While "Homeland" season 4 produced one heart-gripping episode after another, the same cannot be said of the final episode. The show's fourth season captured a new interest from its fan base and silenced the naysayers. However, why was the season 4 finale very anti-climactic? 

There is simply one answer to this. "Homeland" didn't slow down just because it wanted to burst everyone's bubble, it is because the season finale was foretelling of the plot in season 5. The show had to lay the cards down early on, so it will be easier to jump into the stories when season 5 returns. 

Based on the events that happened in last season's final episode, there are three story arcs that viewers need to watch out for. One is that silent standoff between Saul and Carrie. Will Saul proceed with his agreement with Dar Adal? The next is the budding romance between Carrie and Quinn. Seeing as Quinn just boarded a plane to go on a mission without any extraction plan, many ask if he would make it out alive and reunite with Carrie. The last is about Carrie's renewed relationship with her mother Ellie. The season finale showed a tale of motherhood, how Carrie cared for her daughter and how her mother showed up at the doorstep after her father died. 

True enough, the finale was an emotional one, and it's just what "Homeland" needed. Showtime president David Nevins agrees with this idea. 

"I think a show with this amount of political and narrative complexity can do a last episode that has a change of pace. I thought they needed to do an episode back in Washington, and needed to deal with Carrie's family situation and her issues with motherhood," he told Variety. 

But if fans thought that season 4 was the last they'd hear of Islamabad, they thought wrong. Nevins also revealed that season 5 will take on international politics as well, pointing to the Middle East as the main focus. Will it still be about taking out Haqqani and getting revenge? 

Meanwhile, showrunner Alex Gansa shared that he is still unsure as to what direction season 5 will take.

"We have some options, and we're discussing them, but we probably won't make any decisions until March," he told THR. 

Gansa also mentioned that not getting an Emmy nomination hurt them, but he said, "But you can never predict how people are going to respond to something ... It's not something you can plan for." 

"Homeland" season 5 will start filming in May, while the premiere date is rumored to be around late September or early October, which was the case in the previous seasons.