5. We Acknowledge The Fact That We Can't Trust Everyone... Perhaps Anyone
Anyone who has been in a relationship with a person who at some point deceives you knows the pain that deception can cause. In Homeland, the issues of deception and trust are taken to extreme levels as viewers are asked to consider who is being truthful and who is lying, perhaps for political or personal gain. The "sleeping with the enemy" theme is elaborated as Mathison and Brody engage in a sexual relationship that challenges each of the character's legitimacy within their many social networks. This particular theme of mistrust continues with other charactersincluding Saul Berenson, who, it appears to the viewer, has thrown Carrie under the bus during an intelligence hearing in season 3. While it turns out that this was part of a clever ruse, the viewer is left with the unsettling sense that more of these moments of mistrust are to come. The frightening aspect of this for us is that it forces us to reflect on our own relationships and our own experiences with trust and deception.