Classic Moments: 'Spooks: Code 9' finale

The Spooks spinoff had more than its fair share of teething problems, but managed to drag itself off the ground and whip up an exciting finale. Here's a look back at the gripping final moments of the first (and possibly last) season.

The Context

On the one-year anniversary of the 2012 bombing of London, the Prime Minister is delivering a speech to the nation in Union Square at a memorial service. In the sewers below, several members of the Code 9 team find a nuclear bomb and desperately try to disarm it along with a team of experts.

Meanwhile, MI5 boss Yates has unveiled herself to Rachel as a terrorist traitor and points her gun at the young agent. Can Charlie arrive in time to save her and can another bombing be averted?

The Moment

Yates is about to shoot Rachel, but the blonde manages to whack a syringe into the arm of her nemesis - containing a tracking device within. This allows Rob and Charlie to track down their location, but Yates shoots herself in the head when they arrive.

The Prime Minister continues to deliver his speech about remembrance, Rob desperately tries to revive Rachel through heart massage as a distraught Rob looks on, and the bomb ticks down into single figures. With just two seconds left before detonation, the image freezes, fades to a negative effect and the end credits roll.

The Aftermath

The fate of Rachel and the bomb will remain unknown unless the BBC commissions a second season. A number of narrative threads have been left hanging, such as the unrequited love between Rachel and Charlie, the terminal illness of Kylie, and the identity of those within MI5 who were working with Yates.

However, could the 'whiteout' negative effect at the end of the episode be interpreted to mean that the nuclear blast has actually taken place?

> Click here for our review of the Spooks: Code 9 finale