Trigger Point series 1 came to a less than explosive end two years ago with the killer bomber finally revealed – and, if you need a handy recap to what happened, here’s the ending explained.
Some viewers were left a little disappointed that no one was actually blown up in the series finale… But the hour packed in plenty of drama nonetheless.
And the REAL mastermind behind all the bombings was finally revealed (although some of you had probably already guessed).
Read on to find our Trigger Point series 1 ending explained.
***Warning: spoilers from series 1 of Trigger Point ahead***
Trigger Point series 1 ending explained – Karl was the bad guy
At the beginning of series 1 episode 6, the number one suspect was still EXPO member John Hudson. And his next target was almost definitely going to be the local by-election happening that week.
However, a horrified Lana soon discovered that the mastermind wasn’t John after all. In fact, Karl was revealed to be the killer bomber behind the Westhaven terror attack, the bomb in the Mosque and the grisly murder of Lana’s brother Billy in a car bomb.
Yes, Karl! The beefcake who had sweet-talked his way into Lana’s bed and convinced her to cheat on long-term boyfriend Thom Youngblood.
Some viewers may have already guessed he was involved due to his constant hanging around. But, still, Karl (Warren Brown) was nice to look at while it lasted…
Why did Karl mastermind the bombings?
The clues were there all along, if only we all had science degrees and a comprehensive knowledge of the periodic table of elements and the atomic numbers! Anyone?
Viewers knew that the numbers 66 11 42 were important, as was 1912 which had appeared at all of the bomb sites. We soon learnt that the numbers were linked to retracted HMX files stored on a Ministry of Defence base called Steephome.
The last time HMX-319 was distributed from the MOD base was in July 2009 in an operation called Dynamo. But what did the military code name Dynamo stand for?
Clever clogs Sonya – the real hero in Trigger Point – worked out that Dynamo was linked to the number 66 11 42. 11 is NA in the periodic table of elements, and represents sodium. Meanwhile, 66 stands for DY – dysprosium – and 42 represents MO, molybdenum.
So the 1912? We finally learnt that it represented KMG – Karl Maguire! Boom!
Trigger Point series 1 ending explained – what was operation Dynamo?
Viewers discovered that something happened outside a village in Kandahar, Afghanistan. In July 2009, a road traffic accident resulted in seven allied soldiers being killed. Official records showed that all the passengers were killed in the crash.
But the families of the soldiers believed they died in an explosion – an accident involving probable explosives. As the final episode continued, it became clear that they’d been a government cover up. And not ALL of the soldiers had died – one escaped.
Lone remaining soldier Karl Maguire survived the incident, and blamed local MP Ayesha Campbell-Khan who was running in the local by-election.
Armed with a DMS, a dead man’s switch suicide belt, he planned to take out the MP and anyone else in the room at the time. But he hadn’t banked on Lana being there too.
He told Ayesha: “You covered up the murders of British soldiers in Cijab in 2009. You were chair of the defence committee that closed down the enquiry.”
Furious with rage, he mentioned “blatant cover-ups” and her “report full of lies”.
Karl explained he was part of a convoy sent by special forces forward operating base in Afghanistan with chemical explosives. They were “under-defended, undermanned, and under-equipped”.
He then revealed the convoy hit a roadside IED – an improvised explosive device – and they were ambushed. After the incident was covered up (apparently in the interest of national security), Karl threatened to go public. But he was court-marshalled for cowardice in a kangaroo court and threatened with the official secrets act and life imprisonment…
I mean, no wonder he was angry.
What happened to Lana Washington?
Lana (Vicky McClure) was able to grab hold of Karl’s dead man’s switch (not a euphemism) after he was shot in the head by a sniper. Karl lay dead, and Lana’s colleague Hassan Rahim was able to EASILY diffuse the bomb with a little snip of his snippers.
We later discovered that Karl had framed John, who was in fact innocent of all the crimes, and just a massive red herring. He’s still a misogynistic racist though.
Although Lana was left in shock, she was safe AGAIN. Like a cat with nine lives, it was obvious Lana wasn’t ever going to come to any harm. Even if she did have terrible taste in men.
Trigger Point series 1 ending – what happens in series 2?
The ITV thriller Trigger Point is returning for a series 2, and Lana is back with slightly better hair. In episode one of the new series (which starts on Sunday, January 28, 2024), Lana is back from secondment in Estonia, where she’s been training Ukrainian bomb disposal teams. She’s about to return to active duty, but it’s clear she might not be ready after the deaths of her brother Billy and colleague Nut.
When there is a bomb attack in the heart of London, Lana is closest to the incident – and she’s thrown neck deep into a terrifying situation. And it just gets worse from there…
The bombers seem to be one step ahead, and use cutting edge technology, including drones, to torment the Met Police. So who is planting the bombs, and why? One thing we DO know is that it’s very unlikely Lana ‘You’ve Stepped on a Bomb’ Washington will blow up. But there IS one major fatality in episode one. Well it worked in series 1, so why not do it again!?
Read more: Trigger Point viewers ‘would have switched off already’ if it wasn’t for one thing
Trigger Point series 1 is available to watch on ITVX. Series 2 starts on Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 9pm on ITV1.
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