series episode series finale british espionage television series originally broadcast bbc december episode overall series episode written directed episode continues story arc shadow organisation bent changing map finale attempt provoke nuclear war india pakistan section week prevent episode based actual reports conflict nations final appearance producers intended leave fate open order audience debate survived hotel explosion end episode viewed million viewers original broadcast received overwhelmingly positive reviews particularly reveal plot cliffhanger questioning survived hotel explosion background finale continues story arc involving multinational shadow organisation bent changing map referred actor said india pakistan china feature heavily including russia america britain finger pie sixth episode revealed cia liaison lover reilly organisation flees lucas confronts previous episode section discover manipulating muslims attack attempt relations india pakistan section able prevent attacks later revealed succeeded setting similar attacks rest europe united_states plot indian submarine forced port knowing plot pakistani general member section learn week stop nuclear war india pakistan news team particularly family discovers prominent operative work bug office returns having ordered european operations russell price member kill lucas instead sarah warns leave country escaping meets chinese contact tells countries fail negotiations war inevitable shot dead assassin finds sarah staying hotel assumed lucas lucas shoots leg hospital sarah reveals lucas wants india pakistan war order contain future believes pakistan gain control nuclear weapons war kill million innocent lives process lucas leaves room momentarily assassin kills sarah lucas captures learns price arranged hit prevent negotiations succeeding price summit hotel explosives prevent pakistani president home secretary escaping learning price hotel lucas arrive capture bomb impossible threatens leave price bomb explodes room politicians held price eventually room number leaves room bomb lucas able carry safely hotel recovers orders release indian submarine preventing war hotel struggling pull lawrence safety lucas runs aid hotel explodes killing lawrence price production writing pre production episode aired speculation leave series following explosive finale explosive cliffhanger questioned leave series comment june star confirmed left series meaning series finale final episode producers left episode end cliffhanger audience debate lawrence survived hotel explosion casting actor initially problem producers decided cast role following work american television actual news reporter cast record news story reporter runs dialogue producers morning record story time reporters start work actual news stories episode written general plot india pakistan verge nuclear war based actual reports conflict nations beginning originally script richards wanted feature submarine crisis producers sure crisis eventually decided indian submarine taken hostage wanted add personal stake revealing members family live pakistan intent include develop potential relationship lawrence point bond final scenes hotel explosion wanted touch harry relationship original script added scenes additional dialogue despite seriousness episode richards included wit humour instance scene lucas bugs office small talks producers wanted scene different similar scenes movies involving secret agents planting bugs offices homes producers wanted return confidence work departure finale includes lucas confused sarah writing team wanted villain time maintain feelings following death want lucas calm calculating confronting assassin instead lose broken afterward filming scene pre title sequence filmed block episodes directed rest finale filmed weeks later inside surveillance van scenes shot set right grid set set filming crew military school film separate locations office scenes filmed separate building hospital sarah held filmed new private hospital closed time london served filming location management hotel cooperative allowed filming crew access rooms facilities scene meets filmed hill scene episode shot completed afternoon fight scene sarah office played stunt double stood reilly character getting thrown lot fight scene lucas sarah assassin performed stunt coordinator respectively scene control indian submarine archival footage taken split screen sequences placed end rest episode audience bomb hotel police officers outside building lucas looking hotel lawrence sequence hotel exploded medium visual effects produced broadcast reception episode originally aired bbc december later repeated bbc december original broadcast series finale drew million viewers earning series audience share time slot won time slot bbc christmas jones edge reason channel_4 family according broadcasters episode received final viewing figures million placing 25th seen programme bbc 36th seen programme overall week aired reviews episode positive preview episode said usual large body count fist fights tempered scenes high emotion episode fitting send times positive episode stating case think having exhausting time run christmas spare thought found lover murderer traitor noted great thing stop explain things guardian published separate reviews episode started saying listen noting prisoner disappears killed section need prisoner thing hire rubbish guards noted sarah killed going miss sarah plot wise liked phrase getting pretty said better survived cliffhanger claiming like christmas presents called episode cracking finale stating weeks build feels relief plot finally revealed regards cliffhanger frost commented passed peak sunk low embarrassing goes high remembered decent example type receptive portrayal likely final appearance felt harry relationship
Series 8, Episode 8 (Spooks)