The Capture season 3 ending explained: Did Rachel Carey bring down E Squadron?

*Warning – contains full spoilers for the sixth and final episode of The Capture season 3.*

If you saw the latest episode of The Capture – the one explaining Noah Pierson’s past and his reasons for killing Isaac Turner – you might think all the big surprises have happened. But there’s still more to come.

The last episode is now streaming on BBC iPlayer, and it’s packed with surprising twists and revelations all the way to the very end.

So, how did the season end? Did Rachel fulfill her promise and defeat E Squadron? And what became of important characters like Noah and Gemma Garland?

Read on for everything you need to know about the ending of The Capture season 3?

What happened to Rachel and Abigail Carey?

In the final episode, Rachel regained her position as Commander of Counter Terror. She successfully negotiated a three-year contract with full control of the job, as Commissioner Yates needed someone to replace Noah Pierson (whose real name is William Walker) urgently.

Deputy Commissioner Talbot spoke with Rachel about concerns regarding how Pierson was appointed. They decided to share the evidence they’d gathered and work together to ensure those involved were arrested.

Shortly after these events, Colonel Christopher Figgis kidnapped Rachel. He explained that the AI, Simon, was having trouble understanding her, and he also confessed to blackmailing Tom Kendrick and others to force them to work for him.

Figgis showed Rachel a disturbing video appearing to show her sister, Abigail, with a gun pointed at her. Rachel immediately believed it was a fake, a ‘deepfake,’ but Figgis pressed her, asking if she could be absolutely sure. The video then showed ‘Abigail’ being shot, and Rachel was shown what appeared to be bloodstains. Despite this, Rachel couldn’t confirm whether it was actually her sister who had been killed.

Rachel had a bag placed over her head and feared she would be shot, but the soldiers unexpectedly left, leaving a gun behind for her to find.

Later in the show, viewers discovered that Abigail wasn’t actually gone – it was a convincing fake. She had no idea any of this was happening. More details are available below.

What happened to Gemma Garland and Noah Pierson?

Okay, so the big reveal happened during Sir Rowan Gibb’s testimony at the inquiry. He basically let slip that Gemma Garland was the one actually in charge of the whole Correction program, pretty much exposing her role. It was a huge moment!

She testified regarding the process of correction, explaining that restoring missing evidence with comparable replacements wasn’t harmful to the public, but actually served justice. She also emphasized that this practice had likely saved many lives.

Before giving her statement, Wizard repaired Noah Pierson’s heart device and sent him to rescue Rachel.

Instead of going where he was expected, he unexpectedly appeared at the investigation. He ran inside and immediately killed Gemma, and all video recordings of the event were removed except for the footage captured by BBC journalist Natasha Hayes.

James Whitlock was freed on bail and went home, but was immediately murdered by members of E Squadron.

Rachel was about to be rescued by Pierson, but after discovering he was the one who shot Gemma Garland, she turned the gun – which someone had left for her – on him instead.

Pierson explained that he really did want to rescue Rachel, but immediately after his heart device restarted, he received new orders on his device, directing him to target Garland instead.

He explained to Rachel that he’d followed the order to protect her. He knew E Squadron would kill her if he refused the mission, as they were willing to leave her unharmed only if Garland was dead. His death would lead the public to believe Correction was also gone, allowing the team to continue using it secretly without raising suspicion.

Pierson then died of his injuries.

Did Rachel Carey take down E Squadron?

Following the shooting of Gemma Garland, Lord Fredrickson, who was leading the Correction investigation, confirmed that video footage from Natasha Hayes proved James Whitlock was the shooter, not Noah Pierson.

This information helped show people that the correctional system could be a force for good. Had the program continued, Whitlock likely would have been incarcerated, and the incident involving Garland might not have happened.

Natasha Hayes was exposed as an operative for E Squadron, and she had forced Paige to cooperate by threatening to release an embarrassing photo of her in a Native American costume. Meanwhile, it came to light that Fredrickson was also involved in the plot to maintain the military application of Correction, alongside Figgis, Dr. Neuman, Commissioner Cameron Yates, and Rowan Gibb – all of whom had been seen together at a dinner.

Rachel discovered Hayes and Paige were involved in something, leading to Hayes’s arrest. Paige was told she could get a reduced sentence if she cooperated with investigators. She confessed that she’d given Hayes all the information about the Carey-cam launch on the night Isaac died, and she was also the one who positioned the Carey-cam to face the audience.

Rachel suddenly understood that some of the footage from the Carey-cam was being broadcast live to headquarters before the shooting occurred. She decided to use this live feed to reconstruct the events surrounding Isaac’s death, employing Wizard to digitally insert Noah Pierson back into the footage. Although she’d always fought against manipulation, she believed this tactic would finally expose the truth and dismantle E Squadron’s version of events.

Instead, they countered by spreading false information online, claiming Pierson was a Russian spy. They did this to discredit her before she could expose E Squadron’s role. They’d even arranged for her to arrive on the same flight as Anton Koslov earlier in the series, using him as a disguise and then twisting the situation to support their false story.

Rachel suspected that E Squadron was planning a deceptive operation, making it look like Russia was the aggressor. She believed this could escalate tensions to the point of war between Britain and Russia, and would definitely result in more money being allocated to defense.

Figgis explained they’d questioned Simon about what it would take to convince Rachel Carey to use the Correction system. This was a deliberate part of their strategy, and they now had compromising information on her. They implied they would expect her to ignore any future misconduct on their part if she remained in her position – a condition she ultimately accepted.

Talbot then attempted to share his evidence with Rachel, but she wouldn’t even look at it, revealing how defeated she felt. She warned him that he had no chance against E Squadron – they were simply too strong and well-coordinated.

Considering everything, the answer is no – Rachel definitively lost to E Squadron. Correction is operational again and working undercover, and Rachel doesn’t believe she has any chance of winning against them or stopping their tactics in the future.

What did that cliffhanger ending mean?

At the end of The Capture’s third season, Rachel came home to a welcome sight: Abigail was there, unharmed. Abigail snapped a quick selfie of the two of them relaxing on the couch, with a window visible in the background.

Rachel offered for Abigail to move in with her, and Abigail said she’d consider it. Rachel was then overcome with emotion and started to cry.

Once Abigail was asleep, Rachel checked her phone and scrolled through the selfies Abigail had taken. She was shocked to see Gemma Garland peering in the window in the background of one of the photos.

Rachel magnified the photo and there Gemma was, perfectly visible. She quickly glanced at the window, but the street outside was empty. It didn’t make sense – Gemma couldn’t actually be there in an apartment building like that. When Rachel checked the photo on her phone again, Gemma had vanished from the image as well.

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What does all this mean? Honestly, we’re not sure. Was the phone somehow hacked to briefly show Gemma’s image before it disappeared? Or did Rachel hallucinate Gemma, perhaps as a reminder to get revenge and continue her fight, or as a representation of her own transformation?

We might find out what happened if the show gets another season. Otherwise, we’re left to wonder.

The Capture season 3 is available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer now.

Don’t miss out on The Capture! Add it to your watchlist on the TopMob: What to Watch app. Download the app today for daily TV recommendations, exclusive features, and more.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, an international TV production company. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre Studies, and a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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2026-04-12 11:40