Trigger Point, a British action-thriller drama directed by Gilles Bannier, is currently streaming on BritBox. The breathtaking acting skills of Vicky McClure are worth mentioning, and the detailed depiction of the tension among the members of the bomb squad has been portrayed efficiently. The drama revolves around several bombings that have been occurring in London. How Lana manages to handle the difficult situations along with her team has been thoroughly depicted. The gritty situation ends up snatching some of Lana’s closest people, but she doesn’t lose hope. Will Lana be able to unveil the truth behind the bombings? Will she be able to save the lives of the innocent? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
What Happened At Andy Phelan’s Residence?
Andy Phelan had been missing from the apartment that he had been staying in with his family. While the police were able to recover his wife and child from under a bed in a vulnerable situation, he was found nowhere. Andy’s wife told the police that masked intruders had come into the house who were speaking a mix of Arabic and English. Large amounts of HMX were also found in the apartment. When Inspector Robins and Lana searched the apartment, they found a pressure plate underneath the toilet mat. The bomb was rigged up to the light switch, and as Lana was almost about to flick the switch, Robins asked her not to. He then disconnected the power supply, ensuring that the explosive was neutralized.
Later, they found out that it was a non-lethal, low-explosive device, which meant that the attacker had something bigger planned. They checked all the vehicles in the vicinity and found an explosive beneath a car. A robot was deployed near Phelan’s car, as there was a possibility of a second IED there. When the robot started to malfunction, Lana went in herself to handle the situation. She saw someone locked inside the van, only to discover that it was Andy Phelan. A bomb was attached to his cell phone with the help of a detonator. DI Desai managed to get a trace on the burner phone that was triggering Phelan’s vest. She said that the phones were being operated from two separate locations. Lana and her team finally manage to dismantle the device, but meanwhile, another blast occurs, killing Robins. A total of 18 people were killed in the blast, sending waves of terror to engulf the city.
What Happened After The Westhaven Blast?
A meeting was held right after the blast, during which Tom said that Andrew could have been targeted for being an Far-right activist. Further investigations on him showed that he worked in the security services for 3 years and was dismissed as a result of violence against Asians, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. They had also found the code 1912 in Andy’s apartment, inscribed on the wall, but couldn’t make much of it.
Later, during the investigation, the bomber’s van was found, which was seen leaving Westhaven on CCTV footage. The van was parked outside a factory, and when the police reached that place, they saw a battery pack of explosives tied under a table. After neutralizing the device, Lana said that the factory was just a distraction, as apart from some explosive materials, nothing else was found. Lana found it odd that the factory was so squeaky clean! They found a detonator, which was usually associated with suicide bombers. The factory setup was made in such a way that it would look like an Islamic bomb factory.
What Happened At The Amburiq Mosque?
When the Amburiq Mosque was attacked, it was made clear that the terrorist organization was not Islamic. Lana went inside the mosque to find a blue packet hung on a locked door. When she peeked inside, she saw a watch with a timer on it which was about to go off in the next 5 minutes. She could also hear a man screaming out to her for help from beyond the locked door. When she peeped inside, she saw a hostage begging for help. Lana tried her best to neutralize the bomb, but eventually failed to do so. Tom came in, telling Lana to get herself under cover as the time was almost up!
The mosque eventually blows up, killing the man inside it. Later, a recorded message was sent to the cops, saying that the Amburiq Mosque blast was a payback for the Westhaven Blast. Later, when the CCTV footage was checked, they saw a man taking a blue packet into the mosque. It was later discovered that the man carrying the packet inside was Nic Roberts.
Was Lana Able To Stop The Blast Outside The Lgbtq Pub?
After the event at the mosque, the bigoted Crusaders planted a bomb at an LGBTQ pub. A suspicious black van was seen parked outside the pub at 6 p.m. When Lana reached the spot along with her team, she opened up the van. While the police were at their work, a sniper was seen shooting at them. They, however, manage to neutralize the device by throwing in gas bombs to blur the sniper’s vision.
Later, the sniper was gunned down, and when they examined the body closely, it was revealed to be Nic Robert’s. Andrew Phelan, Nic’s cellmate in 2015, was questioned. Andrew said that Nic was a psychopath and had tried to stab him in the cell. It now made sense to the police that Nic, having a personal grudge against Andrew, wanted to kill him during the blast at Westhaven. The officials also spotted an unidentified police officer leaving the spot in a white car, while Nic was gunned down. They reckoned that he was the real gunman who might have been military-trained in handling arms. Later, the man was seen destroying the car, which was later recovered by the police. The chemical component of the bomb was also discovered to be HMX-319.
Why Did Lana Think John Was A Member Of The Crusade?
When Lana opened John’s locker, she found a map that pinpointed the exact locations of the blasts. She had also seen how the wires of the bombs in all the attacks had been tied in a manner in which military men are taught to do it. When she told Tom that John could be a possible suspect, he did not believe her. She later started following John, trying to get information on him.
What Happened To Billy?
Lana got the information that her brother, Billy, could have been a member of the Crusaders, as the police had uncovered footage of him meeting Nic. Lana was made to call Billy and ask him about his whereabouts, helping the police tail him. Billy told her that he was at Farringdon Tube Station. Lana warned him about the terrorist group that he was associating with and asked him to check his car. Billy realized that his car was rigged and had a bomb in it. Lana asked him to drive away from the crowd to Cranstead Field. By the time Lana reached the place, there were only a few moments left on the timer.
She asked Billy to stay still, as the timer could be a trap for him to open the door, making the car blast. When Billy finally got too anxious about the ticking time bomb, he tried opening the door to escape, but the car blew up into smithereens, killing Billy. This incident shook Lana, and she started seeing a psychiatrist. She said that she was extremely ashamed for not being able to save so many people around her. The police also found out that Billy had been talking to a man named Frank through texts, and he could have been a possible member of the organization.
What Happened At South London University?
South London University was flagged as the next target by the Crusaders. Frank was seen getting in through the gates with a package that he wanted to plant in the auditorium of the university. When Lana went in to search for the bomb along with John, she was able to find two phones set as triggers for the explosive.
Meanwhile, when Frank was located by the police, trying to activate the bombs in a secluded compartment of the university, he was gunned down. They managed to deactivate the phones after killing Frank, but later John was seen making a call, reactivating the detonator, resulting in a massive blast. The witnesses saw John fleeing the scene after the blast! Other officials assumed that John was the one behind the blast, as it was traced that the second call that caused the blast had been made from John’s phone. They also found a similar mix of chemicals used in all the explosives at John’s home, making it clear that he was associated with the Crusaders.
What Happened At The Progressive Alliance Campaign Headquarters?
Upon a background check on Caredale Road SE1 (marked by John on a map), which was near the Progressive Alliance Campaign headquarters, a suspicious vehicle was found. Lana discovered that an EFP was installed in the vehicle, under which was an open gas cover on the road. If the EFP shot straight into a gas pipe, it would cause an immense blast in the neighborhood. When the residents were asked, they said that a gas engineer went door to door, changing the meters. Upon checking the gas meters in buildings nearby, Lana found a tilt switch in one of the buildings, which would trigger a gas explosion in every building on that street.
Lana set out on the task of dismantling the triggers in every building in the locality along with her team. The residents were made to evacuate their houses as the team was handling the situation efficiently. Meanwhile, John texted Lana, saying that he wanted to talk to her. He then sent her a number (66 11 42), which she recognized to be the code that she had seen on the redacted HMX file. By this time, it was clear to Lana that it was John who was behind all the blasts.
What Happened To John?
John’s location was outside a military ordnance facility (MOD Steepholm). When the police went to search for John there, they were told that they could not be allowed inside the facility because of their high-security standards. The site was a storage facility for high-grade explosives (HMX), and they assumed that John had been stealing explosives from that site to make the bombs. Tom told the other officials that there was a traffic accident that happened in Kandahar in 2009 in which seven allied soldiers were killed. However, the family members of the victims were of the opinion that there was a possibility that they had died in a blast and not by accident. ‘
The family members were trying to find the reason behind those deaths, and they had requested to release the investigation file in 2019, which was denied by the Defence Select Committee in Afghanistan. This explains why John was after Ayesha Campbell Khan (the head of the select committee), as he thought that his fellow British army had been murdered, which was later covered up by her. Meanwhile, a text came to Lana from John’s phone, saying “Endgame.” The last location where John’s phone signal had been traced was inside St. Jude’s chapel. When the soldiers entered the building, they saw that John had attempted to commit suicide and had overdosed himself in the process.
What Was The Secret Of The Codes?
Sonya told Lana that the numbers or codes that they had found were related to the periodic table of elements. 11 was sodium (Na), 66 was dysprosium (Dy), and 42 was molybdenum (Mo). The elements made up the name of their mission, “Dynamo” (2009). Sonya further said that the code that they had found at Andy’s house was 1912, which stood for 19 (potassium) and 12 (magnesium), summing it up to KMg. Lana immediately realized that this abbreviation stood for Karl Maguire. The man that Lana thought was deeply in love with her had a greater motive in mind!
What Did Karl Do?
Right after Ayesha won the election from the Labour Party’s side and became a member of the parliament, Karl got up on the stage. He had a suicide vest tied around his body and warned everyone to stay right in their positions; otherwise, he would blow up the entire building. He told Ayesha in front of everyone how she had covered up the murder of the British soldiers in Khakjab in 2009. Being the chair of the Defence Select Committee, she did nothing to protect the British army in Afghanistan.
Karl said that he was part of a convoy in July 2009, which was a special force working as the forward operating base. They were working in Afghanistan to find out more about the chemicals and explosives, and hence the operation was called “Dynamo.” Karl told everyone how the government had sent them to deal with the situation without enough ammo. When the villagers attacked the soldiers, Karl managed to escape the scene, but the others were killed as a result of the blast made by them. The news of their brutal murders was, however, covered up by Ayesha. When Karl said that he would reveal the truth to the world, he was court-martialed for cowardice and left the spot during the war. He was also threatened that he would get no pension or have no voice if he opened his mouth.
All the injustices faced by Karl and his other British brothers made him want to seek revenge. He explained how he had managed to form a rehabilitation group in South London and then trained people like Nic and Frank. They were also full of rage over the deaths of their fellow countrymen, not even attaining any recognition after their deaths. Karl had become their leader and wanted the world to know the truth about the incident. When Lana asked him why he killed Billy, he said that Billy was a liability and he couldn’t risk Billy leading Lana to him, as he was her brother.
Lana initially tried to make Karl realize that whatever he was doing was not right. Later, while Lana struggled to get the remote away from Karl’s hand, he was shot dead by the militants, and the bomb was then defused. Later, it was also revealed that Karl had framed John to misguide the course of the investigation. Karl’s fingerprints had been found on John’s mobile, and it was clear that he was the one who had been texting Lana. He had also manipulated John into calling a certain number, which triggered the explosion at the university. It was Karl who had planted all the explosives at John’s place to make him look like the culprit!
Final Thoughts
Trigger Point portrays the brutal murders of British soldiers in Afghanistan. The way the deaths of his fellow militants triggered the military personnel, driving him to the edge of terrorism, has been presented. However, a question pops up in our minds as we watch the show: Can terrorism be fought by further terror? I guess Karl had chosen the wrong path to tell his story to the world! However, we never know how moments of helplessness may trigger someone to avenge their loss! The amazing screenplay of the series deserves accolades, and the minute details that the director has kept in mind while making the series also deserve special mention. The only shortcoming that I could spot was a lack of a shift of scene back to the past, especially while Karl was narrating the story of the tragic deaths of the British soldiers in Afghanistan. A swing back to the past would have added a richer layer of action to the climax of the series. The first season of Trigger Point keeps us waiting for a greater revelation in the second season.
