Image via Showtime.

For those of us who tune in week in and week out for maximum Saul time—easily the show’s best character—last night’s episode, “Gerontion,” was very good to us. After the brutal events of last week’s “Still Positive”—wherein Saul, Carrie, Quinn, and their tight-lipped, secretive operation captured Javadi, but at the cost of his ex-wife and daughter-in-law—the chess pieces are finally in play. Saul blackmails Javadi into working for the CIA as a secret asset in Tehran, puts Lockhart in his place, and confesses to his wife how much he loves and misses her. Like I said, lots of badass Saul moments.

While “Gerontion,” was another strong episode in a string of really strong episode, it also was a prime indicator of what often brings the show down: Too many subplots. Last night’s Saul/CIA-heavy episode was great in continuing the whole Javadi plot of this season, and all of the story lines surrounding it—Senator Lockhart’s impending tenure as CIA director, the tension between Saul and F. Murray Abraham Dar Adal, Carrie’s mental well-being, Quinn’s moral hangups with the CIA. But that means a lot of the show’s more tepid, annoying story lines—particularly that with the Brody family and last week’s new bizarre, dumb subplot that Carrie is pregnant (granted, we got a brief reminder of that last night)—was sidelined. Meaning that we’ll probably have to slough through a Brody-family centric episode in the coming weeks.

But let’s not start lambasting Homeland prematurely. Let’s soak in this string of really good episodes while we can. Save the complaining for later. To last night’s episode!

Smile! You’re On Camera, Quinn!

Last week, after Javadi brutally murdered his ex-wife and daughter-in-law, Saul wanted Carrie and Quinn to make sure they got him out of their and left no trace. They did a pretty good job of that, except that Quinn was caught by a neighbor’s security camera. Oops. As a result, Quinn get thrown into quite an uncomfortable position: He’s the prime suspect for a crime he didn’t commit, but can’t shed any light on it. The situation clearly eats him up during the entire episode and, at the end, he confesses to Carrie that he doesn’t know how much longer he can live this life.

Quinn has easily become one of the most interesting characters on this show. I’m really digging the moral dilemma he’s been facing this season, and I’m particularly interested to see how his character’s story unfolds in the rest of the episodes. However, I’m fearful as to what this could mean for Quinn’s role in the coming seasons. If his character decides to give up his espionage lifestyle, does that also mean his absence from the show altogether? Hopefully not.

Image via Showtime.

Javadi, Double Agent

Saul bagged his guy, and now that Javadi is right where he wants him, Saul has initiated his highly meticulous and risky plan: Send Javadi back to Iran as a double agent. Of course, this controversial plan has its fair share of skeptics. For one, Fara is really not down with this, as Javadi has done “irreparable” damage to Iran, and she believes he deserves to be throw at the mercy of his government (where he’ll be tortured and executed, presumably). And of course, as Senator Lockhart smugly points out to Saul, this is the same kind of espionage games that led to the Langley bombing (with Brody working as a double agent). It’s extremely risky, but at this point, Saul deserves the payoff.

Dar Adal = Team Saul Again

Since Saul has been MIA from his duties as Acting Director of the CIA, working on the Javadi operation, Dar Adal has been covering for him. Last week, Saul missed a crucial meeting with Senator Lockhart, who is taking over as CIA Director in a mere 10 days, and Dar filled in for him, during which it seemed like he pledged allegiance to the United States of Lockhart. Not the case, as it turns out. Once Saul reveals everything he’s been doing to a shocked Lockhart and Dar, Lockhart tries to ground Javadi’s plane so they can publicly grill him, but Dar understands the gravity of Saul’s play and once again rejoins Team Saul.

Image via Showtime.

Brody’s Innocence

The episode ends on a particularly strong note, suggesting that next week’s episode will probably be a Brody-centric one. Javadi reveals to Carrie what she knew all along: That Brody was completely innocent in the Langley bombing. What’s more is that he points her in the right direction for proving his innocence, revealing that his ex-lawyer (you know, the guy who setup their meeting in the first place) knows who is actually responsible for the bombing and that he’s still at large. The episode ends with Carrie asking Quinn for his help, to which he agrees, but still remains morally torn about the work he’s been doing. Looks like the next few weeks are going to be classic Homeland, as Carrie tries to prove Brody’s innocence.

Carrie Mathison Tear-O-Meter Rating Saul Berenson Badass-O-Meter Rating: 7.

Image via Showtime.

Saul was particularly badass this week. He conquered Javadi, tried to make amends with his wife, and put Lockhart in his place by locking him in a conference room so he couldn’t ground Javadi’s plane. This particular exchange was pretty great:

Lockhart: “Open the door.”

Saul: “No.”

Lockhart: “Open the goddamn door!”

Saul: “Make me.”

Also, bonus points because Mandy Patinkin is generally awesome and talented, as pointed out by DCist Editor Sarah Hughes.