Trigger Point seasons 1-2 recap: The (many) reasons for Lana’s PTSD

by

The third season of Trigger Point is now available, and it continues to test explosives expert Lana Washington (Vicky McClure) with dangerous missions that push her to her emotional limit.

Honestly, after watching everything she’s been through in the first two seasons, it doesn’t surprise me at all. They really put her through the wringer, constantly throwing her into incredibly stressful situations and threatening the people she loves. It’s been tough to watch, but it makes sense given everything she’s faced.

It’s surprising Lana hasn’t quit, considering how difficult her job has been. But it seems like this challenging lifestyle is all she’s ever known, and she’s not yet willing to settle for a calmer, more routine position.

Lana has been avoiding help, but she might have to accept it—and take some time off—as she becomes increasingly reliant on painkillers.

Want to know how things got so difficult for her? Here’s a rundown of the intense events from seasons 1 and 2 of Trigger Point, and how they’ve led to the challenging storyline in season 3.

Trigger Point seasons 1-2 recap: The (many) reasons for Lana’s PTSD

The first season of Trigger Point started with a shocking death that deeply affected Lana.

The show’s advertising heavily featured both Vicky McClure and Adrian Lester, leading viewers to believe they would share equal focus in the story.

In a surprising twist typical of Jed Mercurio, the creator of Line of Duty, the character Joel Nutkins – a police partner and close friend of Lana – was unexpectedly killed in an explosion during the very first episode.

The bomb found in a London apartment building was connected to a bigger plot orchestrated by Karl Maguire (Warren Brown), a former soldier now working as a mechanic. He was driven by a desire for revenge, stemming from a military scandal that ruined his life and caused numerous deaths.

Karl was also close to Lana, eventually becoming her lover, making the revelation that he was a terrorist especially shocking and upsetting.

Throughout Karl’s dangerous operation, Lana repeatedly encountered his advanced explosives, risking her own safety. Despite her efforts, she couldn’t prevent harm to civilians, which deeply shook her confidence.

Lana’s brother, Billy (played by Ewan Mitchell from House of the Dragon), was one of the victims of Karl’s plan. Billy had recently joined a far-right extremist group called The Crusaders before he died.

Karl manipulated people with hateful beliefs into carrying out his scheme, resulting in attacks on an LGBTQ+ space and a mosque, among other places. He insisted he didn’t share their prejudices, but his actions speak for themselves.

The situation reached a critical point during a special election when Karl tried to kill the candidate. Lana tried to reason with him, but was unable to stop him, and a member of her team ended up shooting Karl.

Wow, season one was a total gut punch! As a movie and TV lover, I was reeling. Lana had the worst luck – she lost Joel, her best friend, then her troubled brother Billy, and then Karl, who she was seeing. But the biggest shocker? It turned out Karl was behind all of their deaths. Seriously, what a twist!

If that doesn’t call for a long holiday, I don’t know what does.

Trigger Point season 2 recap

Lana does get a break from work after a difficult first season, but she doesn’t take a relaxing vacation – I definitely would have!

Rather than stay, she traveled to Estonia to teach Ukrainian soldiers how to safely handle and disarm explosives while the war in Ukraine continued.

Lana’s return to the UK was cut short when she was unexpectedly called back into service. An anarchist group called The Wave had begun attacking London’s key buildings and financial districts, hoping to cause widespread chaos and change the existing system.

Things became intensely personal in the second episode when Lana’s former boyfriend, Detective Chief Inspector Thom Youngblood (played by Mark Stanley), who she still cared for, was murdered – pushed down an elevator shaft by someone connected to The Wave.

Lana was already deeply affected by the loss, and the ongoing attacks created immense stress at work. This combination overwhelmed her, and she had a major argument with her parents, expressing her frustration in a very angry outburst.

The expo faced a terrifying situation when explosives were planted in her parents’ home, trapping them inside. This was all part of The Wave’s attempt to force her to kill the Home Secretary.

It definitely wasn’t your typical Tuesday, that’s for sure. I imagine for Lana, it might have been business as usual, but for everyone else, it was a surprisingly eventful day – and I’m really glad about that!

Fortunately, she outsmarted the terrorists by using her expertise with explosives. She turned their own bomb, originally meant for the Home Secretary, against them.

Wow, season 2 was brutal for Lana! It was just awful watching her lose Thom, the guy she really cared about, and then seeing her parents almost get hurt in that messed-up attack. Seriously, they were trying to make her kill someone – it was a really intense time for her character.

Despite everything, she does manage to attend her colleague Danny’s wedding in the final episode and appears to enjoy herself dancing. However, once the celebration ends, she’s still left with her past emotional wounds.

At the beginning of Trigger Point’s third season, we meet Lana, and it’s amazing she’s even still functioning, let alone showing up for work every day after everything she’s been through.

In the new episodes, Sonya (Kerry Godliman) needs a thorough psychological evaluation before getting involved in any investigations. Without one, she risks overlooking important clues, and that could have serious consequences.

And in Trigger Point, it’s the little details that make the difference between life and death.

Trigger Point seasons 1-3 are available to stream on ITVX.

Read More

2025-10-29 13:05