Loose Ends/Trivia

Approach

 * It is possible to kill Archer and Toad, the snipers, by carefully planting a Claymore next to them and shooting it. The player can also kill them by cooking a frag grenade, throwing it, and making one of them pick it up. If cooked long enough, the grenade will explode in his hand or just after throwing, killing them. Or making a undetonated 40mm grenade launcher hit them later on in the level, Archer talks to Ghost about not seeing Makarov. If the player runs back to Archer and Toad's position they are still dead.
 * If Archer or Toad's M14 EBR is picked up, it will only have about 20 rounds despite they are able to give sniper support throughout the level. The player can get more ammunition at the safehouse, but there is already a Dragunov sniper rifle there.
 * The mines used at the beginning of the level are bounding land mines, or as they're more commonly known "Bouncing Betties", designed to jump 3-4 feet in the air so as to increase anti-personnel lethality over a larger area.
 * If the player shoots while in "shell-shocked" status due to the landmines, the weapon's fire rate seems to double. This is easily seen if using the ACR.
 * The Ghillie snipers carry Silenced USP .45s.
 * There are more mines than just the ones used in the ambush; some are along the driveway of the house and detonate if the player attempts to exit the level through the driveway gate.
 * If the player runs down the driveway when the two bulletproof jeeps appear, it is possible to notice a wrecked jeep blocking the driveway before the two jeeps are destroyed.
 * In the ambush there are soldiers firing RPGs from atop a ridge to the left. However these soldiers are dressed in Urban camo as seen in the Rangers campaign.
 * When Archer and Toad fire the Javelins the smoke trails are from a different spot than their starting spot.
 * When rushing ahead, it is possible to see two wrecked jeeps with one lying on top of the other at the house.
 * Oddly, Ghost calls the jeeps "trucks" despite being British, which is odd as in British English "trucks" are "lorries". This could be to not confuse American players. This same occurrence happens with Craig Fairbrass' other character, Gaz, in Game Over.
 * When the player approaches the part where landmines pop up, try staying close to Ozone, and when the landmines pop up and the player is close to Ozone, he will not go prone nor be affected by the landmine.
 * The bouncing betty that the player must avoid always appears in front, regardless of position.

Breaching

 * There are two inflatable rubber sex dolls spread around the level, one underneath the staircase in the main room where the player places the DSM, and another in a compromising position in a bathtub upstairs.
 * In the upstairs bathroom, (not the sex doll one but the one at the top of the stairs) there is a teddy bear stabbed into the wall with a Tactical Knife.
 * On one of the lower shelves in the kitchen there are two packages labeled "Real Cherry Pie". These packages will make metal clanging sounds when shot.
 * In one of the upstairs rooms of the house is a poster of a Russian woman wielding a Thompson submachine gun. This is the same poster found in "All Ghillied Up" and the multiplayer maps: Derail and Vacant. It is also out of the map in "Hidden."
 * The basement weapon rack has 3 throwing knives in it forming a triangle.
 * Throughout the level the player will see numerous Sentry Guns lying around. However, none of them are fully assembled, so they cannot be used against the Ultranationalist counterstrike.
 * There is a scale in the upstairs bathroom that reads 1lb.
 * When Scarecrow says "Frag out" when the player and he is clearing the basement, he actually throws a flashbang.
 * Before breaching the exit in the basement, most of the windows have newspaper and shutters over them. Once you breach the basement exit, these are removed. This is likely to prevent the player from shooting/climbing through the windows instead of using a frame charge.
 * The plans for the airport attack in "No Russian" can be found in the living room, including a blueprint of the airport and a readable newspaper report on the massacre.
 * There are numerous cell phones seen in this level.
 * Many newspaper clippings can be seen around the main floor, revealing that Makarov was responsible for a bombing attack on London's Piccadilly Circus, as well as the GUM supermarket in Red Square, Moscow. It also confirms that Russia's Ultranationalist party leader became the president and that Makarov held up photos of Bravo Six (Gaz, Griggs, Price and Soap) and declared they were responsible for the death of Imran Zakhaev. They can be read from a close distance, better when scoped.
 * There are several UAV/Air Support laptops throughout the safehouse, the keyboards having Cyrillic characters on them.
 * This is only one of two levels in the single-player campaign (the other one being "Of Their Own Accord") where the Barrett M82 can be found and used. It is found in one of the rooms of the basement.
 * Inside the armory there is a poster for cigarettes with a picture of Stalin on the box.
 * At the corner of the house, left of the main entrance, there's evidence of what appears to be two executions; there are two bullet holes in the wall with blood stains and a trail of blood leading to and over the patio fence. There is also a pool of blood on the ground floor where the trail leads to.
 * If the player looks at the blue refrigerator in the kitchen, they can see multiple frying pans floating in mid air on top of it.
 * There is a fence near the extraction zone towards the beginning of the level.
 * The kitchen of the safe-house was apparently used as a bomb making station before TF141 arrived. On the tables, there is an abundance of explosives, wires, cutters and other tools, raw bars of C4, assembled C4 packages, pages of instructions, components, and the briefcase rigged with a time bomb (that is seen and used in the multiplayer modes "Search and Destroy" and "Demolition").
 * If one breaches the basement last, then it might be possible that a voice will say "Scarecrow, enemy 12 o'clock". And Scarecrow will kill him. This might be Roach's voice because they both are the only ones in the basement from 141.
 * When the player breaches the weapon room in the basement, there is someone with a Woodland Camo Striker.
 * A book with the title Poetry and Philosophy can be found in the Basement.
 * Another book "The Jungle Book" can be found in the basement.

Download and defense

 * When starting to download the files, Shepherd informs the player that his ETA is five minutes. He doesn't arrive until one finishes downloading all the files AND get to the extraction point, which takes more than five minutes.
 * If the player runs out of claymores, the ammo cache in the basement does not replenish them, as with "Wolverines!".
 * This level appears to have the most flashbangs thrown at the player from enemy forces as they try to breach the house while the team defends it.
 * Rarely, on Veteran difficulty, Ghost can be seen using an AK-47 while defending the DSM. It's possible this is the same one that Roach uses at the end of the level.
 * One can crawl into the fireplace behind the table where the user downloads the files.
 * It is possible that on Recuit difficulty, if the the player stays and guards the basement, shots will no longer be heard and the enemies will disappear. They will return when the player leaves the basement.
 * The strategies the Ultranationalists use to attack the safehouse are different every time (i.e. one playthrough they might first attack from the boathouse, another playthrough from the field).
 * Rarely, an Intervention shot can be heard and Archer says "Target down.", "That's one down.", "Dropped him." or " Got him." This is impossible because Archer and Toad are seen with M14 EBRs at the beginning of the level. This is because M14 EBR does not make an audible sound when fired.
 * There are a total of 5 waves of enemies attacking the house at random order. They are: 1. A group of ground troops coming from the direction of the extraction point. When Archer tells the player they are popping smoke, this group will be attacking. 2. Another group of ground troops coming from the similar direction. Archer will recommend the player to switch to scoped weapons when they attack. Ozone will bravely stand outside of the corner of the house in the open to try to defend off these two waves of attackers. 3. Two Mi-8 "Hip"s, one dropping troops at the front of the house, the other one dropping on the right side of the house. Archer will tell the player these helicopters will be in bound in 15 seconds when they attack. 4. Three little birds dropping troops on left side of the house, on grass near the road where the escaping trucks in the beginning of the level are using. 5. One Mi-8 "Hip", and one little bird dropping behind the house, near the fish house.
 * Except for the one indestructible little bird, all other six helicopters can by shot down with RPGs or grenade launchers. Because the little birds actually have to land to drop troops, it is actually possible to destroy them with 4-5 claymores pre-planted in their landing area.
 * Destroying all six helicopters before they drop their troops will greatly increase the download speed, which shows that the download pace is really directly determined by the pace of the level.Iw4sp_2010-05-20_20-36-21-35.jpg
 * The rarest weapon in the game can be found in this level as it is only found by being dropped with an enemy only in this level. The FAMAS with Holographic sight and woodland camo can be found by dropping from an enemy in the Basement.
 * If one strays too far from the warehouse, Ghost will say the DSM will be destroyed and the connection will break up. But, the screen still shows how much the DSM has already downloaded and will keep on increasing in numbers even though Ghost said it was destroyed.
 * This level is an excellent opportunity to try out different weapons, as it has a large variety of guns and attachments and pits multiple waves of enemies against the player.

Exfiltration

 * This mission is regarded by many players as the hardest Single Player Mission, mainly because of the Exit, as enemies will attack from in front and behind.
 * The 6/4/10 update makes the Little Bird able to be shot down by launchers and it will dramatically light on fire and spin out. This was most likely done for dramatic effects only.
 * Shepherd's Shadow Company soldiers can be heard shouting "Go, go, go" and "Coming in hot." The audio is the same as that used in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ' s "Charlie Don't Surf".
 * When Roach is hit by the explosion near the end and when Ghost is dragging Roach to the Pave Low, he will wake up with an AK-47 Grenadier fully loaded, along with ten grenades. These are probably given to him by Ghost, as Roach's were most likely damaged as a result of the explosion.
 * This level seems to be the only one in the campaign where wood-camo weapons are obtained.
 * While being dragged by Ghost, on a rare occasion, Thunder Two-One will be shot down by enemy RPGs, and it's crews radio chatter will cut.
 * Roach will not die when Ghost is dragging him no matter how much he is hit.
 * Using a PC cheat, one can see Ghost carrying Roach's headless body when he is about to board the helicopter.
 * The Scene in where Shepherd shoots Ghost and Roach has angered many players, as Ghost is one of many peoples favorite characters, and Roach is the main playable Character (the others being Private James Ramirez and Private Joseph Allen).
 * When Shepherd shoots Roach, the .44 Magnum makes the gunshot noise similar to the sound of the Desert Eagle, but makes the sound of an Intervention shot when he shoots Ghost. This is probably for dramatic purposes.
 * Radio chatter after the betrayal suggests that Archer and Toad (the overwatching snipers) were discovered by Shadow Company using thermal detectors ("Gold Eagle on the ground, we've got snipers on thermal"), but it is unconfirmed, as they could be Ultranationalist snipers but most likely them.
 * In the above comment, it is most likely the snipers that fire at the player in the ambush as one can see them using ghillie suits and WA2000s.
 * Shepherd appears to have two Magnums, because when he shoots Roach and Ghost, one can clearly see that he also has one in his holster. This is because when NPCs draw their pistols their character model doesn't update to show that they have their pistol drawn, instead they are holding a pistol and have one in their holster.
 * When they toss Ghost's body next to Roach's, the player can carefully see his eyes are white as if they're rolled back into his skull, possibly due to the impact of the point-blank shot by Shepherd's magnum.
 * When the Shadow Company soldier dumps the gasoline on Roach, Captain Price shouting through the comms system: "Ghost! Come in, this is Price! We're under attack by Shepherd's men at the boneyard! Soap! Hold the left flank! Do not trust Shepherd! I say again, do not trust Shepherd! Soap, get down!--" can be heard.

General

 * Because Ghost and Roach discovered the intel inside of Makarov's safe house that implicated Shepherd and Makarov, it makes them the "loose ends" to which the mission title refers. This is why Shepherd eliminates them. Though it is strange that Shepherd didn't inquire about whether they had actually looked at the intel, for if they hadn't he could have just kept them in the dark and spared them. Perhaps he was afraid that Soap and Price whom had also found similar intel, and had been ambushed by Shadow Company, would contact them sooner or later (ironically, just as Roach and Ghost are being executed Price contacts them) and wanted to preemptively remove any possible threats.
 * This level takes a few cues from Call of Duty 4's Heat, in that the player must hold back waves of enemies from a safehouse and then make a final push downhill straight through advancing enemy forces to an awaiting extraction team of Americans.
 * If one restarts the level, there is a possibility of the entire level being in slow motion, similar to the one the player experiences while evading the land mines. The player's character, NPCs and enemies will all run and shoot in slow motion, however their voices will all sound normal (confirmed on Xbox 360).
 * If one manages to save either Ozone or Scarecrow they will follow the player and Ghost toward the extraction point. However, after some point they will slow down, and if the player watches them as one leaves, they will be overwhelmed by the enemy and get killed.
 * In this level the player can find nearly every weapon in the game apart from the MG4, Ranger, M1911, and the W1200. One can even use a portable Barrett .50 Cal, unlike in any other mission (it is possible to use a non-portable version in "Of Their Own Accord").
 * On Recruit, it is possible to save one or two Task Force 141 troops, but it is extremely difficult. If one managed to save both Ozone and Scarecrow (by staying with either one who was keeping behind at the lawn to cover the three others including the player to get to the LZ until all enemies are eliminated), either one of them (usually Scarecrow) will be shot by an invisible sniper (similar to Meat and Royce in Takedown) while the other gets killed by a mortar.
 * In the safehouse living room, there is a table in the back left corner with newspapers titled "The Infinity Ward Times".
 * The multiplayer map "Estate" (with some modifications) and Special Ops mission "Estate Takedown" are based on this level.
 * The moment when Roach is shot by Shepherd, Ghost screams "No!" in the exact manner as Gaz screamed when Viktor Zakhaev commits suicide.
 * This is the 2nd of two levels that Shepherd's rank is abbreviated, the first time in S.S.D.D.
 * The achievement/trophy "The Pawn" is achieved when completing this mission, as the name signs that the Task Force 141 soldiers were just pawns to assault Makarov's safe house and get very useful info, and killed when no longer needed. This can also mean that Makarov had a computer contact with General Shepherd, and Shepherd killed the soldiers before they could discover the contact between the two main antagonists, so he could destroy the DSM.
 * When Roach is dying, unlike Sgt. Paul Jackson and PFC Joseph Allen, the screen turns black instead of turning white like the two above. This is more likely made to make the scene more dramatic.
 * This is the only time in the campaign that Red Smoke is used. Ghost will use it as the player is knocked out near Shepherd's Pave Low. Ghost will say "I've popped Red Smoke in the treeline." This is followed by him desperately trying to keep Roach from passing out again.
 * A glitch can occur in this level which will leave the player with an ACR which has every single attachment in the game, but only the grenade launcher may be used. It looks very strange as there is a thermal scope, which has other sights inside it, as well as the iron sights which are still flipped up. The heartbeat sensor's screen will be filled with static and therefore unusable. This same glitch can also happen with the M4A1 on Team Player.