Prime Target Episode 3 Ending Explained
Warning! This article contains spoilers for Prime Target episode 3.
Prime Target's episode 3 goes back and forth in time to reveal the truth about Safiya's fate while progressing Ed's story. While Safiya's narrative highlights how she, too, once worked on prime numbers like Ed and came up with intriguing deductions about the patterns between them, Ed's quest for answers leads him to Safiya after she crosses paths with Taylah and joins forces with her. Many aspects of the show's overarching storyline remain shrouded in mystery even after episode 3, but the developments leave enough room for speculation.
When it comes to the reason behind Mallinder's death in Prime Target episode 2 and his connection with the Kaplar Institute, the 2025 Apple TV+ show still has a lot to unpack. The show has also not fully disclosed what Ed's prime number research has to do with the ancient writings on a prehistoric wall in Baghdad. However, Primer Target's episode 3 brings Ed and Taylah closer to finding the truth about who has been tracking them and the vast implications of Ed's mathematical discovery.
Are Prime Numbers Really That Important?
Prime Numbers Have Many Real-Life Applications
In Prime Target, numerous mathematicians land in trouble after they start researching prime numbers and attempt to find patterns between them. This makes it hard not to wonder whether prime numbers can actually be that important. Since prime numbers are only divisible by one and themselves, they were not considered applicable in the real world for a long time. However, their use has grown significantly, especially in cybersecurity and cryptography.
One of the biggest reasons behind their growing use in security systems is their uneven distribution and density along the number line. Owing to this unpredictability, prime numbers are difficult to factor, making it challenging for unauthorized parties to decrypt the information they protect. The mathematicians in Prime Target acquire forbidden knowledge that helps them see the underlying patterns in prime numbers.
This discovery makes them a significant threat because it allows them to gain access to almost all major cryptographic systems in the world.
Prime Target Key Facts Breakdown | |
Created By | Steve Thompson |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score | 44% |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score | 71% |
Running Time | 8 episodes |
Streaming On | Apple TV+ |
From government communications to online banking systems, they can break into nearly anything with their newfound information. Therefore, when mysterious but powerful organizations learn about the tools they have acquired, they set out to kill them before their knowledge lands in the wrong hands. This explains why Mallinder gets murdered soon after he starts working on Edward's prime number equation.
What Happened To Safiya?
Safiya Died Soon After Completing Her Research On Prime Numbers
After introducing Sofiya as a mysterious figure from Mallinder's past, Prime Target's episode 3 features flashbacks that reveal the truth about what happened to her. In Prime Target's episode 2, Ed learned that Safiya had a complicated relationship with Mallinder and died by suicide 30 years ago. Her backstory reveals that she, too, was working on a thesis that revolved around finding patterns between prime numbers. During this time, she was also in a relationship with Mallinder before Mallinder completely abandoned her one day and disappeared.
Given how subtle clues in the series suggest Mallinder was killed for working on prime numbers, it seems likely that Safiya, too, was murdered for the same reason.
Interestingly, just like Mallinder discouraged Ed from working on prime numbers and even destroyed his research before vanishing, he did something similar with Sofiya before warning her that it could put her life in danger. Sofiya grew increasingly paranoid about how her research could get her killed and even doubted her roommate. She was eventually found dead in her bathtub, and her demise was ruled as suicide. Given how subtle clues in the series suggest Mallinder was killed for working on prime numbers, it seems likely that Safiya, too, was murdered for the same reason.
Can The Kaplar Institute Really Be Trusted?
Stephen Patrick Nield's Behavior Seems Suspicious
Prime Target still seems to maintain an air of ambiguity surrounding who killed Mallinder and Sofiya. Even the identity of the people who killed Olson and attempted to murder Taylah remains unknown. Edward, too, is attacked by two mysterious figures in Prime Target's episode 3, who steal his bag containing Safiya's notes. Given how Taylah was attacked right after Olson sent the NSA (National Security Agency) information about the tampered footage of Mallinder's final moments, the organization could be responsible for calling the shots for the deaths in the series.
Prime Target was primarily filmed in Windsor, London, Cambridge, and Kent.
However, it is hard not to suspect the Kaplar Institute because the forces behind it seem desperate to get their hands on the prime number research. Kaplar's Stephen Patrick Nield keeps pursuing Ed and encourages him to join them even when Ed shows no interest in teaming up with them. They also seem to know a lot about Mallinder and his research in Prime Target, suggesting they are key players in the overarching conspiracy.
Prime Target follows Edward Brooks, a brilliant mathematician, in his pursuit of a prime number breakthrough that could blow open the door to international cybersecurity. Teamed with NSA agent Taylah Sanders, he confronts a hidden conspiracy threatening his discovery and life.
- Cast
- Leo Woodall, Quintessa Swindell, Stephen Rea, David Morrissey, Martha Plimpton, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Jason Flemyng, Harry Lloyd, Ali Suliman, Fra Fee, Joseph Mydell
- Creator(s)
- Steve Thompson
- Streaming Service(s)
- AppleTV+
- Where To Watch
- Apple TV+
