The Key – The episode opens at Stanford University in California in 1975. Young Professor Alderman (Charlie McCullagh), Master of College, teaches about the codes utilized by the German wolf pack, a convoy of submarines, in WWII. He shows his pupils a photo of an Enigma utilized by submarine commanders to decode secret messages. Everything changed when an enemy found an Enigma during a battle. He explains how a special lock with two keys, one to lock and one to unlock, was created to protect each Enigma in the silicone era. The locking key was universally accessible to everyone, not the inimitable unlocking key. The keys connect with public key cryptography, an algorithm utilizing prime numbers. In the present, Professor James Alderman (Stephen Rea) pulls down each of his eyelids while looking in the mirror.
Taylah Sanders (Quintessa Swindell) deletes Edward Brooks’ (Leo Woodall) work from the NSA database. She tells him that the theorem is stored only on their phone. She hotwires a car and they drive away. Upon arriving at Kaplar Institute in Cambridge, Jane Torres (Martha Plimpton) tells Stephen Patrick Nield (Jason Flemyng) that Edward and Taylah are probably coming there. Michael Campbell (Miles Jovian) works to secure their system from Taylah and Edward’s potential attack. Elsewhere, Keith Wyatt (Tim Faraday) hands Fiona Carey (Daisy Waterstone) a letter. She opens it to find a handwritten note inside. She sends him to look for her sports kit before retrieving a key from the key cabinet. She unlocks the door to a room, sets a bag on a table, and leaves. Edward and Taylah arrive later. She stuffs her gun into a drawer, gives him some food, and urges him to eat. He tells her that Professor Raymond Osborne (Joseph Mydell) helped him get into college and set him up in this room. He blames himself for Osborne’s death. She assures him that Osborne thought a lot of him. He says they will utilize the Prime Finder to take down Jane, Andrew Carter (Harry Lloyd), Kaplar, and Axiron and then destroy it. Fiona barges in and demands to know what is going on before seeing how worn Edward looks. He thanks her for everything she has done. As she turns to leave, Taylah asks her to do one last thing for Edward.
At Kaplar Institute, Jane concocts a plan to make Edward a person of interest in a case involving a body found in London. She orders Michael to report it to Cambridge police. Elsewhere, a man informs Alderman that the police believe Edward is in Cambridge. Alderman asks for 10 minutes to make a few calls. At Darnell College, Fiona logs into the database and leaves. Edward calls Darnell College to speak with an admin. An admin takes the call and Taylah slips into Fiona’s seat and starts a download. In his room, Edward burns his notebook of prime numbers. At Kaplar Institute, Michael discovers CCTV footage of Edward walking down the street. Jane orders him to take several other agents with him to the location. Nield questions what Edward is up to. Edward hops on a bike. At Darnell College, Taylah completes a download and accesses Kaplar Institute’s database. Michael and the other agents split up to look for Edward. Taylah appears hacks into Kaplar’s system. At Kaplar, Jane detects a glitch and warns Nield that the Prime Finder can hack any computer system. Nield determines Taylah is decrypting Kaplar’s entire system and taking the Axiorn project. Jane questions where Taylah is transferring the data. He tracks her back to Darnell College. Jane puts on her jacket. Anneli Potts (Gloria Onitiri) warns Nield that they are locked out of the system. He notifies Michael and guides Jane, who is at Darnell College, to the computer that Taylah had accessed. She says clean house and confiscates the webcam. An urgent message – “Here is the face of Jane Torres” – from Taylah pops up on her phone. Jane receives a photo of her and the message, “A US government agent who betrayed her country and brought about the murder of innocent people.” Taylah sends her a location for them to meet. Jane tosses the webcam on the desk before leaving.
At Kaplar Institute, Nield and Poppy collect and destroy all evidence. At an undisclosed location, Taylah tells Jane all evidence has been transferred to Fort Meade. Jane assures her it won’t stop Axiorn, a private security company, and expresses how much she means to her. Taylah insists she deserves to be punished for taking someone’s life. Jane warns of the impending chaos linked to Edward’s theorem and accuses Taylah of turning Edward into a lifelong fugitive. She forgives Taylah who doesn’t want it. Elsewhere, Professor Andrea Lavin (Sidse Babett Knudsen) receives a surprise visit from Edward. He tells her about finding the missing piece in the Orleans archive. She suggests he got what he wanted. He asks if she still wants to know how Professor Robert Mallinder (David Morrissey) died. She says yes. He tells her Axiorn, a security firm funded by banks, is terrified of the Prime Finder because it can unlock data suppressed for years. He claims Robert died trying to keep him safe and reaches over to grasp her hand. She receives a call from Alderman about the police looking for Edward. A short time later, Alderman insists on speaking to Edward alone. He suggests Edward’s achievement may destroy his own. Edward tells him that he solved it. They were almost the same age. Edward’s eyes fill with tears. Alderman offers to help him with his plan.
Taylah finds Edward and her gun gone. She calls Andrea to see if she has seen Edward. Edward tells her that he is with Alderman and offers to take her there tonight. Seeing Dr. Akram Nizar (Ali Suliman) and Afina Nizar (Tara Abboud), Andrea pursues them. Alderman takes Edward to Robert’s office, offers him a sanctuary, and asks for proof of the Prime Finder. Edward admits to burning the evidence in his notebook because he wants nothing else to do with it. Alderman warns that it is stored in his memory and urges him to stay at Cambridge. Andrea asks Akram what he is doing at Cambridge. Afina tells her that she received a full scholarship to Darnell College and will start in the fall. Believing the scholarships had been allocated, Andrea suggests Akram has powerful friends. She says only the Master of College has that power and walks away. At Cambridge, Alderman explains how he intended for his code to provide safety to the people but when the governments got it, they utilized it to hide their worst crimes. He tells Edward that he feels partly responsible and asks him to walk with him. Elsewhere, Andrea tells Taylah that Alderman is a dangerous man and Edward is with him. She recalls how he urged her to not stop searching for Bayt al-Hikma.
At Cambridge, Alderman tells Edward that his theorem can open up every evil, end tyranny, and provide a new beginning in the right hand. Edward asks if he is talking about destroying the digital world. Alderman says they will send a message from Cambridge to their friends in Wall Street and unlock the banks’ digital vaults. Edward warns of the damage it would cause and the cost to everyone else. Alderman assures him that Revolution doesn’t come gently. Edward asks if he was behind the explosion and the deaths of innocent people in Baghdad. Alderman insists they died in the name of progress. Edward accuses him of killing Robert, Ricky Olson (Tom Stourton), and others just to unleash his theorem. Alderman says they will be the authors. Edward asks what about Osborne. Alderman believes Osborne would be happy for and proud of him. Recalling how Osborne was killed, Edward calls his theorem/legacy a poison and destroyer of worlds. He turns to walk away. Alderman vows to never stop until he has it. Edward draws his gun and shoots him in the head. Alderman drops to the ground. Taylah rushes Edward out of the school to the car and they speed away. Hearing footsteps, Andrea retrieves the gun and runs away. Edward considers killing himself because the weapon is in his head. Kayla stops the car and urges him to use it for good. She warns that they will use him if he doesn’t escape. She says someone must be held accountable. He asks what she will tell them. She vows to never mention his name and believes she should pay for killing someone. She gives him the phone with the Prime Finder. He says she matters to him more than anything. Police sirens can be heard in the distance. He runs into a nearby field. She emerges from the car and puts her hands up. He continues to run. A police officer cuffs her. From a hilltop, Edward watches the police cars drive away.
At the NSA Headquarters in Fort Meade, a spokeswoman announces the launch of an investigation into the corruption. The new Chief Director of Surveillance Operations Andrew Carter takes the podium. Edward watches the press conference from a digital screen in the City of London. He appears to compromise the system and shut it down.
Prime Target Review
The finale reveals the Master of College at Cambridge was behind the explosion in Baghdad. Alderman designed a digital lock to protect secret codes, with the intent of providing public safety. His invention eventually fell into the hands of the government. Alderman wanted to avenge the wrongs inflicted on the people and end government tyranny. Knowing the significance of prime numbers, he recruited mathematicians like Osborne and Robert and uncovered the Bayt al-Hikma at the cost of innocent lives. With Osborne and Robert gone, Alderman set his eyes on Edward who had the theorem.
Before Osborne was killed, Edward shared Alderman’s opinion of the Prime Finder. Alderman tried to recruit him but he wanted no part of it. He vowed to never stop until he got the theorem and his revenge on the government. Edward kills him.
Revealing Alderman’s invention early in the pilot would’ve given viewers a clear understanding of what the series was trying to achieve. The finale set the series up for a second season, with Carter succeeding Jane as the Chief Director of Surveillance Operations. Jane was the lesser of the two evils.
I would’ve been content with Edward escaping and Taylah going to prison at her own decision. The finale deserves a 6.2 out of 10.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.