Released in the year 2018 by ABC, together with Netflix, the six-episode Australian political drama series Pine Gap’ has been highly acclaimed by viewers around the world. Pine Gap is the American-Australian facility based in Australia where Americans keep an eye on the satellites, drone movements, and if there is any threat to the world with such movements.

The Realism Factor

The Pine Gap series was mentored by the real Pine Gap worker who worked in the facility for nearly about 18 months. The reason why the authorities decided to take a mentorship was that they wanted to keep the series as realistic as possible, and surely they did.

However, it seems that Pine Gap could not live up to the fans’ expectations, maybe because it is too realistic to understand or it misses the drama and thrill that fans actually look for in the spy thriller series. Even though the series has mixed reviews, fans appreciated the plotline and how the storyline followed the series of plot twists and shocks.

Alliance in Crisis

The story also depicts what the alliance between the two countries looks like and how they manage to keep the bond strong while working diligently for the better future of their respective countries. However, not always does an alliance agree on one thing.

When bigger things happen and tensions rise, countries must think of what could be the best solution when it comes to keeping the citizens safe while fighting those who are trying to destroy peace. The same happens in Pine Gap. Americans and Australians have different points of view on solving the situation, and while dealing with the pressure from upper authorities, they get into a constant disagreement which causes serious troubles.

Pine Gap: Plot

Pine Gap follows the story of workers working inside the joint defense facility of the US and Australia. When in Myanmar, the civilian plane gets attacked by the missile, and everyone gets shockingly curious about who must have done it.

Surprisingly, the malware was also discovered by one of the Pine Gap workers, Moses, who successfully deactivated it, but now the question is who installed the malware, and is there any confidential information that got leaked? The US-Australian authorities take responsibility for finding that traitor before they find themselves and their countries in any more trouble. The authorities shortlist some names and dig deeper into their whereabouts.

Increased Suspicion About Moses and Rudy

Kath, Ethan, Rudy, and Jacob, while still discovering who must have installed malware in the servers to leak the information, get significant details on Moses’ bank details. He seemed a little suspicious to them from the start, and his big transaction of $12000 hints that something wrong is happening with his personal life.

Soon they decide to confront him on the same, but he never agrees that he is the traitor because he thinks that he is too brilliant to install outdated malware in the system, which got detected and could easily be deactivated.

He also confesses that he gave the money to a 14-year-old girl to pay off the debt which she took from the welfare. To confirm the same, Ethan and Rudi meet the girl, and she confirms what Moses confessed and that she never had any sexual relationship with him. His reasons seem to justify to the authorities, and they strike off his name from the list of suspects.

Next comes Rudy. Even though he is not on the list of suspects, Jacob thinks that he was the one who installed the malware as he was in the communications room for 7 minutes on the day when the malware was installed. Even though Kath trusts Rudy blindly, she finds Jacob’s words convincing; however, even Rudy does not accept the suspicions about him and makes a valid argument that proves he is not a traitor.

The Source Of The Leaked File

Kath receives information on the Shift – log file of the Pine Gap that has been leaked and is being shown in the news. Even though the file was encrypted and the chances of it getting leaked were less, millions of people began watching it on TV.

Now that the authorities know which file has been leaked through the malware, they find it easy to know the source of it and catch the person inside the Pine Gap who has been deceiving A-Crew for a long time. Soon they find the source from where the Shift-log file was leaked. It was from the phone of law student Immy Dupain. Police arrest her as the suspect, and all the authorities interrogate her. She tells them that she received a message from herself, which means someone took her phone at the basketball game and texted her number to get the USB.

She then emailed the leaked file to a blogger, who soon got leaked in the news. This new information helps Kath and Ethan to narrow down the list of suspects, as only Eloise, Deb, and Jasmina were present at the basketball game and on the day of malware installation in the cafeteria.

Rising Tensions between the US and America

While in the struggle to find the traitor, Gus, and his team are able to find out the location of Captain Pearson. US officials get information about it and try to rescue him. However, the only way that they can rescue him is by way of a helicopter, but the Chinese military encircles the location.

That means if the US tried to rescue the captain, China would attack the US, and war would happen. Also, there are possibilities that China would use nuclear weapons during the war. Additionally, if Australia, as part of the alliance, supports the US, it would affect the peace of Australia. So, after getting convinced by Kath’s words, Gus convinces the US president not to declare war but to negotiate Sino-US peace instead. Soon, they receive the news that US and China have initiated the talks, and even Captain Pearson has successfully been transferred to the US embassy in China.

What Happened To Gus?

Gus gets offered a job at Fort Meade. He feels so happy to finally be able to get transferred to a new job, but still, he feels connected to the Pine Gap, and that is why he does not send his final confirmation to Fort Meade. Subsequently, he finally makes his decision after having a hearty talk with his father.

His father calls in the middle of the night and asks Gus about the leaked Shift-Log. His father asks what kind of work he does in Australia, and he lets Gus know that he easily recognized his voice from the leaked footage shown in the news. He says that he felt proud that his son is doing such courageous work at Pine Gap in Australia. Gus falls into tears and decides not to resign from Pine Gap.

Who Is The Real Traitor?

Simon gets called back to the Pine Gap to analyze the message sent on Immy’s phone to identify the typing pattern of one of the suspects that Kathy, Ethan, and the team shortlisted. Simon thoroughly analyzes the message, remembers a few things, and draws his conclusion. However, he asks for his job in return for the name of the traitor.

In the end, we see Gus meeting Jasmina, Deb Vora crying in the bathroom, and Eloise Chambers getting arrested by the police. So, in the end, it is made clear that in return for the job, Simon suspects Eloise Chambers is the traitor.

 In the last scene, Immy meets Zhou Lin, which hints that Immy and Zhou framed Eloise to be the prime suspect in malware installation and that the real traitor is still hiding and getting saved by Immy and Zhou Lin to know the confidential information further. Many of the fans suspected Deb Vora was the real traitor because she was shown crying traumatically in the bathroom. Fans suspected that she was getting blackmailed by Immy and Zhou Lin, and she feels guilty for leaking the information. Because throughout the series, she is shown getting stressed out and traumatized, and the reason for her depression is never revealed.

So, fans assumed that Deb Vora was the real traitor and that Immy and Zhou Lin were helping her from the outside from getting caught. However, the creators decided to keep the ending of the show ambiguous so that fans could assume what would happen next according to their stories and the points of view of different viewers.

Conclusion

The ending of Pine Gap leaves us with more questions than answers. The ambiguity of the conclusion allows viewers to speculate about the true identity of the traitor and the fate of the characters. Pine Gap's commitment to realism and its intricate plot twists have certainly made it a memorable series, regardless of the mixed reviews. As with any good spy thriller, the intrigue lingers, and viewers are left to ponder the complexities of loyalty and betrayal in the world of espionage.

FAQs

1. Is Pine Gap based on a real facility?

   Pine Gap is based on a real joint defense facility in Australia, although the events depicted in the series are fictional.

2. Was the ending of Pine Gap well-received by fans?

   The ending of Pine Gap received mixed reviews, with some fans appreciating its realism and others desiring more dramatic closure.

3. Who is the suspected traitor in Pine Gap?

   In the end, Eloise Chambers is suspected to be the traitor, but the series leaves room for interpretation, and other characters remain under suspicion.

4. What is the significance of the Shift-log file in the series?

   The Shift-log file contains crucial information that has been leaked, leading to a search for the person responsible for the leak.

5. Will there be a sequel to Pine Gap?

   As of now, there has been no official announcement of a sequel to Pine Gap, leaving the story's future uncertain.