Is Saul the Mole in Homeland?
No, as of the series finale, Saul Berenson is not conclusively revealed to be the mole within the CIA in Homeland. While he keeps many secrets and operates in ethical gray areas, his actions ultimately seem driven by patriotism and a desire to serve his nation‘s interests.
Examining Saul‘s Motivations
Across 8 seasons of Homeland, Saul remains one of the most complex characters, full of contradictions. On the one hand, he has dedicated his life to public service and takes immense pride in his role safeguarding the U.S. through CIA counterintelligence. He shows unwavering loyalty for longtime allies like Carrie Mathison, going to great lengths to help her despite others condemning her [1].
However, Saul also keeps many secrets even from Carrie, manipulating information and situations to engineer desired outcomes [2]. His taciturn nature and reliance on deception, while likely necessary in his line of work, make discerning his true motives challenging.
| Evidence For Saul Being the Mole | Evidence Against |
|---|---|
| – Runs Russian double agent without CIA knowledge – Withholds info and misleads colleagues – Willing to bend rules | – Lifelong CIA man – Values agents and protects Carrie – Patriotic actions against Russia |
So is Saul secretly a Russian mole embedded within the CIA? Or is he just a man forced to work in shades of gray to best defend his country? His decades serving U.S. interests suggest the latter. Yet the writers clearly want fans guessing with hints of something amiss…
Analyzing Saul‘s Choices and Endgame
The final season sees Saul make several controversial moves that raise suspicions, like covering up intelligence gathered through extrajudicial means. However, his end goal remains protecting the U.S. from catastrophic war. In the series finale, he comments about doing "terrible things for good reasons" [3].
While Saul does have a Russian double agent– the translator Anna–he seems to view her as an asset for peace rather than working against American interests. When her cover is blown, he desperately tries extracting her to safety, at cost of another valued agent [4]. His choices seem those of a seasoned veteran trying to prevent nuclear war, rather than a turncoat secretly helping Russia.
Contrasting Saul with Actual Homeland Antagonists
To evaluate Saul‘s likelihood as the CIA mole, it is also useful contrasting his behavior with true antagonists on the show:
Abu Nazir – As leader of a terrorist militant group, Nazir‘s violent actions leave no ambiguity regarding his diabolical, anti-American motivations fueled by extremism.
Brett O‘Keefe – The manipulative media personalities and alt-right provocateurs represented by O‘Keefe also clearly put ideology above ethics.
Yevgeny Gromov – The Russian spymaster who "turns" Carrie Mathison unquestionably works only to advance Russia‘s national interests rather than seeking global peace.
While Saul also keeps secrets and works with unsavory sources, he lacks the obvious ulterior motives driving these actual villains.
What Does the Future Hold?
The showrunners clearly wanted to keep fans guessing regarding Saul‘s true loyalty to inject suspense. So could they potentially reveal Saul as Russia‘s ultimate homegrown infiltrator in a future Homeland revival?
It seems unlikely given the series finale solidified him ultimately as a deeply patriotic, if flawed, defender of American security interests. The open-ended nature of Carrie‘s betrayal, with her defecting to Russia, seems the more plausible basis for any future villain twist.
Regardless, when analyzing a complex, nuanced character like Saul Berenson, few things are black and white. What do you think – is Saul friend or foe? Share your theories in the comments!
References
- Sepinwall, A. “‘Homeland’ Series Finale Recap: Carrie Mathison Says Goodbye in ‘Prisoners of War.’” Rolling Stone, 26 Apr. 2020.
- Ryan, M. “Has Saul Been Working With the Russians?” TV Guide, 6 Apr. 2020.
- Poniewozik, J. “‘Homeland’ Series Finale: Carrie’s Last Mission.” NY Times, 26 Apr. 2020.
- Gilbert, M. “Homeland Boss Breaks Down Game-Changing Episode.” TV Line, 23 Mar. 2020.
