HOMELAND- Is that a cucumber Quinn or are you pleased to see us? NO SPOILERS PLEASE WE'RE BRITISH

[TheSpottedZebra]

Da.

Defecting, eh? what's that all about?

good episode!!

Oriole was Carrie's code name. So that doc showed that the iraqi contact 'Touchstone' had tried to get in contact with Oriole, but had no reply. He had wanted to tell her that the dog-owning Bad Iraqi, was not as dead as had been reported.

So Hair wants to prevent that info from coming out?

Blimey, what an episode. DS1 (who for reasons I don't question is both in the UK and a week ahead) has been taunting me with how good an episode it was going to be.

It was Carrie with the pariah status. Oriole - wasn't that the code name?

And has Quinn really gone back to Syria? What a fool. There's presumably only so many times you can go to Syria to kill deputy emirs before you come a cropper.

Hair wasn't quite so Nails this week, what with the little bathroom panic attack and all. She really is an uber-villain.

I don't get what's in it for Carrie. Ivan the Original said something like she enjoys the long con, but it can't just be that.

I mean HAIR IS NAILS, not Carrie.

Ooh I liked that episode.

Was a bit surprised that Quinn went straight to Dar. I thought he'd gone offline, but I guess that was just his and Sauls kill box thing.

I too was sad for the cabbie as soon as he was pleased to see Carrie

Was that scene with Tuffers/Jonas meant to show us Tuffers isnt going to be the next Saul Figure in Carries life do you think? The she's unbalanced, we'll let her go bit?

(Btw we opened the first of the Christmas celebration as our Saul Snacks. FYI)

Hair's hair was fabulous still, I quite agree.

She's like Gretchen Weiner, hair so big coz that's where the secrets are

I was quite surprised to see Quinn meeting up with Dar. I've lost track of whether Dar knows anything about Carrie and her supposing to be dead? I guess not?

Carrie phoning Hair at the end - I thought Carrie knew she was No Good? Didn't she recognise her voice when she used dead car shooter bloke's phone that time at the Post Office?

And I'm starting to doubt During/Tuffnell. He's just too damn good. There will be some twist, I'm almost sure.

Blimey. Anyone else find that episode stressful?

I think During is utterly untrustworthy too. Quinn is an idiot. And I really hope Carrie has worked out Hair, who has a mean face.

How did Saul manage to arrange his rescue just by a fake call?

Indeed Hassled. That's what I thought too. I was sure Carrie knew she was a wrong 'un.

I'm getting increasingly confused about what the hell is going on with Saul.

FFS!! Not a visitor through the door all week but 5 minutes into homeland my friend turns up! Have you no bed to be in you weirdo? she's just away now so i'm going to try and watch on all4. Not reading any comments 'til i do.

Finally Saul is acting like the head of the CIA. They all have a back up plan, as we've been shown.

Quinn is Dar's man tho so makes sense, i guess, that he contacted him. Worried about Saul!

I think man with dog is also a CIA asset or was I getting confused.

Am glad Jonas is back but not sure about his conversation with Tuffers. I have a feeling that Hair is going to make it to the end of the series.

Well i'm confused about the whole lot. Except Jonas. He is indeed and earth angel. I want one.

Pariah is most definitely Carrie. I also thought she knew hair was bad to the bone due to assasin's phonecall being answered by her. So Carrie is setting hair up? And Saul, he blabbed to hair (and only hair) because he knows this too and needs her to make her next move, probably because he has eyes on her so knows she will lead to her bad guys. Saul is no dummy. That was all deliberate.

Tuffers is bold! Why is he manipulating the angel? I think angel is good. Hes too pretty to be bad. I feel he might die

I was mostly confused because I couldn't remember who did or didn't know Carrie was dead and if they were supposed too!

I thought that when Hair answered that phone she recognised the Russian language rather than the individual. Could be totally wrong though.

Poor taxi bloke but how did they know he was following that bloke and they did not hang around for Carrie.

Saul is safe now that he is in Etam's camp. I knew he was up to something when he phoned about the "laundry."

Never trusted During as he always seemed too good to be true - he is up to something. I wonder if he will sell Carrie out to further his humanitarian causes?

My (pathetic) predictions came true.

And Quinn. WTFF. He really is on a death wish, isn't he? He saved that bloke's life by not taking him.

So there are 6 camps right to the main story? Carrie, the CIA, Hair/Russians, Israeli, journo (who is on her own agenda) and During (wild card). Carrie/Israeli/Saul will merge I guess.

I'm sure that the only CIA people Carrie would trust are Saul and Quinn. Can't believe she would put herself in Hair's hands, so think she must be setting Hair up somehow?

Why does Jonas keep turning up having told Carrie repeatedly that things are over? Can't imagine Tuffers would actually go to the lengths he has for Carrie only to fire her. Perhaps During is trying to make Jonas think Carrie is more isolated so he shows his evil side?

(This week's farfetched crackpot theory - Jonas and Hair are siblings and are playing a very long con.)

Ooh it was a good one wasn't it.

DH jumped a mile when the Israeli guys stormed the lift to rescue Saul! Good old Saul, I still think Dar is on his side though...

And is Saul really stupid enough to tell Hair about Carrie? Hope he's setting her up.

Jonas is indeed a fine specimen of a man. Not sure what Tuffers was playing at there, because Carrie was behaving perfectly normally at his house, not manic at all. I think Earth Angel is good and Tuffers is going to double cross her, and Angel will figure it out. Perhaps he's jealous because Carrie was saying how she wanted to go off to The Cabin with Angel (where she takes all her Ginger totty) at a time when Tuffers looked like he was going to make a move on her himself. There was a hint when she saidsomething like "you're such a hood person" and he said "not always"....

And Quinn - come back, Carrie needs you!

P.s. Someone said upthread they'd heard Quinn a.k.a. Rupert Friend was an arse in RL. I read an interview with him, and he came across as a total pretentious, up his own arse tosser. The author of the article was clearly shocked at how badly the interview went and struggled to say anything nice at all about him. I was very disappointed.

Well I may not be here next week because I'll be too busy unpacking in Otto Düring's country house. My children are old enough to fend for themselves so I'm off.

He's right about Carrie being loopy and German employment laws being as they are, right to decide to wait until her current contract runs out. I can overlook his slight portliness of neck.

Meanwhile in spy-land, at least there was some spying. Hair is shown to be a baddy double agent and not so under pressure.

Don't know why Quinn went to Dar - unless he tried to get hold of Saul and couldn't. Odd it wasn't mentioned as he's been working for Saul and Dar didn't even know he was in Berlin.

Poor taxi bloke.

SaulSnacks: salt sticks, brezels & Riesling.

I jumped a bloody mile when Saul was 'rescued' my head was still full of the great mystery of why, when dog-walking man was taken, did one of the men pick up the dog? Surely a dog on a lead is much less noticeable than one being carried? Possibly why I miss all of the important shit and drive dh crazy mad by forever hitting pause and asking questions!