‘Homeland’ Fans Would Love to See a Saul Berenson Prequel
After eight thrilling seasons, Homeland is wrapping up Carrie Matheson (Claire Danes) and Saul Berenson’s (Mandy Patinkin) story. But after seeing Ben Savage portray a young Saul in flashback scenes of the penultimate episode of the series, fans realized how much they’d love to see a Saul-based prequel.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Homeland Season 8, Episode 11.]
‘Homeland’ gives viewers a peek into Saul’s past
In “The English Teacher,” Homeland fans got a glimpse into Saul’s past. Carrie is on a mission to retrieve the black box that could thwart a potential nuclear war between the United States and Pakistan. But now that it is in the hands of Yevgeny Gromov (Costa Ronin), she is under pressure to betray Saul and discover the identity of his asset in the Kremlin.
Yevgeny promises Carrie that he’ll give her the black box in exchange for the name of Saul’s contact. So, with the help of CIA agent Jenna Bragg (Andrea Deck), Carrie begins digging into her mentor’s past. When she asks him about his Russian asset, Saul denies it.
But in a series of flashbacks, part of his backstory is revealed. As a young CIA operative, Saul (whose younger version is played by Ben Savage) was in Berlin before the wall came down. He recruits a student from a KGB school, but when the young man’s motives are discovered by the KGB, they kill his entire class. After witnessing the injustice, the class teacher volunteers to become Saul’s asset in the Russian government.
Fans are ready for a prequel about Saul’s life in the CIA
Carrie and Saul’s stories won’t go any further after the series finale airs on April 26. But upon seeing a glimpse of Saul’s thrilling life as a young CIA officer, fans suggested the idea of a Homeland prequel.
“Homeland has been outstanding this season – I’m sorry it must end,” one fan wrote on Twitter. “But I would definitely watch a prequel show about Saul’s adventures in the 1980s.”
“Incredible penultimate episode of #Homeland,” another fan tweeted. “I want a prequel series of Young Saul and his assets around the globe doing their part in these massive world events. What a legacy he has. So damn cool seeing spy sh** like that. Finale is sure to be wild.”
And upon seeing actor Ben Savage play the young version of Saul, some fans pointed out what a perfect match he is for the character. Many suggested he play the part if a prequel were ever made.
“Clearly, we now need a whole #Homeland prequel series with Ben Savage as Young Saul,” one Twitter user suggested.
“I think Homeland is going to have multiple spinoffs,” another fan speculated on Twitter. “I think one will introduce a new lead agent/character and the other will go back into Saul’s life as an agent played by Ben Savage from Boy Meets World.”
However, as of now, Showtime hasn’t announced any plans for a Homeland prequel. And showrunners haven’t expressed any interest in creating one. But, if enough fans ask, there’s always a chance that some network executive somewhere will hear the call and put in a good word.
