WARNING: if you haven’t seen Season 3 of Homeland, you might not want to read any further, because we’re totally going to ruin it.
Speaking on Friday night at a screening of Homeland’s Season 3 finale for Emmy voters, showrunner Alex Gansa gave us the ballad of Nick Brody (Damian Lewis) from a slightly different perspective, saying “Well, truthfully, we've been trying to get rid of the guy since season one.”
This is what happens when someone supposed to play a single-season role is so good (á la Aaron Paul in Breaking Bad) that the show simply can’t quit them after one year. Viewers of Homeland no longer have to concern themselves with Brody after his shocking death in the finale, a demise due almost entirely to Carrie’s (Claire Danes) decision-making.
But that wasn’t all they had to say about Brody’s public execution. As to the why behind the death, Gansa said:
“Honestly the story had reached its end. [...] There was very little narrative runway left for [Brody]. How could he come back and begin to fashion a normal life in the United States? The only other option that we toyed with a little bit was him taking political asylum in Iran and just being there, just having a life there.”
Perhaps the most interesting comment was a classic “road not taken” scenario. Gansa offered the nugget that “originally we thought Saul was going to kill Brody this season,” but they changed things up given how the story was evolving.
Danes had plenty to say about the upcoming fourth season, which is scheduled to begin shooting shortly. She noted that “I think it's definitely time for us to see Carrie do her work,” and that “I'm looking forward to kicking some ass again.”
For more commentary on Seasons 3 and 4, check out the full transcript of the Q&A here.
[via Indiewire]
