Line of Duty thread 4 (No spoilers, please!)

[TedisnotH]

Ok, I've started a new one in anticipation of Thread 3 filling up tonight, part way through the episode!

Here's a thought - what if Andrea Wise is decent? What if she's stick between the PCC and Osbourne so overtly we see her going through to motions that she needs to do, but in reality, she's the one that bargained the month for Ted, so he's got one month to prove the corruption once and for all, get Osborne and save the AC departments.

The podcast is on BBC sounds and it’s called Obsessed with Line of Duty. That’s your afternoon sorted out now!

If this were the case, why would she fit up Farida and Buckells? Surely she could have confessed when AC-12 first brought her in for questioning rather than deflect attention away from her?

Because if she confessed in episode 2 the series would be over?

Plus she knows what happens to ‘rats’.

I think she had no qualms about fitting Buckells up because he’s a sleazy, self-serving waste of oxygen (and probably a little bit bent), but I still think that in dumping Farida then getting her charged, she was trying to keep her out of harm’s way, hence being visibly shaken when Farida was harmed in prison.

@ClarasZoo

The podcast is on BBC sounds and it’s called Obsessed with Line of Duty. That’s your afternoon sorted out now!

Have they got rid of the irritating woman who said ‘like’ every other word? I had to stop listening because of her.

Bring on Wednesday’s ‘Shrine of Duty’! Cannot wait!!!

Thanks @ClarasZoo Could spend the whole week between episodes on this!

Jo must be protecting someone other than herself. She's not out to avenge someone like Corbett was, she doesn't have that drive. It doesn't appear the OCG have dirt on her.

Whatever happens I'm certain that it's not all going to be neatly wrapped up this season as there is going to be a series 7.

I think the Gail Vella case will be 'solved' possibly with a big miscarriage of justice for Jo, Kate, Steve or Ted and then series 7 will be the remaining good guys slowly unpicking the multi-layered web of deceit to get to a satisfactory but definitely not happy ending.

Jed doesn't do neat happy endings, I want the end to it leave you thinking about where the line should be drawn - hence line of duty.

Yes, that makes sense, @IstandwithJackieWeaver there's an OCG connection via whomever is in the photo with the DNA, but the collateral for the blackmailing is protecting a loved one - possibly the lady in the photo.

Time for a cuppa and a think...

I expected the episode to end when the hijack firing stopped and was thrilled when I saw there was 10 mins left. I just wanted the episode to go on and on...

I'm not sure I was breathing during the hijack. Steve's shot was cinematic. 😀

I was expecting Chloe to get shot and the focus on her in the episode was to build the emotional connection. I hope she's not bent - she seems nice and competent. Why would she mention a possible leak in AC12 if she was the leak? A Jed M double bluff? Or is she a mole for another AC unit keeping an eye on Ted?

When Wise was talking about a super AC12 under a Chief Superintendent, I thought it was a role for Anna Maxwell Martin. I wonder if she's smarting at being bested by Ted and is still gunning for him.

Ted's final 'Mother of God' was said in a tone of shock at the connection that seemed to point to the seriousness of the connection. If the connection had been linked to Corbett, it would have been an emotional shock (like the way he reacted in S5 at the news) and said differently. My first thought was Tommy Hunter too but it seems too obvious.

The audio comment about not too bothered about looking racist. What does that mean? The Police Commissioner seems more involved in policing decisions than is usual and usually on the wrong side. What's his involvement?

My other comment was didn't Ted visit Lee Banks in S5 and we never found out why? He was accused of telling Banks that Corbett was a UPO which resulted in Corbett dying but wasn't that dropped with the Gill Biggeloe reveal. An untugged thread?

And why is there only one prison in LoD. No wonder the OCG are so effective. They can concentrate resources.

Think Lisa is still involved somehow. There was a heavy emphasis on her redemption at the end of S5.

Jo can't directly bring the OCG down via AC12, she has to be seen to be trying to stop that but just allowing enough to slide (especially anything that Ryan wouldn't notice, I doubt she was worried about Buckles given how much of clown he is) for them to do what they are good at and it appear to happen in spite of her, not because of her. She knows the survival rate of bent coppers is very low indeed!
I think she thought the tide was turning when she was confident enough to try and get rid of Ryan, she didn't HAVE to do anything with him just to appease Kate, but then obviously that all blew back in her face when it becomes apparent Ryan is a serious player and not some useful pawn for planting evidence and driving her to meetups as he'd likely been painted to be up til then.

And why is there only one prison in LoD. No wonder the OCG are so effective. They can concentrate resources.

Indeed. If they dissipated all of the AC-12 convicted/connected inmates, most of their problems would be solved!

@CoteFolie I quite liked the Lisa McQueen character in series 5. She was very complex, came from a care home background and looked like she struggled with some of the OCG activity. I suspected she was deep undercover in series 5 but that was not to be. She was visibly upset when Corbett was killed. Would be good to see her back.

Does anybody know if there is a police division that investigates OCGs specifically? Or do they break it down into vice, murder etc ?

I think it's most likely that Jo is related to Tommy Hunter, but then part of me is remembering (possibly) that he'd managed to avoid having a criminal record prior to series 1, and so his DNA record wouldn't have pre-dated Jo joining the police force.

Here's a mad, convoluted theory: Jo had a difficult upbringing, which she looked like overcoming by starting a career. This could have been scuppered when she found out she was having a baby. Not wanting to completely lose connection with the child, she arranged for her dodgy brother and his horrible girlfriend to raise the baby as their own in exchange for money. Her brother ended up in prison, or just ran off, and Ryan was dragged up by the girlfriend. The OCG are threatening to have Ryan killed, or just to not allow him to leave organised crime, and that is why Jo is cooperating.

Jo was shocked at the armed robbery shooting because she knew that was the type of operation where the OCG would utilise Ryan. Perhaps she looked so shocked at the mop-haired baby crim because he looked so much like Ryan, and she briefly thought it was him.

The OCG are threatening to have Ryan killed, or just to not allow him to leave organised crime, and that is why Jo is cooperating.
Ryan seems to be doing most of the killing. He doesn't look reluctant in any way and didn't in Series 1 or 5.

There's a documentary on BBC2 at the moment about Greater Manchester police's organised crime squad.

In previous series of LoD, AC 9 was witness protection.

Perhaps Jed just reads this thread for the ideas for the next series!

Media speculation is all that Tommy Hunter was jos father.

If that’s the case, then she’d be being blackmailed by someone who knows.

The shooting at the armed hold up of the bookie's was an OCG act to have something on Jo relating to her conduct of the operation and also to show they call the shots. She'll have to explain why one of her officers shot one of the gunmen, which is very similar to what happened to Steve in S1. I think she thought it would be a case of popping in and stopping the hold up thus delaying the operation to arrest whoever was in the flat. Pretty sure she didn't think shots would be fired. The gang were young and inexperienced so there were no links from them to the OCG.

I'm tempted to rewatch S1-2 to catch up with Tommy Hunter. I'm certain that he's the relative though uncle rather than father given the age difference.

I think Chloe's a good egg and like PPs said they've had a corrupt AC12 office in twice before so as a storyline it would be covering old ground.

Kate's sort of faded into the background this season so far which makes me think she has a far bigger role to play. Possibly wants to help Jo get out of the mess she's in. She knows Ryan's following Jo so he is a threat to her yet she's insisting in keeping him in so alarm bells are ringing there.

If there's going to be a Season 7 and the threat of the disbanding of the unit within a month, then I imagine that decision needs to be rescinded before then so the PCC will go.

Not sure why Steph's got such a prominent role but I don't think Jo and John are related. It doesn't make sense that's why she should be under threat by the OGC.

Def rewatch I’ve enjoyed it all so much more this time and everything makes more sense

Having a heated discussion with DH about DNA databases.

If a copper gets nicked, (eg Fairburn, Dryden, etc) would they show up on the criminals database, as well as the police one?

Or not.

I say they would.

Yes I think they would definitely be on the criminals database. I don’t know if they would be removed from the police database once no longer serving.

I think they would @TedisnotH because once they've become a criminal they're a criminal surely, doesn't matter if they used to be a copper?