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Line of Duty finale

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telstarbox

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What did everyone think of last night's episode? I thought the reveal made sense, but the interview scenes were overused in this series so became less effective.
 
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johntea

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It was absolutely awful, and I've watched since Series 1 Episode 1!

I feel like it peaked at Series 3 though - funnily enough the last series on BBC2 rather than BBC1!
 

Senex

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I watched the last episode having seen none of the others simply because there had been so much hype about it in the last few days. I know this wasn't a fair test, but I found it utterly boring.
 

C J Snarzell

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I have been a huge fan of Line of Duty since it began in 2012.

I have to say that I have found the recent series a 'bore' - the stories are becoming far too complex and a little far fetched. I don't really rate Kelly McDonald as an actress and I've found her performance as DCI Jo Davidson a little over rated.

Last night's episode was a disappointment and left unanswered questions -

Is Ian Buckles really the 4th 'H' or is he a stooge in the OCG activities?

There is clearly unfinished business with the Chief Constable (played by Owen Teale) who has only appeared in Series 6 via news footage - we haven't seen him physically onscreen.

The relationship between Steph Corbett - Arnott/Hastings has not been properly concluded, particularly as Hastings is likely to be John Corbett's father.

DSU Patricia Carmicheal - is she straight or bent herself?

The final scene between Hastings & Carmichael didn't really make much sense. Why did Ted feel the need to disclose a slip of the tongue in a 2019 suspect interview to the Evil Patricia? Is there some relevance as to why he felt the need to get this off his chest?

Is Ted really going to retire - what about his financial and domestic situation? He is still living in a Travelodge as far as I am aware.

There does seem to be alot of speculation as to whether last night's episode was the last time Line of Duty graced out screens.

I do think the series has run it's course now but I would like there to be a further mini series of two or three episodes to tie up all the loose ends and bring some closure to the characters and their sub plots.

CJ
 

tbtc

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The final scene between Hastings & Carmichael didn't really make much sense. Why did Ted feel the need to disclose a slip of the tongue in a 2019 suspect interview to the Evil Patricia? Is there some relevance as to why he felt the need to get this off his chest?

I thought that scene was needed.

It shows that the saintly Ted is admitting to his own failings, nobody is perfect, it's not a heroes/villains world where everyone is 100% black/white - the "message" from last night's episode seemed to be that we are all complex, nobody is beyond redemption... (whereas in previous series, Ted was a bit too perfect)

I was "worried" that we'd get some dramatic reveal where one person was shown as "H" and running everything - instead we got a world where there's a certain banality of evil, desperate people in compromised situations doing what they have to (e.g. the prison wardens paid a pittance by a private company who only won the tender by slashing costs, therefore much more susceptible to criminal bribes)

We saw a world of good people trying to do their best (e.g. Chloe) but facing an uncertain future (90% cuts to Anti-Corruption staff across the board?), where people who've tried to play by the rules have come up against barriers and haven't been properly rewarded (the main three characters from the series are all essentially single, after putting the job ahead of relationships)

If it was an American show, I think we'd have ended up with a situation where someone like Marcus Thirwell was seen sitting behind a bank of computer monitors, controlling all of the OCG operations like a sinister mastermind, as if there were just one bad person behind everything. But this was more realistic, we saw the mundane reality of a world after a decade of austerity slashing public sector budgets, no one person controlling it, just lots of people who've either had to cross the line to make ends meet or turn a blind eye. I still have faith in the likes of Chloe, but she'll have to swim upstream to survive in her career, it'll be a lot tougher than it was in Ted's day.

(the only bum note in the series was Buckles' hands shaking so much when pouring the milk in the prison cell - you'd think that he'd be a lot mentally harder than that given everything we subsequently found out about him)
 

scotrail158713

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I forgot about that section at the end where they give updates on what most of the characters are doing "now". Always struck me as a slightly bizarre part of it.

Overall it was a decent enough ending, although I feel the program has now run its course and I hope the BBC don't try and eek another season out of it. Leaving a program on a high(ish) is far better than it going on too long.
 
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C J Snarzell

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A few years ago - there was a US series called The Following with Kevin Bacon in the central role. As the series progressed it got to the stage of suspecting every character bar Bacon was a sadistic 'cult' killer. There is a similar angle to Line of Duty now in that the viewer does not know if any character is genuine or not.

I even suspected newcomer Chloe may have been the grown up daughter of DCI Tony Gates from series one (maybe she is!!!).

The three central characters of Hastings/Arnott/Fleming have become three dimensional and I even had theories that either one of them could have been the fourth 'H'.

Jed Mercurio has a unique ability to play mind games with the viewer and turning stories inside out to reveal further plot threads. Given the past history of the show - if there is likely to be a seventh series, it won't reach our screens for another two years.

CJ
 
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JohnMcL7

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I thought the second and third series were very good then the fourth series was ok, the fifth series was disappointing and while this one picked up in the middle I thought that was a terrible finish. I really wish they'd finished with the OCG by series 4 and moved onto a different storyline as they were really dragging the H thing out when we had the ridiculous Dot supposedly communicating in morse code and now after this huge build up it's just Buckels. While I appreciate Davidson had a harsh life and had been under duress to do the horrible acts she'd done it seemed unbelievable she could walk away to an idyllic countrylife. After Carmichael coming into AC12 like a bull in a china shop and forcing her way into everything they were doing setting up for a big confrontation with Ted, now she was just in the background and almost non-existent which while I understand she was supposed to be keeping away from the corrupt police stuff it was a real let down. After all Steve's reminders about his drug test that just comes down to him surrendering his firearm license.

There's no series 7 confirmed at the moment but given the viewing figures I'd be surprised if there isn't one and it feels like more padding to get there.
 

Bevan Price

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I thought it was a good series, but there were too many unanswered questions in the final (?) episode. That leaves open the possibility of at least one more series, but I agree with the previous comment by scotrail158713 that it is better for dramas to finish "at the top", rather than dragging on, year after year, with increasingly dreary / repetitive plots, effectively becoming just another soap.
 

SuperNova

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I think a lot of those who've joined the hype expected some big reveal, but LOD has never been like that really. For example, we the viewer knew from series one that Dot Cottan was the caddy. H has been a mystery, but in reality looking back - it seems to me that H was Hunter and the four point guards were those who were caught. It was also obvious that Buckells was a bent copper from series 1 too, it's not surprising he was one of those four.

The hype drags in new viewers, but it also raises expectation to limits which make no sense. Same thing happened with Game of Thrones - Urgent Exit Required was GoT's Red Wedding. GoT's final series was good and the ending made sense but people had played out so many scenarios that what was shown to them didn't match those expectations.

Reality is LOD series 6 was also good, not great, and leaves it open for a good Series 7, which should probably be its last. Osborne is clearly bent and will most definately be the focus and it would be nice to see some justice and better rounding up of everything that we still don't know, of which I have a large list of. The way I see it ending is Obsorne being taken down, Ted sailing off into the sunset, Carmichael becoming a better person and another bent copper becoming chief constable (Andrea Wise).
 

D5645

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I thought it was a good ending to the series.

Tommy Hunter was the head man and since he was disposed off then it's all split into disparate groups and Buckells was simply last man standing rather than a criminal mastermind.

The banality of evil indeed.

There was a big clue earlier in the series when Buckells was arrested and then suddenly nobody was replying to Davidson's encrypted messages.

I think there is still scope for another series.
 

swt_passenger

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Apparently it’s been pointed out somewhere that back in series 1, Buckles was shown on the golf course with Hunter? Is that a legit overlooked detail, or someone’s wishful thinking?
 

C J Snarzell

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I watched Series 1 again last year and I don't actually recall there being any scene of Buckells at the golf club with Tommy Hunter.

Watching the first series was quite enjoyable in that the story is raw and the viewer quickly picks up the foundations of future plots.

Ryan Pilkington is merely a juvenile delinquent on the fringes of crime, peddling around on his BMX.

A few interesting characters never appeared after series 1 who could have potential for coming back to Line of Duty. I can't actually remember full names, but the main three I recall are -

Steve Arnott's firearms friend who killed the innocent man in the botched raid way back in episode one. Last seen going through a crisis of conscious with Arnott in a pub. He could be a linchpin for bringing down Philip Osborne in any future plots.

Deepak - the likeable detective who is booted off Tony Gates's squad after being accused of being a 'mole'. One of those innocent characters of LOD like Terry Boyle, but there could be potential for him to come back as a higher ranking officer with an axe to grind.

The female Detective Sergeant who is overlooked for progression to Gates's squad in favour of Kate Flemming. She took an instant disliking to Kate but this was a sub plot never explored further.

I have a feeling that if there is a 7th series, Jed Mercurio may bring LOD full circle to the very beginning to finally put the show to bed.

CJ
 

GusB

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I thought the ending of this series was disappointing, but perhaps that's the whole point; while AC12 managed to take out a few corrupt players, they're never really going to get to the bottom of it as long as there is corruption at the highest level. That said, I would "definately" like to see another series as I've enjoyed the others so much, but I suppose it can't go on forever.

Interestingly, the BBC have a parallel documentary series entitled Bent Coppers: Crossing the Line of Duty, which is a fairly eye-opening account of real corruption in the Metropolitan and City Police.

The link is below for anyone who hasn't seen it:
 

C J Snarzell

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I thought the ending of this series was disappointing, but perhaps that's the whole point; while AC12 managed to take out a few corrupt players, they're never really going to get to the bottom of it as long as there is corruption at the highest level. That said, I would "definately" like to see another series as I've enjoyed the others so much, but I suppose it can't go on forever.

I seem to remember a similar theme in shows like Between the Lines and The Wire. Corruption and misconduct was so deep rooted and complex at times it was impossible to understand the boundaries between criminality and those in legal powers of authority.

One of my all time favourite shows is Miami Vice - that came to an end with the two central characters resigning from their jobs. Totally bewildered and burned out by the ever flowing river of drug cartels and government players who seemed untouchable, along with the CIA/FBI who were always making deals with the bad un's for hidden agenda's to catch the bigger fish.

Maybe this an angle Line of Duty should go down if it ever returns.

CJ
 

SuperNova

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I watched Series 1 again last year and I don't actually recall there being any scene of Buckells at the golf club with Tommy Hunter.

Watching the first series was quite enjoyable in that the story is raw and the viewer quickly picks up the foundations of future plots.

Ryan Pilkington is merely a juvenile delinquent on the fringes of crime, peddling around on his BMX.

A few interesting characters never appeared after series 1 who could have potential for coming back to Line of Duty. I can't actually remember full names, but the main three I recall are -

Steve Arnott's firearms friend who killed the innocent man in the botched raid way back in episode one. Last seen going through a crisis of conscious with Arnott in a pub. He could be a linchpin for bringing down Philip Osborne in any future plots.

Deepak - the likeable detective who is booted off Tony Gates's squad after being accused of being a 'mole'. One of those innocent characters of LOD like Terry Boyle, but there could be potential for him to come back as a higher ranking officer with an axe to grind.

The female Detective Sergeant who is overlooked for progression to Gates's squad in favour of Kate Flemming. She took an instant disliking to Kate but this was a sub plot never explored further.

I have a feeling that if there is a 7th series, Jed Mercurio may bring LOD full circle to the very beginning to finally put the show to bed.

CJ
The young PC who mentored Ryan Pilkington too - is he bent? Or just naive?
 

Butts

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We can have done with a good old "shoot up" to conclude, but I still enjoyed it.

Rumours there may be another series.
 

C J Snarzell

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I thought the latter at the time. His female partner didn’t seem to be taken in…

I thought the uniformed female officer in series one has to be one of the most annoying characters in LOD. Having served in police myself, I can actually relate very much to once working with someone like her - a complete jobsworth preaching chapter & verse of policy, but yet she had no people skills and was awful at the practical side of the job.

CJ
 
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