I'm sure Brody is alive. Why would they use a crane for the procedure otherwise ? I'm sure they stretched out some transparent wires between the fence and the building, that the audience was not able to notice in the dark at 4 o clock. The crane stopped when Brody gave the sign, that he could stand tiptoeing on the wires. Yes it is difficult. Ultimately he is a super marine
If I am wrong, the series would have been fucked up in that episode. The reaction from Carry was way too underwhelming but I guess she was just deeply depressed instead and had no power (due to pregnancy) to be angry anymore. In the first season there was the conversation between Carry and Brody like :
B : I like observing the stars
C : Wait till the night comes and youll see thousand stars
B : I only need one
It would be a joke if just because of the initial writings, that Brody needed to be eliminated for the closure of that plot/word play. It would be really really disappointing and the explanation of Damian Lewis, that the story could not develop with Brody is a joke. Brody was 70% of the story.
A possibilty for season 4 is, that Carry cooperates with the enemy's secret services from her location in Istanbul in order to revenge Brody and reacts to Saul's reckless plans once and for all.