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The Ending of Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Explained
All five episodes of Lockerbie: A Search for Truth are now streaming exclusively on Peacock.
**SPOILER WARNING! The following contains major spoilers for Lockerbie: A Search for Truth!**
To this day, the world has never received a fully satisfactory answer regarding the terrible tragedy of Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded over the Scottish town of Lockerbie on the evening of December 21, 1988, killing 270 innocent people. Two men were ultimately tried for the act of terror, but only one was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to life in prison (this verdict was later commuted on merciful grounds, owing to the fact that the prisoner in question was dying of cancer).
Peacock's new limited series, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth (all five episodes are now streaming right here), aims to shed some light on the frustrating situation by exploring the events and evidence through the eyes of Dr. Jim Swire (portrayed in the series by Oscar-winner Colin Firth), a British physician who made it his life's mission to find out why his 23-year-old daughter Flora perished in such a senseless act of violence. In addition to finding the perpetrator, he also wanted to know whether the British and American governments knew about the threat ahead of time.
RELATED: The Story of Lockerbie and Pan Am Flight 103, Explained
Spanning over two decades of time, Lockerbie: A Search for Truth chronicles Dr. Swire's journey down an endless rabbit hole of grief, determination, and conspiracy.
What happens at the end of Lockerbie: A Search for Truth?
Lockerbie: A Search for Truth ends with Dr. Jim (Colin Firth) and Jane Swire (Catherine McCormack) putting part of the past behind them by packing up the home in which their daughter Flora was raised. Of course, Jim is still wholly committed to discovering the truth about Pan Am Flight 103 and clearing Abdelbaset al-Megrahi (Ardalan Esmaili) as the perpetrator, even in a world that has moved on from (and in some cases forgotten) about the tragedy.
However, as Jim takes down the documents on his conspiracy wall, reliving the final moments he spent with his daughter and the tumultuous path of conspiracy that opened up after her untimely death, we get the sense that he has at least begun to entertain what his wife said about finding a paradoxical sense of closure by accepting that proper answers might never see the light of day.
"The thing that mattered was that it seemed to me that it was an honest representation of what the U.K. family group had tried to do, and the small amount that we’ve managed to achieve as private individuals, which has been enough to show us just how vulnerable the official version is to proper probing of what really lies behind this terrible atrocity," Swire told Sky.
In the series' post-script, we're reminded that al-Megrahi remains the only person ever convicted for the bombing, though his family and Swire continue to push for the man's exoneration. While not confirmed, intelligence reports classified by the British government seem to point blame in the direction of Iran and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC), while a contradictory set of documents affirm Libya's culpability. Swire subscribes to the former explanation.
RELATED: Colin Firth Investigates a Terror Cover-Up in Official Trailer for Lockerbie Limited Series (WATCH)
Nevertheless, Abu Agila Mas'ud, a Libyan national accused of building the bomb that blew up Pan Am 103, was extradited to the United States in 2022 and will stand trial in May 2025. The onscreen text concludes that there has never been a fully independent investigation of the terror plot, making clear there are still many questions left unanswered even after all these decades.
"We are faithful to what Jim thinks, but also very clear that there are many people who disagree with Jim," series director Otto Bathurst explains in the official production notes. "We’re not a documentary in any way, shape or form. Even though we’re telling Jim’s story that doesn’t mean it becomes myopic in any way. He goes out to America, for example, at one point in the show, and meets a lot of the American families. To this day they are vocal about how they disagree with him. And when Al-Megrahi gets released on compassionate leave at the end of his life sentence, we absolutely show that there were many, many people who found that to be completely and utterly wrong. It was vital for us to show the bigger picture."
How can you watch Lockerbie: A Search for Truth?
All five episodes of Lockerbie: A Search for Truth are now streaming exclusively on Peacock.
NBCUniversal's streaming platform offers two monthly subscription plans: Premium ($7.99 a month with ads) and Premium Plus ($13.99 a month with no ads and download access for certain titles). If you're a student, you can enjoy the Premium plan for just $1.99 for an entire year!
