HOMELAND SPOILER ALERT! No plane sailing here! It's spy vs spy as Carrie and Quinn try to discover who wants her dead amid double-crosses and explosions galore

By Mike Larkin For Dailymail.com

Published: 23:52 EST, 25 October 2015 | Updated: 02:23 EST, 26 October 2015

It seemed certain she was going to get bumped off after Peter Quinn was ordered to assassinate her.

But after Carrie Mathison's former lover decided to protect her instead, and even helped her fake her death, it ended up being a high stakes game of spy vs spy with double-crosses galore on Sunday night's installment of Homeland.

It all reached the giddiest of crescendos when, just seconds after answering a call that seemed to identify Berlin station chief Allison Carr as a Russian spy who was trying to kill the lovebirds, a jet carrying a powerful Syrian army officer turned by the Americans exploded above her head.

Under pressure: Carrie Mathison tried to find out who wants to kill her on Homeland on Sunday

Explosive conclusion: A plane containing the man the CIA hoped would take over from President Bashar al-Assad blew iup at the end of the episode

The CIA worker had helped her boss Saul Berenson seemingly persuade General Youssef to become an American puppet who would rule instead of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, but her reaction suggested she knew all along his aircraft was never going to leave in one piece.

Given the real life closeness between the Russians and the current regime in Damascus, it certainly added an extra dose of contemporaneity to this week's installment of the espionage drama. 

It started off at a breakneck pace, with Rupert Friend's Quinn slicing his hand, smearing blood all over Carrie's face and taking a photograph that made it appear he had neutralised his target. 

In fact it was a ruse to throw his masters off the scent, buying Carrie precious time to make her escape and start a new life away from the world of espionage altogether. 

Wakey, wakey: She regains consciousness and finds herself in Peter Quinn's underground lair

Making the cut: He slices open his hand so he can cover his old lover with blood

Smear campaign: He then rubs his palm all over her face despite her unhappy cries

Kodak moment: He then takes an image of her covered in the red stuff he can drop off with his superiors

Quinn tells her: '(Saul's) given a direct order someone very senior wants you dead. If they think  you're not dead they'll send someone to finish the job.'

They go as far as recording a seeming death message to her daughter Franny, although the first take is aborted when the black ops agent tells her she is leaving clues that she is still alive in her message.

Quinn said: 'Don’t say you’re going to come find her, because they won’t know that you’re dead.'

Carrie records another heartfelt message, going as far as to tell her girl, 'you are the best thing I've ever done, make up for every mistake I ever made,' before bringing her tearful confessional to a close.

Action: The pair then decide to try and make her death more convincing with a death video

Oh dear: But Carrie's hammy performance was not entirely convincing and suggested she was not dead

Cut: Quinn cannot believe she would make such a rudimentary mistake despite the fact the video itself might be a disastrous piece of forensic evidence

That's more like it: She is soon blubbering as she delivers what could be a Golden Globe worthy performance

But just when it seems she is going to escape to a mystery location, in a brown wig no less, she has a change of heart, explaining that she has to be convinced her most trusted mentor Saul had truly been the person behind having her killed.

Pointing out it would be unbelievably stupid for her old boss to send her former lover to killer her, she decides she wants to stake out the post office box where Quinn had been receiving his seemingly clandestine assassination orders.

Refusing to go while still uncertain given all that is at stake, she says, 'I'm going to spend my life on the run and give up my daughter. Quinn I have to know.'

Making their escape: Quinn persuades Carrie it is time to abandon her life and live on the run

Nice but dim: She points out Saul would not send her to kill him and wants them to double check the post office box where he receives his targets

Delivering the goods: He drops off the mobile phone which contains the fake pictures of Carrie's death

First class service: But this fellow is on the enemy payroll and sends a text message to an assassin

Ironically it is a decision that perhaps saves both their lives. 

As soon as Quinn makes the drop a worker at the post office sends a message, and a mysterious hitman is immediately dispatched.

But before he can pull the trigger traffic interference gives the undercover CIA expert time to take evasive action, though he still gets shot. 

Carrie then rams their car into the assassin which gives Quinn a crucial window to shoot his would be killer dead.

His ace agent flame then pulls a masterstroke when, rather than just helping her friend and making an escape, she grabs the gunman's mobile phone, taking both a snap of his bloody face and ensuring she has a way to contact his commanding officer.

Priority service: The killer is soon driving to intercept his target

That takes guts: Quinn has to respond after being gunned down in the stomach as he walked in the street

Shoot you sir: Carrie hits the hitman's car which allows the sharpshooter to take out his assailant 

Of course, it is when she decides to do just that, after providing some essential first aid to her wounded colleague that she discovers Carr, who is played by sexy Lord Of The Rings starlet Miranda Otto, could in fact be a plant working for the Russian Federal Security Service.

The fact she answer's the call with the word 'da,' yes in Russian, certainly seems to provide a whopping hint.

Speaking of our friends east of Ukraine, the FSB are portrayed as being both brutal and probably uncharacteristically naive when they decide to torture and kill hacker Numan’s friend Korzenik after he hands over the coveted hacked CIA documents to them.

Selfie incriminating: Carrie takes a snap of the hitman on his own phone so they can try and identify him later

Ouch: Peter seems in bad shape but insists they do not go to a hospital

Exit wound: At least the bullet is later shown to have passed through his body

Touching: The pair share an embrace after Carrie pumps him full of moprhine

Just before he went inside with his new friends to seemingly collect his cash, he spoke with his worried cohort, who had just learned the drive he handed over to smarmy journalist Laura Sutton had been wiped of its contents, on the phone.

Korzenik told him: 'Relax, we're going to be rich. You were going to give them away in the name of freedom.

'You know what gets you freedom - money. My Russian friend paid big. Don't worry I'm going to cut you in even though you don't deserve it.'

Unfortunately for him, his Russian agent handler reveals he is 'cynical' about Korzenik and his motives and whether he is truthful when he says there is only one copy of the files.

Meanwhile: The CIA's latest harebrained scheme for Middle East regime change is about to unfurl

Racking up the air miles: General Youssef had travelled from Syria to seek treatment for his sick daughter

Come with me: At this point it seems Allison Carr is doing her duty as a highly ranked CIA official

Instead he decides to beat the young man to a pulp, kill him and have an assassin take out his girlfriend in case he has spilled the beans to her also.

It leaves Numan on quite the sticky wicket, and it seems he will have to either seek help from the CIA, from Sutton, or quite possibly both.

The final strand of the episodes labyrinthine intrigue involved both Carr and Mandy Patinkin's Berenson.

The dynamic duo use the lure of a kidney transplant operation in Douvaine, Switzerland to lure General Youssef, which gives them an opportunity to try and turn him into a US agent.

So far so good: At first it seems he is at a high class Swiss hospital

Applying the pressure: But Carr reveals he could soon be facing charges at The Hague

That old trick: Saul offers a cigarette and a way out - if he agrees to be the US's puppet ruler in Syria

During a seemingly private consultation, she tells him he could be sent to International Court of Justice in The Hague to stand trial for war crimes, which paves the way for Saul to make a more enticing offer.

He explains that the Islamic State is preparing a massive Syrian offensive, and insists that 'If Damascus falls, you and your family will be slaughtered.'

Instead he proposes having him turn, and serve as a puppet leader on behalf of the United States.

Saul is convinced he has enough loyal supporters to secure a successful coup, and insists he will furnish him with enough cash to buy off those who remain in opposition.

And off they go: Everything progresses well and they are soon climbing into the private jet

Parting gift: But the double agent is soon giving General Youssef a package to open on the plane

Phone a friend: Carrie discovers there is a phone number saved to the mobile

Do it: Quinn tells her to phone the number to find out who it is

He said: 'I know you are a patriot. Your people have suffered so much already. Show them a way forward, lead them into the light.'

It seemed everything was going smoothly, with Youssef departing with his wife, daughter and $10 million in bribe money stashed on his plane.

But just before he jetted off Carr handed him a mystery gift, 'telling him my colleague asked me to give you these.'

Whether it was a colleague from the CIA, or from the FSB remains to bee seen, as shortly afterwards the jet exploded in mid air.

Going out on a limb: She follows his instruction and a familiar voice is on the other end of the line

'Da': It seems Allison is serving as a Russian double agent going by her greeting

Explosive conclusion: Just as she gets ready to hang up the plane explodes overhead

Putin them in their place: If she is indeed a Russian secret service agent her plan worked perfectly

As if to make it even more cold-hearted, Carr refused the military man's request his wife and daughter stay behind, insisting it would 'raise a red flag' with the Syrian regime.

Tantalisingly, this pleased Saul, who said: 'That's a good sign... 'cause he knows hes f***ed. He might just cooperate.'

Just to add even more mud to the already murky waters, the Berenson had earlier told the Israeli ambassador in Berlin the CIA was 'out of the business' of Middle East regime change, a claim that the big bang overhead will make slightly more difficult to sell the next time they meet.

Homeland returns on Showtime at 9pm on Sunday 

'Where is he': Numan is desperate to find his friend Korzenik when he discovers he has the CIA files

Fronting up: His girlfriend eventually lets Numan use her phone to call his chum

'Don't worry' His friend insists he will share the spoils when he collects the cash

Doing business: He eventually meets his contact but it is a different man from the one he expected

Drinking to his health: Unfortunately the Russian secret agent brutally murders his new friend

One more for the road: He also has another of his henchmen kill Korzenik's girlfriend

Sticky wicket: Numan finds her and is now in a dilemma about what to do next

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