‘Homeland’ season 3, episode 11 review: Did Brody complete the mission, and kill Akbari?

Over the past few years, “Homeland” season 3 has established itself a narrative that really frames itself around one question: Just what sort of man is Nicholas Brody? No matter how you look at it, the only way that we can really look at it right now is simple: He is a killer and tonight, he killed Akbari. The only real difference is who he receives his orders from.

Throughout the final seconds, we had nothing but sympathy, strangely, for a man who is in many ways terrible, mostly because it felt like he was living still in the Tower of David. There was no escape for him. The only difference now is that instead of being stuck in a tower, he is still forced to kill. He is forced to do the job few others will, and it is all because of his reputation as being a master of a killing, or a pawn in someone else’s master plan. This whole notion is incredibly depressing, but it is what Brody wrestles with.

All he seemingly wants to do now is have someone remember him as a hero, which is probably why he went about killing Akbari … even if there is no real future in it. Even if he does go back to America and his name is cleared in the Langley bombing, is he really going to be able to ever live there? What about work? You can’t shake that reputation, and this was a killing he did seemingly for Carrie’s sake just as much as his own. He didn’t want to be a failure, and he wanted to prove to her that he could redeem himself in her eyes.

While Saul was on the other end having a grade-A panic attack, this was not a story about him at all. This was more of a story all about how a man struggled to do the right thing, and still is … mostly because this right thing is the wrong thing at the same time.

The episode tonight ended with Brody asking Carrie for help with an extraction plan, and that is going to be near impossible given Akbari’s men. While she has some assets in Tehran, they are no way powerful enough for him to be free and clear of what he has just done. Brody may have cemented his legacy in Carrie’s eyes in these powerful few minutes (Akbari’s hands falling down as he was being strangled was brutal to watch); but at the same time, he may have sealed his fate. Grade: A-.

Do you feel like Brody did the right thing on tonight’s “Homeland” episode, and is there any hope for him now moving forward? We welcome all of your thoughts below. Also, take a look at the preview for next week’s new episode.

Photo: Showtime