Homeland (8x12): Enjoyed it, but found the ending not plausible

Today I'm sad and happy - sad because probably my favorite show of all time has ended - but happy that it did end on a very a high note. There were many good shows that were ruined at the end, or never even did have a proper ending, well "Homeland" is a great exception - the finale as well as last season were superb in ever possible way. 8 seasons, 96 episodes and almost 10 years - this is the only show i watched religiously every week - and that says a lot today in a overcrowded market of great series.

I won't spoil anything about the ending, just to say that i liked it very much. It was plausible, intense, surprising (yet realistic!), very involving and emotional. I did not see that outcome, but was really happy of how things turned out at the end.

Overall, "Homeland" wasn't perfect in its 10 years run, but even "Breaking Bad" had its weaker moments. But even in those, i liked "Homeland" as a whole. And on its highest moments, this show scored home runs like no other. Superbly intelligently written throughout, amazingly acted by Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin and then F. Murray Abraham, Rupert Friend and the one and only Damian Lewis - its all those elements which made me return to it every single week in 9 years of its run. You can't ask for more.

While certainly having no inside information about how the spy game is played I have read a fair amount. One of my favorite authors who I believe writes with a high level of realism is Frederick Forsythe. I do not usually care for the books that are not realistic. I really have a hard time believing that the Russians would allow a former CIA "spook" access to any high level information. If she married Yevgeny at the end, or maintained a close partnership with him I believe they would have retired him as an agent. Probably use him as an instructor, but not give access to that kind of information. The ending was fun, but I do not find it plausible.