Homeland Season 8 Episode 12 recap revisited: Anna ends her life to evade being captured by Russians

Homeland season 8 episode 12 dropped in April 2020 and introduced a major twist. Saul Berenson comes to the White House and reveals that the president's helicopter did not go down because of an external attack, but because of a mechanical failure. This entirely dismantles the rationale behind waging a war against Pakistan.

However, one of the most devastating moments was the death of Anna at the United Nations, which reflects the consequences of espionage. When she gets trapped in the basement while the GRU closes in, Anna speaks to Saul on the phone and decides to end her life before the Russians can capture her.

Read on to know what happens in season 8 episode 12 of Homeland.

Here is what happened in Homeland season 8, episode 12

As mentioned, the Homeland episode opens with the White House knowing the truth behind the president’s helicopter crash, and it is not a foreign attack but a mechanical failure. This reveals that the entire justification for escalating to war was based on a lie. Moreover, the HEHD does not acknowledge being wrong, reflecting how a pretense has never stopped America from going to war.

Meanwhile, Saul finds out that Carrie has returned from Germany. Carrie returns to his mansion and receives instructions for her mission to kill Saul. Carrie has come to poison him and then signal a GRU kill team in this Homeland's episode.

Carrie decides to visit Maggie's house in her absence. She digs through Maggie's documents and cash. Carrie then rushes to Saul's, and suspicion is building that she will kill her mentor and protector. Saul is seen waiting for her with some classical music on and is already suspicious about her appearance. Carrie wouldn’t abandon Maggie and Franny unless something was very wrong. They argue about intelligence and loyalty. Carrie expresses how if they want to stop the war, they need to trade Russian assets for the flight recorder, while Saul believes in the importance of maintaining a long-term intelligence channel. At this point, Carrie begins to snap.

She rubs the poison onto Saul's neck and flickers the lights, signaling the GRU team outside. Saul is getting weak from the poison, and Carrie begs him to give up the identity of the double agent working in the UN. In return, she can stop the assassination. Saul refuses, to Saul, Anna is irreplaceable. Though Carrie calls off the kill, she leaves Saul alive but powerless, spiraling about what would be Carrie's next move.

This is how season 8 episode 12 of Homeland ends

At the West Bank in Homeland, Carrie arrives at the home of Saul's sister, Dorit, in an occupied settlement and tells her that Saul has died of a stroke. With this, Carrie wants to know Saul's contingency plan that the intelligence has decided only to enter in the case of his death. Dorit, while reflecting upon the brutalities of intelligence work, gave Carrie a USB drive, while Carrie sent Dorit off to the airport for Saul's fake funeral. A few moments later, Yevgeny appears to collect the USB.

Carrie shows Yevgeny a video Saul recorded years earlier, intended for release after his death. In it, a younger Saul says:

“In the end, who we trust in this life is all that matters.”

In New York, the police free Saul from the Russians, and he manages to warn Scott Ryan just in time for him to pull Anna out of the UN. GRU is closing in while Anna and Scott barricade themselves in a basement room within the building. Anna calls Saul from there and makes her choice. She decides she doesn't want to be captured and taken away by the Russians; rather, she would kill herself.

Therefore, by the end of season 8 episode 12 of Homeland, Saul loses the most loyal agent and perhaps the closest friend, while Carrie loses Saul's trust. Carrie and Yevgeny flee, and the episode cuts to 2 years later, Moscow.

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Carrie and Yevgeny live together in a luxurious apartment, playing the part of a couple. Yevgeny brings her a necklace while she applies makeup on her face. The camera then reveals the truth of an office plastered wall-to-wall with documents, articles, and posts.

In Washington, Saul and Dorit pack up his house. Saul goes to the bookstore, and there a package is waiting for him. He wonders after Anna, who might have sent this to him. He then smiles, looking at the package. Carrie has not left working as an intelligence, and she is still trying to save the world from the catastrophe about to happen.

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