Line of Duty - BBC2

Bit of an anticlimax — hoping for another series now.

Can’t bring myself to accept I’ve invested all this time for it to have been Ian ******* Buckles :rolleyes:
 
I don't know where they go with things from here, if that truly was the ending then what a disappointment it was. If there's another series to be made then I feel it's over stepped the mark in staying around for too long at this point, I just don't know how they'll string along another full series worth of content to wrap the final bits up.
 
I still rate the first three series as some of the best UK drama ever made. It was inevitable that Jed would find it harder and harder to keep a believable plot rolling after that. It was still watchable in 4-6, but this series could have been replaced by one episode in which data magician Chloe sat telling us all her amazing research in one go. The rest of them were often clunky padding for that exposition.

The Buckles "ha, ha, got away with it" smirk tells us there's a series 7, in which hopefully we'll discover the factory supplying black Range Rovers full of 'red shirt' crims, that Carmichael is lovely really, spending her weekends volunteering at a hospice for dying disabled transgender babies, and that Osbourne's dog is H, because he's too obvious and thick to be it
 
Converge said:
I'm surprised there wasn't a cliffhanger ending to be honest. Clearly has to be more to the Carmichael and Detective Chief Constable stuff, you don't have the actor from GoT in that sort of position for nothing... nor James Nesbitt.
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He was clearly a bluff by the show, I mean what are you expecting from him now given his character is now dead - it was just thrown in there so people might think he's the possible fourth man etc..

As for the show, a bit of an anticlimax - they've gone for the whole "it was the corrupt system all along" etc.. as the explanation for why the fourth man turned out to be some half-wit police officer manipulated by various organised crime groups.

They have plenty of potential for another season if they want though - Chief Constable still possibly dirty with involvement in that old "Laurence Christopher case", new head of anti corruption seems a bit sus too.

Also there is the possible fan theory re: Chloe:
that she is DCI Tony Gate's daughter, bent copper from season 1

But currently, it seems that was it, no announcement of a new season and that was the end of the series.
 
I suppose it was a bit inevitable that it'd crash under it's own weight since it tried to make far too much part of the same long running plot but even with that in mind that was pants.
 
It's almost reassuring to read these comments, as I was thinking 'Did I miss something? Have I misunderstood things?'. Yeah, not a great ending.
 
Utter poo, I enjoyed this season right up to the last episode which was an epic let down the set piece interview was dull the prison van bit naff and as for the reveal of H I mean just no. It felt setup for another season but I can’t see the demand being quite what it was before given how badly damaged the brand now is.
 
Anyone else feel like some of the dialogue, mainly between Steve and Kate, was pretty atrocious in general? I cringed everytime they called each other "mate". Felt so unnatural, like the director had said "okay, we want to reinforce the fact that Steve and Kate are more than just colleagues, so just chuck the word "mate" into your lines every so often."
 
Conscript said:
Anyone else feel like some of the dialogue, mainly between Steve and Kate, was pretty atrocious in general? I cringed everytime they called each other "mate". Felt so unnatural, like the director had said "okay, we want to reinforce the fact that Steve and Kate are more than just colleagues, so just chuck the word "mate" into your lines every so often."
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Their dialogue and acting hasn’t been great since the start. Sometimes it’s a bit cringeworthy.
 
Conscript said:
Anyone else feel like some of the dialogue, mainly between Steve and Kate, was pretty atrocious in general? I cringed everytime they called each other "mate". Felt so unnatural, like the director had said "okay, we want to reinforce the fact that Steve and Kate are more than just colleagues, so just chuck the word "mate" into your lines every so often."
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Not just that, one they keep doing that kills me is when one character shows another something, they run to the boss, show him and then conduct a conversation where they just refer to the person as "this individual" to preserve the surprise for the audience. I'm a big believer that you trick or hide things from the characters, you don't have unnatural sounding conversations to hide things from the audience that characters know.
 
Jonny2284 said:
Not just that, one they keep doing that kills me is when one character shows another something, they run to the boss, show him and then conduct a conversation where they just refer to the person as "this individual" to preserve the surprise for the audience. I'm a big believer that you trick or hide things from the characters, you don't have unnatural sounding conversations to hide things from the audience that characters know.
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Yes! Absolutely. There was also a scene in last night's episode where Steve asked the other officer something, but he asked like he was reading a list of bullet points on an email. Can't remember what he was asking about now, but I just remember thinking that absolutely no one talks like that in normal conversation.
 
Not the series ending we wanted, we shoukd had that episode two episodes ago and had more to crew on afterwards

My thoughts:

We've clearly got a season more to go to end this institutionalised corruption.

Ted confessing was a test to Carmichael about whether she believes in the corruption and/or whether she is a part of it. I think with them suppressing the corruption internally there's clearly more to it and they need to go for the Chief and those connected.

I reckon Ted will be kept on but underneath Carmichael with a demotion and they will end up working on the same page although she'll still be a barrier along the way to keep the drama.

The series will start with Steve taken off active duty due to his issues but will likely go rogue to find evidence on the real fourth man and Kate will be back with AC12 feeding him info.

I think the season will end with Ted retiring, Steve moving to the other job he put on hold and Kate quitting due to the mental strain the whole job has out on her. Assuming no tragedy happens along the way.
 
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Ending felt lack luster and like a mid season finale they could have done so much more to setup another season, I hope we get one season to wrap it up properly.
 
That was awful, surely not the last episode. Though I kind of hope it is. I can't be bothered with another season like that!
 
Daily Fail has completely misinterpreted it even despite it being explained in the show:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9536959/Line-Duty-clues-led-Fourth-Man.html

  • It was revealed during Sunday night's eagerly-anticipated finale that The Fourth Man - also known as H - was Superintendent Buckells
  • Initially portrayed as a hapless character, it was revealed that he was in fact the criminal mastermind who had formed the secret network of bent coppers
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The whole point was that there wasn't some criminal mastermind left, he was a the 4th man they were looking for but they'd already uncovered the previous key players (he wasn't "H", "H" was the group of 4 of them), this wasn't a "criminal mastermind" but the main remaining "bent copper" and a bit of a dunce at that - he merely became a go-between controlled by the various criminal gangs.
 
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dowie said:
Daily Fail has completely misinterpreted it even despite it being explained in the show:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9536959/Line-Duty-clues-led-Fourth-Man.html


The whole point was that there wasn't some criminal mastermind left, he was a the 4th man they were looking for but they'd already uncovered the previous key players (he wasn't "H", "H" was the group of 4 of them), this wasn't a "criminal mastermind" but the main remaining "bent copper" and a bit of a dunce at that - he merely became a go-between controlled by the various criminal gangs.
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So all the other suspects like Osborne and Thurwell are actually completely innocent?
 
Conscript said:
he asked like he was reading a list of bullet points on an email. Can't remember what he was asking about now, but I just remember thinking that absolutely no one talks like that in normal conversation.
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Wasn't where they were asking if it was about any of the following people...then slowed listed three people.
 
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