New 6th season of “Homeland”.

 Dar Adal (F. Murray Abraham) and the cabal (a small group of persons joined for a secret political activity) he represents are going to war with the president of the United States. As the sixth season of Homeland has progressed, we’ve seen how far Dar Adal is willing to go to serve his own needs. The question now, with only two episodes left, is who will be able to stop him?

It could be Peter Quinn (Rupert Friend), whose dark past with Dar would certainly give him the motivation to do so. Peter is currently seeking out (keep looking for someone until you found them) one of the key players in Dar’s system of hate, the man who probably planted the bomb that killed Sekou Bah and definitely shot Astrid. He works his way to a diner where he used to be regular enough that a waitress recognizes him. He’s looking for the assassin, and he knows that the guy now works on the same covert (done in a secret way) team with which Quinn once resided (inherently present as a part). The quest leads him to a nondescript (lacking distinct or individual characteristic) house, where we get a flashback (a transition in an earlier time) to happier times in the espionage game and see a van of the type Sekou drove in the garage. The dots are finally connecting (to understand the relationship between different ideas).

Meanwhile, Max (Maury Sterling) reveals to Carrie what he learned in the bunker run by Brett O'Keefe (Jake Weber), noting that countries like Russia and China have propaganda factories, but that he didn’t think it was happening in the United States. If Dar Adal is involved in this kind of campaign, he’d be breaking about a dozen federal laws. Max needs to prove that he is, but Carrie can’t concentrate on any of this news because today’s the day she’s reunited with Frannie.

Not so fast. After being dropped off (become less) for her testimony (a formal statement) against Dar Adal (and, by extension, Saul Berenson), Carrie’s driver says something suspicious about making sure the Frannie meeting is still on. She calls and discovers that Frannie has a small fever and they’ll have to delay. How did the driver know this? Did someone purposefully get Frannie sick? Or is it simply to show they can get to her? Whatever the reasoning, it works, because Carrie flees (to leave the place quickly because you are in danger or are afraid) the testimony and refuses to go on record against Dar. She calls the number on the business card given to her by the mysterious driver, saying, “Tell Dar Adal he wins. Now I want to see my daughter.”

Feeling emboldened (to make someone brave) by his move against Carrie, Dar goes back to meet with PEOTUS (President - Elect of the United States) Elizabeth Keane (Elizabeth Marvel) in one of the best scenes of the season. He’s got the list he didn’t show her last time of suggested cabinet appointees — and they’re three people whom Keane would never appoint. Dar isn’t just pressuring Keane; he’s trying to enforce his will. It’s a bold move as Dar knows that Keane was coming after him (to pursue or chase someone). He’s essentially making his play now that he thinks she’s failed to get him.

Keane is furious, noting that 60 million people voted for her and no one voted for Dar. He returns her fury, spitting out a remarkable threat: “Don’t go to war with the national security establishment.” Why not, Dar? Keane refuses to be held hostage by a man with whom she fundamentally disagrees on policy and who she knows is corrupt to his core. She raises the stakes, saying, “This moment right now is when I decided to put your ass in jail.” Call it a hunch (you are sure that it is correct or true even though you don’t have any proof), but I don’t think Dar will make it to jail. On his way out, Dar calls O’Keefe and tells him to pull out the big guns. Remember the commercial they made about Andrew Keane? It’s going to air.

Elsewhere, Carrie learns that it wasn’t Frannie who was sick. It was another kid. Someone is playing games with her. While Carrie dissects (consider and talk all details of the situation) exactly what happened, Keane shows up, eager to convince her to testify against Dar. She can’t do it, and just as Keane won’t be strong-armed by Dar, Carrie won’t be strong-armed by Keane. Frannie’s safety has to come first.

After a heartfelt (deep or sincere feeling or wish) scene in which Saul tries to say good-bye to Mira (Sarita Choudhury), Carrie sees the campaign to smear (to spread unpleasant and untrue information) Andrew Keane. Homeland has always explored how people who deal with international issues are impacted by personal ties. At its best, the show humanizes those in positions of power, and that’s what happens with the Carrie and Keane arcs (a curved line) in “The Flag House.” As Carrie is reunited with her daughter, Keane watches her worst nightmare come true. She didn’t want to mention her son because she didn’t want to risk him becoming political fodder (bulk feed for livestock, used for animals, cows etc.)  , . Marvel beautifully sells both the deep emotion and the righteous fury of this betrayal of Andrew’s memory and bravery.

If anyone can pull down the curtain and reveal the men behind this Emerald City (is a capital city of the fictional Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum’s children Oz books) of corruption, it’s Max, who snaps a video of Dar and O’Keefe meeting on his phone. Sadly, he bumps into a co-worker, who spots the phone. Later in the episode, Max is taken by the Nurse Ratched of this cuckoo’s (a bird) nest, but not before he sends the video to Carrie, although it’s intercepted by Saul. What’ll happen to Max? They killed Conlin for less. Is this the last we’ve seen of Max alive?

While Saul realizes how embedded Dar is in the propaganda machine and Keane witnesses that machine’s impact on her own family, Carrie goes on a trip. Clarice (Mickey O’Hagan), Quinn’s buddy from earlier in the season, brings her to Quinn, who is hunkered down (to avoid doing things that will make people notice them) in a house across the cul-de-sac (a short road that is blocked at one end) from the place with the alarm he still knows how to deactivate. Through a scope, he shows Carrie that the man who’s been the lynchpin (the most important member of the group, or part of system) for the entire season is inside. What will they do now?

Other Notes

• I suggested a few weeks ago that Elizabeth Marvel might be the MVP (most valuable player) of this season, and “The Flag House” confirms it. She’s angry, emotional, and driven — a real leader in an impressive ensemble. I wasn’t fully convinced she was right for this part when the season began, but I was wrong.

• When Saul comes to Carrie’s house at the end of the episode, it looks like he’s ready to fight instead of flee. Will he testify against Dar? If Dar is burned, won’t the people he’s been protecting kill him before he can say anything? We know that Dar doesn’t want Quinn killed, so he doesn’t have complete control over this crew. Dar himself could soon be expendable (to deal situation without).

• It’s nice to see Sarita Choudhury after a few years’ absence from Homeland. She always had strong, believable chemistry with Patinkin.

• This episode works well within the show’s ongoing themes, as Carrie, Keane, and Saul all make decisions influenced by the pull of their closest family members. We’ll see how those choices play out over the season’s final arc.