It was something that his us all hard atHomeland.
Gansa previously spent years as a writer-producer on another terror thriller, Foxs24.
Each episode of Jack Bauers ticking-clock race to stop domestic threats took place during an hour of screen time.
Credit: Jim Fiscus/Showtime
But this year itsHomelandthat seems its somehow unfolding in real time.
ALEX GANSA: When David made those statements he hadnt yet heard our pitch.
[A story] that was maybe not so Muslim-centric was a possibility.
Obviously it didnt turn out that way.
Whats been your reaction to watching these headlines as your story has unfolded?
Its a very thorny problem that all these intelligence agencies face.
Also, there are moral and ethical questions, and some pragmatic ones.
You go on a fact-finding mission into D.C. and meet with intelligence experts before writing every season.
Is that what inspired the Europe story line?
They were all woven together to create the fabric of season 5.
I think the most surreal moment was two episodes back.
The same night Obama was addressing the nationsayingthe same thing.
Well, I think hes telling the truth.
Look, Im just a layperson.
I have a minor in foreign affairs.
Im reluctant to speak on these issues.Homelandtries not to do that.
We make a run at pose questions not posit answers.
What do we do once were there?
Were facing a chaotic array of enemies down there and were back to another Iraq situation.
That doesnt seem like the answer.
Stronger, better, more intelligence minds than mine are trying to figure it out.
But I dont believe rashly rushing into that area is wise.
Its fascinating the way the show plays such different sides of the debate.
He was leading a special ops team against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
That was probably an incredibly difficult, super violent and unbelievably frustrating two years.
How much progress did he make?
How much killing did he have to unleash?
And what does that do to a human being?
What was your overall reaction toObamas speech outlining his terror strategy?
I think Obamas speech was reasoned, measured, and exactly appropriate.
The show exists in sort of the nether-future.
It wasnt meant to suggest it had just happened.
It happened sometime in the past, is the idea.
Whats your take on the online privacy debate?
Speaking as an American citizen nad not somebody who runsHomeland: Its whats happened since 9/11.
How do we balance this equation, how do we keep ourselves safe without negating our civil liberties?
Its a difficult question and one we attempt to deal with a dramatic way onHomeland.
I dont know the answer.
With all your research on this subject over the years, has your perspective on terrorism shifted?
I think it has.
I certainly think season 4 was a reflection of that shift.
Look at what Carrie was doing in season 4: She was The Drone Queen.
We were engaged in was some form of extra-judicial killing in those tribal areas.
And yes, we were degrading al-Qaeda and the Taliban, theres no question about it.
But were we creating more terrorists than we were killing and operating outside the bounds of our moral obligation?
Honestly, I have no idea.
Youve done an excellent job of that.
She literally took over episodes of the show like nobody weve seen since Damian.
Well, theres more of that coming.
Speaking of, what can we expect in the season finale?
Youre not giving post-finale interviews [this year].
Should we be braced for something particularly dramatic?
No, not at all.
After five years, I just want the finale to speak for itself.
