Reviewed by Rich Jepson, cult TV enthusiast and author of 24: Terrorism Through Television.

Last week saw the abduction of Brody and a reunion with his (possibly) former mentor, which left Carrie and the rest of the CIA in the dark as to the status of their most valued asset. 12 hours later and the team are fearing the worst as they eventually get a call from Brody who’s remerged from the wilderness.

This chapter in the Brody/Nazir relationship once again raises a wealth of questions about Brody’s loyalties and lies. We only get to see limited flashbacks of his meeting with Nazir and between those we only have Brody’s words to fill in the gaps. What really happened is very ambiguous at this point, what we’re meant to take from the scene is hard to really understand. We know Brody’s left some pinnacle points of this meeting out, the only trouble is we don’t know what we’re missing. The only concrete lie we can see visually is the scene where Brody prays with Nazir but doesn’t admit this to Quinn or Carrie.

On the whole this encounter has brought about a lot of excitement and drama but there was something a little off with its execution. Taking Brody away from the action and then bringing him back, topped up with deception is a little flawed as it’s so obvious he’s realigned with Nazir. There is only so many times that the show can spin Brody around, especially since it’s made the choice to bring Nazir to America and get Brody on board with the CIA.

What added more to this scenario are Quinn and his secret agenda. This is fast become the most intriguing part of the show and now that we have another character being drawn into the mix in the shape of Dar Adul, played by Oscar winning actor F. Murray Abraham, we should be in for a fantastic final few episodes.

Mike’s involvement with the rest of the Brody clan took another turn this week, as he got cosy with Jess in their safe house. It’s easy to feel sorry for Mike in this situation, Jess may only want him as a filler for Brody as he becomes increasingly distant in her & the kids’ lives. It would’ve been more entertaining to have Dana find the two in bed the following morning but it wasn’t to be.

The finale seems to have foiled a lot of Nazir’s plan for the attack on the U.S but clearly there are other things at work here. My guess is Brody let on that Roya and her cell have been compromised so letting them get captured was a tactical move to let the CIA think that the attack’s been averted, when really it’s yet to come. Next week’s episode should set up another gripping finale across the last two editions of the show, made all the more tense by the knowledge that Brody’s got a firm target on his back which Quinn is taking aim at. Something has got to give but who’s going to make room – Quinn or Brody?

8.5/10

Scene of the Episode: On The Buses – Although there wasn’t too much to see we got a flash of Quinn’s handler and further insight into his true identity. He’s become a huge player in this show and is stealing a lot of Carrie’s thunder when it comes to hunting Brody.