Homeland · Season 1 · Episode 12 · 18 December 2011
S1E12 Marine One
THE MOMENT The basement scene - the show's central dramatic question resolved in the most devastating way possible, with full awareness of what it costs all parties.
The Season 1 finale delivers on every thread the show has been running. The decision made in a bunker, the surveillance footage, and Carrie's breakdown are handled with a formal control that the show earned across its twelve-episode run. Critics treated it as one of the best season finales in American television that year.
Full episode analysis below. Spoiler-light verdict above.
Updated
Homeland Season 1 finale 'Marine One' aired December 18, 2011 on Showtime and delivered on every thread the series had been running across twelve episodes. The episode earned its place in the show's perfect 100-percent Tomatometer by handling the central dramatic question - the decision made in a bunker, the surveillance footage, Carrie's breakdown - with a formal control that the preceding episodes had built the architecture to support. Critics treated it as one of the best season finales in American television that year. The Emmy wins that followed (Outstanding Drama Series, Lead Actress for Claire Danes) reflect that consensus. The basement scene - where the season's central question resolves in the most devastating possible way, with full awareness of what it costs all parties - operates at the frequency that made Season 1 the high-water mark all subsequent seasons were measured against.