Whoa. We need a minute. Partly to catch our breath but mostly to let the last couple of hours of relentless, riveting television sink in.

One thing that Homeland viewers have learned over the last few months is that the unexpected comes as standard. With one show left to go, anything is still possible.

The gruesome aftermath of the bombing, all flaming corpses and limbless survivors, is gorily well-realised, but the moment that lingers longest in the memory is much more modest.

Among its myriad virtues, Homeland is up there with the best when it comes to onscreen swearing.

It’s the episode that drives forward the final section of the series, picking up from last week’s summer vacation with a fresh burst of pace.

The genius of Homeland is that we genuinely don’t know who to trust. Every character that might be telling porkies has a compelling explanation for their suspicious behaviour.

The relationship between Claire Danes and Damien Lewis is rapidly becoming the highlight of this superb series.

US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody’s eight-year incarceration at the hands of Al-Qaeda was very obviously no picnic.