My favorite thing about my visit to the Homeland writers’ office this past week wasn’t the character headshots high up on the wall or the tantalizing teases for Season 3 written in dry-erase marker. It was the basket of candy sent by actor Hrach Titizian (Galvez) thanking the staff for keeping him alive — for now.

Things change quickly on Homeland, as anyone who watched the explosive second season finale could tell you. The man in charge of it all, showrunner Alex Gansa, knows that better than anyone. In our exclusive conversation, Gansa addressed all of the criticism his show faced in its sophomore season — including the head-scatching Skyping and the heart-stopping pacemakers — as well as his own thoughts on the true nature of Carrie and Brody’s relationship. From Finn Walden’s driving skills to Chris Brody’s powers of prognostication, nothing was off limits and everything was discussed, including a few hints of what might be in store for next year. So pour yourself a goblet of white wine and portion out your pills. This was a fun one.

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