Top 10 Most Shocking Homeland Moments

#10: Carrie’s Hallucination

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In Season Four, Carrie attempts to cope with Brody’s death by plunging herself into work. Although Carrie manages to distract herself for a while, she’s eventually forced to confront her inner demons. After Dennis tampers with her medication, she becomes more paranoid than ever. Neither Carrie nor the audience is sure what to believe. This unpredictable sequence works up to an enormously surprising moment as Carrie comes face-to-face with a ghost from her past. Seeing the man she loved, Carrie is overwhelmed with doubt, fear, and relief. For a brief second, it appears Brody is still alive. As reality sinks in, though, it’s revealed that Carrie was really talking to Aasar and Brody was nothing more than another hallucination.

#9: Carrie Attempts Suicide

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When Carrie proves herself on a mission in Beirut, it looks like the CIA may give her a second chance. Her hopes of getting reinstated are immediately dashed however. Returning home, she puts on some makeup and a cocktail dress. It appears Carrie is going to seek out a one-night stand, although she ultimately turns to pills and wine instead. Having consumed this deadly combination, Carrie lies in bed and waits for the end. Thankfully, she quickly comes to her senses and vomits the pills up. This is one of the quietest moments on our list, but also one of the most alarming and heartbreaking. It reveals how lost Carrie feels without the CIA, giving her nowhere else to go.

Nicholas Brody was initially supposed to die at the end of Season One. When the showrunners decided to keep the character around, it seemed he was in it for the long haul. This made it all the more shocking when the character actually got killed off in Season Three. After the Iranian military captures Brody, he’s swiftly given the death sentence. At a public hanging, a cluster of vengeful spectators demand Brody’s blood. Amongst the madding crowd, Carrie calls out Brody’s name from behind a fence. Distraught and powerless, she’s given no choice but to watch the father of her unborn child die a slow death. As Brody takes his dying breath, the audience is at a loss for words.

#7: Carrie Saves Saul

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On multiple occasions, Saul has acted as a voice of reason for the unstable Carrie. The tables are turned in this gripping scene, as Carrie must talk her mentor off the ledge. When ISI captures Saul, the CIA agrees to exchange several prisoners for his freedom. Reluctant to go through with the trade, Saul stubbornly sits down in the middle of the confrontation. Knowing that Saul could be blown up at any moment, Carrie bravely steps in to negotiate. Seeing the love, panic, and desperation in her eyes, it occurs to Saul that Carrie can’t go on without him. Given a reason to keep living, Saul lets his defenses down and follows Carrie, reminding the audience of their genuine friendship.

At Vice President Walden's memorial service, Carrie tells Brody that she wants to start over with him. As Season Two winds down, it looks like things just might work out for the unlikely couple. This moment of happiness is fleeting, as Brody notices that his car has been moved. It doesn’t take long for Carrie and Brody to comprehend what this means. Before they can act, though, the vehicle explodes and kills over 200 people. It turns out that Abu Nazir sacrificed himself so this devastating act of terrorism could be carried out. Carrie is quick to believe Brody’s innocence, but the government won’t be so easily convinced. With an uncertain future ahead, our lovers are forced to part ways.

Throughout much of Season One, “Homeland” ingeniously keeps the audience guessing. Is Brody really a marine turned terrorist or is Carrie simply a paranoid mad woman? This intense scene only added to our suspicions. Sometime after sleeping with Carrie, Brody is given a polygraph test. Brody passes with flying colors, seemingly proving that he had nothing to do with Afsal Hamid’s suicide. The crafty Carrie throws a curveball, however, telling the interviewer to ask Brody if he’s been cheating on his wife. Realizing that Carrie is watching him, Brody sternly replies, “no.” While the polygraph backs up his answer, Carrie knows that he’s lying but is of course, unable to tell her collegues HOW she knows.

#4: Abu Nazir’s Death

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Seasons One and Two largely revolve around the hunt for Abu Nazir. This story ark reaches its climax as Carrie finally tracks down her prime target. Along with a SWAT team member, Carrie locates a secret room in a mill. Realizing that Nazir can’t be far, Carrie prepares to call for reinforcements. Before she gets a chance, though, the terrorist emerges from the shadows. A thrilling chase follows as Nazir nearly finishes Carrie. Fortunately, the rest of the SWAT team arrives just in time to take him out. Hauntingly shot, exquisitely paced, and overflowing with dread, this sequence offered a satisfying end for our main antagonist. Of course even in death, Nazir still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

“Homeland” has a knack for making its audience feel insecure about national security. This moment particularly got under our skin, as the CIA’s worst nightmare came into fruition. Shortly after Carrie and Saul are almost killed in an explosion, Dennis confesses that he told an ISI agent about a secret tunnel into the embassy. It’s only a matter of time until Haissam Haqqani infiltrates the embassy with armed soldiers. From there, all hell breaks loose as people are taken hostage and several innocent souls are murdered, including Fara. The platoon nearly apprehends a package containing classified information, but Quinn shows up before they can do further damage. Unsettling and tragic, this scene truly brought out the terror in terrorism.

In what might be the most well written episode of the entire series, Brody is brought in for betraying his country. Although the CIA seemingly has him backed into a corner, Brody can’t be broken so easily. What ensues is a tense Q&A session, as Quinn slowly unravels the enigma that is Nicholas Brody. When Brody doesn’t supply the answers he’s looking for, Quinn resorts to stabbing him in the hand. Carrie then enters to play good cop and eventually gets through to the undercover terrorist. Unable to keep up his ruse any longer, he confesses everything and reveals Abu Nazir’s plan. Audiences had been eagerly awaiting this pivotal moment and the show runners fully delivered. Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: Is Brody Innocent? Quinn in Gas Chamber Is Quinn Dead?

After a season of playing the guessing game, Brody’s true intensions become clear. Wearing an explosive vest underneath his Marine uniform, he plans to blow up Vice President Walden and several other officials in a bunker. Carrie was right all along, but nobody believes her as per usual. With nowhere else to turn, our heroine confronts Brody’s teenage daughter, Dana. While she doesn’t trust Carrie, Dana is motivated to call her father and makes him promise to come home. Seeing that his family is more important than his cause, Brody agrees. This moment had us all on pins and needles until the very last second. All the while, actor Damian Lewis delivers arguably the most powerful performance of his career. Do you agree with our list? What do you think is the most shocking “Homeland” moment? For more entertaining Top 10s published everyday, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.