As the fourth episode of Trigger Point begins, Lana Washington (Vicky McClure) drives to the burned vehicle while a news report confirms the man shot was Nicholas Roberts. DI Samira Desai (Manjinder Virk) asks an officer to speak to the nearby jogger to see what she saw if anything. She tells DI Thom Youngblood (Mark Stanley) there are no fingerprints or evidence regarding the second Crusader. However, the vehicle matches the one spotted on the CCTV camera although the number plate was removed. CCTV cameras likely won’t be helpful out there. Sonya (Kerry Godliman) suspects an accelerant was used on the interior before a det charge went off on the petrol tank. Lana joins them and learns that petrol was likely used as the accelerant. When Samira asks if the det charge proves this guy was the bomb maker, Lana doubts it since anyone could learn to use a det charge.

Samira and Sonya leave while Lana asks for a second with Thom. She asks him about the HMX and Porton Down. He replies that they’re looking at it. Lana shows him a picture of the wire and explains that is how professionals tie their wires. The same pattern was found on all three devices. Then, she shows him pictures of the stuff she found when snooping through John’s locker. Thom scolds her for looking through his locker since it would make all evidence inadmissible. She tells him about the A-to-Z book she found in his locker and the locations marked in the book. Lana wants to know if he is going to help her or not. Thom says he will and she did the right thing bringing this to him. She intends to text him the pictures. Later, she gets a call from DC Jones who says her brother, Billy (Ewan Mitchell), failed to attend a further interview at Holloway Police Station.

Lana doesn’t believe there is much she can do about that, but Jones argues it is in Billy’s best interest to cooperate with these additional inquiries. Before the call ends, she promises to bring Billy into the station herself. She begins looking for her brother, but he isn’t home and won’t answer his phone. During a team meeting, Moira Bloxham (Lucy Russell) talks about the far right and how there were 100 expulsions for extremist views when Agatha Jack tried to reform English Flag last year. Since those names were easy to track, the far right changed tactics by looking at people without criminal convictions or far right activism. They targeted the disillusioned, unemployed, and those left behind. Commander Bregman (Ralph Ineson) says they believe the attack on Westhaven was a false fag by the Crusaders to justify their attack on the Amburiq Mosque.

Andy Phelan (Rick Warden) was the target because Nic Roberts had a personal grudge against him. Interviews with Phelan suggest Nic thought he had been deliberately placed in his cell by MI5 to gather info on the far right. DSU Marianne Hamilton (Nadine Marshall) says they’re working through a list of suspects provided by Thames House that had connections to Nic. The autopsy of Nic revealed he was in the advanced stages of terminal prostate cancer. Hamilton suggests that might explain why he was willing to carry out a suicide bombing. Then, Bregman mentions Lana’s report on the Five Oaks and it was well done. Although it isn’t certain, she says it is highly likely they’re looking for one bomber. Lana begins telling them about the three distinct elements they’ve found with one being HMX-319. When she says it is reported classified by Porton Down, Thom quickly says they’re tracing it. The working theory is that some of the explosive found its way onto the dark web.

Lana mentions the method of delivery and repeated use of secondaries. Finally, she tells them about the distinct signature in the wiring. She explains that means the bomber has received high-level military training. Bregman admits that is going to increase the threat level. Lana shows him an example of the wiring while explaining the technique is durable and prevents snagging. An expo can quickly check for damage without pulling the whole thing apart and it isn’t something just anyone can do. Hamilton asks when the report was submitted so Thom claims Lana only made the discovery about the wiring earlier today. They’re looking through official databases to see if they can identify any persons of interest while keeping an open mind.

Hamilton wonders if it could be a ruse to throw them off their tracks since it is odd for the bomber to advertise themselves so clearly. Bregman agrees since the Westhaven attack was meant to send them in the wrong direction. However, Lana argues that finishing a wire like this is like second nature because you do it without thinking. The bombers likely didn’t expect them to check the wiring since the circuits are usually damaged by the blast. She is almost certain the bomber is a former member of the military. After that, Lana meets up with her parents, Val (Tamzin Griffin) and Jeff (Kevin Eldon), to find Billy. There is evidence that Billy started the party without them although he isn’t home. Val questions whether he went out with Becky, but Lana doubts it since they’ve split for good now. When Lana last saw Billy, he was mardy and confused. Jeff says there was no change there then. Val spots the bloody bandage on the ground. Lana quickly grabs it, throws it to the side, and says Billy cut his hand a couple of days ago.

She admits it was after Nut’s funeral when Billy was drunk. They learn that he drank too much, smashed a window, and got arrested. Lana promised she wouldn’t tell them anything because he didn’t want them to worry. Val asks what is really going on. Lana tells them not to worry and she isn’t going to stay around since he isn’t home. As Lana leaves, she stops to text Karl (Warren Brown) to see what he is doing this evening. She goes to the Meerab Halal Butchers shop to apologize for the window. The owner says they’re an easy target when things go wrong and he was here when it happened. She offers to pay for his window although he isn’t sure why she’d do that since it wasn’t her fault. She admits it was her brother’s fault. The man tells her that they don’t need anything from her. Lana tries to find out if there were more than one guy that night, but he won’t say and instead urges her to leave them alone.

She goes to an ice cream shop with Karl. After they sit down, Lana tells him about her brother going on a bender and concerning her parents. Karl suggests he is just letting off steam until he learns about Billy smashing the window of the halal butcher shop. Lana reveals Billy has been charged with racially aggravated criminal damage. Karl believes it was mostly because Billy was wasted since he and John drank Flaming Sambucas once they left. Micky told him that John Hudson (Kris Hitchen) and Billy were still drinking by the time he left. Later, Lana finds John working out with Danny (Eric Shango) so she confronts him. She asks if he has seen Billy around. At first, he acts like he doesn’t know who Billy is. Then, John says he hasn’t seen him and he isn’t sure why she’d think he has. He denies that they were mates while claiming Billy only said a few words to him. She sits down and watches John put the A-to-Z book in his bag.

She follows him when he leaves. John stops momentarily to check the book before continuing. As she stalks him, John stops again and writes something down. After she nearly gets hit by a vehicle, she walks over to where John was writing. She looks up and sees it is the Borough Hill Jewish Centre. Lana tries to get in touch with her brother who still isn’t answering his phone. Thom pulls up and asks her what she is playing at. She is told that they have a person under active surveillance and they saw her following John so he had to ask them not to include it in the report. She argues he is caught up in all of this, but Thom just wants her to let them deal with it. Back at the office, she talks to Pete (Tom Stokes) about John being on shift at the Five Oaks although he didn’t show up and Hassan had to cover for him. He remembers John going home with the stomach bug right before the call. Lana finds that odd since John was just fine when she saw him that day.

At New Scotland Yard, Lana tries to call her brother once more. When Thom joins her, she asks if he has talked to John Hudson yet. She is confident he is involved since he pretended to be sick before the Five Oaks incident and lied about Billy too. Thom insists John wouldn’t be on duty if they had anything against him. As for the trace on the military explosives, Thom says that is ongoing. He reveals a DCI position is opening up in Serious and Organized Crime so he can’t afford to blow it. Their conversation ends abruptly when John, Danny, and the others arrive for an EXPO briefing. As John walks by, Kate asks him what he has gotten Billy mixed up in. He denies everything while she accuses him of grooming her brother. He chuckles so she pushes him to the ground. Hamilton arrives in time to see the others breaking it up. She asks John if he’d like to make a formal complaint against Lana, but he says no because he isn’t like that.

He believes the pressure is getting to her with everything that has been going on lately. Since Hamilton is worried about Lana, she asks her to take some personal leave although Lana thinks she should be worried about John. Hamilton says it wasn’t a question. Lana calls that decision bollocks before leaving as John laughs at her. At home, Lana gets in touch with Sonya and thanks her for taking the time to talk to her. They discuss HMX-319 which is what the special forces use. Lana wonders what the lifespan of it is. She believes they can use that information to determine who had access to it at that time. Sonya says it would have a lifespan of about 50 years depending on the storage and the traces they found were roughly 10 years old. Sonya promises to see what she can find about military operations using HMX-319. When asked, Lana admits she didn’t get much sleep last night. She can’t sit around and wait while the bomber is out there. She is also tired of watching after Billy who is a magnet for bullies.

Sonya recommends finding a way to take her mind off things. Lana goes to the pool hall where she plays with Karl. They play a game before sitting around and talking about two guys playing nearby. Karl likes coming here because of the vibe. While the boys are useless, they’re having the time of their lives and he enjoys that. He tells her he just wants the simple things while she thanks him for not asking how she is. She wonders what they are and whether they’re just mates. Karl says you tell me. She leans over and they begin kissing. A call interrupts that. The kissing continues until she gets another call. The male caller’s voice is all broken up due to the bad reception in the club. When she steps outside, she learns it is Commander Bregman who wants to talk to her about Billy. The Commander reveals they believe Billy is involved in a Crusaders cell. Hamilton looks through CCTV pictures of Nic Roberts meeting with Billy while Bregman tells Lana about them.

Billy’s car has tripped an ANPR camera and they’ve tracked him heading into North London. Another attack could be imminent so they need to question Billy. They believe Lana can help convince him to cooperate. Once Lana agrees to cooperate, Sam tells her they’ll text her and they need to get as much information as possible. His phone records show Billy has been contacting Becky Walters, but she hasn’t been answering. They decide to text Billy while pretending Lana is with Becky to get him to answer. The call will be recorded with Thom and the others listening on a secure line. When Karl comes out to check on her, Lana tells him she has to go. Lana’s text message work convincing Billy to call her. Billy says he is going to meet his mates although he won’t say who. As their conversation continues, Billy runs into a protest at the Farringdon tube station. Sam tells everyone there is an anti-fascist demo taking place there. Commander Bregman believes they should intercept Billy.

Billy tells Lana he was supposed to meet his mates there, but he only sees a bunch of lefty wankers. She tells him that his friends aren’t who he thinks they are. He learns about Nic being involved in the Crusaders and Nic’s death. Once she asks him to search the vehicle for anything unusual, he finds masking tape and wires under the tape. The wires run into the glovebox where he finds a bomb. Although Billy wants to get out of the car, Lana doesn’t think that is a good idea. Hamilton and the others strategize to find a way to get the car away from the crowds. They decide to send him to Cranstead Fields and meet him there. EMS and EXPO units are sent there as well.

Lana tells her brother not to turn the car off or touch anything when he arrives. When Billy asks her to tell mom and dad he is sorry, she says he can tell them himself since he is going to be fine. Billy hears the bomb arm and learns he only has eight minutes to disarm it. Then, his battery dies which makes matters even worse. As officers arrive, they find a group playing football so Hassan (Nabil Elouahabi) tries to get them to move out of the way. Billy drives into the field and has to lock the door to avoid being attacked by the players. Hassan gets rid of them and tells Billy to stay calm because it is going to be okay. Then, Lana arrives and rushes toward Billy’s car. Billy tells her it only has about three minutes left. She looks around the car and tries to open the trunk, but it is locked. She sees the bomb as Billy asks her how bad it is. She struggles to find out what the bomber has done while Sam and Thom arrive. Lana believes the timer is a decoy since the bomber wouldn’t know where the car would be when it goes off.

She tells her brother that the timer means nothing and is trying to trick him into opening the door. Lana repeatedly tells him it is going to be fine and she is going to go get some stuff. Lana informs Thom that the timer is a decoy and the bomb will likely explode if the driver’s side door is open. She isn’t sure about the passenger side although she doesn’t want to risk it. The bomb’s timer turns off at 30 seconds before it begins counting down again. Lana and the others prepare to extract him through the rear window. Billy freaks out, opens the door, and dies in a fiery explosion. That night, Lana grieves with her mother and father. She goes to Karl so he can comfort her. She sleeps with him. Once she wakes up in the morning, she finds a bunch of missed calls from Thom. She listens to one of the voicemail messages in which Thom says he just wants to know she is okay. She learns and listens to another voicemail message from Thom. She goes to the scene of the explosion where police are searching for evidence. She sees John walking around and stares at home before leaving.

 

Trigger Point Review

Besides a few intense moments, it is quickly becoming clear that Trigger Point is a missed opportunity. The acting is pretty good across the board, but the story just isn’t good enough for the cast. It hasn’t been particularly unique since you could pretty much tell what was coming from the beginning besides a few explosions here and there. Some aspects of the story are questionable considering how long it took for the team to decide to pull Billy through a rear window.

I would’ve just rolled down the front window and climbed out. There is no mystery or suspense considering what you’d expect to happen has happened. Another issue is the fact that Trigger Point is trying to paint modern politics with a broad brush. I think other viewers would agree that we are propagated about the dangers of the far right enough in other forms.

As a result, it isn’t unique or groundbreaking. The series has everything it needs to really excel except for a good story. I suspect it would’ve been more compelling if there was no central storyline and Lana just dealt with a new bomb scare each week. Sadly, it isn’t good enough in its current form. The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Trigger Point can be found on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support the Reel Mockery project by following this link.