Line Of Duty Series 6 is here! Every series, the plot is so hidden from view prior to broadcast that Brad Pitt would allow you to say far more about Fight Club than the exploits of AC12, going after bent coppers on a regular basis.
Every first episode always seems to have something huge planned, which will take all of us by surprise, and it’s a real treat to look forward to.
I know if I was to spill any beans prior to the first episode’s conclusion, I’d have Ted Hastings on my doorstep within the hour, muttering “Mother of God…”
In fact, that teaser which showed Ted & co. surrounding a house, ready to go in? That was the house of a reviewer who posted online the truth about H… However, AC12 stood down once they realised that they claimed it was H from Steps, causing Ted to confront the man with, “Son, I didn’t float up the Lagan in a bubble”.
Okay, so all of the above was written prior to watching the episode, and by the time you can read this, it will have been broadcast. However, I won’t give any key spoilers even at this time, because I know a lot of people watch afterwards on iPlayer.
As we open, the Murder Investigation Team – including Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure – I Am Nicola), now a DI, and led by DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald – The Victim) – get a call. A suspect has given a confession which has been graded “1A on the Matrix”. Ooh, the plot thickens! Can she get the go-ahead from her Superintendent, Buckells (Nigel Boyle)? Yes, it’s the same guy who got under the skin of Lennie James in the first series. IMDB reminds me he was also in series 4, but it’s been a while since I saw that, and I watched series 1 again last year to refresh my memory, as lockdown began.
The main event this time is Operation Lighthouse, dealing with the unsolved murder from 2019 of journalist Gail Vella, the main suspect being a Ross Turner, but could he really be the man who pulled the trigger? The first episode will help you make up your mind about that.
Meanwhile, on the way to make the arrest, Joanne spots a possible armed robbery, and as the music score ramped up, I was on the edge of my seat from the get-go.
But it ain’t all sunshine and rainbows because one of her team, Farida (Anneika Rose), has a beef with her DCI, alleging Joanne purposely delayed the operation to arrest the suspect, going to tackle an armed robbery on what was rather a whim because how can you spot some bad stuff going down in the blink of an eye? Has that jeopardised the main operation?
In fact, there’s so many things going on that just don’t add up, and which would have to if Kelly’s eye is to be believed.
Along the way, DS Steve Arnott (Martin Compston – The Nest) reckons he’s bored and looking to change to a different department, but there was me thinking that he means business because this time round, he has a beard!
But for now, since Kate left AC12 in order to do something different, and now Steve is wanting her to, effectively, reprise her old role in order to get to the bottom of what is or isn’t going on with Joanne, is this a case of ‘getting the band back together’?
Well, if we know one thing about Jed Mercurio‘s writing, it can make you think like you’ve got an idea in your head about how the rest of the series will play out, and then the entire thing can about-turn in an instant.
There was one twist I didn’t see coming, but then I usually just let a movie or TV drama tell its own story without having to second guess it. However, overall, while this opening episode wasn’t quite up there with some of the greats – such as both series 2 and 3 for Keeley Hawes and Daniel Mays, respectively – and while series 4’s confrontation between Thandie Newton and Jason Watkins was a little bit silly, and series 5’s outcome for Maneet was rather obvious at the time she was bundled into a van, the series 6 opener still towers above most TV dramas and I can’t wait until we see how things turn out.
And this time, we have SEVEN episodes rather than six! Note that for updates for future episodes, they will happen at 10pm after the episode has broadcast.
There’s one thing I learned online about Terry Boyle, while this first episode was broadcast (yes, I watched it again, even though I’d already seen it). Although he’s been played by a different actor since Series 5 (not sure why), the character was also in Series 1, and is the mentally disabled man who was forced into storing Jackie Laverty’s body in his freezer. I had a feeling I’d seen the actor before, at least, although it was two years since I saw Series 5.
For those who don’t know what a CHIS is (and I didn’t), Boyd Hilton stated: âCHISâ â stands for Covert Human Intelligence Source, or âinformantâ to the rest of us.”
âCHISâ â stands for Covert Human Intelligence Source, or âinformantâ to the rest of us. #LineOfDuty
After a week long debate on what a CHIS is (even those a quick Google after the show would’ve given you the answer)
Although I haven’t figured out why, we learned Gail Vella was a journalist reporting on the gunning down of Karam Ali from the start of the very first episode, which was part of Operation Pear Tree, all of which led to Arnott joining AC12 in the first place. Plus, a later report which related to Chief Superintendent Patrick Fairbank’s child sex abuse charges from series 3, so Jed Mercurio was delving deep into the lore, including dropping in the Jimmy Savile reference.
I burst out laughing when, at 22 minutes into the episode, Hastings said, “I’m interested in one thing – and one thing only – and that’s bent coppers”, and soon after, the instruction to serve Davidson “with a REG15”. Line of Duty bingo!
By the end, of course – with what she did with the burner phones to Farida, I’m 99% convinced that Davidson is the dodgy one of the series, but… you never know if by the end of episode 3, it’ll be someone else.
However, for now at least, why is Kate now backing Davidson? Someone on Twitter suggested it’s just to get information? Nah, she clearly likes her.
At the end, though, what was Jo’s screaming all about? Or will we only find out next week? I need to know NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!
Oh, and Holy, Mother of God! Dodgy cop Ryan is played by Gregory Piper, who is the very same chap who played Ryan as a child in series 1! Kudos to getting the same actor back!
Even though I’ve seen this before broadcast, it’s fun to watch it again to see the reaction online. Naturally, and at 25 minutes, Ted Hastings caused the ‘letter of the law’ klaxon to go off!: “My officers actions are determined by one thing and one thing only, and that’s the letter of the law”
And then when Wise told him to close the H investigation and to stop fighting old battles, he replied, “My name’s Hastings, ma’am. I’m the epitome of an old battle.”
And Steve, get your back sorted out! Hasn’t he tried his regular doctor?
It’s amazing that since OGC were worked out at being involved in both the murders of Jackie Laverty and Gail Vella, it’s taken until now to determine that it was Terry Boyle’s freezer where she was stored!
And is Buckells really the bad guy? Jo had one more thing to reveal at the very end…
Finally, a few class tweets I spotted tonight…
https://twitter.com/matt_hodkinson/status/1378808052430876675
This episode of Line Of Duty Series 6 one had it all! But I’ll give my thoughts in random notes below…
When Buckells is being interviewed – and this goes the same for all interviews – why is it “Document 9 in your folders… Document 11… Image 33…” Why aren’t they in sequential numbers?
There was a class moment of the episode came almost 16 minutes in:
Ted: “All of these suspicious deaths, they seem to be the work of an OCG in collusion with police officers. Does that sound familiar?”
Buckells: “Yeah, rings a bell. You’ve been singing that song for the best part of a decade(!)”
And there was another “Letter of the law” klaxon, two minutes later!
Oh, and now Ted’s being encouraged to retire by Wise? Mother of God…
Plus, when Jo was seen watching the interview with the robber, then watching Steve and Chloe at Farida’s house, and then back home, does she teleport?!
For someone hardened like Kate, in my view, she’s clearly gone soft and can’t see that Ryan and Jo have got a connection.
Speculation: Is Chloe in AC12 dodgy? She suggested the leak could’ve come from AC12, and when she couldn’t get into the van, so gave Jonesy a leg-up (at Jonesy’s suggestion), did Chloe know that there was a sniper in that window? Hmm…
And when they interviewed Jimmy Lakewell and were trying to place the voice, I knew who that voice was… it’s David Brent’s smarmy nemesis Neil Godwin from The Office!
In addition, with everything going on with Jo, Ryan and how there was a revelation shown to Ted at the end, about a man being Jo’s blood relative, but whom was hidden from OUR view until next week, it MUST be big if it causes Ted to shout, “Mother of God!” (Cue “Mother of God!” Klaxon!)
Now, does anyone in Line of Duty ever go home from the office?
And some great tweets, including when I had a reply from the official Line Of Duty Twitter account! Yay!:
âNo evidence??? Weâll give you no evidence!!!â -Ted Hastings doing the classic Irish parenting line #LineOfDuty
— áŽ Ê ÊáŽÊáŽÉŽ ÊÉȘÉŽÉąÊáŽáŽĄ (@HelenRingrow) April 11, 2021
Itâs 2050. Hastings wallboard of deceased undercover officers now covers all 4 walls of the office, Ryan Pilkington is Home Secretary, and weâre still no closer to finding out who H is #LineOfDutypic.twitter.com/4kY9iwVxRa
Episode 5 of Line Of Duty Series 6 was like watching three films in one…
We now know that Jo’s relative is Tommy Hunter, arrested by Lennie James at the end of series 1 (did I hear the words homo-psychotomy?), and that Laurence Christopher, a death in custody from 2003, is the case Gail Vella was investigating (and was the name Jimmy Lakewall gave in the van), plus if Jo thinks she’s out, then as the OCG latop confirmed: “AC-12 aren’t, so neither are you.”
This weeks Tedism, which will be turned into a GIF comes 7 minutes in: “If I see a bent copper, I only know one way, and that’s full throttle.”
Plus, after the raid goes wrong, and when Ted states Ryan is the new Caddy – so they should keep him under surveillence – they shouldn’t bring him in just yet, or “we’ll be holding a sprat, when we should’ve landed a mackerel… Now we’re sucking diesel!”
As it’s been around two years since series 5, I’d forgotten about the banknotes from the ÂŁ50k which Ted accepted, but the money that he later gave to Steph is the other half of the rumoured ÂŁ100K.
And then if you needed another Sunday night fix of James Nesbitt after Bloodlines, the SIO (Senior Investigating Officer for major crime investigations) at the time of Laurence’s murder was Nesbitt as a man called Marcus Thurwell.
This is all tied in with Fairbank, and we learned Gail was going to interview Fairbank in prison but she was murdered the night before (10.10.20). There’s so much packed into this.
And if that wasn’t enough, Carmichael MM) turns up, even though it looks very late at night, so most people would’ve gone home. Wouldn’t she wait until the morning? Either way, she seems to be there to fuck with AC-12 and banjax finding Vella’s murderer… and would someone high up REALLY boss you into giving them your personal phone?!
And with that incredible ending, that’s why one episode of Line Of Duty is like three films in one!
But who will survive? I do think that one shot each was fired, but based on the original teaser, and from who we can see, both Kate and Jo can be seen (along with Steve and Ted, obviously), and I’m guessing Ryan’s in the building. At the time of writing this, I have no knowledge of that, though.
However, how come the baddies with “serious GSWs to the chest” have zero blood and zero bullet holes on them?
And some class tweets from the episode…
Ermmm…you've just left them all unattended in a room WITH their phones Kate#LineOfDuty
It wasn’t too long before we found out that Ryan bore the brunt of both shots at the hand of Kate… possibly.
When Jo said “I’m not bent”, it reminded me of Lennie James’ character from series 1 when he said in the finale, “I was never bent”. Could there be a link? Probably not.
I loved the moment when Steve explained how he and Kate had keys to each other’s houses and cars in the case of “extreme circumstances” (which, itself, is a bit odd), and Carmichael asked him what sort of extreme circumstances, to which he counters, “An unexplained disruption in the chain of command(!)”
And, at 24 minutes in, did we have a new Ted-ism? “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and the wee donkey. Can we just move this thing along before it drives us all round the bloody bend?”, and another later in “In the name of God and his Holy Mother”?
Now, during the Jo interview when Carmichael shut down the line of questioning about H… Is she H? Is the Fourth Man actually a woman?
Since having trackers on all AC12 vehicles made no sense at all, along with the arrest of Jo and Kate, at that time, made no sense… I can only determine that Carmichael is definitely bent.
And I learned a new word: homozygosity, given that Tommy Hunter was both Jo’s uncle and father.
As for James Nesbitt’s role, it’s quite something to play such a high-up role in the cops and yet never utter a line onscreen. Then again, given the role of Gail Vella, you can still be dead and be shown in flashback.
And I was almost broken, myself, when Ted said to Steve, “Sometimes… you don’t lose, son, you just run out of time”.
This was another great episode, but the arrest of Jo and Kate just didn’t sit right. It will do if it turns out Carmichael’s the big baddie, but when will we find out? Before the series ends in next week’s finale?
Well, that Line Of Duty Series 6 finale was a little uneven until we got to the big revelation, later.
Steve finally had his occupational health report, by murderous Chris from Sightseers, and he got off, having been told he’s taken have been illegal. PHEW! (for him, but we know it’s nonsense) Well, I’d rather Steve got his back sorted out. Still, he had to voluntarily relinquish his his ‘blue ticket’, which we learned was his firearm’s licence.
There was a bit where Jo’s life was in danger, about to be transferred to her old HQ at Hillside Lane for questioning, and under the faked approval of Kate.
Even Fairbank was briefly brought back in and interviewed, but when he moaned, “You’re going back years!”, well, that’s what Jed Mecurio does best!
Then Chloe revealed to Ted, Steve and Kate who H was, with the misspelling of ‘definately’, and those three said it’s someone who’s been right under their noses the whole time, but… we weren’t told! (at that time)
Ted finally spilled the beans to Steve and Kate about how he didn’t tell Lee Banks that John Corbett was an undercover officer, albeit admitted he did say an undercover officer was an informant within the OCG, so Banks must’ve figured it out. And since John Corbett was the son of a woman Ted slept with, he gave the ÂŁ50,000 to Steph as a way of ‘atonement’. Hmm…
For a Line of Duty finale, this was considerably less intense than I was expecting… well, until the final interview in the box.
Someone was brought in for a final interview in the box. But who was it? And why do those officers always have guns?!
Then…. what in the actual fuck?! Buckells is H?! Oh, and he just played the “No comment” game, like Jo Davidson, yet now comes across all cocksure, so it seemed that the bumbling idiot was just a persona?! Hmm…
But no, Buckells announced Tommy Hunter was actually H, aka the Fourth Man, and Buckells just carried out the orders. Since he’s the last man standing, no-one else can say otherwise.
As the episode was starting to draw to a close, Kate said to Steve in the pub, “You don’t realise what you’ve got until it’s gone”, after admitting she might not come back to AC12.. and we know Ted’s leaving, and Steve said he might be too, is that the whole thing done?
Then again, after five seasons of the brilliant US drama Southland, all the main characters’ individual stories had come to an end, so they could’ve started again with a fresh slate and a completely new team, but it only ended because of poor ratings.
So, why did Carmichael hinder last week’s interview with Joanne? And as Osborne gave a press conference, praising the breakthrough in Gail Vella’s murder, and dissing any signs of police corruption, surely there’s work to do in exposing them.
But Ted told Carmichael that those who don’t care about accountability in the police, is what allows cops like Buckells to be corrupt… and as he was about to leave, he went back for one more say… so he could talk about his involvement in Corbett’s death. Now, will she spill the beans, or keep quiet because she’s dodgy as hell? Or, as Ted said, will she do it because she’ll “carry the fire“?
That was left in the lurch for now, although he did say he was going to appeal against his forced retirement.
The final summary…
Terry Boyle is free, and has been rehoused by Social Services
Charges aginst Farida were dropped, and she’s back on active service.
Darren Hunter’s under investigation for the murder of Lawrence Christopher.
Jo’s in a Witness Protection programme at an undisclosed location, and has a new partner.
Buckells is in a Vulnerable Prisoners Unit
AC12 will still be restructured, and friends of Osborne will be promoted.
So, AC12 could be at an end… for now. Still, Line Of Duty Series 6 is now done, so let’s look forward to Series 7.
Interesting to see a subsequent trailer for HMS Vigil, a new series from the makers of Line of Duty, with Martin Compston and Suranne Jones. There’s no date on that one, yet, but I’ll be checking it out when it is.
And a couple of good tweets from tonight:
Hastings setting Carmichael a test of integrity, Mercurio setting up S7 for Osborne being so bent he snaps in half. #LineOfDuty
Line Of Duty Series 6 continues next Sunday on BBC1 at 9pm. It can be pre-ordered on Blu-ray, DVD, plus both a Series 1-6 Blu-ray Boxset and Series 1-6 DVD Boxset, ahead of its release on
March 22nd. It’s great to see a compilation on Blu-ray this time, as those are normally left to languish on DVD only.
After broadcast, each episode will be on the BBC iPlayer.
Director: Daniel Nettheim
Producer: Ken Horn
Writer/Creator: Jed Mercurio
DI Kate Fleming: Vicky McClure
DS Steve Arnott: Martin Compston
Ted Hastings: Adrian Dunbar
DCI Joanne Davidson: Kelly Macdonald
Farida: Anneika Rose
Sgt Lomax: Perry Fitzpatrick
Supt. Buckells: Nigel Boyle
Briggs: Patrick Buchanan
Jake: Ben Rose
Chloe: Shalom Brune-Franklin
Surveillance Officer: Diarmuid Noyes
OFC: Loreece Harrison
Forensic Co-ordinator: Tim Loane
Terry Boyle: Tommy Jessop
Wise: Elizabeth Rider
Nicky: Christina Chong
Terry’s solicitor: Sara Dylan
Marks: Kwaku Fortune
Gail Vella: Andi Osho
Patrick Fairbank: George Costigan
Steph: Amy De Bhrun
Nadaraja: Prasanna Puwanarajah
Sindwhani: Ace Bhatti
Ryan: Gregory Piper
Suitor: Matthew Forsythe
Amanda: Rose Escoda
Rix: Michael Yare
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.
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