A Letter to Homeland Creators
Dear Mr. Gansa and Mr. Gordon,
As avid fans of Homeland since season 1, we would like to thank you for such an intriguing show and for giving us characters that we have enjoyed for so many years. So much were we consumed by the world you created that we started blogs and forums to discuss it with thousands of like-minded fans from around the world.
After the season 6 finale, however, we can’t help but feel devastated. The callous way in which Peter Quinn, a character we have come to love so dearly, was killed off has left us reeling with sadness.
That we’ve become so attached to a fictional person, of course, speaks volumes of the quality of writing and acting on Homeland. We were equally invested in the journey of Carrie Mathison, the protagonist. Her arc, we thought, was one of personal growth, with Quinn – a man with a strong moral compass – as her partner.
We were invested in Quinn because we were invested in Carrie. With Quinn gone, we’re not quite sure what Carrie’s journey will be, but if Quinn’s relentless suffering is any indication, we expect it will end badly. Forgive us, but we can’t invest eight years of our lives on rooting for a character whose suffering will never be rewarded. We invested five years on Quinn and the result was unabated heartbreak.
Real life hands us enough tragedy, we don’t need to seek it out in fiction. Times are bleak, as you well know, and we turn to artists for some hope, optimism, for a way to put into words and pictures the things we are feeling. We turn to stories for things to make sense and for good people to triumph ultimately over evil.
Homeland was bleak, but we willingly endured the bleakness awaiting a payoff. We got none. Quinn was a fighter and we expected him to overcome his demons and prevail. What we got this season was the exact opposite. He died full of self-loathing; that, we cannot forgive. With no reward for Quinn, the Dar reveal on the dock and Astrid’s tragic death feel entirely gratuitous, not to mention the two years of physical torment he suffered.
And what kind of a message have you sent to depressed and disabled veterans and stroke survivors around the world who saw themselves in Quinn? To victims of sexual abuse? That they’re better off dead? What an abominable message. The unceremonious manner in which Quinn was killed off, with no vicarious closure for the audience in the form of a ceremony or proper displays of grief from his friends, was just cruel.
We are sorry to say that we feel utterly betrayed and manipulated by the way you chose to portray Quinn’s journey over the past two seasons. The season 5 fake-death cliffhanger in retrospect feels like a cheap way to bait Quinn fans into sticking with the show for another season. So does the way you developed the Carrie/Quinn romance arc, which you yourself said was the emotional center of the season. Another story lopped off carelessly without resolution or payoff.
We also find Homeland’s message to be antifeminist. A woman with drive and determination destroys everyone in her path. A woman with a calling has to sacrifice her personal life. These are harmful stereotypes and we urge you to consider the special responsibility you bear by having a female protagonist.
Is your intended message one of utter hopelessness? The fight is futile and the bad guys will win? We are sorry, but nihilism is not the same as realism. Ambiguity is not the same as artistry. Your commitment to ambiguity now comes across as an inability or unwillingness to commit to your stories or characters; building the plane as you fly it, as a lack of vision and planning. Ambiguity has become your go-to excuse to avoid criticism: when “anything goes” is the name of the game, there is no accountability.
Finally, having no comment or statement from the showrunners following the death of a much-loved character like Peter Quinn has made things even worse.
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