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

[u/NicholasCajun]

Season 8 Episode 5: Chalk Two Down

Aired: March 8, 2020

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

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Directed by: Alex Graves

Written by: Patrick Harbinson & Chip Johannessen

[u/ChadFlenderman]

What a fucking episode. Really felt like Homeland.

That being said, Taking Warner's body offsite should have been a possibility. Everyone watching from safety dicked around for way too long making that decision. Tell the team to pull his body and high-tail it out of there. I get it, there's a plot to follow and we need to have a sense of suspended disbelief but that seemed like a big hole to miss.

[u/CocoLamela → u/ChadFlenderman]

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.

[u/berflyer → u/CocoLamela]

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?

[u/Optimal-Leather341 → u/berflyer]

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

[u/AveragePubgplayer23 → u/Optimal-Leather341]

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

[u/Optimal-Leather341 → u/AveragePubgplayer23]

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

[u/AveragePubgplayer23 → u/Optimal-Leather341]

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

[u/Optimal-Leather341 → u/AveragePubgplayer23]

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.

[u/AveragePubgplayer23 → u/Optimal-Leather341]

yea true, if not for attack at least recon

[u/Optimal-Leather341 → u/AveragePubgplayer23]

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.

[u/AveragePubgplayer23 → u/Optimal-Leather341]

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