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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to not have a clue what is going on in Line of Duty? **SPOILERS, PROBABLY **

93 replies

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 17/04/2021 18:42

I've watched every episode, from "Oops" to "Mother o' God!"

I would say my level of understanding is roughly that of a dog watching a game of tennis - I have a hazy grasp of, say, Ball! Humans throwing! Exciting! Maybe some sort of game...? but if I tried to join in on the telly addicts thread, I would just be running around yapping and getting underfoot, while they waited for me to go away.

I can't be the only one, surely? And are there any kind and patient MNers out there who can explain to me (ideally as though I'm four) I'm how everyone is seemingly connected to everyone else? (I do know who Ryan is, and Terry, and James Lakewell - but in his case only because I googled him. I can't remember anything about the people he was in cahoots with).

In particular:

That woman Steve had a sleepover with - where did she get the money and why did Steve know to go looking for it?
How does she know Ted again? And Steve?
Is she a goodie or a baddie?
Why are they (the OCG I guess?) bothering to frame Terry?
Who in the police is a baddie? (apart from Ryan, who I have cunningly sussed out)

Feel free to join me if you are also clueless and ashamed.

OP posts:
Original poster
JesusInTheCabbageVan · 17/04/2021 19:19

@SummerHouse

She won't say who H is but she knows...
What does she say when you ask??
OP posts:
SummerHouse · 17/04/2021 19:20

Very much like LOD I can't really remember. But she starts with 'mother of god'

HalfwomanHalfcookie · 17/04/2021 19:22

I enjoy reading the telly addicts threads but all the theories and clue searching makes my head spin a bit.

runwithme · 17/04/2021 19:22

If you have time, listen to the recaps on Shrine of Duty. They did an hour for each series so you'll need to lock yourself away. They may have done a round up of all series in one episode, I'm not sure.

BashfulClam · 17/04/2021 19:23

@SummerHouse ask her who Jo Davidson is related to. She gives you a clue

scully29 · 17/04/2021 19:26

Steve didnt shoot john corbett! you need to binge watch it all from the beginning because it all comes from the beginning its epic!

TulipSandwiches · 17/04/2021 19:27

It was Ryan who killed John Corbett.

VerbenaGirl · 17/04/2021 19:28

Listen to the ‘Obsessed by Line of Duty’ podcast. I’m much less confused now!

scully29 · 17/04/2021 19:28

Steves not wet either, its hard for him at the moment with his painful back due to having the shit kicked out of him a few years ago! He is actually hardcore. And in the early days he was literally sleeping with everyone dont let that night with Steph fool you into thinking hes not badass.

MazekeenSmith · 17/04/2021 19:30

@BashfulClam

Steve has shot one person. The remake police officer who tried to stab Gill Bigglowe in the station bogs.

When Ted was in the RUC he had a friendship with John Corbetts mother who was killed by the IRA as a suspected police informant.

£100k was planted on Ted, he claims it was inky £50k and that is what was recovered. He felt guilty re John Corbetts mother so he gave the widow £50k. She’s now in hot water with the HMRC.

He also shot the sniper
CaptainMyCaptain · 17/04/2021 19:32

@scully29

Steves not wet either, its hard for him at the moment with his painful back due to having the shit kicked out of him a few years ago! He is actually hardcore. And in the early days he was literally sleeping with everyone dont let that night with Steph fool you into thinking hes not badass.
Steve was thrown over a balcony /staircase by balaclava man.
scully29 · 17/04/2021 19:34

Its all amazing and you just have to watch it all in one from the beginning because its worth it.

minou123 · 17/04/2021 19:43

Hopefully I'll get this right for you Grin

That woman Steve had a sleepover with - where did she get the money and why did Steve know to go looking for it?
She got £50k from Ted.
Last season a "lawyer" claimed to be part of a development scheme, that Ted had lost a lot of money over. (Ted's wife left him because of it)
The "lawyer" said he was going around all the people who had lost money in the scheme and was reimbursing them.
What we know is the "lawyer" was really OCG and was trying to bribe Ted.
The "Lawyer" said he gave Ted £100k, but the police only found £50k. Ted said it was only £50k.
But in the last scene in season 5, we saw Ted with a brown envelope meeting the women at a graveside.
We all now think this is the missing £50k and he gave it to her.
Steve suspected something was going on because he heard the woman say to Ted "HMRC are asking questions about the money ". Steve is using his coppers nose to try and suss whats going on.

How does she know Ted again? And Steve?
Is she a goodie or a baddie?
She is the wife of John Corbett. Last season John Corbett was the undercover police in the ICG. He was the one with the Liverpool accent.
When AC12 asked her questions about her husband activities, she claimed she he left her. But we now know that's not true.
Her husband, John Corbett thought Ted was H and that's why he went rogue. I think Ted feels really guilty for John's death because he knew John's dead mother in Ireland really well.

Why are they (the OCG I guess?) bothering to frame Terry?
We don't really know.
But poor Terry gas been used and abused by the OCG since season 1. If you remember, they used his new fridge/freezer to store Jacqui Lavertys body.

Who in the police is a baddie? (apart from Ryan, who I have cunningly sussed out)
Well done Grin
We don't know. That is the fun of LOD!
We are trying to work out who is bad and who is good.

QuestionableDanceMoves · 17/04/2021 19:44

Buckles is incompetent rather than bent I think. I rewatched the first episode last night and Jo tells him they need directed surveillance rather than intrusive and then blames it on him for them not having intrusive surveillance approved.
Jo is definitely being controlled by the OCG much like Gates was but no idea why, she’s framed Farida and Buckles to save herself

Terry has been used by the OCG for years, he tried to report it in the the first series but the police didn’t listen to him- if they had they’d have found Jackies body much more quickly!

Still think there’s a chance Chloe is Gates’ daughter and that Jo is related to Tommy Hunter

DeusEx · 17/04/2021 19:47

Oh my god, I love so much your description of watching it, OP! Grin Totally with you.

The level of recall to previous series is baffling to me. Like, detailed remembrance of something that happened in series one, nearly a decade ago?! No chance!

DeusEx · 17/04/2021 19:48

@QuestionableDanceMoves I have clearly forgotten who half those people are? Tommy and Tony...? And why do we think she’s Tony’s daughter?

minou123 · 17/04/2021 19:52

This is my personally take on LOD.

They want you to become a police investigator. Put all the clues together and work it all out.

a) Some people just watch and don't question anything, hoping it will all come together in the end.

b) Some people watch, try to fit as many clues as they can together. These people will accept they may forget who the characters are and what's happend. But they have fun trying - this is me!

c) Some people watch and should be workimg for AC12! They rewatch all previous seasons. May even take notes. Will remember all characters. And will try to predict loads of different solutions and outcomes.

larrythelizard · 17/04/2021 19:52

Oh wow @MazekeenSmith I really thought he shot him...I might need to go back and watch the previous series 😬

QuestionableDanceMoves · 17/04/2021 19:53

@DeusEx Tommy Hunter was the big bad of series one, he recruited dot at the golf club and Gates arrested him in the series finale before Hunter ended up in witness protection. He then got killed by the OCG in the first episode of series 2.
Tony Gates was an esteemed officer in series 1 but was having an affair with Jackie Laverty who was far from squeaky clean and she got him involved in covering up a hit and run, she was killed by the OCG and then the OCG made Gates do their bidding.
He had a daughter called Chloe and the Chloe in AC12 is about the right age for her

DeusEx · 17/04/2021 19:56

Gotcha - thank you

Lizardcentral · 17/04/2021 19:59

I think the HMRC questioning the 50K is odd.
How do they know about it when its stashed in her attic?

MazekeenSmith · 17/04/2021 19:59

@larrythelizard

Oh wow *@MazekeenSmith* I really thought he shot him...I might need to go back and watch the previous series 😬
That was a major plot point. Hastings had just found out that Corbett tortured his wife and he was acting vengefully. He ordered Steve to shoot him and Steve refused as it was not a lawful order. This was one of the things that caused Kate and Steve to report Hastings for investigation.
transformandriseup · 17/04/2021 20:06

YANBU. I love the series but at least six times an episode I say to DH "are you following this because I am lost"

It makes me feel a bit dim that I can't keep up Blush

FOJN · 17/04/2021 20:09

That woman Steve had a sleepover with - where did she get the money and why did Steve know to go looking for it?

I see John Corbett's widow has already been explained to you. There are a lot of very reasonable assumptions about the money but we did not actually see Ted hand it over to Steph. We saw him with a neatly folded brown envelope going into a cemetery. We assume it's the 50k which was unaccounted for in the dodgy property deal but again we did not see Ted splitting that cash up so we don't actually know for sure.

Steve is suspicious because Steph appears to be living quite well for someone who did not receive any payout or pension for John's death because he was deemed to have gone rogue and not died in the line of duty.

In season 5 we were told that John was taken off the police payroll when he went undercover but he was living in a flat and clearly his wife had an income, where was the money coming from? I'm assuming proceeds of crime as John was clearly earning money through OCG activities. I think the Ted with a brown envelope is a red herring and I don't think he was ever given 100K, I think Mark Moffatt double crossed Gill Biggeloe and kept some for himself.

FOJN · 17/04/2021 20:11

I think the HMRC questioning the 50K is odd.
How do they know about it when its stashed in her attic?

My thoughts exactly. I think John had an account for his substantial OCG earnings and that is what HMRC are interested in.