Homeland - Quinn/Carrie Analysis, Part Two.
2nd half of response to post in homelandstuff
From that point on, season five became an emotional rollercoaster that I’m still not recovered from. Instead of killing Carrie he did what he thought was right by trying to protect her. He had her best interest at heart but was cold and aloof around her. She told him about her new life, and he seemed completely unmoved. She asked about him and made known that she looked for him and thought about him while he was gone but he didn’t sway. It was obvious that both felt uncertain and distant from each other.
After the shooting, Quinn seemed to have reached rock bottom. He’d completely lost all hope. He was never going to escape that life because his only chance was Carrie, and she found someone else. War and death won. Carrie was out of the game. To this day, I still question whether Quinn decided not to get help because he was protecting Carrie or because he was just done with it all. I think if he was reasoning with himself, he may have figured that Carrie had something to live for, and since he didn’t, he could escape this life and save her in the process. He was so defeated.
Once Quinn was rescued and a new mission presented itself, he dove right back into the fray. He was going to live and he had a mission. His focus could be on stopping a terrorist cell and not thinking about Carrie. It was a win, win for Quinn up until he lost.
And then Carrie got Quinn’s letter. His goodbye, and declaration of love. I like to think of the letter as the catalyst that flipped the Quinn/Carrie dynamic on its head. The audience had watched Quinn struggle with his love for Carrie over four seasons, while the audience was left questioning what Carrie’s true feelings were. As of this writing, we’ve reached the midpoint of season six and we get to witness Carrie’s interactions with Quinn parallel how he used to interact with Carrie. It’s a role reversal. Carrie is wearing her heart on her sleeve this season and Quinn is the one who is keeping his feelings in check.
At this point, is Carrie good for Quinn? To answer that I have to go back to the light and dark analogy. In the second half of season five, Quinn lost all hope of escaping his world and having Carrie light the path. During that same time, Carrie realized how much Quinn needed her to be that light. Right now they are at a crossroads. She is trying to lead him but he’s the one who can’t find his way. I hope if the parallel theme stays on-course, that he’ll find her again. I truly think that there is no one else who can do that for him. They are kindred spirits after all.