THIS IS A POST FULL OF SPOILERS
BEWARE SPOILERS
SPOILERS FOR LAST NIGHT’S HOMELAND FINALE
I might go through Homeland withdrawal now. I waited for Season 2 to start for a year, and when it finally did, it was like a series of gut-punches. Monday mornings, I was always out of it because I couldn’t get to sleep after watching Homeland. For the record, I think the first season probably had stronger writing overall, and it felt like there was so much more in Season 2 which we all had to suspend our disbelief. Like, I’m no expert on security and the Secret Service and all of that, but even I know that Brody wouldn’t have had access to all of the stuff he had access to, and there were too many “O RLY?” leaps that the audience had to make to stay engaged in the story.
But let’s really talk about what went down. 200-plus dead at the CIA. Carrie helping a suspected terrorist (Brody) get across the border (on foot?). Brody was played by Nazir. We all were. The cell which was caught several episodes ago was sacrificed for a larger purpose, to manipulate Brody and Carrie into killing the vice president. What we found out in the finale was that the vice president’s death was merely the instigator for a larger attack, the bombing of Langley. Some various points/thoughts/questions:
*So, Walden’s memorial service was being held at Langley? He was a sitting vice president and the presumptive presidential nominee – his memorial would have been held at Washington National Cathedral. The end. I don’t care if he was the former DCI (Director of Central Intelligence). It still would have been held at Washington National Cathedral.
*I loved everything about the scenes with Brody and Carrie at the cabin the woods. Damian Lewis and Claire Danes have an extraordinary amount of chemistry, and whenever they are together, it just feels natural, no matter what.
*Brody praying in daylight… with Quinn standing behind him with the gun. I’m sorry, but I loved everything about the Quinn character’s arc. I loved that Quinn made a choice for himself as to what kind of man he is. I love that Quinn went to Estes’ house and threatened him. I loved everything about Quinn’s speech to Estes about killing bad men.
*CB and I have debated in the past whether Estes was one of Nazir’s moles. I guess we can say definitely that he wasn’t, right? I don’t believe Estes would have sacrificed himself like that for Nazir’s greater cause. That being said, there HAS to be a significant mole in the CIA. Setting up Brody as Nazir’s patsy, moving the car and bringing that much C4 into Langley (a hella secure area) would have taken an insider. But did that insider sacrifice himself (or herself)? Or does the mole still walk among them?
*How much did Brody know about THIS plot? We really don’t know. I think he knew more than he was saying, but he might not have known all of the moving pieces.
*I love that Carrie always had an exit strategy. All of this time, she always had a way out in case she was burned.
*SAUL!!!!!!! I love everything about Saul. I love Saul and Carrie’s conversation about whether she would be made a station chief. I love Saul’s call to Carrie, the message he left for her. I love his face when she appeared at the staging hanger (God, how awful was that?). I love that Saul is the presumptive CIA director now.
*Seriously, where the f—k is the president?! The president didn’t even come to the memorial service of his vice president?
*I really hope Rupert Friend gets invited back for the third season, because he is a gem.
*You could really tell that Claire Danes is pregnant in these last few episodes. Her face looked so much fuller, and she just glowed.
*SARITA CHOUDHURY!!!! I’m so glad she came back and did a cameo. I missed her.
*I love the respectful way they handled Nazir’s burial at sea. It matters.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Terrible. I won’t be watching season 3. The Carrie/Brody star crossed lovers stuff is HORRIBLE.
ITA. Pushing this nonsensical love story on top of the rest of it. I can’t waste my brain power on another show which I can only surmise will keep me hanging on but will get worse and worse (e.g. – BSG, Lost, True Blood, etc.). I love Mandy Patinkin, too, and even his awesomeness can’t save it for me.
Except those other shows you mentioned which are fantasy/sci-fi, Homeland is supposed to be rooted in REALITY.
The Carrie/Brody stuff has single-handedly derailed my enjoyment of the show. Why did the writers even take it there?
OK, so I intentionally waited to read this post until I watched it. From the titles of other articles saying to suspend logic and stick with it, I knew I’d be incredulous at something that happened but was not prepared for this show to jump so many sharks. This was even more disappointing than the last season (and completely lame finale) of BSG. I couldn’t wait for this season but will have no problems waiting for the next because I’m really not sure if I’ll watch either.
i love the show, but cant stand her face.
really.. was she the only one available.
Claire Danes is so pretty in pics, but when she talks and moves she is so unattractive. Her facial expression and movements are similar to a mentally ill person because they do not fit the situation. She also has a manly voice. I cannot watch the show because she ruins it!!
according to the Av Club it wasn’t the official memorial for the vice-president, it was a special CIA memorial, coz Walden was head of the CIA for ages. So that explains why it was easier for Nazier to hit- less security, and why the president wasn’t there
Let me start by saying I love Rupert Friend/Patrick. Love the character. But I found it utterly implausible that a trained Black Ops guy would make some sort of moral judgment about whether or not to kill someone he was ordered to kill, and then threaten the CIA Director. Which leads me to my next thought–perhaps Patrick is the/a mole? Because if he had killed Brody, even if he had made his body disappear, Brody would not have been able to drive his car to Langley so that this terror plot could be pinned on him. Is it possible that Patrick is the/a mole and his job was to keep Brody alive so that he could be blamed for the CIA bombing??
I’ve been thinking Quinn’s the mole for awhile now, and I’ve only just begun watching episode 8.
@ Kara
+1
Kara, I keep going back and forth on that one, too. I could see him refusing the order if he realized (and he did) that Estes was just using him as an errand boy for his own personal agenda. However, I do like your mole theory.
@Kara — Rupert’s character is named “Peter Quinn” not Patrick.
Very interesting theory. Because it has to be someone we know. And we don’t know that many CIA people when you think about it.
But we didn’t even know Quinn existed when the first event happened that was attributed to the mole (someone slipping Hamid a blade to commit suicide). Thoughts ?
I don’t think he made the decision on his own. At least not permanently. I think he got permission from F. Murray Abraham’s character to do that, once he realized that nothing would be solved with Brody’s death. I don’t think Quinn is the mole either or he would not have wasted time threatening Estes. Also, the enemy of Abraham’s character is not Estes, it is Saul and both men had to know that Saul would not be there.
Holy #$%@! I couldn’t sleep last night from replaying the scenes in my head.
LOVE this show. I don’t view Homeland as a documentary about the CIA or politics. So, yes, I will suspend belief. I’m fine with that.
Double post
I Fail to believe that fucked up and Mid Jazz freakouts ( I call em that when she just goes cray cray and buggy eyed) as Carrie’s been she not only has had that clearance to still be in and out the cia like she has, let alone have the job back
^^Ditto at Brody having all that unfettered access
That said:
Next person that i NEED off the show: Dana! Lord she makes me hate teens!
Also I fail to believe Quinn didnt take that shot but it was amazing well, he was…
David Estes Lived a dick, died a dick
Really? You Liked The Cabin in the woods or Rodante ( whih is what i wa calling it) it was both embarrassing and cloying and cheesy, the twitter was freaking out over it all being too Harlequin romance and through te season it has bothered the FUCK out of me that this is what Carrie, A Brilliant Mind for all her jazz freakouts, and a competent agent, has resorted to, Mooning over Brody, UGH
Mike was on dad mode Not Uncle Mike Mode, huh? With them Mom Jeans he was sporting at the end!! LOL
That was Horrible though, the kids seeing his vid!!
Also I too adored Abu Nazir funeral, it too felt respectful to me, i liked how it was side by side with the vice president, very well done shots/composition, it felt right and respectful, I also Call BS that Carrie Mathison woulda missed her Obsession’s funeral
I feel so delighted about Saul Making Les Miserable Jokes! I also feel OMFG COULD HE BE THE MOLE?!? I was like OH DAMN he was about to be fired this am, now he is the big boss?!? That Kadish Prayer shot was so so so so so Haunting and sad and horrible especially with the week we’ve had!
Thanks for letting me vent
I loathe Dana!
@word — Dana is the MOST IRRITATING EVER — she even surpasses Kim Bauer on 24. I prayed for a terrorist hit on both of them! What gauls me most is critics like Alan Sepinwall (who otherwise I really respect) saying she is the “most BELIEVABLE teenager” on tv. I just don’t see it She seems more like a caricature of some sullen alienated teen from the late 60s. I don’t know any teenage girls who act like that (also hate her eyebrows, which seem in a permanent inverted “V” shape” and her ropey hair). Alex and Haley on Modern Family seem far more realistic as actual teenagers. And the kids on Shameless are superior in acting and in every other aspect as well.
Dana distracts me because she looks so much like The Situation (forget his real name) from Jersey Shore. It’s like watching him in drag.
I concur that Dana is annoying. Her character, however, occupies a very important role in the one of thematic elements in the show. She acts as a moral corollary for many of the characters with whom she interact; she’s that still small voice that chimes in to challenge our sense of morality and humanity. She’s the proverbial thorn in your side. Most of the characters on the show commit actions that are 1)a justified but morally bankrupt means to an end 2)a product of manipulation 3) convenient to protect their own skin.
All of the adults around her exist in a morally gray area, but due to her inexperience and naivete things are still rather black and white for her. And what is really interesting is that as the series progresses you see her innocence slowly being chipped away, as it’s been long gone for the adults around her.
She’s that reminder that perhaps there is some higher ideal that exists outside the many conflicts of interests that feed our justifications for our actions, something that is intrisically ill-suited to the conveniences and urgencies of geopolitics. And it works because she’s a teenage;, not a CIA operative, a politiciam, nor an international terrorist.
So, once again…annoying, yes. But, important.
1. I would like Saul to adopt me
2. I need some serious alone time win Quinn. He is so sexy.
+1 on everything.
Saul looks like he’d give great bear hugs.
And Quinn looks like he’d give great sideways hugs 🙂
This 🙂
Still one of the best acted and written shows on TV. Let’s not forget, it is a TV show for entertainment…situations and mind sets aren’t literal, nor should they be for Christ’s sake. If I want total reality, I will simply change the channel and watch the news…that’s enough of a dose of reality for me thank-you-very-much.
Thank you! What is wrong with the Carrie & Brody story? It shows their vulnerability in a world that expects them to work without emotion. For me, the cabin scenes make me edgy because it’s seemingly peaceful, but you know something’s around the corner. I thought season 2 was brilliant. There isn’t a better drama, writing and acting on TV. Rupert Friend was one of the best parts of the season and I hope he comes back. Mandy definitely should win some awards this year too.
I agree, particularly because she has been so far into both camps. I think she feels strongly for him but she also is extremely dedicated to her job. We really don’t know what she’s up to and after she returned rather than go with him, she clearly values her job and her future.
Thank you! What is wrong with the Carrie & Brody story? It shows their vulnerability in a world that expects them to work without emotion. For me, the cabin scenes make me edgy because it’s seemingly peaceful, but you know something’s around the corner. I thought season 2 was brilliant. There isn’t a better drama, writing and acting ony TV. Rupert Friend was one of the best parts of the season and I hope he comes back. Mandy definitely should win some awards this year too.
Does anyone else think that Saul may be the mole?!?! The way he failed the polygraph regarding who slipped the razor…. His ties to the Mideast with his wife….almost seems now like he sent her away till the danger was over….the way he is always chanting over the dead. Don’t want it to be true but can’t get it out of my head….
His ties to the Mideast with his wife? His wife is INDIAN and she herself chose to leave in season 1. He desperately wanted her to stay. And Saul is Jewish he was chanting a Jewish prayer. I have no idea what you’re saying.
I think Saul is the mole, but his wife has nothing to do with it.
I thought Estes was the mole.
Later I thought it could be Quinn.
I don’t think Saul is the mole. He’s the most honest guy on the show. If he failed the polygraph about the razor, I think that was guilt at not realizing what she would do, rather than having helped her commit suicide.
I have lots of suspicion about his wife, though. Her timing was too convenient on returning and her question about Carrie’s condition was suspicious to me. They are in the middle of an important marital decision and she asks about the condition of an agent?
After Mandy Patinkin left ‘Criminal Minds” I thought I lost him forever. Now watching Saul Berenson just makes my Sundays.
I love Homeland so much, and I love Damian Lewis/Brody. It all was so crazy that I knew his character couldn’t stick around and be Carrie’s cabin boy, but I’m so glad they didn’t kill him off. I just don’t think I could have watched any more.
I know people bag on this show, but it’s only because it’s SOOO amazing that people hold it to a very unrealistic “reality” standard. It is a TV show after all and not a documentary about the inner workings of the CIA.
Homeland 4EVER 🙂
It’s the only show on now that makes me sit at the edge of my seat for a lot of it. I did not see season 1 until a Saturday when Showtime had a marathon. I was hooked.
I love thus show but even I felt it was delving into “24” territory too much with the attack in Gettysburgh and the killing of the VP. I will still watch though. Hopefully next season will leave out those types of far-fetched stories. At the end of the day it is only a TV show.
I love this show but even I felt it was delving into “24” territory too much with the attack in Gettysburgh and the killing of the VP. I will still watch though. Hopefully next season will leave out those types of far-fetched stories. At the end of the day it is only a TV show.
I agree that season 1 overall was better, but I still really enjoyed season 2. I can suspend disbelief and overlook problems if a show is entertaining and well done – if it’s not then I start to nitpick on the stuff that doesn’t make sense and eventually quit. But I find Homeland very gripping.
The release of Brody’s video really surprised me.
I agree they have good chemistry, but like Saul told her…he’s the guy that put on the bomb vest! I don’t get her feelings for him at all, but that part of the show is very minor to me.
Saul is the best. That is all.
I agree with each of your four statements entirely and want to add:
What I want to see is that Quinn is back and I think he will be. I also think he has totally fallen for Carrie. They start some type of “relationship” but … Carrie finds out she is prego with Brody’s child. Hmmmm
@chatcat — I want Quinn and Carrie together. I want lots, lots more shots of Quinn’s naked ass. Can’t they just get it over with and have torrid hate sex already….
bored…I couldn’t agree more. Carrie and Quinn getting it on would be hot! Can you imagine the sizzle…honestly his first appearance and I was huh…5 mins of screen time and I wanted more Quinn in every scene!
Yes, yes and yas! Rupert ‘Quinn’ Friend is my new obsession. Really hopes he comes back for season 3
Bored, you may not last until next fall. You may have to start writing your own fan fiction.
@raven Great idea! Maybe this is how the 50 Shades “writer” started out. Already imagining the fast stackin benjies (as Jessie Pinkman would say).
travluvsjenn@yahoo.comt that more than likely Carrie will be preggers with Brodys love child and there will be major drama about it with his wife. Oh and I so loved when they were saying goodbye and he was saying how he loved her, die! But I am a total romantic and love the thought of a well writted harlaquin. Especially with my total crush Damain Lewis. I do believe as well that Quinn is the mole and Saul will make a much better leader than that douche lord Estes. I cannot stand what a little brat Dana is but you have to look at her perspective. Her mother was and still is banging her dads best friend while he was POW for pretty much as long as the girl can remember. That’s the person I really have a problem with, Jessica. As a military wife of 11 years I resent the way she handled her whole situation. Man I love this show and I am now going to be at a loss of what to do to season 3.
I agree Chatcat that more than likely Carrie will be preggers with Brodys love child and there will be major drama about it with his wife. Oh and I so loved when they were saying goodbye and he was saying how he loved her, die! But I am a total romantic and love the thought of a well writted harlaquin. Especially with my total crush Damain Lewis. I do believe as well that Quinn is the mole and Saul will make a much better leader than that douche lord Estes. I cannot stand what a little brat Dana is but you have to look at her perspective. Her mother was and still is banging her dads best friend while he was POW for pretty much as long as the girl can remember. That’s the person I really have a problem with, Jessica. As a military wife of 11 years I resent the way she handled her whole situation. Man I love this show and I am now going to be at a loss of what to do to season 3.
1. I don’t see the chemistry you indicate between Carrie and Brody. It feels remarkably forced.
2. Saul is the mole.
3. The daughter is still annoying.
1. I agree. I like them both as actors, but I just can’t completely buy their love.
2. I’ve been feeling that for a while, but I really, really hope not.
3. You said it! I can’t stand her and I really hope she doesn’t make too many appearances next season.
I don’t see the love either, but she certainly changed his mind about her skills as an agent. What we may be seeing is respect, and he recognizes her level of dedication to her work.
Now Abu Nazir’s who’s gonna be the major baddie? I havn’t watched season two so I havn’t a clue
No one is talking about why Saul wasn’t there. He had an alibi when he was on the ship. Mandy gave an interview on Colbert stating how these people have their reasons for attacking. What if Saul and his wife have a reason. She’
s coming back. What if she was doing something over there? I believe he loves our country but he’s like Brody he hates the inner domestic corruption: Estes, etc.
SAUL! No one is talking about why Saul wasn’t there. He had an alibi when he was on the ship. Mandy gave an interview on Colbert stating how these people have their reasons for attacking. What if Saul and his wife have a reason. She’
s coming back. What if she was doing something over there? I believe he loves our country but he’s like Brody he hates the inner domestic corruption: Estes, etc.
I think Saul wasn’t there because Estes didn’t want him around. Someone needed to witness the burial of Abu Nazir, so, since Estes couldn’t ruin Saul, he just sent him someplace out of his sight for a short time.
I enjoyed season 2. No complaints. It was well done and gripping. I’m willing to suspend disbelief for Homeland than I ever did for Lost. With Lost, I lost it after a few seasons and I was frustrated by the end of it. Except I don’t feel the chemistry between Brody and Carrie. I see a lot of doubt and double play when they stare into each others eyes. I don’t know who is playing whom. I do believe that they truly like each other but one of them (Brody?) is hiding more than what has been revealed so far.
I love Saul. I really appreciate Nazir’s burial scene. Finally, I want more Quinn next season.
Two thoughts
I think that the writers pushed the Carrie and Brody love a little too much.
2. I love Mandy Patinkin as Saul and it is interesting that they are bringing back his wife maybe next season, so there might be a story line next year for that.
Sorry Aaron Paul, Mandy is taking your Emmy next year.
Saul is the mole. He refused to answer the question about providing the female prisoner with a weapon to kill herself. He could not let Brody be killed ahead of the explosion because it had to be blamed on Brody. He has always been an outsider with his own opinions and sense of ethics within the CIA. He was absent from the VPs memorial to attend Abu Nazir’s (?????). He looked incredibly awkward when he saw Carrie had survived. His prayer over the bodies was for himself as much as the victims, because he knows he participated in killing innocents for his cause.
Very very concerned about all the hints that Saul is the mole or turns out in major staggering reversal to be the mole. I hope it is just deliberate red herrings. Because if in fact he is in a mole behind much of what we have seen, I would hate to see what his real motives were – they WOULD NOT BE because he is pro-Islamic or secretly a Muslim. He is Jewish and I would be fearful the showrunners would make him an agent provocateur for Mossad, with part of his job to promote anti-Muslim fear in the U.S. IT would play into all the lunatics, including many residents of the Middle East, who tell pollsters they sincerely believe that the Jews were behind the Twin Towers.
Yeah, I have the same ideas…though I hate it because I love the character of Saul.
Or he’s concerned with the potential assassination of a sitting Congressman. That’s a pretty big deal when the CIA is doing it and he’s been taken in solely because he knows what Estes is up to.
1. Two words: Rupert Friend. I would watch him and his cheekbones and nothing else for hours. And he was so INTENSE in the role. After the sickening spectacle of the ongoing Robsten spectacle, I have now officially transferred all of my inappropriate feelings for pretty boys young enough to be my son to Rupert and Eddie Redmayne.
2. Peter Quinn (NOT PATRICK)! and Carrie seem to have some sort of friction/chemistry and I kept praying they would have hate sex. Also that a)he would kill Brody and become the new male lead, and b) he would then have a secret from Carrie in their new hot relationship — he murdered her obsession, Brody. However, I loved his decision not to kill Brody and his badass confrontation with Estes. I pray Rupert Friend returns next year with an even bigger role.
3. Yes, there were lots and lots of unbelievable plot twists and holes. But the reality of spying is for the most part pretty boring and all of these shows have to do it for the story and the thrills. Plus think about much that we consider Great Literature — Shakespeare is shot full of improbable coincidences, ridiculous disguises and historical inaccuracies. So what?
4. A separate special CIA Memorial at Langley where Walden had been head for many years is exactly what would have been likely to happen in real life. There also would have been a separate state funeral/national memorial service perhaps held at National Cathedral where President, Senators, foreign ambassadors would have attended. I am personally familiar with this.
5. Gotta say the laziness about the reality of Washington DC geography does get on my nerves — victims likely would have been taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia as Langley is in Virginia, and under no circumstances would “Sibley Memorial” have been the choice for care of emergency bomb wombs. What a laugh — Club Sibley is the place where you have babies and plastic surgery. You don’t use their emergency room. Errors like this were a consistent feature of the show but then again who cares. Not essential.
6. I found it hard to believe Carrie & Brody could find happiness without all the tension and heightened sensation created by their previous, suspicious, mutually messed up interaction. They seemed kind of boring and actually uncomfortable during the lovey dovey cabin scenes. Awkward.
You are right!! Peter, not Patrick. I knew when I wrote it that it felt wrong. After I posted the comment I thought it was because he really goes by Quinn on the show. Just realized it’s actually that I got his first name wrong.
Very good post Kaiser, and you raised some valid points.
Other things that bothered me :
*She threw his phone out the window ? Really ? Never heard of how EASY it is to track cell phones ? Especially if they are still on, which was the case here. It would definitely help the authorities know which way he went.
*How did he know where to go when he left ? did he have a map ? (we didn’t see) a lamp to see where he was going in the night ? we didn’t see either. details, people, details.
*Lastly, Carrie’s hair. Seriously. She just wakes up, throws a jumper on and goes to buy croissants. Her hair is perfectly arranged. She’s just been in an explosion, and on the run for the last 12 hours (definitely no time to give it a brush XD) it is STILL perfect. Is it so hard to have a lead character with messed up hair when appropriate ?
All this said, I LOVE Homeland and thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next season, the wait will be hard. I really wonder what they will come up with next.
I don’t to think I’m right , and I really hope I’m wrong…but Saul just jumped to #1 on my suspect list for lead mole. There is a big mole with access and knowledge and Saul had all that same knowledge. Just hate to think because I LOVE SAUL!
Agree, I’ve thought Saul was the mole from the start.
There were so many things in that show that you just couldn’t believe. One, that a self-respecting female CIA agent would act like Carrie, that Carrie in real life wouldn’t have been fired and that someone who straps on a suicide belt wouldn’t have been in jail, to name just a few!
I still think Danny Galvez is the mole!!
So are they going to continue the Brody/Carrie storyline?? How will Brody find the house 20 miles away? Won’t someone recognize him? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!! arghhhh I can’t wait another year
Claire and Damian totally have something going in real life.
Nah…but I can see her getting with Rupert. She likes cute British guys of his type, and her current British husband and her are rumored to be having some problems.
Can’t believe Rupert and Kira Knightly broke up. They were such a beautiful couple.
I really hope they’re not having problems given that she’s about to drop a sprog, but the woman certainly has form and if I were Hugh I’d be keeping an eye out.
If you think this show is good, you should try THE BOSS. By far the most realistic, suspenseful, and best written shows ever. It’s on Starz. Start with Season 1 and you’ll be instantly hooked.
I stopped watching this show at the end of the first season. Too OTT back then as it is now.
Wait wait I have the answer for all you Saul/Mandy fans!
Saul will be revealed as the mole. When asked about his motive, he will say,
My name is Inigo Montoya.
You killed my father.
Now I am going to kill you.
(See Princess Bride for details).
I had no idea, that’s awesome! I loved him then, too!
LOL!
I really hope they bring back “Peter Quinn”, he’s so smoking hot. I love his character!
I love his cheekbones and his ass.
Didn’t like Quinn at first, because of a certain cruel streak that I was detecting but he grew on me as the season progressed. And now that Brody may not be conveniently in her midst, the writers have some room to write some tension into the script with his involvment. Rupert Friend is hot. Always happy to indulge my anglophilia.
First saw Rupert in “Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont”. He melted my heart.
Doesn’t anyone get ridiculously irritated by the fact that Brody’s wife and Carrie BOTH call him Brody? The man’s name is Nicholas. It’s so much easier to just say “Nick.” I don’t get it.
I think there’s a good chance that Brody is duping Carrie and that he knew all about the bomb plot. I think he might have been totally playing her. I hope not because that would be pretty depressing.
I can’t believe I am loving Claire Danes. I used to hate her – especially after the Crudup fiasco. But she is just too good in this. It’s a role of a lifetime and she does it great justice.
I love Mandy Patankin too! Almost more than I love her. He’s amazing.
I hope Carrie gets w/ Quinn next season – that would be hot.
It wasn’t THE memorial service for the Vice President, it was just a memorial organized by his former CIA colleagues.