r/homeland • u/NicholasCajun • Mar 08 '20

Discussion Homeland - 8x05 "Chalk Two Down" - Episode Discussion

Season 8 Episode 5: Chalk Two Down

Aired: March 8, 2020

Synopsis: Carrie chases answers. Max attempts a rescue. G’ulom takes an opportunity.

Directed by: Alex Graves

Written by: Patrick Harbinson & Chip Johannessen

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u/CocoLamela Mar 09 '20

Totally, I was just like, grab the president and GO! They should have at least addressed it and ruled it out. Like the terrain was too steep to carry someone out and get away in time before the Taliban caught up. Saul, the intelligence officer, and the general all just arguing about who has authority to make decisions, there should have been more operational discussion.

Also seemed like a big hole that securing the black box was the last thing they did, as if that would not be priority no. 2 after verifying no survivors. Max is like picking through the President's fuckin peptaid and prepared speech like there was all the time in the world. I'm not sure why the operation ever called for the "third grade educated" troops from the fort to try to hold the crash site when it was clear the second chopper was taken down by Taliban. The troops didn't really know that, but the person who sent them in did. The mission should have been, investigate the crash sites, secure the flight data, and get the hell out. Hopefully the Taliban wouldn't even know you're there, but if there's contact, try to retreat to preserve the peace rather than engage in a full on firefight, undermanned, in territory that was crawling with Taliban and everyone knew it.

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u/YYZYYC Mar 10 '20

Way too many plot holes. There would have been a ton more resources around POTUS and contingency plans and I’m sorry but dense trees do NOT stop troops in contact from calling in air support

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u/berflyer May 01 '20

Also seemed like a big hole that securing the black box was the last thing they did, as if that would not be priority no. 2 after verifying no survivors.

Came here to say this! Agree with everything you and u/minty_cyborg said. And if not to retrieve technical equipment like the flight data recorder, why did Max go to the site at all? Additionally:

1) After the F-22 took out the crash site and the Quick Reaction Force finally arrived and retrieved the surviving Steedley soldiers, why did that not include Max and Soto? Presumably, the QRF significantly outmatched the remaining Taliban troops and could have taken its time to secure everyone.

2) President Warner was declared dead early in the episode. Why did everyone in the situation room wait until the crash site was incinerated to stand up and refer to the VP as "President"?

3) And one other thing... the whole idea that the President of the United States would travel in a convoy of 2 helicopters to the frontlines of a war zone with no other air cover is absurd. AND that the escort helicopter would lose sight of POTUS's helicopter when that's its only job?

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u/Optimal-Leather341 I'm CIA, motherf*cker! Feb 20 '25

Especially dumb considering that when they considered a Spec Ops mission in the final Brody Episodes that they'd have 2 Chinooks as backup...

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u/AveragePubgplayer23 Dec 07 '25

true, they prepared for brody to leave iran better than for president to enter afghanistan. It puts it in context tho because no one actually knows that haqqanis son is the one behind everything, so they all assumed that the ceasefire would be respected, but ofc thats why u have contingencies. I think the presidents helicopter was brought down by advanced jamming tech from either Russia or Pakistan, then while the others were looking for him their heli too got shot down. If the second heli didnt get shot down, it would be assumed that it was a simple aircraft accident or something, given the fact the heli didnt look blown up like what a missile or rpg would do to it. Anyone could tell that. So they basically brought down the heli so they could shoot the escort one, if the escort one diddnt get shot down they would soon realise that taliban under haqqani wasnt behind the attack, but someone more sophisticated than him. That would lead them to think about state actors

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u/Optimal-Leather341 I'm CIA, motherf*cker! Dec 08 '25

Nah, I've got more thought it was lazy writing and disconnect to earlier seasons/source material.

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u/AveragePubgplayer23 Dec 08 '25

also possible, i mean there was no reaper drone or fighter jet or even an apache. Nothing with IRE capacity, meanwhile theyre flying in an area that makes it extremely difficult to see anything with plain vision

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u/Optimal-Leather341 I'm CIA, motherf*cker! Dec 08 '25

Fast movers would deffo be making themselves known to the Taliban. Hell, an AC-130 would be a worthwhile item to have covering the POTUS helos.

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u/AveragePubgplayer23 Dec 09 '25

yea true, if not for attack at least recon

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u/Optimal-Leather341 I'm CIA, motherf*cker! Dec 09 '25

Well, combined with a drone for constant eyes on, it would also be able to vector in new air assets and watching the second helo get shot down, they'd likely start laying into the fighters on the mountain... Suddenly, there's less incentive to push a crash site and if anything, gives the now deployed outpost troops more ease knowing that there's a big fuck off gunship watching their advance and their surrounds in addition to a UAV.

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u/AveragePubgplayer23 Dec 18 '25

exactly, thing is if they did this the whole season would've gone sideways anyway. SPOILER

If the area had been protected well, then max would've never gotten kidnapped, carrie would've never gone to the Russians and the box would've ben retrieved, so its necessary, but it would be nice to see a homeland with actual military action. Like quinn's old team in action, the fight with the marines against haqqani, all of that kind of stuff, but portrayed the way it is in real life

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u/stepleader Mar 10 '20

Most helicopters don't have black boxes especially military aircraft. Sad for Kobe (Princess Diana of Basketball?) and the president. Recovering the body and GTFO would have been more realistic.

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u/CocoLamela Mar 10 '20

Somehow, I think that's disrespectful to both Kobe Bryant and Princess Diana.

And even if it's not a black box like commercial aircraft, there's still flight data that can be recovered. Dumb comment all around

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u/stepleader May 12 '20

Kobe pressured the pilot to fly in this fictitious scenario that was not the case. Nothing besides the helicopter itself would have been useful

https://popculture.com/sports/news/kobe-bryant-lakers-icons-impact-compared-princess-diana/