Lana Washington’s investigation into the terror cell targeting London hit a major breakthrough tonight, as Trigger Point‘s third episode catapulted someone to the top of our suspect list – but there could be more to this twist than initially appears.
Explosives officer John Hudson (played by Kris Hitchen) had already raised eyebrows with his dismissive attitude towards the evidence-backed theory put forward by squadmate Washington (Vicky McClure).
She believes that the attacks have been staged to resemble those carried out by Islamist extremist groups, when in reality someone else entirely is responsible for them.
Hudson has disrespectfully rubbished this idea in the past, but it was comments he made in tonight’s episode that caused Wash to suspect he could be personally involved in the conspiracy.
Whilst watching some television in the break room, Hudson makes a troubling comment about Ayesha Campbell-Khan, the Progressive Alliance candidate in the Deptford South by-election.
He accuses her of “siding with the enemy” as she makes a news appearance pleading against further division in our society, leaving Wash to wonder who exactly he is referring to with that remark.
Another awkward moment in the conversation sees Hudson strongly hint that he knows about Wash and Thom Youngblood’s secret relationship, as he grills her for intel from the Counter Terrorism unit.
These two encounters are enough to spur Wash into radical action, breaking into Hudson’s locker and finding material that only adds to her grave concern.
Alongside a promotional flyer for the far-right extremist group English Flag, she finds an AZ Map of London, which is marked with key information about the attacks that have been carried out so far.
Westhaven Estate, the site of the first detonation, is marked next to a sticky note with the name and flat number of Andy Phelan, who viewers will remember as the man strapped into a bomb vest in the series premiere.
There is also a business card for Zipcom Facilities, which is the same company that was emblazoned on the van that exploded outside Westhaven, killing explosives officer Joel Nutkins (Adrian Lester) along with several others.
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The next page marks the location of the targeted LGBTQ+ pub in Vauxhall, with a note of their usual delivery time of 6pm from Monday to Friday, a regular slot that the terror cell took advantage of when planting their rigged lorry.
Lastly, Lana finds that Amburiq mosque has also been circled on the map, with Hudson adding a note that Friday prayers take place from 2pm to 2:30pm, which is the time when the nail bomb from episode two was found and reported.
If Hudson were to be in league with the terrorists, it would help explain why their strategies and explosives have been so professional, as they would be derived from his expert knowledge.
However, while all of this looks highly suspicious on paper, there’s also a chance that this mystery is unfolding a little too neatly and we could have another curve ball on the way.
After all, having the spiky and outspoken Hudson as the real bomber wouldn’t exactly be surprising, while catching him out in only the third episode could also undermine the dramatic stakes of the story.
This may well end up being a red herring, as Hudson could shrug off the incriminating AZ Map to Lana by saying it was part of his investigation and research as a fellow explosives officer.
We’ll be eagerly awaiting some context on this plot development when episode four airs, but for now, as Warren Brown told us last week, everyone’s got to be a suspect.
Trigger Point continues on ITV at 9pm on Sunday 13th February. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.