Lately writing a review of a Homeland season three episode is like sifting through a pan of dirt for flecks of gold, and each week those glimmers are buried deeper in dense soil.

That dirt is deep, rich and increasingly suffocating. The seeds of the Javadi storyline bear some fruit this episode, but every highlight is surrounded by mediocrity. Quinn’s interrogation with the local police suggests an increasingly willingness for the show to examine the consequences of national security above all else, but is only enabled by a ridiculous plot contrivance (a security camera that somehow only captures one individual). There’s much enjoyment to be found in Saul standing up to Lockhart, but its paired with the realisation that Lockhart has gone from a vehicle for genuine criticism of the CIA to an exaggerated villain, the kind of authority figure warranting, “It’s because he gets results, you stupid chief!”

“Gerontion” served as a mid-season opportunity to get the show back on the rails, but it’s becoming increasingly clear those rails are headed directly for one Nicholas Brody. I really have no interest in continuing to mine the question “Is Brody guilty or not?” There’s just nothing left in the ground.