The title "the smile" comes from Carrie's reaction after evading her pursuer in Beirut.
The first two episodes of Season 2 were shot in Israel which was doubling up for Beirut.
This attracted audience figures of 1.73 million, the then highest ever for an episode of Homeland (2011).
David Marciano, Navid Negahban and Jamey Sheridan were all promoted from guest roles to series regulars for Season 2.
Season 2 continued the stellar run for Homeland (2011) with the series winning the Golden Globe for Drama, and both Claire Danes and Damian Lewis winning in their respective categories.