4 things to know about the 'Homeland' season finale

— -- The season 6 ender of "Homeland" left us with more questions than answers.

Titled "America First," this was no happy ending -- a major character was killed off (spoilers ahead!) -- but it also gave viewers no break from the reality they see every time they turn on the news.

Here are four things you need to know about the finale:

Farewell Quinn

Peter Quinn (played by Rupert Friend) began the season a shadow of his previous self -- his body crippled, brain- and motor-function delayed -- and questioning Carrie (Claire Danes) why she had bothered to save him. Though she could never give him the answer he wanted to hear, he continued to protect her to the very end. As they both unravel the "deep state" plot to assassinate President-Elect Elizabeth Keane, Quinn sacrifices his own life to save the new president. Even if it seems that it was always destined to be this way, it's still hard to say goodbye to Quinn, who was the reason many of us watched this season.

Dar in Jail

Dar Adal is deservedly behind bars for the foiled Keane assassination, even if he never intended for things to go as far as his fellow plotters did. In fact, it is Dar who warns Carrie of the plot. Just to add to our mixed feelings about Dar, he tells Saul from jail, "What I did was unforgivable, Saul, but I’m not sure it was wrong. There’s something off about her, something dogmatic and dangerous." He's talking, of course, about Keane -- and it turns out he's right.

Keane Turns Bad

It's 34 days into her presidency, and Keane, who has survived a disinformation campaign and an assassination attempt, seems to be moving on with the plotters in military jail, and Carrie -- whom she offers a senior adviser position -- by her side. Carrie excitedly accepts with the caveat that she can get Franny back. After child services signs off, it seems Carrie and season six are headed toward a happy ending.

But, no so fast. Carrie gets a FaceTime call from Saul, who is being arrested, along with other intelligence and military officials as Keane's paranoia and new chief of staff take over. Keane even turns her back on Carrie, who shouts, "Innocent people are being arrested in your name!" before being escorted out of the White House.

Carrie's Uncertain Future

That leaves Carrie, in the episode's final scene, staring with a mixture of shock, grief and anger at the Capitol building in much the same way Brody did in an earlier season -- unsure of whether the country has turned its back on her and what she does now that she's both outside of the agency and the White House. It was an unsettling ending for viewers as well, which, as executive producer Alex Gansa told Deadline Hollywood, was exactly the point for setting up the final two seasons of the show.