Red Eye viewers just learned that face ID works when you're dead

What did you miss?

It turns out that ITV's latest Sunday night drama is actually more educational than most of us thought it could be. Anyone who tuned in to watch the third episode of Red Eye this week will now know something unusual about face ID — apparently it works even when the face is dead.

In amongst all of the killing and torturing and the biggest mysteries in Red Eye, phone security played a big role in the newest episode. There are, of course, some spoilers ahead for episode three and the story so far.

Who, what and why?

Richard Armitage's protagonist Matthew Nolan is still working hard to clear his name. Part of the key to that might be the fact that, just before his friend Steven met a sticky end, he'd given Nolan his phone. In tonight's episode, it looked as if Nolan might be locked out of it and unable to contact the outside world.

However, in the final minutes, we saw Nolan sneak over to where Steven's body is being kept and use the dead man's face to unlock the phone. Based on Matthew's expression when he sat back down, we're completely in the dark about whether he's a good guy or one of the many morally shadowy baddies lurking on that plane.

On Twitter, though, viewers were talking about what this means for the world of phone security. Surely Face ID doesn't work with a dead body?

So is this plausible in reality? Well, there's a lot of debate about it in the tech world and nobody seems completely sure. Obviously, there are very limited scenarios in which this could be tested.

Technology analyst Carmi Levy told CTV News Toronto last year that he believes it wouldn't be possible in the more sophisticated biometric systems used on modern smartphones.

“[FaceID] requires proof that the individual who is being recorded, in the photo, is in fact a very live person,” Levy said. “For example, Apple has incorporated technology to prevent people from taking pictures of dead bodies and gaining access to a system.”

But who are we to argue with the scriptwriters of tense primetime thriller shows? In this case, it seems plot was more important than plausibility. We wouldn't have it any other way.

What else happened on Red Eye?

On the newest episode, Matthew gave his version of the events leading up to Shen Zhao's death, accusing her of poisoning him prior to his car accident. Back on land, Director General Delaney thinks Shen Zhao gave something to one of the doctors she met at the conference, and that's what has made the Chinese government so keen to have them all back in Beijing.

Elsewhere, Hana's sister Jess turned her investigation to the mysterious World Pacific Medicine. She saw computers and documents being hurriedly removed from their offices and later went to meet head honcho Sir George Chapman. Unbeknownst to her, though, he's got a gun behind his back.

Red Eye continues on Sunday at 9pm on ITV1, with the whole series available now on ITVX.

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