Alex Rider – Season 3 Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Episode 8

At the start of the final episode, Alex apologizes to Jones for pulling a gun on her, and she assures him there are no hard feelings, joking that he owes her a new fridge, though! Jones, who was John’s handler and knew his wife, feels a deep sense of responsibility for their deaths and thus wants to protect Alex at all costs.

Realizing that the only way to uncover Julia’s plans is to regain her trust, Alex stages an escape from the agency’s black site. During a briefing, Alex learns that Julia has already infected him with cyanide nanoparticles. Before he can process this news, the Madam Secretary arrives and announces the suspension of the department. Alex is taken into custody, but Jones and Cawley rebel, helping Alex in his escape. 

Why does Julia kill John & his wife?

Alex contacts the emergency number provided by Julia, requesting immediate extraction after his escape from custody. Julia agrees and swiftly dispatches her operatives and tasks Nile to personally interview Alex to verify his story. Nile interrogates Alex, probing to see if he’s telling the truth or merely sceptical.

Convinced of Alex’s account, Nile takes him to the Abbey Tower, where Julia has installed the transmitter. Upon meeting Alex, Julia initially feigns joy at Alex’s safe return, heralding him for completing his mission unharmed.

However, Julia quickly realizes that Alex is deceiving her and knows the truth about the invisible sword. At that point, it’s revealed that Julia was deeply in love with John Rider, but after being betrayed and humiliated by John’s lies, Julia decided to eliminate his entire family.

Is Alex Rider successful in stopping the invisible sword?

Julia’s men seize Alex, and she activates the transmitter that begins to compromise Alex’s health. He experiences intense chest pain moments away from a fatal cardiac arrest. MI6 arrives just in time, giving Alex the opportunity to break free. Cawley warns Alex to get clear of the transmitter’s radius, as its frequency could kill him. But Alex ignores the warning and instead heads to the roof to disable the transmitter.

Despite facing heavy resistance from the Nile, Alex manages to deactivate the transmitter, but the former, with his superior combat skills, overwhelms Alex. However, Alex gains control of a gun and shoots the wires, disabling the transmitter once more. Meanwhile, as Julia attempts to flee, she is shot and killed by Jones, putting a stop to her plans. 

What happens in the end?

With Julia’s laptop in their possession, the Department gains access to all the information about Scorpia’s bases and operatives, and it’s only a matter of time before they track down and arrest everyone involved.

Jones submits her resignation letter, hoping to live a normal life. However, Blunt refuses to accept her resignation and instead steps down himself, appointing Jones as the new head of MI6. Jones meets Alex and returns his father’s service medals, which were taken from him before he went undercover.

Jones also prods Alex to return to university to complete his education, telling him to come back when the world needs saving again. 

The Episode Review

Alex Rider season 3 has come to a close, and while it was enjoyable, die-hard fans might feel it was a bit of a let-down compared to the excitement of the previous two seasons, especially the intense infiltration of Point Blanc. That season was truly exceptional. In this season, there were fewer fights, less intensity, and a somewhat lacklustre villain who, at times, felt uninspired.

She could have been a great antagonist with more depth to her character, but she came across as one-dimensional. Despite these fusses, we believe Alex Rider will return for another season. There’s plenty of material left to explore. Even though Julia is dead and the Department has the names and addresses of all the Scorpia agents, there’s a sense that Scorpia will rise again, stronger and evil than ever