Carrie Mathison

Grew up… in a suburb of Washington D.C. Carrie, a Princeton graduate, has always been dedicated and intense. She received her real education working as a field agent in Iraq for the C.I.A.

Living… on a thin line between sanity and madness. The only two things thing keeping Carrie grounded are her job and the pills she takes to control her bipolar disorder. Her condition, unfortunately, is often incompatible with her job. As she goes deeper into her investigations, it becomes difficult to distinguish her imagination from reality.

Profession… Case Officer at the Central Intelligence Agency. Carrie was relocated back to the United States after causing an international incident in Iraq. Carrie’s dedication to her job and to her country sometimes causes her to go overboard. “I missed something once before,” she tells her boss, Saul, referring to 9/11. “I won’t, I can’t let that happen again.”

Relationship Status… single, but Carrie doesn’t have time for a relationship. The only place where she finds the opportunity for romance is the workplace, which has gotten her into trouble in the past. She seems resigned to a life married to the C.I.A. “I’m gonna be alone my whole life, aren’t I?” she asks.

Challenge… convincing her superiors at the Agency about a lead she obtained in Iraq. She insists to her boss that an American prisoner of war has been turned, and suspects Nick Brody. But Carrie’s bipolar disorder makes her prone to seeing conspiracy and pattern where there is none. Convinced that she is the only one who knows the truth, she embarks on her own mission to investigate this controversial lead.

Personality… driven and intense. Carrie is willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of her professional and patriotic mission. Some of her colleagues would describe her as a loose cannon. She’s one of the C.I.A.’s best agents, but she’s also created severe problems for the agency.