Trina Echolls is first mentioned offhandedly by Aaron Echolls in the episode "Clash of the Tritons" in a conversation with Keith Mars about the fallout from his affair.
- AARON: But these stories are tearing my family apart - my daughter Trina is the only one who will talk to me anymore.
The next episode "Lord of the Bling" provides a thumbnail sketch of her character as seen by Logan Echolls, in a scene set at Lynn Echolls' funeral.
- AARON: Have you heard from your sister?
- LOGAN: Yeah. She sent a telegram. Heartbroken. Stop. Can't make it back from Sydney. Stop. Underwater scene shoot tomorrow. Stop. Entire crew said prayer for Mom. Stop. Love you. Stop.
Logan, unable to accept his mother's death, turns to Veronica and asks her to track his mother, who he believes to have faked her own death. After a couple of unsuccessful leads, Veronica discovers that one of Lynn's credit cards is being used. In the episode "Ruskie Business," they track the user to the Neptune Grand, and by reporting the credit card stolen, forced the user to enter the lobby. But to Logan's disappointment, it is not his mother, but his sister, Trina. The film she had been shooting had not worked out, and she had decided to return home. She also didn't appear to care that much about Lynn's passing.
- TRINA: She was your mom, my step-mom. The lady who liked to parade through the house in a string bikini whenever I had a boy over.
She also says she doesn't believe that Aaron abused Logan. Later, Logan, distraught over the realization that his mother is truly dead, shows up to a school dance drunk. Trina comes to take him home, remarking it is "just like old times."
Trina moves back into the house, and soon after gets into trouble with money. In the episode "Hot Dogs" she realizes that she is not in Lynn's will, and so she decides to ask Logan for a loan, as he had received everything in Lynn's will. She tells him that she had borrowed thousand from her boyfriend.
- TRINA: Will you just hear me out, please. My boyfriend Dylan spotted me some cash a few months ago and…now he's bugging me about it. I-I can't get him off my back.
- LOGAN: Did you try standing up?
- TRINA: Thanks. Knew I could count on you.
That night, Trina arrives home with a limp and a large black eye. Logan, actually worried, tries to ask her about what happened, but Trina just skulks off. Later, after concealing her wounds, Trina begs her father to take a part in the film her boyfriend Dylan is producing. Aaron invites Dylan over for dinner. Once Dylan arrives, Aaron confronts him about beating Trina. He then, despite Trina's pleas, proceeds to beat Dylan to a bloody pulp.
In "My Mother, The Fiend," Trina returns to Neptune as the "Special Celebrity Director" of the school play. She appears to be taking her father's arrest in stride, and is more excited that Evan Rachel Wood has been cast in The Aaron Echolls Story. Around this time, Veronica has been investigating the case of a baby left in the bathroom of Neptune High during the prom of 1980. She believed Celeste Kane is the mother and wants her to own up to abandoning the child.
Veronica eventually discovers Trina was the prom baby, and has Trina read a scene with her for her "audition." The scene entails that Trina's "character" is dying and needs bone marrow, and only a blood relative could help her. Veronica videotapes the whole exchange with the intent of sending it to the tabloids, but realizes that while taking down Celeste she'd make a public spectacle of Trina. She tells Trina the truth, who is excited at the thought of inheriting some of Celeste's wealth, as well as the publicity the tape would create for her.
- TRINA: You know, if we hurry, that tape can make tonight's "Entertainment News." Oh, it's the least Big Pat can do for me after leaving all those pervy messages on my voicemail.
The next day, during a rehearsal, Veronica and Trina are discussing the tabloid coverage of Trina's "illness" when Mary, the deaf lunch lady, begins pointing to herself and then to Trina. Veronica eventually deciphers her sign language -- she is saying that she is Trina's mother. She hugs Trina, who is genuinely touched. It turns out then-student Mary had an affair with a teacher, and she left baby Trina at his doorstep. He then left the baby in the bathroom at the prom, knowing they would think it belonged to a student. It turned out the teacher was the current principal, Alan Moorehead. Trina busts him in the middle of a staff meeting, in front of all the other teachers, and he is let go.
According to a reporter posing as Logan's brother, Trina shot Nicole Ritchie with a BB gun, and Jay Leno used the story in an opening monologue of his show.
Appearances[]
Season 1[]
- 1x15 Ruskie Business
- 1x19 Hot Dogs
Season 2[]
- 2x09 My Mother, The Fiend