Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis) in the season finale of 'Homeland'
[MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD]
You must have seen it coming, but that didn’t make it any easier. Nicholas Brody, the sergeant-turned-Al-Qaeda-terrorist-turned-CIA-asset, was killed off Homeland last night in the season three finale.
Showtime reportedly resisted letting Damian Lewis, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of Brody, leave the show — even though the show’s writers have said for years that they thought killing Brody was best for the narrative. The twist was inevitable, but the gruesome way Brody died — a public hanging as his pregnant lover, Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) looked on — still left fans and critics in shock. They took to Twitter to react (beginning with TIME’s own James Poniewozik).