What happened in Bloodlands series 1 ahead of new season?

Bloodlands series 2 is officially here as James Nesbitt returns as DCI Tom Brannick.

The drama proved to be a huge success with fans, with many eager to see how the story continues.

Written by actor-turned-writer Chris Brandon, series one of the drama also starred Lola Petticrew as Brannick’s daughter Izzy Brannick, while Lisa Dwan played her university lecturer Tori Matthews.

Meanwhile, due to the success of the first series, which was four episodes long, series two has been extended to six episodes.

So, to jog your memory, here’s what happened in series one.

What happened in Bloodlands series one?

Bloodlands series one saw Brannick, an officer with the Northern Irish police force, spring into action when it was suspected a legendary assassin, known as Goliath, was behind a new crime – the kidnapping of Patrick Keenan.

It was thought that Goliath had been a serving police officer in the 1990s and that one of his suspects had been Brannick’s wife, Emma, who had also been an agent of a special branch of the police.

While Brannick investigated with his partner DS Niamh McGovern, they suspected a cover-up in the original case. Meanwhile, episode one ended with three skeletons being found, one of which wore an owl pendant belonging to Brannick’s wife.

However, it was later revealed that none of the bodies were Brannick’s wife, but Joe Harkin and David Corry, two of Goliath’s original suspected victims. It turned out that the reason Corry had the owl pendant was because he was having an affair with Emma.

However, the biggest shock of the series came when it was finally revealed that Brannick himself was Goliath and had been coerced into killing two men when Emma’s life was threatened.

The series ended with Brannick killing the only people who could have identified him as Goliath, with the police only having his word to go on when they arrived.

What will happen in Bloodlands series 2?

An official synopsis for the new series reads: ‘When the murder of a crooked accountant unravels a trail of greed that threatens to expose his identity as legendary assassin, Goliath, DCI Tom Brannick and the accountant’s widow, Olivia Foyle must keep each other dangerously close.

‘As they try to solve the riddle her husband left behind, and become more and more immersed in the puzzle of each other, Tom and Olivia draw in Tom’s fellow officers DS Niamh McGovern, DCS Jackie Twomey and DC ‘Birdy’ Bird, as well as Tom’s daughter, Izzy, until deceit and betrayal force Tom to question just what lengths he will go to to keep his legacy intact.’

It looks set to deal with the aftermath of the deaths of Pat Keenan and Tori Matthews, both of which Brannick is responsible for, and fans have called for Emma to make her first appearance on the show.

Bloodlands returns tonight at 9pm on BBC One.

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