Trigger Point series 3 ending explained including bomber Steven's full motive and Lana's future
Jason Flemyng has given a masterful performance as serial killer StevenTrigger Point series 3 had a completely mad ending, with several shocks thrown into an explosive final episode.
Lana Washington (Vicky McClure) and her team had been on the trail of serial killer Steven Wyles (Jason Flemyng) throughout the six-part series, which dropped on ITVX last weekend.
Steven, who has always been one step ahead of DCI Amar Batra (Maanuv Thiara) and DS Helen Morgan (Natalie Simpson), has fashioned a string of ingenious devices to dispatch his victims.
It’s has been a personal crusade for Steven (Jason Flemyng), who’s avenging the deaths of his colleagues who worked at a construction firm in the 1990s as part of the Coldmarsh project. They weren’t told the buildings they were demolishing were packed with deadly asbestos, which resulted in them developing cancer years later.
Each of his victims he blamed for being part of a massive corporate cover up. In episode 5, Steven planned to blow up the building containing the CEO of the company he holds responsible and to kill himself in the process.
But, in a huge twist, Steven picked up the CEO’s mobile only to hear his own brother trying to warn the CEO that Steven is the bomber. Yes, Steven’s own brother Isaac is part of the conspiracy!
In the last moments of episode 5, Steven, having strangled the CEO, appeared ready to strike Lana dead with a fire extinguisher as he attempted to escape the building to find his brother.
Here’s the Trigger Point series 3 ending explained, including whether Steven killed his brother, a further motive for his revenge plan and whether Lana plans to quit bomb disposal for good.
*** Warning: spoilers from the ending of Trigger Point series 3 on ITVX and ITV1 ahead***
Trigger Point series 3 ending on ITV1 explained: what happened in the last episode?
The series followed Steven Wyles avenging the deaths of his friends and colleagues. It also implied that Steven was dying from cancer from the asbestos released when he was helping to knock down buildings his bosses had declared safe. We saw him having coughing fits and struggling to breathe.
Steven had prepared to blow himself up but then he learned that his brother Isaac, a union representative at the construction company, was part of the cover-up.
Thankfully, we discovered straight away in the final episode that Lana wasn’t dead or badly injured. Rather than hitting Lana with the fire extinguisher, Steven just sprayed her with it before fleeing the building. Somehow all the cops managed to miss him again! Surely they could have covered the exits of the building?!
Sonya (Kerry Godliman) was worried about Lana’s mental health, especially her constant painkiller use. Lana quipped: “It’s hardly Trainspotting, it’s not like I’m an addict.”
But Sonya rightly believed that Lana wasn’t coping and said she should consider quitting. Hass was also worried about Lana. Lana then shocked Sonya by revealing she’d spotted Sonya was seeing Hass! Sonya didn’t look happy that her secret was out.
Who was Isaac Wyles?
Isaac Wyles (William Ilkley) is Steven’s brother. The police wondered if the brothers were working together on a revenge plot. But the audience knew that Isaac wasn’t in league with his brother. In the final episode, Steven headed to his brother’s lavish home. Steven had always wondered how his brother could afford such an amazing house.
Now, Steven had finally worked out the truth. As the union rep, Isaac was meant to make sure the workers had a safe environment to operate in. But instead he was bought off by the construction firm so they could cut corners. This meant that they were exposed to asbestos.
Lana and the police finally arrived at the house, but Steven was again one move ahead. He was holding his brother hostage in a car along with Isaac’s wife.
Trigger Point series 3 ending: where did Steven take his brother?
Steven forced Isaac to drive him to the site of a former hospital, the first building demolished as part of the Coldmarsh project. Steven sniffed that the bosses promised great things would be built on the site, but instead for the past 30 years nothing had happened. “The dream of Coldmarsh died, along with everyone who worked there,” he told his brother.
Steven wanted Isaac, like his other victims, to confess. He thought originally six people were bought off but now he knew it was seven. Meanwhile, in the Tigger Point series 3 ending, the team discovered Steven had locked Isaac’s wife in a car boot which has an explosive device attached.
Lana said she wasn’t waiting for back-up and headed into the building to find Steven and Isaac.
Meanwhile, Steven had tied a load of explosives to his brother and given Isaac a dead man’s switch trigger device. If Isaac took his thumb off the switch Steven said he would set off the bomb strapped to his body.
Lana reached Isaac but Steven had vanished.
Steven’s biggest motive revealed
Steven said Isaac was responsible for his wife’s death.
Steven revealed himself to Lana and he told her his wife had died because of Isaac. Police shooters surrounded Steven but he said he also had a device. Lana ordered the police away and asked Steven to explain what had happened to his wife.
Throughout the series Lana had made it clear that she understood Steven’s motives, even if she didn’t agree with his methods.
Steven revealed that his wife died from cancer which he says she got because of asbestos fibres on his clothes when he worked at the construction firm. “I loved her more than anything in the world and I killed her,” he said.
Lana, trying to keep him talking, said her brother died and it was her fault. She said she accepted Steven might kill her, but would Steven be OK with killing her? Lana and the audience knew there was good in Steven. He gave 100k to the widow of Rich (Mark Rowley), Lana’s colleague killed by Steven’s device at Greenwich.
Steven’s death
Steven took his finger off his detonator but it didn’t go off. He explained that it was never rigged up to blow up his brother. In a big twist, he revealed that if his brother took his finger off his switch it would in fact kill him, not Isaac.
Steven said that if Isaac killed him no one would know his secrets. When that didn’t work, he started taunting Isaac, telling him he’d told his wife what he did before killing her. “A wife for a wife,” he sneered. Lana pleaded with Isaac that Steven was lying and his wife was really still alive. Isaac got more and more furious. He believed his wife was dead and that Steven had killed her.
Eventually he released the button and Steven exploded! Ironically, at that very moment the bomb team found Isaac’s wife safe in the boot. She was obviously hugely distressed but she appeared unharmed.
Isaac was led out of the building and DS Helen Morgan arrested him for Steven’s murder! We’re not entirely sure that will stand up in court given the fact Isaac thought he was strapped to a bomb and then was taunted his wife was dead. But Steven knew that by killing him, Isaac was destroying himself. Isaac was led away a broken man.
Trigger Point series 3 ending – how Rich came to die
The episode ended with Lana holding a team barbecue. After firing up the barbecue, she decided to make a speech making it clear she had no intention of leaving. She said her team was what kept her going and that she saw them as her family. Lana also revealed that she was seeing a therapist. Throughout series 3 Lana had been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She’d also been suffering from tinnitus.
Lana toasted Rich. Rich had also been suffering from PTSD, which ultimately appeared to lead to his death. He was so traumatised by almost drowning that he’d cut the wrong wire on a device made by Steven and paid the ultimate price.
Lana toasted Rich, calling him a great friend and part of their family. In the last scene, we saw Lana help her parents pack up as they moved away. Her dad made it clear she could come but she wantedto stay put. Lana’s future was with her team. Her other family.
Will there be a series 4 of Trigger Point?
Yes, Trigger Point series 4 has been commissioned by ITV. Indeed, the broadcaster is so pleased with the Vicky McClure show that they ordered a fourth series before the third series started. This is unusual but reflects what a big hit Trigger Point has been for ITV. ITV says that Trigger Point series 2 was streamed 30 million times on ITVX.
At the time of the announcement in the summer, Vicky said: “We’re all buzzing ITV have such faith in this series to commission a fourth before the third has even aired. I love working with the team, we have a great time making the show and I cannot wait to continue Lana’s journey on Trigger Point.”
It will be interesting to see what the creative team has planned next for Lana and co! It is likely that Trigger Point series 4 will be on ITV1 and ITV in the autumn of 2026.
One of the series’ executive producers is Jed Mercurio, who worked with Vicky on Line of Duty, which is also rumoured to return.
Read more: The Dark on ITV: Plot, location, start date, and latest news about upcoming ‘serial killer thriller’
