S08.E12: Prisoners of War

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SERIES FINALE!

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TBA

Promo:

Original air date: 4/27/20
 

[LoveLeigh]

It is not up yet On Demand. Maybe because it is the series finale they are not putting it up so the ratings are higher for this episode.

[EtheltoTillie]

Yes, came here to express my disappointment.  It’s not on Showtime Anytime.  Phooey, Showtime, for making us wait 19 more hours. 

[dwmarch]

Per the show's Facebook page, they are not dropping the episode early:

 

[econ07]

So Carrie turned out to be a villian ... turning on the one person who had her back.

[MartyQui]

You needed to watch until the end...she sacrificed her life to replace the woman she sacrificed.  Loved the ending.

[econ07]

1 minute ago, MartyQui said:

You needed to watch until the end...she sacrificed her life to replace the woman she sacrificed.  Loved the ending.

D'oh ... I'm on a 5 minute delay.  No worries though. 🙂

[chick binewski]

2 minutes ago, MartyQui said:

You needed to watch until the end...she sacrificed her life to replace the woman she sacrificed.  Loved the ending.

I think that's a generous pov towards Carrie's character- I didn't quite see it that way, possibly bc of the way the final scenes were edited. Also, bc Carrie pulled some serious bullshit on Saul and his sister.

Other than that I thought the first 60 minutes were terrific - brought me back to the earlier seasons of the show. 

[edhopper]

Very disappointing, and dumb in so many ways. And characters unresolved.

[nara]

I liked it. Now I must go back and see which, if any, of my speculations were accurate.

i wish they had introduced the asset earlier so we could have felt the fear of the chase and her loss more. I could rationally think of the situation, but I didn’t really feel it.

And I love that Saul would rather die than give up his asset. I need a boss like him!

Glad that Frannie was mentioned and was a factor in the conclusion. For a second I thought Carrie was going to grab her and run...

What became of the Russians who were with Saul? Why didn’t they warn anyone that he was still alive?

Loved the apartment in Moscow! 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by nara
Stupid autocorrect

[LoveLeigh]

I hate endings so this hit me hard. Carrie is not with Frannie. She will never see Saul again and eventually, because eventually, all spies are discovered... she will rot in some jail there if not executed. 

I am sad this show is now over. I hate endings. They are so final. 

[EtheltoTillie]

I liked it. Very satisfying resolution to a morally complex situation. But we didn’t find out what happened in those seven months!  

3 minutes ago, DakotaLavender said:

I hate endings so this hit me hard. Carrie is not with Frannie. She will never see Saul again and eventually, because eventually, all spies are discovered... she will rot in some jail there if not executed. 

I am sad this show is now over. I hate endings. They are so final. 

Sad like the ending of The Americans for me. 

[HOTNTX53]

I thought that it was a good ending and Carrie does end up the double agent like I thought, but at least it was in a good way -- sort of.

My heart rate was probably over 200 though watching. When Carrie was doing all that stuff, about to have Saul killed, I could have watched her tied between 2 horses and pulled apart or shot in the face!

So Carrie basically became what the Russian asset was to Saul.

And she cleaned up well in the end. At least Saul isn't dead!

[nara]

3 minutes ago, GussieK said:

I liked it. Very satisfying resolution to a morally complex situation. But we didn’t find out what happened in those seven months!  

It does appear that one of the things that happened was some sort of romantic relationship with Yevgeny. She might not have remembered it, but his actions were clearly impacted by it.

[healthnut]

Loved the ending. I wasn’t so sure halfway or even two thirds through the episode but I thought the ending was perfect. And thank God, they didn’t kill Saul. 

[preeya]

So, does the ending lean towards a possible sequel forthcoming?

"Specs to follow. Stay tuned."

 

[scrb]

I was getting so angry when Carrie signaled the Russians after paralyzing Saul.  

Then the shit she pulled with Dorit.

So they want us to believe that she singlehandedly saved thousands of lives.  That moreover, she was the unknown hero who saved Hayes, Americans, Pakistanis, the world.

She is the American Joan of Arc, making the ultimate self-sacrifice to make America safe, to make the world better.

Or so the writers want us to believe.

Except she really doesn't give up her life.  She leads a life of privilege in Moscow AND she's screwing over the Russians and Oleg.

She has her cake and eats it.

But the doomsday scenario she rescued America and the world from was unmitigated bullshit.  Pakistan isn't going to rise up against the US and the POTUS isn't getting himself killed in Afghanistan.  Nor are Americans going to mass troops before they use Air Supremacy doctrine to raze AA defenses and other military targets, then economic targets.

Russians may be grateful to her for burning Anna and maybe writing anti-American books. But it's also highly unlikely that she could have free reign to be a double agent.  Russians would be suspicious, unless Oleg is so mesmerized by her that he is oblivious to her running intelligence assets in Moscow -- that's also being implied her, that her sexual wiles are such that she is manipulating a high-ranking GRU officer.

 

This ending makes it more like 24.  Jack Bauer keeps saving America but he's unappreciated and his heroic feats are unknown to Americans and he has to go on the run in Mexico or something, so that he doesn't get turned over to the Chinese.

Yeah, yeah, our greatest spies have a thankless job but they do it with very little gratitude or adulation.

 

 

[chick binewski]

2 minutes ago, preeya said:

So, does the ending lean towards a possible sequel forthcoming?

"Specs to follow. Stay tuned."

 

When I became pretty sure Carrie wasn't going to get killed towards the end, I thought they were crafting the story towards an upcoming 2 hour movie. But I don't think I want the show without Saul, and I HATE that they - by all appearances - gave him a terminal illness at the end.

[Hoi Polloi]

It's shocking that Yevgeny Gromov would trust Carrie.

[econ07]

So she literally abandoned her daughter and wrote anti-American books with her face on the cover to stare at her daughter from ad spaces of web pages.  Way to go Carrie.  Mother of the year.  Ya, that kid won't have any issues growing up.  

[HOTNTX53]

9 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

 I HATE that they - by all appearances - gave him a terminal illness at the end.

Did I miss something? I know that after the 2 year jump, it is mentioned that Saul had had a heart attack, but what inference was made about Saul having a terminal illness?

[nara]

2 minutes ago, HOTNTX53 said:

Did I miss something? I know that after the 2 year jump, it is mentioned that Saul had had a heart attack, but what inference was made about Saul having a terminal illness?

His sister made it sound like he was moving into some facility to be cared for, but I thought it was just a retirement home. Chick interpreted it as more serious. The thing is that he was blooming with health, and the implication was that he was going to be Carrie’s handler—so how could he be dying?

[healthnut]

29 minutes ago, chick binewski said:

But I don't think I want the show without Saul, and I HATE that they - by all appearances - gave him a terminal illness at the end.

He’s recovering from a heart attack, no terminal illness. 
 

34 minutes ago, scrb said:

Except she really doesn't give up her life.  She leads a life of privilege in Moscow AND she's screwing over the Russians and Oleg.

She has her cake and eats it.

She doesn’t get to live with Frannie or be in her life so she’s definitely giving up her life and living the life of a spy is no privilege. I hardly would call it having her cake and eating it.

[Cramps]

I thought the ending was great. 

[Joimiaroxeu]

One would think someone in Saul's position would have security. It shouldn't have been so easy even for Carrie to get to him like that, even if she was his houseguest. But Saul could be stunningly naive sometimes.

If Saul's sister knew about Carrie at all she should've insisted upon a death certificate before she gave Carrie anything. And Saul should've been prepared for the possibility that Carrie would go off the deep end--again--and set up some kind of fail-safe.

So nuclear war with Pakistan was averted but Hayes and his puppetmaster Zabel ended up looking like Russia's liitle bitches. Mission accomplished?

So now Carrie has inserted herself as a double agent inside Russia. Wonder how long it'll be before Yevgeny figures it out and he kills her? She must be putting it on him something fierce. 🤔
 
What a ride it's been. Bravo, Homeland.

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an upcoming 2 hour movie.

That would be an interesting possibility though I think maybe Homeland has been overtaken by reality at this point.

[bobbyjoe]

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So, does the ending lean towards a possible sequel forthcoming?

"Specs to follow. Stay tuned."

I believe Showtime has hinted that they might be interested in a future movie, etc. Also, with this show it’s not like they have to get some big ensemble cast back together, acting-wise there’s just two people who would have to return (even Yevgeny could be written off off-screen).  Carrie’s in no worse a position than Jack Bauer was at the end of several seasons of 24 for them to find some ridiculous but acceptable way to get her and Saul back together again somehow. 

That being said my one disappointment with the finale was that the twist at the end didn’t involve Saul being knowingly in on the long con.   There just would have been something great about learning that Carrie and Saul— knowing that they were backed into a nearly impossible corner— had worked this out together rather than Carrie doing it all herself; it would have been a better punctuation to their relationship and felt a bit more true instead of Carrie— who just episodes ago nearly helped increase chances for war by stubbornly trying to save Max— having genuinely risked Saul’s life all on her own.

[chocolatine]

2 hours ago, nara said:

Loved the apartment in Moscow!

That apartment seemed way over the top for me, that whole glamorous sequence seemed like it belonged in a James Bond movie and was a jarring shift from the usual grittiness of the show. Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and the few Muscovites who can afford that kind of luxury are bound to draw attention to themselves, which is something spies usually avoid. Unless Evgeny got a huge promotion for identifying Anna and turning Carrie and is now a high-ranking government official, their lifestyle doesn't make any sense.

2 hours ago, HOTNTX53 said:

I thought that it was a good ending and Carrie does end up the double agent like I thought, but at least it was in a good way -- sort of.

With Saul being elderly and not in the best of health - and apparently retired from the CIA if he's moving to some kind of facility - how is that going to work though? Saul doesn't have anyone whom he can trust with this information after he passes, since Carrie was that person.

[dwmarch]

First and foremost I wish this show had found more occasions to put Carrie in a tight black leather skirt because she was rocking that thing! This show rarely ever dresses her up so there isn't much competition but I think it's her best look and I can't help but love that she's up to some sneaky shit while so dressed.

I am surprised they used Saul's old method for communicating with the translator. That channel is deeply compromised and cannot be assumed to be safe. I mean, I assume the GRU debriefed Carrie and one of the first questions should have been "how was Saul's asset communicating with him?" He could have had other assets communicating the same way. Also, the method sucks. You get a tiny scrap of paper good for two lines of clear text? No ciphers? No one-time pads? No microdots? How is Carrie supposed to get schematics to Saul two lines at a time?

I also call nonsense on the explicit connection to Snowden because I am certain that the relationship between Snowden and Russia is one way and one way only. For sure Snowden has been interviewed by some high ranking Russian intelligence agents. However, I don't think they haven't been all like "hey dude, check out these missile schematics! There's a Death Star-style flaw in them that we hope no one ever finds out about!" Having said that, I don't think Snowden is dating anyone at the GRU. Still, I don't think Carrie (or any other turned asset) would ever enjoy that level of trust, at least not from what I have read. If someone will betray their home country they will certainly betray their adopted country and there are numerous stories of defectors who have tried to defect back even to places like North Korea where this will always end with the defector getting shot on sight.

However, the biggest thing that stood out to me as unrealistic was the head of the GRU going on live television to play the black box recording and beg the US not to go to war. I can't see that happening in the real world under any circumstances. Do we even know who the current head of the GRU is? I'm not asking. I don't want to know. I'm sure he's a nice fellow and I will be over here minding my own business.

I was surprised it was Maggie who narced Carried out based on a random sighting at Langley. I was sure Saul's old buddy from the extraction gone wrong would be the one to drop the dime.

Saul's sister was another surprise return. I remember hearing rumors that this season was going to be based in Israel so it was a pleasant surprise that we actually did end up there (or at least in Morocco pretending to be Israel) for a scene or two. Speaking of Saul's sister, I would have laughed hard if it turned out she was old school Mossad and busted out an Uzi when Carrie came for Saul's secret stash.

While Carrie is in Moscow maybe she can secure the release of Jack Bauer. That would be a fun place to pick this up again.

[ruby24]

How Frannie was treated this season was truly despicable. And out of character, imo.

I'm sorry, but the last interaction Carrie had with her daughter was not almost drowning her in the bathtub. Was that the only moment that the writers decided ever mattered btw Carrie and Frannie? Because she raised her until she was, what, 6? And the last time she saw her she PROMISED her that she was always going to come back, no matter what.

So Frannie's biggest memory of her mother is going to be that she's an absolute bald-faced liar who doesn't love her, because she abandoned her and never even tried to see her again.

This may have made sense if they had had Carrie give up Frannie when she was an infant, or even a toddler. But they didn't. Carrie fought to keep her daughter, she wanted her, even in her deteriorating mental state last season. Now, suddenly, this season she doesn't anymore.

BULLSHIT.

[Mysteyman]

2 hours ago, preeya said:

So, does the ending lean towards a possible sequel forthcoming?

"Specs to follow. Stay tuned."

No. it indicates that there are many more russian secrets to come that Carrie is going to give Saul.

PERFECT ENDING! CARRIE GOING OUT LIKE THE BOSS THAT SHE IS!

 

 

 

[scrb]

2 hours ago, healthnut said:

She doesn’t get to live with Frannie or be in her life so she’s definitely giving up her life and living the life of a spy is no privilege. I hardly would call it having her cake and eating it.

I’m referring to her living situation, that luxury apt. As opposed to rotting in jail or some dingy apt.

Like noted below, it’s unlikely she’d be living well and would be running an intelligence operation.

Hell for all we know, she’s a triple agent and feeding Saul garbage.

But the show wants us to believe that while Carrie can’t return to the US, she is living in the lap of luxury while screwing over the bad guys and helping America still.

 

[Cramps]

1 hour ago, ruby24 said:

Question: what did Carrie put in the safe in her daughter’s room? 

[dwmarch]

9 minutes ago, Cramps said:

Question: what did Carrie put in the safe in her daughter’s room? 

Carrie had a go-bag stashed in there which she took out, raided and then put back. She had money, passports and a gun hidden within. Because she loves her daughter so much she took out the passports and money and left the fucking gun behind. Because there's no way a curious kid is ever going to stumble upon that and cause trouble, right?

[nara]

6 hours ago, chocolatine said:

That apartment seemed way over the top for me, that whole glamorous sequence seemed like it belonged in a James Bond movie and was a jarring shift from the usual grittiness of the show. Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world, and the few Muscovites who can afford that kind of luxury are bound to draw attention to themselves, which is something spies usually avoid. Unless Evgeny got a huge promotion for identifying Anna and turning Carrie and is now a high-ranking government official, their lifestyle doesn't make any sense.

With Saul being elderly and not in the best of health - and apparently retired from the CIA if he's moving to some kind of facility - how is that going to work though? Saul doesn't have anyone whom he can trust with this information after he passes, since Carrie was that person.

The apartment is definitely real estate porn, but I do enjoy that.

It’s possible that Saul is not moving to a facility and is just moving out of the house where he was almost murdered...but perhaps he can officially retire from his high position  and secretly run 1 or 2 assets under cover of retirement.

6 hours ago, dwmarch said:

I also call nonsense on the explicit connection to Snowden because I am certain that the relationship between Snowden and Russia is one way and one way only. For sure Snowden has been interviewed by some high ranking Russian intelligence agents. However, I don't think they haven't been all like "hey dude, check out these missile schematics! There's a Death Star-style flaw in them that we hope no one ever finds out about!" Having said that, I don't think Snowden is dating anyone at the GRU. Still, I don't think Carrie (or any other turned asset) would ever enjoy that level of trust, at least not from what I have read. If someone will betray their home country they will certainly betray their adopted country and there are numerous stories of defectors who have tried to defect back even to places like North Korea where this will always end with the defector getting shot on sight.

However, the biggest thing that stood out to me as unrealistic was the head of the GRU going on live television to play the black box recording and beg the US not to go to war. I can't see that happening in the real world under any circumstances. Do we even know who the current head of the GRU is? I'm not asking. I don't want to know. I'm sure he's a nice fellow and I will be over here minding my own business.

 

Saul's sister was another surprise return. I remember hearing rumors that this season was going to be based in Israel so it was a pleasant surprise that we actually did end up there (or at least in Morocco pretending to be Israel) for a scene or two. Speaking of Saul's sister, I would have laughed hard if it turned out she was old school Mossad and busted out an Uzi when Carrie came for Saul's secret stash.

 

I thought that woman in the bathroom was the one who gave Carrie the deets on the weapon flaw...Carrie herself doesn’t have to have access to anything.

Wasn’t the guy who made the announcement the Russian rep to the UN? He might also be the GRU head, but the announcement seemed appropriate.

 I would have LOVED Dorit being Mossad, even if she didn’t do anything dramatic. Missed opportunity!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I watched all seven seasons of Pretty Little Liars so after Carrie drugged Saul and went downstairs to signal the GRU team, I fully expected his body to be gone when Carrie got back upstairs.

Carrie's "one life to save hundreds of thousands" argument made me miss 12 Monkeys.

I loved seeing Zabel's face drop when Saul told him that no one shot down the helicopter.

It made no sense to me why Carrie took everything out of the black go bag stashed in Franny's room and put it all in her brown bag. Just take the black bag with you!

9 minutes ago, nara said:

I thought that woman in the bathroom was the one who gave Carrie the deets on the weapon flaw...Carrie herself doesn’t have to have access to anything.

She did. They switched purses - the purse that Carrie told Yevgeny she had to get before they left for the show.

Edited April 27, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[chick binewski]

8 hours ago, HOTNTX53 said:

Did I miss something? I know that after the 2 year jump, it is mentioned that Saul had had a heart attack, but what inference was made about Saul having a terminal illness?

 

8 hours ago, nara said:

His sister made it sound like he was moving into some facility to be cared for, but I thought it was just a retirement home. Chick interpreted it as more serious. The thing is that he was blooming with health, and the implication was that he was going to be Carrie’s handler—so how could he be dying?

My take that Saul was dying was based on the fact this was the final episode and they chose to show his last few minutes on screen moving out of his home and giving up personal items while his sister attempted to care for him, his difficulty to get up, his underplaying a heart attack to Claude (which is such a Saul thing to do). It seemed a little heavy-handed that they would show all this just to inform us Saul was going to a returement community.

Don't ask me how he's Carrie the traitor's handler if he's retired bc I'm still kind of annoyed by the last 10 minutes.

[ahpny]

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I liked it. Very satisfying resolution to a morally complex situation. 

Quote

I thought that it was a good ending and Carrie does end up the double agent like I thought, but at least it was in a good way -- sort of.

Quote

I thought the ending was great. 

I give it an A-. It all worked surprisingly well, and kudos for looping back to the very first season to echo the ambiguities of what it really means to be a traitor, while also recalling the most recent episodes to replicate Saul’s long-term and most valuable asset. And on a more superficial level, “Carrie” has never looked better! Moscow life suits her, and she also looked truly happy. That's some sly spycraft right there.

But there were a few nits that I can’t quite ignore.

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Russians may be grateful to her for burning Anna and maybe writing anti-American books. But it's also highly unlikely that she could have free reign to be a double agent. Russians would be suspicious, 

Exactly, why would any Russians, let alone ace Russian spies, trust her with access to anything remotely sensitive, or let anywhere near such material? How would she gain access to it? It’s one thing to shower your asset with riches and privilege once they've done great service to your country, but why would that lead to sharing your own secrets and sensitive technology. Carrie has burned the trust of all.

And speaking of burned trust, wouldn't Saul - champion of all things Carrie for so long - have his own Carrie-related baggage that would end any meaningful CIA work going forward ? How could he remain credible in the eyes of the CIA ?

Also,

Quote

the biggest thing that stood out to me as unrealistic was the head of the GRU going on live television to play the black box recording and beg the US not to go to war. I can't see that happening in the real world under any circumstances. Do we even know who the current head of the GRU is? I'm not asking.

While the black box publication was surely problematic for this reason, the bigger problem I thought was this wasn't the deal they struck. The deal Carrie and the GRU struck was the name of the asset in exchange for physical return of the black box. That's NOT the same as releasing some black box information to the public. Indeed, publicizing selected black box information arguably conflicts with these terms in that it robbed the US of deciding how, when, and to whom it might release that information. And I never did understand what assurance Carrie thought she had to get that black box if she released the name first. What if the GRU took the name and never gave the black box? What was Carrie's plan then? Trust? If we've learned anything from this series, it's trust only goes so far.

 

 

 

Edited April 27, 2020 by ahpny

[EtheltoTillie]

3 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

It made no sense to me why Carrie took everything out of the black go bag stashed in Franny's room and put it all in her brown bag. Just take the black bag with you!

 

I was wondering that until the end of the scene.  She left something in the bag that looked like handcuffs to me. 

[roughing it]

What makes everyone think Carrie is a double agent?  She doesn't have access (that I know of) to US intelligence - that door has closed.  I thought she was laying low and having a relationship with Yevgeny and biding her time until she could start helping the US again.

[dwmarch]

22 minutes ago, roughing it said:

What makes everyone think Carrie is a double agent?  She doesn't have access (that I know of) to US intelligence - that door has closed.  I thought she was laying low and having a relationship with Yevgeny and biding her time until she could start helping the US again.

She wrote a book called "WHY I HAD TO BETRAY MY COUNTRY".

[grommit2]

55 minutes ago, dwmarch said:

She wrote a book called "WHY I HAD TO BETRAY MY COUNTRY".

Yes, she did write that book.  Well meaning, given the scene where she had walls full of news articles describing CIA/US government missteps.
BUT, it is not a stretch to say that the book was a cover.
Yes, she now lives in Russia with Yevgeny, the Russian spy.
BUT, you must consider that text message she sent to Saul, two years after the book, where she indicated the latest Russian missile had a back-door, and she was going to send the relevant specs that would defeat the missile.

So, end of a really prescient show.  Kudos to the writers who presented all those fascinating scenarios in advance of their exposure to common knowledge. 

[BrownBear2012]

The problem with series finales is the need to tie up so many loose ends...as far as endings go this one was better than most...worst being the Sopranos finale. I think the writers did the best they could given the time constraints of an hour long show. I didn't see the ending coming which I thought was brilliant. 

I think the writers wanted to show Carrie as a very flawed person. Her mental illness was a huge factor in her behavior throughout the series and this episode was no exception...the risk taking, the ability to deceive and lie to "save the world" it points to a person with a grandiose view of themselves. Saul took so many personal risks in defending her time after time and rescuing her from dangerous situations knowing that he could be a victim of her delusional and dangerous actions. I think he always felt, deep down, that she would never sell him out or betray him...the ending was solace for him whose heart had been literally been broken by her.

I was not surprised by Carrie's relationship with Yevgeny...she always used sex as a way to manipulate men...Brody, assets, etc...Yevgeny was just a means to a way. 

[slowpoked]

I actually liked the ending. I didn't see it coming that way. I think it's a nice bow to wrap up the Saul-Carrie relationship, which was really the heart of the show. They may never see each other again ever in their lifetimes but they (or Carrie) found a way to still be connected to Saul.

One thing that confused me though is that was Saul still with the CIA or NSA when he was moving out? And was that the first ever communication that Carrie ever did to him as a spy? Saul seem flustered by the package. It didn't occur to him that it was a secret communication until he looked at the package for the 2nd time. 

So is this Carrie's way of officially declaring herself as a spy? And if Saul is no longer with the CIA/NSA, does that mean he will have to pass her off to someone else?

 

[watch2much]

the most glaring "does not make sense" moment is when Anna and Ryan were trapped in the basement.  They could call Saul, but not an American security team in the building?

[slowpoked]

1 hour ago, watch2much said:

the most glaring "does not make sense" moment is when Anna and Ryan were trapped in the basement.  They could call Saul, but not an American security team in the building?

Ssshhh....she has to die so that everything else that happened after could happen. Let's also just ignore the fact on why is there only one American security person in the UN, of all places. It's not like they were just running down darkened alleys and street corners..

Edited April 27, 2020 by slowpoked

[watch2much]

26 minutes ago, slowpoked said:

Ssshhh....she has to die so that everything else that happened after could happen. Let's also just also ignore the fact that why is there only one American security person in the UN, of all places. It's not like they were just running down darkened alleys and street corners..

yes, as my father always said when we pointed out inconsistencies "it's a TV show"...

I'm sure Yevgeny got a huge promotion for finally finding out who the traitor was---thus her ability to get good information and to live in that great apartment.

all in all I loved the ending.  Although I generally liked Yevgeny, he always seemed to have an air of superiority over Carrie.  Sure, he admired her abilities as he said after hearing her convince Jenna to give up the safe house, but he still thought he was better. and thru out he sort of was--always showing up at critical times, stealing the black box from her after all her work....

even at the end when he said "what you are doing is important" it was kind of paternalistic.  so to realize that Carrie was the one really in control was fabulous.

[Quark]

I thought this was a fantastic series finale.

I don't know why or how, but when I saw the 2 years later in Moscow on screen, I figured that Carrie was a double-agent.

Saul's happiness at the end was just amazing.

[slowpoked]

1 hour ago, watch2much said:

I'm sure Yevgeny got a huge promotion for finally finding out who the traitor was---thus her ability to get good information and to live in that great apartment.

I'm still a little miffed that we got to this point because of Carrie's recklessness. It's not as if the Russians found the box on their own. I would find it more plausible if Carrie and Yevgeny had been on the race to find the box first, and the Russians got to it first, and then all the events unfolded as is.

It just a huge plot contrivance to me that because of Carrie, once again, was the reason why the box fell into the wrong hands in the first place. And Carrie never admitted to Saul how Yevgeny got it anyway. 

[Norma Desmond]

I loved it. There were some loose ends - the woman that Carrie helped escape and that she left in the car at the CIA compound, and the Taliban did shoot down the second helicopter, right? Just not the first, where the president was. That was never addressed.

All in all, it was great. My heart was racing throughout..

 

Carrie did what Saul couldn't do (because he loved Anna and owed her  his life) - sacrificed a life so thousand could be saved and a nuclear war wouldn't start. If the roles were reversed, Saul would do the same. Didn't he send Brody to his death?

I didn't catch this, nice touch 🙂

Edited April 27, 2020 by Norma Desmond

[preeya]

6 hours ago, roughing it said:

What makes everyone think Carrie is a double agent?  She doesn't have access (that I know of) to US intelligence - that door has closed.  I thought she was laying low and having a relationship with Yevgeny and biding her time until she could start helping the US again.

Also, wasn't she charged with about 7 different crimes in Federal Court? What happened to that?