Homeland Question

Why does Carrie have a different last name in the flashbacks to when she first got to Baghdad and met Allison?

She's always been Carrie Mathison I thought, but when she called her contact from Iraq who was trying to reach her she called herself by another last name and when she first got to Baghdad she asked for Allison and said she was Carrie Something Else (Forgot the last name she used)

Does anyone know why?

Did she have to change her name after that or something?

Homeland Question

I think we are not supposed to know why yet.

Re: Homeland Question

i was interested in this too and found an article on wall street journal that said both she and allison used different last names and that this was not uncommon for people to do in that job they had in Baghdad.

link to article

Homeland Question

Carrie and Allison both had different last names. I read somewhere that the CIA changes their last names when they more on new positions so it's harder for people to trace them back or something like that.

Re: Homeland Question

I believe they both had different last names because it was an undercover position - meaning undercover even within the American embassy.

The CIA and American embassies of any country often do not have common interests (we know that from last season in Pakistan!) so some agents will take "X" position at the embassy as official cover while really working for the CIA.

She called herself Carrie Orser and I know I've heard it from her before - other than the phone call from the judge - but I can't recall exactly when. It's probably her standard alias.