Line Of Duty - General Discussion

[Roseanna]

S5 John Corbett wanted revenge on Hastings who he believed (falsely) to be guilty of her mum's murder in Nothern Ireland during "the Troubles". For this purpose murdered or ordered to murder four police officers, and although three of them were corrupt, they didn't deserve to die. He also tortured Hastings' wife. There must be a cruel strike in him, I don't think anybody can plan and do such deeds in cold blood. On the other hand. he saved Steve who he could have shot because he regarded him honest and therefore tried to turn against Hastings, he tried to get Lisa out of the gang (unfortunately being too thrusting) and he tried to save the foreign girls who had been forced to prostitutes.

The fourth police officer was Maneet Bindra who had given information about AC-12 in order to help his cousin (she had been raised to value loyalty to family) and now tried to atone her deed by trying to get information about OCG, foolishly in her own. Maneet is worth sympathy: she was forced, her deeds were smaller and she tried to atone them.

Hastings really failed morally in S5: his order to kill Corbett was unlawful and his motive was revenge after he learned that Corbett had tortured his wife. Steve was right not to follow his order and Kate was right to inform on him. I think that the principles Hastings often relies on have made a hypocrite: he just could see that he had broken them, nor admit his real motives. (More in the next post.)

The most corrupt person was Gill Biggleloe, a lawyer who officially worked for the police and in reality to OCG, evidently for money. When recruiting Corbett he lied to him about Hastings in order to make him an avenger and he tried to frame Hastings for Corbett's murder - by sleeping with Hastings at the top and then giving him "sympathy" during his interrogation. A real sister of Jackie Laferty - there wasn't any non-bent bone in her!

   

[Roseanna]

1 hour ago, marybennet said:

 I don’t want to say it or even think it, but Hastings is corrupted by his taking the money for (I forget her name) cop widow.  I haven’t seen the last episode yet, and I’m wondering how they’ll deal with that. 

Because you haven't seen S6 ep 7, I write my answer as a spoiler.

Spoiler

Hastings explained to Kate and Steve that he had given half of the bribe money (that wasn't found) to Corbett's widow Steph as an atonement for his part of her husband's death. Thus she could keep her house.

Remember, he strongly denied in his interrogation in S5 that he had told when meeting Lee Banks in prison that Corbett was a police. Well that was literally true, but not the whole truth, for now he told Kate and Steve (and later Carmichael) that he had told Lee Banks that there was a rat inside the group. It hard to believe that he couldn't anticipate that Corbett would be killed (after all, Maneet had just been killed when her real task was invented). And Hastings felt remorse only after he learned that Corbett was the son he "had cared deeply for" (although according to him nothing had happened between them). - All in all, Carmichael wasn't so wrong in S5.  

Hastings should be criticized severely because he has condemned others severely, not only about crimes but adultery and affairs and has always boasted that my officers behave "to the letter of law, the letter".

[mjc570]

Re: Episode 6

I've never been a fan of Kelly MacDonald, but I think in this series and especially this epidote she was terrific.   I really felt for her; yes. she was corrupt but unlike the other bent coppers in this series, I think the fact that she was groomed by her pedophile uncle has to make a difference.  She didn't, as an adult, make the decision to give in to the pressure put on her without a context.  Legally, no, of course it doesn't make a difference. but certainly makes her actions more understandable.

About Hastings and his hypocrisy: I don't know why TPTB wrote a story line that was so completely out of character for him- I guess to inject some drama (although the injury to his wife was minimal (I think), or as a message to Adrian Dunbar that anyone can be written out of the show (I have no idea how this works, don't take this seriously)  to create a suspicion that he was H even though he was the least likely person,  but unless this really is a series about corruptibility, how anyone and everyone is susceptible, I didn't see the point.  Certainly there was no growth whatsoever in his character.  So, I prefer to pretend it never happened.

[marybennet]

8 hours ago, mjc570 said:

but unless this really is a series about corruptibility, how anyone and everyone is susceptible

I think I’m the side of your “unless.”  I think it is a series about corruptibility. Hastings is corrupted by guilt and sympathy, and that’s probably better than being corrupted by a desire for money, say, but he’s still been a little bit corrupted. (But we can still pretend it never happened! 😉)

[Milburn Stone]

22 hours ago, marybennet said:

I think it is a series about corruptibility.

I agree. From Series 1 through Series 6, we see how once-decent people make seemingly small meaningless choices that compound into corruption from which there is no turning back.

[Roseanna]

On 6/27/2021 at 11:54 PM, mjc570 said:

About Hastings and his hypocrisy: I don't know why TPTB wrote a story line that was so completely out of character for him- I guess to inject some drama (although the injury to his wife was minimal (I think), or as a message to Adrian Dunbar that anyone can be written out of the show (I have no idea how this works, don't take this seriously)  to create a suspicion that he was H even though he was the least likely person,  but unless this really is a series about corruptibility, how anyone and everyone is susceptible, I didn't see the point.  Certainly there was no growth whatsoever in his character.  So, I prefer to pretend it never happened.

 

On 6/28/2021 at 8:15 AM, marybennet said:

I think I’m the side of your “unless.”  I think it is a series about corruptibility. Hastings is corrupted by guilt and sympathy, and that’s probably better than being corrupted by a desire for money, say, but he’s still been a little bit corrupted. (But we can still pretend it never happened! 😉)

I think it was less about the suspicion Hastings being H and more his very real moral failings from which we have seen glimpses before: he is a zealot in pursuing justice and sees only black and white and therefore he is blind to his own blind spots. It was consistent that, when his wife is tortured, his can't check his emotions but acts against all professional and moral rules.

Also, it was about Kate and Steve's relationship about their boss: do they put loyalty before their duty? Does Steve follow Hastings' unlawful order? Do they inform on Hastings' suspicious behavior upstairs?

[Roseanna]

4 hours ago, Milburn Stone said:

From Series 1 through Series 6, we see how once-decent people make seemingly small meaningless choices that compound into corruption from which there is no turning back.

Was Gates really decent in the beginning of S1? He used "laddering" in order to advance his career (yes, he used the rotten system that demanded too much paperwork and put too much weight on good statistics, not real results) and he risked to lose his family who he loved if his wife found out his affair with a woman who had already betrayed him once. Yes, both are very human failings. But choosing to conceal Jackie's traffic escape wasn't a meaningless choice, he failed his duty as a police officer.

The very opposite is Maneet who betrayed AC-12, because she was too selfless and couldn't refuse to to help his cousin. She made a choice between two equally important ethical demands: to be loyal to your family or your duty as a police officer? 

Besides Maneet, it's only about Roz Hunter and John Corbett's past where we don't know anything bad. Although it's understandable that Hunter felt pressure from her boss to solve the case which would have advanced her career after years of taking care of her children, dismissing to take care of all evidence can't be labelled a meaningless choice as it was her duty as a police officer.

Danny Waldron's team members were afraid of them and after having one night stand with Jackie who had had an affair with Rod Kennedy Danny openly sneered Kennedy for his sexual failings - both acts weren't good for the team spirit.

I don't think it's no coincidence that John Corbett and Danny Waldron whose motive was to seek justice for themselves and others, were guilty of worst crimes: murders.

Besides Maneet, I feel most sympathy towards Lindsay Denton. She had sold her home in to give her mum a comfortable nursing home and she had made abortion when Dryden's had broken her promise to leave his wife. Feeling sympathy towards Carly Kirk she wanted to save her from Tommy Hunter's grooming. So she agreed to his kidnapping (and murder afterwards) but not to murder of others.

After the ambush she tried to save herself with any means and turned out to be an insurmountable liar and manipulator. She used violence towards her neighbor, Kate and her kidnapper whom she forced to give a false testimony against her ex-lover after which she tried to kill him.

Yet, she was a pawn in the bigger game and in the end she chose her duty of the police officer. Her fate was such a waste! She revealed easily Kate's undercover role and made twice a fool of Steve. She should have worked in AC-12!

 

 

 

[Roseanna]

Continueing:

In spite all I said above, I agree that everyone can fail. If one hasn't, perhaps there hasn't been a test where the temptation or threat has been strong enough.

Edited June 29, 2021 by Roseanna
correcting a letter

[sugarbaker design]

16 hours ago, Roseanna said:

Yet, she was a pawn in the bigger game and in the end she chose her duty of the police officer. Her fate was such a waste! She revealed easily Kate's undercover role and made twice a fool of Steve. She should have worked in AC-12!

 

 

 

Lindsay Denton is easily the most compelling, the most polarizing bent copper of LOD.  Any season.  Mother of God!

[Roseanna]

Steve fault is obvious: when he follows his dick, he loses his wits. After he had learned how devious Lindsay can be (she had taken pictures about him and the nurse), he let her fool him. His defense "fully clothed" was really pathetic: as if one can't have hands below clothes. Even more serious was that he continued to claim to Kate that the most important thing was that he had found the evidence against Lindsay - after the jury had doubted the evidence when Lindsay had made them doubt his integrity.

On the other, we don't like paragons. Characters must have weaknesses. It was also essential to the plot in S3 that Steve made mistakes and lost his credibility in the eyes of Kate and Hastings for a while (both matters were skillfully done), because the case against him was in fact weak. If he hadn't overslept, he would have had an alibi during Lindsay's murder.

When Dot presented the profile of "The Caddy", Hastings should asked the simple question: how would The Caddy had acted during the investigation? The Caddy would have done all he could to conceal Danny Waldron's motive to kill Murphys and that the deaths of Rod Kennedy and Stephens-Lloyd weren't suicides. Steve had acted just the opposite. Obviously Hastings was so mad at Steve that he just couldn't think. In the interrogation he just dismissed Steve's claim that he had returned the gun while Kate obviously made a note to check the matter.

Steve's chief virtue is seen already in the beginning: he alone refused to follow the order to conceal that the innocent man had been killed. It's this brave independence that made him not follow Hastings' order to let John Corbett to be killed. He also could change his opinion about Corbett and Gates and for a while about Lindsay. 

BTV, Hastings recruited Dot because he alone among Gates' team had testified against his boss. I wonder why Steve who otherwise began to believe Gates didn't doubt Dot's claim that Gates had ordered him and Deepak to leave before the next tail turn arrived, was true. If it wasn't Gates, it could be Dot who on purpose let 15 minutes to the murder.

Before he in S3 framed Hari and killed Lindsay, Dot's evil deeds were made outside the stage which may influence on his image. But consider that he bribed Akers and made her bribe Lindsay, all the time knowing that not only Tommy but Akers and other unarmed police officers should be killed and Lindsay would be framed for it. Yeah, he did it in order to protect himself and other bent police officers who Tommy threatened to reveal, but still - Dot was most bent of all.

 

 

[marybennet]

On 6/26/2021 at 12:30 PM, Roseanna said:

Because you haven't seen S6 ep 7, I write my answer as a spoiler.

Thanks for keeping me unspoiled!

Now that it’s available, I’ll let myself talk about it. The second confession—to Carmichael—seemed more like a challenge to her than a confession. I’m not sure what I think about that. 

[Roseanna]

3 hours ago, marybennet said:

The second confession—to Carmichael—seemed more like a challenge to her than a confession. I’m not sure what I think about that. 

Yes, Hastings confessed to Carmichael in order to challenge her: "as I finally dare to tell you the truth, do you dare to do the right thing and continue to investigate OCG and bent police?" 

 

[Roseanna]

During five seasons Kate is almost perfect as a copper. She knows exactly where her loyalty ends and where she has a duty to inform on her partner and her boss. But having done it, she makes an extra effort to clear them of suspicious. 

Her failings happen in her private life. Not only she cheats on her husband, but she cheats on her best friend. That's far more serious than Lindsay's affair with her a married man whose wife she didn't know and who promised to leave her (yeah, it's easy to say she was a fool, but it was Dryden who used her; I am inclined to believe her version, not his). But in the end, this sordid business shows that Kate is human and humans makes mistakes. And unlike Steve's affair, hers doesn't influence on her work.

It's only in the sixth season when she fails her duty as a police officer: she lets her emotions (whatever they might be) influence on her judgment and refuses to see what is under her nose. Well, she is without the shield of the undercover work she is just as gullible like all else. 

However, it's difficult to me to understand what it is in Jo that makes Kate to like her and side with her. Because of her vulnerability?

[TaraS1]

I love the show, the cast, the endless interview scenes, etc., but S6 turned out to be my least favorite so far.  The tight, intricate writing and plotting we're used to just wasn't there.  And I didn't care about Jo Davidson or what happened to her either way, which I guess is not what they were going for with their main character of the season.  

I also found it totally bizarre that Carmichael was missing for most of the last episode.  She had just told them all in the previous episode that she wanted to be informed of everything going on, she was in charge, etc., but yet everything that happened in the first half of the finale went on as if she didn't exist and Hastings was still running the show.  I mean, I'm glad, but it still felt off that she wasn't hovering around over everything. (Isn't Anna Maxwell Martin fantastic??  I hate Carmichael so much, yet somehow enjoy every scene she's in.)

[Enigma X]

Season 6 was a huge letdown for me as well. It sounds as if this is a UO, but I am not fond of Carmichael either.

[Roseanna]

On 7/1/2021 at 3:56 PM, TaraS1 said:

I love the show, the cast, the endless interview scenes, etc., but S6 turned out to be my least favorite so far.  The tight, intricate writing and plotting we're used to just wasn't there.  And I didn't care about Jo Davidson or what happened to her either way, which I guess is not what they were going for with their main character of the season. 

I have wondered why I don't care for Jo. Because she was so weak? Because she led Kate to the trap? Because I don't wholly believe in her? Couldn't she have asked for immunity at least after Tommy was killed and Fairbank who she believed to be her father was in prison? Instead, she fulfilled the task given to her: to prevent Gail Vella's murderer to be caught and did it quite skillfully which means that she had done the same before.  

Jo was the exception among main suspects. About others we were allowed to think what we like: we saw their good and bad sides. But Jo is too much defended, even by AC-12's interrogators. Or so it at least seems, maybe Steve and Hastings' sympathy is only a means to get her to confess her alleged father?

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Roseanna said:

I have wondered why I don't care for Jo.

It was easy for me.  She was totally corrupt and still had the nerve to contend she wasn't a bent copper, when in fact she had been a bent copper for most of her professional life.  Pouring on the waterworks while leading Kate to her place of execution, railroading Terry Boyle and aiding and abetting the OCG in their nefarious adventures.  No sympathy here.  Tony Gates killed himself.  Lindsay Denton and John Corbett were murdered.  Roz Huntley is currently serving a 10 year sentence.  Jo Davidson lives a nice cottage with a girlfriend and a dog.  Where's the justice?

Edited July 2, 2021 by sugarbaker design

[Roseanna]

13 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

It was easy for me.  She was totally corrupt and still had the nerve to contend she wasn't a bent copper, when in fact she had been a bent copper for most of her professional life.  Pouring on the waterworks while leading Kate to her place of execution, railroading Terry Boyle and aiding and abetting the OCG in their nefarious adventures.  No sympathy here.  Tony Gates killed himself.  Lindsay Denton and John Corbett were murdered.  Roz Huntley is currently serving a 10 year sentence.  Jo Davidson lives a nice cottage with a girlfriend and a dog.  Where's the justice?

Well, life isn't just. After trying everything else Gates made his choice in order to make his family safe financially and emotionally (and by giving Tommy Hunter to Steve he made sure he succeeded). Lindsay Denton made her choice because she put her identity as a police officer first, so her death can even called heroic.

It's only John Corbett's death can be attributed to AC-12, or rather Hastings, who told Lee Corbett that there was an informer. On the other hand, Corbett made a mistake that made Lisa to conclusion that it was he.

I think it's fair to compare only how AC-12 treats the suspects. Then it's clear that those who tell enough valuable information can get witness protection unless they have'nt done serious crimes: Jo, Gill, Lisa McQueen. But as Carmichael rightly realized, Lisa lied - it was she who ordered John Corbett's death. And as we know, she kept secret that the killer, Ryan Pilkington, was going to become a police officer.

Jo, Lisa and Ryan were said to have been groomed from children or teenagers. Ryan is horrible already as a kid - it was he who tortured Steve. We don't know Lisa's past, but on the basis of what we saw, she was willing to do what was necessary in the criminal gang (such as kill the "rat") although she suffered from her actions, knowing that there was no way out, unlike Corbett naively believed. But when she was caught, she coolly made the sensible choice and by telling enough (but not all) got the the witness protection.

Although we saw also Jo to suffer from her choices, she continued to do them, although she in the end refused to charge Terry Boyle (her only virtue, besides taking blame for shooting Ryan - after she had arranged the ambush). Well, she didn't warn OCG about Kate's three locations - but she must have guessed that, because Kate had told only to her, she would be the suspect if she did. And by taking the investigation from AC-12, she could disturb it, as Steve said. She also tried to transfer Ryan away, but she was willing to let him continue as a police officer although she must have suspected that he had killed of of *her* police officer and tried to kill Terry Boyle. She also tried to make Kate to leave but without telling the reason.

But can Tommy's early grooming really absolve her not only from leading Kate to the trap, but also framing her former lover Farida and her boss Ian Buckells (at the time she knew only that Buckells was an incompetent copper and boss, not a criminal). She never seems to contemplated her options: to confess and demand immunity or commit a suicide. In short, she was a coward and the weakest of all suspects. 

BTV, why didn't Ryan shoot at Kate? After all, he was a cool-blooded killer. Wasn't he used to firearms? Or was he a coward in his heart? He sliced Maneet and John Corbett's throat open from behind, so it was different to meet an AFO who could kill him.   

[sugarbaker design]

10 hours ago, Roseanna said:

Well, life isn't just. 

Thank you for that wise insight!  I shall endeavour to crochet it on a pillow for fear that I may forget it.

But I wasn't posting about life I was posting about Line of Duty, a TV show.

[Roseanna]

14 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

But I wasn't posting about life I was posting about Line of Duty, a TV show.

I am sorry that I wrote so unclearly. I meant that because life isn't fair, why would a TV show be? At least if it's meant to be "realistic".

And of course the screenwriter has a full power to write as he pleases. And each of us can has a right to judge the result from our own POV.

Speaking of "justice", Georgia's murder was the most "unjust" fate of all as she hadn't done anything wrong, unlike the police bribed officers who were killed by John Corbett.  But at the same it was consistent and necessary: she could have recognized the murderer, unlike Steve who was hit unconscious from behind.

I would have hoped a different fate to Maneet. Yet, sofar she had been just a good police officer who assisted Steve, just as Chloe would be later. Now she was given a moral test she failed but for the motives we can understand and even sympathize. Her heroic attempt to atone her deeds showed that she was morally in the much higher level than f.ex. Jo, but on the hand she was too inexperienced and therefore took too great risks.

[Milburn Stone]

On 7/1/2021 at 7:56 AM, TaraS1 said:

(Isn't Anna Maxwell Martin fantastic??  I hate Carmichael so much, yet somehow enjoy every scene she's in.)

Same goes for me. So many layers. 1) Utter contempt for the people she works with. 2) Veneer of professionalism disguising the utter contempt. 3) Veneer meticulously calibrated in its thinness so that the utter contempt shows through, just as she wants it to. (Which makes it all the more insulting than if she were just upfront about her contempt, and being extra-insulting is exactly what she wants to be!) The rare scene where she just tells it like it is ("I don't trust you"), with no dissembling, feels all the more shocking as a result.

Edited July 5, 2021 by Milburn Stone

[aghst]

Only only through S06E03 so far but wanted to make some general comments about the series, which I've enjoyed a lot.

First, we don't know where it takes place, there's been speculation but it's not London.  Striking how huge the police department appears to be, with multiple AC (anticorruption) units.

There are also several SWAT or armed response units too.

But it's really striking how well-resourced this fictional dept. is.  All the detectives from at least whatever rank Arnott had in season 1 drive nice European premium brand sedans.  They're either very well paid or the department is paying for the lease of those cars?  Even then why would they only lease BMWs, Benzes, etc. instead of some UK brands like Jaguar?

The main detective characters seem to be well-paid or really not have money problems, so you wonder why so many of them become corrupt.

In the US, police used to be underpaid at least through the '80s or so.  There were efforts to reform, including Clinton in the '90s pledging to hire 100k cops.  Generally pay went well up.  These days, in a big city PD, cops make well over $100k and with OT can be more around $200k or more.  In fact, there are some SFPD cops looking to refuse vaccine mandates and they were said to earn at least $140k a year.

Now that doesn't mean criminals can't bribe them.  After all, Corbett was supposedly pulling heists of millions.  But cops with families and a middle to upper-middle class lifestyle in a medium-sized UK city would be risking a lot by doing the bidding of OCG.

That's another thing the OCG is this faceless, amorphous entity.  Sure there is a lot of money to be made running drugs, prostitution, arms and other illegal activities but other UK shows usually put a face on the villains.

For all I know, police corruption is very common in the UK and Jed Mercurio is basing his scripts on real-life cases but I get the sense that he's using a lot of license to glamorize the nature of finding and prosecuting bent coppers.

Especially this multi-season arc of trying to find some very high-level cop who's orchestrating all this.

Also they show that OCG will play the long game, put a young criminal into the police academy, somehow get past all the vetting, because Pilkington is shown as a murderer who's willing to put aside the "fun" he's been having to join the police force, move up the ranks.  Even in the US, there is suppose to be some kind of psychological profiling of potential police candidates.

Again, are there cases of organized crime playing such long game, implanting a criminal into the police force and waiting years to benefit?

 

In any event, there are plenty of corrupt cops and there has to be, in order to sustain a series about a police unit which catches them.  But I wonder if maybe the success of the series wasn't anticipated so they had to not only create a lot of corrupt cops, who are often very compelling characters, but also have this kind of overarching plot across multiple seasons, though the plot has mostly been vague until the last couple of seasons.

Maybe a lot of these comments or questions will be resolved by the end of season 6.

LoD is unique among cop shows and movies in that it features characters who go after police corruption.  In the US, police internal affairs characters are usually not portrayed sympathetically.  They're either persecuting good cops or they're seen as having their own agenda which is at odds with the justice doled out by cops.

 

If anything, the last couple of years should have tarnished the image of the beat cops, the ones who pull people over and mete unequal justice depending on the race of the people pulled over.

It's a problem for cop shows and movies because for the most part, the protagonists are suppose to be sympathetic.  They may bend laws but they put the bad guys away.

Maybe it's not so much in the UK but cops who police other cops have a higher bar to clear for sympathy from the audience.

[christie]

I just finished seasons 4 and 5.

I really dislike Kate (there's just something about her that rubs me the wrong way). When Roz was having a go at Kate I was cheering for Roz who was really a vile character, a murderer and who tried to frame an innocent man; show, I shouldn't be routing for the bad guys. Thandi Newton was great. Always a pleasure to see Jason Watkins. Overall, I enjoyed this season.

Season 5: IMDB tells me that Gill was around in season 3 but I saw that years ago and I don't remember her; I would have liked to have some sort of background to her (even if it was in the previously section) and not just her appearing out of the blue (though it was obvious that she and Hastings had some sort of relationship (friendly/working, not sexual)). At some point it was obvious that, although she was seeming to support Hastings, she was throwing him under the bus. I just didn't expect her to have orchestrated the whole thing. Gill being the one to frame Hastings came out of nowhere as did the clue about there being four higher up people involved in the corruption ring. I'm not enjoying this H storyline and not looking forward to seeing more of it in season 6 where I'm sure they'll wrap it up.  

[HerkyJerky]

On 9/30/2021 at 6:14 PM, aghst said:

First, we don't know where it takes place, there's been speculation but it's not London.

From IMDB: The story is set in Birmingham and some of the exteriors show that city, but the city's name is never mentioned in the script, and the script seems to give the impression of just a generic English city other than London. Since the series is produced in Northern Ireland, many of the exteriors are actually in Belfast and vicinity.

[Milburn Stone]

Does anyone know when Season 7 will air? I'm craving my fix.

[AZChristian]

29 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

Does anyone know when Season 7 will air? I'm craving my fix.

From everything I see online, there's no guarantee there will be a Season 7.  Adrian Dunbar ("Hastings") said recently that there might be a 2 or 3 episode season, or just one 90-minute show.  No one seems to have actual facts that I've seen.  

[isalicat]

Has anyone heard about Season 6 being available outside Netflix? Like on Hulu or Britbox?

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, isalicat said:

Has anyone heard about Season 6 being available outside Netflix? Like on Hulu or Britbox?

Looks like it might be on Britbox.

[isalicat]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Looks like it might be on Britbox.

Thank you, thank you!! I have Britbox for many reasons and apparently completely missed any announcement that they had put up Season 6! I have heard its not so great but I love this show so much I'll be binge watching it anyways.

[SpyGuy]

I just binged watched all 6 seasons over the last few weeks. Just discovered it. It was so good and I could not stop. The overarching storylines over multiple seasons are amazing!!! Hastings and Arnott are my favorite characters. Throw in the wee Donkey too!

Really hoping they do a season 7!!!!

[nb360]

I'm re-watching season one of Line of Duty and once again I'm so impressed with how addictive this show is, especially the first season. The British make some of the best crime dramas.

[Kristi800]

Finished watching season 6 a couple of weeks ago (unsubscribed from Britbox for Acorn for 5 & 6) and it was such a let down after all the build up. Yes, it's not just in the ending but the journey, but the last 2 seasons were draggy, and I don't even mind the interview scenes. 

But I actually LOVED Carmichael, I know, unpopular opinion, but she at least looked at Hastings as "H" and kept Kate and Steve on their toes. 

I disliked Kate and her holier than thou attitude and inability to keep a cover for longer than a couple days. Steve needs to keep his romantic prospects out of the office. Yes, it's hard when you're working long hours, but having affairs with your co-workers doesn't usually end up well (Lindsey, Jo, Tony) and he didn't do so well with Steph and the nurse. 

•  It was hard watching Roz's actions and her hand festering 🤮. Literally "Out, damn spot". And I liked the fake out scene of the murder. 
• Lindsey was a bit of a whack job, and ultimately, was somewhat vindicated and worked to clear who "the Caddy" as much as she could, but couldn't really say what the rest of the plan was.
• Hard to watch Jo. You didn't really know what her angle was and turning it on Farida but then finding out her story and her father and all that. 
• Tony. It's been a while since I watched seasons 1 & 2, but while the main thing was the laddering of charges, and the side was the beginning of the OCG stuff. 

I do hope they have a season 7 and have a real "H" because who they left it. as doesn't cut it for me. I'm also not a huge fan of the whole conspiracy or ongoing antagonists (starting to watch The Mentalist) but this seemed more to be going somewhere.

Watched "Bancroft" and they need an AC-12 unit to sort her out big time!

[khyber]

Just discovered this series. Now on season 2 and happy that its a long series.

[Milburn Stone]

With a show this popular, especially in Britain as I understand it, what explains why it's taken so long for there to be a S7? (Assuming there is ever going to be one.)

Non-rhetorical question. I'm not fulminating. I expect there are answers to this question, and maybe someone here knows them.

[aghst]

I think Jed Mercurio is working on other projects at the moment.

Not sure why, as Line of Duty is by far his most successful, commercially and critically.

On his IMDB page, there's a listing for a new season of Bodyguard.

[Snazzy Daisy]

I have been planning to watch LOD but in no rush to watch a series about bent coppers. Eventually, I’ve finished watching all 36 episodes in a week. Phew.

My favorites are S01, S02 and S03. Love the interwoven stories and characters across 6 seasons. The links between the current investigation and the previous cases demonstrate a good level of planning by Jed Mercurio. Every episode feels like an important part of a bigger puzzle.

My favorite line from the whole series:

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the wee donkey.”

😆😆😆

This show really has some compelling villains - Tony Gates, Jackie Laverty, Lindsay Denton, Mike Dryden, Danny Waldron, Matthew ‘Dot’ Cottan, Gill Biggeloe and Ryan Pilkington. Marcus Thurwell only appears on images, never on screen. Sneaky Jed for hiring a well known actor for this role.

Seeing adult Ryan again in S05 and S06 is a nice surprise. I totally hate that kid and his foul mouth in S01. I cannot forget the way he stares at Jo Davidson when she tries to transfer him.

I feel like the quality of its storytelling has declined a bit in the last 3 seasons. The H plot is quite absurd and boring. Same goes to Steve’s painkillers addiction plot. What’s with the tease of Kate/Jo?

S06 finale is DEFINATELY a damp squib. Realistic but unfulfilling.

And ohh, it seems like Jo gets a better deal from the WP program. Poor Gill…

Martin Compston has insinuated about a 7th season when he revealed that the name of their group chat (hosted by JM) has been changed to “Line of Duty 7”. So I guess we have to wait for an official announcement. 🤞🏻😘

[aghst]

I haven't watched LOD in at least a couple of years, whenever the last season was released.

But I wonder if the plots were based on some big police force in the UK which was so rife with corruption and so infiltrated by criminal groups.

 

For all we know there are still police departments with high level of corruption, though I think often film and TV prefer to create corrupt police characters because those types often have appeal to audiences.

But it wasn't too long ago that cops were making like $50k with overtime, so it was relatively easy for criminals to bribe cops.  I believe NYPD had a big problem.

The trope is that mobsters always had officers relatively high in rank on the take.

LOD though has not only bent cops at high levels but they have been infiltrated without young criminals who join the police force as young recruits, in their early 20s.

There must be some real-life antecedent in the UK for these plots.

[Snazzy Daisy]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

There must be some real-life antecedent in the UK for these plots.

These are the true crime cases that have inspired LOD S06.

Line Of Duty season 6: the true stories that inspired the BBC crime drama

Quote

“It’s not possible [that they’ve been inspired by real life], because police corruption doesn’t exist in the real world,” he told The Guardian recently, sarcasm dripping from every word.

 

[EtheltoTillie]

I am just starting  this show on Britbox.   Finished season one. It’s such a great show!   I don’t want to read spoilers so I’m skipping all the posts for now. Can anyone help me with season 2?  I’m on episode 2.  What happened with the boss and his wife?  Did he have an affair?  Who is fleming having an affair with?  
 

the problem with starting a show late is not being able to engage in discussions as a show airs.

[EtheltoTillie]

Now I have additional questions.  Cottan is the caddy, but they all don't know that.  I'm just finishing season 2.  I recall in season 1 that Cottan was trying to recruit someone and he was mentioning how he started at the golf course, but now I can't find that scene.  Who was he trying to recruit?  Does that person show up in season 2?  Thanks. 

[NeenerNeener]

On 6/29/2021 at 5:44 AM, Roseanna said:

Besides Maneet, I feel most sympathy towards Lindsay Denton. She had sold her home in to give her mum a comfortable nursing home and she had made abortion when Dryden's had broken her promise to leave his wife. Feeling sympathy towards Carly Kirk she wanted to save her from Tommy Hunter's grooming. So she agreed to his kidnapping (and murder afterwards) but not to murder of others.

After the ambush she tried to save herself with any means and turned out to be an insurmountable liar and manipulator. She used violence towards her neighbor, Kate and her kidnapper whom she forced to give a false testimony against her ex-lover after which she tried to kill him.

Yet, she was a pawn in the bigger game and in the end she chose her duty of the police officer. Her fate was such a waste! She revealed easily Kate's undercover role and made twice a fool of Steve. She should have worked in AC-12!

I'm just finishing up season 3 now. I prefer to think of Denton as an "anti-hero" rather than a villain.

[EtheltoTillie]

22 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

I'm just finishing up season 3 now. I prefer to think of Denton as an "anti-hero" rather than a villain.

I’m just finishing season three now too. I agree. Are they ever going to catch Dot?  I’m halfway through episode 6

Edited February 25 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

On 6/22/2021 at 11:24 PM, mjc570 said:

Anyone still watching? I'd love to discuss S6E5 --

I’m just starting season 6. I’ll get back to you. 

[EtheltoTillie]

On 3/16/2020 at 2:59 PM, TaraS1 said:

The show's official Instagram page posted today that they were suspending filming of S6 for the time being.  Mother of god!

Wow coming to this very late. That was just after the date of lockdown in the US. We are coming to the fourth anniversary, which I was just thinking about this morning as I tested for Covid. Negative. Just a bad cold.  

[EtheltoTillie]

On 5/13/2021 at 6:30 PM, momo said:

I liked it!  Looking forward to S7-

 

On 5/2/2021 at 5:10 PM, Wee S said:

So. The finale.

 

Well, that happened.

I finally got to the very end this morning. I was underwhelmed because it seemed improbable that Buckels was masterminding everything at the end.  I still don’t get what we are supposed to think about Carmichael. Is she bent or just intent on sweeping things under the rug?  I wasn’t clear about Steve’s drug use.  Was he addicted or just using the drugs appropriately to treat pain and all in the service of keeping his job. 
 

All in all this was a fantastic show and I am happy to live with the inconsistencies. 

Edited March 8 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

On 6/22/2021 at 11:24 PM, mjc570 said:

Anyone still watching? I'd love to discuss S6E5 --

I’m back now having finished it all.  What did you want to say about episode 5?