Narrative Connection
How these two moments in the story relate
Why These Connect
The narrative assertion
"The high-stakes raid on the ice cream van in Episode 2 leads directly to Kirsten's discovery and PNC checking of a white transit van in Episode 3 (her stop before the murder), where procedural failure not giving the registration number becomes catastrophic."
inferred by llm_cross_episode_character
Why This Matters Across Episodes
The longer arc this connection carries
The events of the ice cream van raid in Episode 2 demonstrate the drug network's presence and Kirsten's close involvement in tracking it, which results in her noticing a suspicious white van — directly enabling the central incident of Episode 3. The continuity shows how Cawood's relentless pursuit of the drug network indirectly contributes to Kirsten's death through the chain of events.
About Causal Connections
A directly causes B. The first event sets forces in motion that produce the second. These are the load-bearing connections of plot--remove one and the story structure collapses.