Mike said about Walker’s death.  All Jessica cares about is the truth, no matter who she throws under the bus to get it.  Surprisingly, Brody admits some culpability in Walker’s death as part of some CIA stuff.  He victim shamed Walker to assuage her.  Walker was a lost cause.  

They pull up to a huge mansion and greet the owner.  Rex Henney is an old friend of the Veep and his wife and the host of this political fundraiser.   Brody holds off on going inside so he can call Carrie.  He goes off on her about Mike spilling the Walker talk to Jessica.  Carrie says she’ll take care of Faber.  Brody wants to know why he didn’t know shit was going to blow in Gettysburg and why he’s in the dark.  He angrily hangs up as Estes pulls up in a limo of his own.  Nanny time.  Peter and Carrie discuss what Brody needs to feel a part of this: empowerment.  

Saul appeals to the warden for better conditions for Aileen so he can get answers.  The warden wields his little power and insults Saul.  Saul promises an order from the Attorney General as he walks out.

Carrie meets with Mike Faber.  “Cease and fucking desist. Understood?”  She tells him the CIA knows about him and Jessica and he needs to chill his emotions over the whole situation.  A terrorist event is on the horizon and Brody is essential so shut up talking to Jessica about Brody.  He agrees to stand down.  

At the party, a nosy woman is asking Brody about his experience in captivity.  No self-awareness or filter.  Did he ever want to just kill himself?  Brody decides to swim with his son and removes his shirt.  Nosy leans forward to ogle his scars. He thinks better of it and buttons up.  Good work, gentlemen at the same table, in redirecting this loon.  

Saul returns to Aileen and confirms that the warden is a bastard and he’s going over his head.  Aileen refuses to answer any questions on word alone.  So Saul gives her his word.  He has a way about him and she struggles with her ground.  She apologizes, but she’s been changed and trusts no one. She needs this window and will accept no guarantees unless it’s in writing.

Brody walks with Rex to the horse barn.  He apologizes for the loon and commiserates with Brody over their shared war service.  They poo poo the glorification of being called a hero.  Rex admits to not being a Walden fan.  Calls him ignorant and there’s the fact that he hasn’t seen war.  Rex feels something bad is coming, so he supports the Veep for the long game that leads to Brody as future Veep.  Brody protests and says he is not that man.  Shoulder pat and Rex is off.  

Carrie rings.  She’s in the woods on the property.  She tells him Brody that Faber won’t be a problem.  Brody is emotionally shaken that Rex saw real war and didn’t lose himself.  He feels guilt that Rex sees him as an equal in terms of integrity.  Brody could have been that guy and it’s eating him up.  

Carrie goes for his hand and then they kiss.  The good kind of kissing.  “Is this for real?” Brody asks.  Handling? Keeping me close? Carrie has no answers.  He pulls her in and they seriously make out.  He feels used, but he feels good.  More kissing.  These two have some chemistry.  Two broken plates make a matched set.  How does she pull it off, he wants to know, and walks away.  Carrie looks confused and guilty.  

Back at the party, Dana is ready to tell an adult.  Finn wants to pick his moment.  The mother’s hear them so here it goes.  “We killed someone.” Dana says.  Mrs. Holden leads them inside to continue.  Mrs. Holden dismisses her son for drinking. Jessica sends Dana out.  

Jessica wants to deal with it.  Phone the police and get lawyers.  Mrs. Holden says she’ll take care of it.  They’re on a world stage now and Jessica needs to follow her lead here.  Jessica leaves to talk to Brody.

Saul brings food and wine to Aileen while he waits for the AG to get back with him.  She likes Saul and recalls their road trip after her husband was killed.  She remembered that Saul and Mira had problems and asks how she is doing.  Mira is in Mumbai now.  Saul had moved to Lebanon for awhile, but it was not to be.  He gets the call and Aileen gets her window once the fax comes to the prison.  It magically appears via a guard and she borrows Saul’s reading glasses to check it over.  Mohammed Al Gandi is the man in the picture, she says.  In the states for 1 year.  Last known to be in Newark and gun crazy.  Saul heads for the door and instructs the guards that Aileen stays in the room until he comes back.  

Brody takes a swim.  The pool area is empty.  No one to ogle his scars.  

The Holden’s talk.  Mrs. Holden admits that Dana is the one who pushed the truth to the surface, not their entitled son.  She knows he never planned to tell them because Finn is scared of his dad.  They worry about the mouth named Jessica.  Estes is going to handle it.  Jessica finds Brody to tell him.  
 
In Rex’s parlor, he takes the floor, giving a speech complimenting Brody and verbalizing support for the Veep.  He goes further to inform the men that a Walden-Brody ticket would be awesome.  Afterwards, the father’s discuss their kids ‘problem’.  Holden says to chill because it will be cleaned up.  Going for the highest office in the land will not be derailed by teens who screw up.  Just the guy we need running the country.  

Peter jets off to Newark and the FBI tactical team raids the suspects house.  He calls Saul at the prison.  They have a guy in custody.  A musician.  Same name.  Old friend of Aileen’s.  She fucked them.  But why?  What did she get out of doing this?  Saul gets a look on his face and runs down to the room where he left her.  

Aileen is on the floor in a pool of her own blood.  She used Saul’s reading glasses to slit her wrists.  Saul cradles her as she talks about the sun and the window.  She did this to spend one day with a window and she wasn’t going back to that cave. Then she passes away.

Brody collects Dana to take her to the police.  She’s scared, but he’s comforting her as they walk.  Just like a normal dad.  Estes sees this and rings Carrie.  He thinks Brody’s about to blow this. 

Peter returns and meets up with a deflated Saul in the surveillance room.  Aileen’s picture is removed from the board. Galvez? “He’s still dying.” Peter says.  “You’re a real diplomat.” replies Saul.  

Carrie waits for Brody and Dana outside of the police station.  Dana wants to know why she’s there.  Brody approaches her alone.  She tells him he can’t go inside.  This will alienate Walden and ruin everything.  Dana approaches and demands to now why Carrie is there.  Brody tells her they can’t do the confession right now.  Dana knows that politics is preventing anyone from doing the right thing. That message has been pounded into her at every turn.  Brody is upset and turns to Carrie.  “None of this is fucking OK.”  

This episode, Brody came off less as a terrorist team member and more of a man giving parts of himself to everyone to keep the balls afloat.  He knows what right is and what wrong is and that was his conflict and frustration here.  

He wanted to march his daughter to the police and support her in her confession, politics be damned. I don’t think he entertained the ramifications of doing so on his CIA deal or his relationship with Walden.  

The Brody’s are not ‘that family’.  They are a military family without the pressures of needing their bed covers smooth and un-rumpled like political families. People can get killed by a teen and rolled into the gutter to keep the yellow brick road stretching ahead of them.  

He still lies, but he’s also being led in several different directions.  He doesn’t even trust the chemistry and desire he and Carrie have for each other.  

This is the first episode where I said to myself that is sucks to be Brody. 

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Tags: brody, carrie, cia, claire danes, damian lewis, estes, homeland, marines, terrorist, the clearing