Peter Quinn

Peter Quinn
Name:	John
Status:	Alive
Birthplace:	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Nationality:	American
Alias(es):	Peter Quinn
Affiliation:	Central Intelligence Agency
Marital status:	Single
Significant other(s):	Ex-girlfriend: Julia Diaz
Children:	with Julia Diaz: John Jr.
Played by:	Rupert Friend
Season(s):	2, 3, 4
Episodes:	21 appearances
First episode:	New Car Smell

John, known in the CIA as Peter Quinn, is an elite CIA black-ops agent who was assigned to lead a surveillance team consisting of Carrie Mathison, Saul Berenson, Virgil and Max to observe Congressman Nicholas Brody after it was discovered that Brody had attempted to assassinate Vice President William Walden.

Eventually, after two meetings with Brody, Carrie felt that her assignment had been discovered by him and informed him that she knew about his role with Abu Nazir. Brody was then arrested, much to Quinn and Saul's dismay.

Brody was taken to an intelligence base where he was interrogated by Quinn. After tricking Brody and showing his lies, Quinn resorted to brutal bad cop/good cop tactics and impaled Brody's left hand with a knife.

After Quinn was dragged from the room, Carrie took over the interrogation, while Quinn revealed to Saul that this was his plan. Carrie showed Brody her love for him, managing to get him to reveal that he had worn a suicide vest and informing her that although he didn't know Nazir's plan, he believed that Roya Hammad might know.

After watching Roya and failing to identify a contact of hers, Quinn and Carrie called in Brody, who also failed, but revealed to him that the Gettysburg tailor was dead. Knowing this, after having wasted time with a team watching the shop, Quinn, Danny Galvez and a team went to Gettysburg.

While there, Carrie revealed details of a meeting Brody had with Roya, informing him that there was something there. Enemy Intel that Roya had wanted to recover. After Carrie warned him to be careful and just as he discovered a hollow wall, the CIA team was attacked by enemy assailants, killing most of them and wounding Quinn and Galvez.

It was later discovered by Saul, Virgil and Max that Quinn was hired to assassinate Brody whenever Abu Nazir was caught, or killed. However, Quinn later refused to kill Brody, as it would hurt Carrie and told Estes that if Brody was killed, that he would be killed, as well.

Biography

Early life

John "Peter Quinn" was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States of America and graduated from The Hill School and Harvard University. (New Car Smell)

He later met a woman named Julia Diaz. The two have a son together, John, Jr., who Quinn wasn't around to raise. (Two Hats)

Assassin

At an unknown time, Quinn became an assassin for the CIA. He served under orders from Black Ops leader, Dar Adal. (Two Hats) (Broken Hearts)

Congressman Brody assignment

Surveillance leader

Quinn after being assigned to kill Brody.

After Saul Berenson discovered a video of Congressman Nicholas Brody admitting his part in an attempt on Vice President William Walden's life, he showed it to Carrie Mathison and David Estes.

After Estes viewed the tape, he and Saul discussed putting together a small team to watch Brody, with Estes insisting on assigning his own choice to head the team. Estes selected Quinn for the assignment. (New Car Smell)

Unknown to Saul, Carrie and Brody, Quinn was hired for the assignment to assassinate Brody when the team no longer needed his assistance in finding and killing, or capturing, Abu Nazir. (Two Hats)

Quinn met Saul and soon after Carrie, where the latter two got off to a rocky start before collaborating together on the assignment. Not long after their mission began, Carrie received a call from Congressman Brody, asking her to meet him at a hotel bar for a drink.

She quickly accepted and met with him. After a conversation and a drink with Brody, he left to his hotel room. Quinn and Saul asked Carrie to wrap it up and return to the surveillance headquarters, but she insisted that her cover was finished and that Brody had noticed that she was after him.

She went to Brody's room and told him that they had little time together, revealing that she knew he was working for Abu Nazir. After a brief confrontation with Carrie, Brody was arrested by the surveillance team. (New Car Smell)

Interrogating Brody

Quinn interrogating Brody.

After his arrest, Brody was taken to the intelligence base, where he was soon questioned by Peter, who asked him various question about his captivity, as well as Abu Nazir and his son, Issa. After Brody lied to Quinn about knowing Issa and having been involved in a plot to assassinate Vice President Walden, Quinn revealed the tape of Brody stating his intention to assassinate Walden.

Quinn left the room to let Brody think on his next answers before returning. Receiving truthful answers the second time, Brody still wouldn't admit that he was wearing a suicide vest when he was with Walden and other American higher-ups on December 17, 2011. In apparent anger, Quinn drew his knife from his pocket and impaled it through Brody's left hand.

Quinn was dragged from the room, screaming, appearing to be angry and frustrated. However, this was only a plan to get Carrie in the room with Brody to play good cop and get answers from Brody. She soon succeeded, revealing to Brody her love for him and convinced him to help the CIA find Nazir, to which he agreed.

Brody revealed that there was a plot Nazir had masterminded to attack America and that even though he wasn't sure what it was, he believed that Roya Hammad might have some information about it. (Q&A)

Brody's assistance

Quinn and Carrie soon began watching Roya, with other agents following her. She met with an associate, whom Carrie asked Virgil to track, but he got away. With no leads to go on and no facial recognition, even with a clean picture, Carrie convinced Quinn to ask for Brody's assistance in identifying the man.

Brody later arrived and spoke with Carrie and Quinn about the man, claiming that he'd never seen him before. Brody looked at Carrie, who was standing next to a photo of the Gettysburg tailor Brody had mentioned to them before. Quinn noticed that Brody had information about something and questioned him.

Brody revealed that he knew the tailor and that on the way to a safe house, the tailor died. Brody avoided mentioning that he had killed the tailor, though Quinn questioned him about it. Angered that the CIA had wasted time with having a team watch the tailor's shop, he decided to go to Gettysburg himself.

After telling Brody to stay put where he was, Carrie and Quinn discussed the situation, with Carrie coming up with a plan to get Brody to ask Roya about the man he had met with earlier, as Brody was all that they had to go on. Quinn objected to the plan and warned Carrie not to trust Brody, but considering Brody had led them to Roya, he agreed to let her try it. (A Gettysburg Address)

Gettysburg investigation

Quinn went with a team including Danny Galvez to Gettysburg. They searched the tailor's shop, but could only find mostly receipts and cigarette butts. Carrie called Quinn after Brody met with Roya, informing him that she mentioned enemy Intel being there, before warning Quinn to be careful. Just as Quinn noticed a hollow wall, an armored and masked enemy assault team entered the store.

Quinn after being wounded in the stomach.

The assault team fired upon the CIA team, hitting Quinn in the stomach, leaving him motionless on the floor. Galvez managed to kill one of the assailants, but was then shot as well. One of the assailants removed his mask, revealing himself to be the man Roya had met with. After they left, Quinn began moving, again, holding his stomach wound in pain. (A Gettysburg Address)

Survival

Although he was wounded in the stomach, Quinn survived the Gettysburg attack. He met with Carrie while he was admitted to a hospital and though he was informed to stay in bed, he discharged himself from the hospital, quickly return to duty. (The Clearing)

Mission compromised

After Virgil and Max broke into Quinn's apartment, they discovered a photo of a woman named Julia Diaz, her child and a clean apartment, ready to be ditched at any moment. Saul investigated the woman, meeting with her and learning that she knows Quinn as John and the child in the photo is their son, John, Jr..

After Saul left from visiting Julia, she called Quinn and told him what the man looked like. When Saul returned to their headquarters, Quinn left, knowing that Saul was the man who visited her. Virgil followed Quinn and observed him meeting a man on a bus, that Saul later confirmed to be a CIA black ops leader named Dar Adal. (Two Hats)

Mission aborted

After watching Carrie and Brody spend time together at her family's cabin, Quinn had an opportunity to assassinate Brody from a distance with his sniper rifle while Brody was in the woods, praying. However, Quinn stopped and decided not to kill Brody.

Quinn: Nothing happens to Brody.

Estes: Or?
Quinn: Or you'll find me back in this bedroom one night. Right back in that chair...'cause I'm the guy that kills bad guys.

—Peter Quinn threatens David Estes

Quinn confronting Estes.

Quinn visited Estes one night and informed him that he knew Estes was trying to cover his own back and that if Brody died, it would deeply hurt Carrie. Quinn informed Estes that if Brody were to be killed, that Estes would be killed next.

Quinn never could fulfill his threat, as Estes was killed in a bomb explosion at a memorial for Vice President Walden. (The Choice)

Behind the Scenes

Appearances

Season 2
"The Smile"	"Beirut is Back"	"State of Independence"	New Car Smell	Q&A
A Gettysburg Address	The Clearing	I'll Fly Away	Two Hats	Broken Hearts
In Memoriam	The Choice

Season 3
Tin Man Is Down	Uh... Oh... Ah...	"Tower of David"	"Game On"	The Yoga Play
Still Positive	Gerontion	A Red Wheelbarrow	"One Last Thing"	Good Night
Big Man in Tehran	The Star

Season 4
The Drone Queen	Trylon and Perisphere	Shalwar Kameez	"Iron in the Fire"	"About a Boy"
"From A. to B. and Back Again"	"Redux"	"Halfway to a Donut"	"There's Something Else Going On"	"13 Hours in Islamabad"
"Krieg Nicht Lieb"	"Long Time Coming"