Trigger Point Season 4 has come to an end on ITV1, and Lana Washington faced possibly her biggest challenge yet in a finale involving a nuclear bomb, an England v USA football match and an attack that left viewers wondering whether Vicky McClure’s character had survived.

The final episode aired on Monday, 14 September, bringing the six-part series to a close after Lana and Counter Terrorism Command spent the season trying to stop a group of mercenaries attempting to provoke a war between the US and Iran. By the time the finale begins, their plan has reached its final stage: detonating a nuclear device inside a packed London football stadium and framing Iran for the attack.

Spoilers for the Trigger Point Season 4 finale below.

What Happens in the Trigger Point Season 4 Finale?

The mercenaries have planted the nuclear device at an England v USA match, with members of the group disguised as police officers to move around the stadium without attracting attention. Their aim is to cause mass casualties and make it appear that Iran was responsible, creating the conditions for a military response and a wider international conflict.

Rather than immediately evacuating the stadium, which could create panic and make finding the bomb even harder, Lana and the team race to locate it while thousands of people remain inside. She overhears the fake officers revealing that only 30 minutes remain before detonation and warns the team that they cannot be sure who around them can be trusted. Lana also tells Danny Markham to stay away from the operation after learning that he is about to become a father. Knowing how dangerous the situation has become, she refuses to risk him leaving his child without a dad.

Help eventually comes from Helen Morgan, despite her betrayal earlier in the series. Helen had been forced into working with the mercenaries after they abducted her brother Luke, with her actions contributing to the deaths of Commander Quentin and DCI Batra. After rescuing Luke, Helen receives information from him about the bomb’s location and passes it to Lana.

That still leaves Lana fighting against the clock. The Prime Minister has authorised British fighter jets to destroy the stadium if the nuclear device cannot be stopped, sacrificing those inside in order to prevent an even greater disaster. The attack would also be blamed on Iran, meaning the mercenaries could still achieve the international conflict they had been trying to create.

Lana finally finds the device and has only minutes to separate its radioactive component without triggering it. When conventional methods fail, she uses a gun to separate the sections of the bomb and successfully prevents the detonation. With seconds remaining, the incoming air strike is called off.

Does Lana Die in Trigger Point Season 4?

No, Lana survives, although the finale briefly makes it look as though she may not. While trying to disable the bomb, Lana is shot twice by a sniper and continues working despite losing blood. She manages to neutralise the device before collapsing, leaving her fate unclear as the episode moves forward in time.

The next scenes initially continue to play with that uncertainty. Danny arrives at the station with his newborn daughter, where Hass and Sonya meet the newest addition to the team. Their conversation makes it sound as though Lana may no longer be around.

She is very much alive, though. Months later, Helen is living at a lake house in France with Luke when she discovers a bomb hidden beneath the wooden decking outside. Lana then appears behind her, having tracked Helen down after recovering from the shooting.

Lana tells Helen that she is no longer an expo and demands an explanation for everything she did. Helen argues that she was trying to protect her brother and that Lana could never understand their situation, but Lana reminds her that their job was to protect millions rather than one person.

The bomb beneath Helen is eventually revealed to be fake. French police and Andy Oldfield arrive to arrest her, while Luke has already been taken into custody over his involvement in the plot. Lana then hands over Helen’s recorded confession and her own ID badge, declaring: “That is me done.”

The final moments see Lana driving away with her dog and no real destination in mind. After four seasons of explosions, conspiracies and near-death experiences, she appears ready to walk away from the job altogether.

What Does the Ending Mean for Lana and Trigger Point Season 5?

Lana’s final scene could easily work as the ending of Trigger Point. She has survived the biggest operation of her career, stopped a nuclear attack, been shot in the process and finally reached the point where she no longer wants to continue as an expo.

At the same time, the ending does not completely close the door. Lana has stepped away from the job before, and she survives the finale without being tied to a specific new future. If Trigger Point returns, there is plenty of room to explain what brings her back or explore what her life looks like after leaving the unit.

ITV has not confirmed Trigger Point Season 5 at the time of writing, so for now Lana driving away with her dog could be where her story ends. The fourth season leaves her alive, free from the job and able to decide what comes next. One positive sign for fans hoping for more is Vicky McClure’s National Television Award win for Drama Performance just days ago, showing how much love there still is for both her and the series.

For CultureCues, what a finale. Season 4 pushed Lana further than ever, and Vicky McClure was fantastic throughout, especially in those final scenes at the stadium. We were fully prepared for the worst after she was shot, so seeing her turn up in France alive was a relief. Her decision to walk away could work as a fitting ending after everything she has been through, but we would absolutely rather see her back for another season. After four series, we are not quite ready to say goodbye to Lana Washington just yet.

All four seasons of Trigger Point are available to stream now on ITVX.

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