Line of Duty Thread 8: All aboard the wee donkey for the final episode - no spoilers, the wee donkey bites!

[Furries]

Hope you all don’t mind, getting near the end of thread 7, so thought I’d trot this one out!

There's definitely going on with Carmichael. It's just what!

Also Nesbitt can't be dead surely, I can't imagine the producers getting him on board to just be used in a few photos...

OK we’re supposed to believe that Carmichael is willing to turn a blind eye to the fact that Kate obviously shot Ryan (why Kate couldn’t just have admitted it I don’t know but there you go). But no-one is the least bit interested in Kate evading the police in a big car chase?

Kate can't "just admit" that she shot Ryan, because it would put her out of action for ages whilst the shooting was investigated. They couldn't just take her word for it that it was self-defence. No jury is going to be keen on convicting someone for evading the police when it turns out that the police chase ultimately didn't lead to any other offence being charged.

Suspect Kate ran because she doesn't trust anyone above her (including Hastings) but not required more explicit explanation, which I hope they provide.

I also think there was more conversation between Kate and Steve off camera which, again, I hope is revealed.

I'm still sticking with Osbourne. Many sayings it's obvious, but not everything needs a massive twist, I think as viewers we've come to expect enormous twists and it's not necessary IMO.

Agree that Jo's mum likely killed and passed off as suicide as a way to threaten Jo to becomes OCG police plant

This are my immediate thoughts. Might have more after rewatch later.

@youvegottenminuteslynn

Also Nesbitt can't be dead surely, I can't imagine the producers getting him on board to just be used in a few photos...

Wasn’t it supposed to be an Injoke, as he said he wanted to be in it?

Me too - I was underwhelmed tonight, far fetched car chases and too many no comments.

It was only one car chase, wasn't it? And they interspersed the no comments quite cleverly with fuller answers which made it all the more interesting in working out exactly what took Jo away from the No Comment strategy.

@ceeveebeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

When she asked for Kate's gun, she already had Ryan's gun (she gives it up after the car chase), so she's not asking for it because she wants to prove to Kate that she won't shoot her. She could have shot Kate already with the gun she took from Ryan

She asked for Kate’s gun so she could put her prints on it and take the blame, not to prove that she wouldn’t shoot her.

Sorry - what I meant is that Kate knew Jo had a gun, and that she wasn't asking for Kate's gun to prove she wasn't going to shoot her.

It was presented to the audience that Jo was trying to prove she wouldn't shoot Kate, but we know now that Kate already knew Jo was armed,

So Kate knew Jo wanted to put her prints on it, so presumably already knew Jo was intending to say she shot Ryan.

Jo is bent, she's been working for the OCG, she's admitted it. So to prove to Kate she's "not bent" I assume she's proving that she had already switched from OCG to UCO prior to Ryan's death.

I thought the No Comment strategy was about her not revealing information that would get her killed. And a plot device so you could see when the line of questioning was on to something.

I must be in a minority of quite liking the car chase, it was only a minute or two anyway.

It is fascinating to think what they'll do about Carmichael for the purposes of any more series. If Ted is going to be back in charge of AC12, then either she needs to be discredited or someone needs to reverse the decision to retire Ted and merge all the AC units, which would need a mega scandal leading to the Home Office/Minister of Justice feeling that they had to do something dramatic to restore public confidence in the police. Or she'll still be in charge but surely Ted will still be involved somehow, he's never going to retire to cultivate his roses.

@JeanClaudeVanDammit

I thought the No Comment strategy was about her not revealing information that would get her killed. And a plot device so you could see when the line of questioning was on to something.

I must be in a minority of quite liking the car chase, it was only a minute or two anyway.

I join you in your possible minority, I can't see what the problem is with the car chase.

@BentBastard

Suspect Kate ran because she doesn't trust anyone above her (including Hastings) but not required more explicit explanation, which I hope they provide.

I also think there was more conversation between Kate and Steve off camera which, again, I hope is revealed.

I'm still sticking with Osbourne. Many sayings it's obvious, but not everything needs a massive twist, I think as viewers we've come to expect enormous twists and it's not necessary IMO.

Agree that Jo's mum likely killed and passed off as suicide as a way to threaten Jo to becomes OCG police plant

This are my immediate thoughts. Might have more after rewatch later.

Agree on Osbourne. I don't think the journey now is whether it's him, but how they get him. Carmichael is now the issue as she can block that happening, but is she corrupt, careerist or undercover? So there's potentially a big twist there.

I think the only way for a series 7 is if next week's ends with failure for Ted, Steve and Kate, and they get one last series to bring the baddies in from outside the police. Otherwise it really is hard to see what else is left, and I'm now taking Jed's references to another series as just misdirection.

I love Anna Maxwell Martin in other stuff but can't stand her in LOD
The mumbling, smug half smiles etc are really grating and she's just a really rubbish villain! Its starting to spoil my favourite programme, I was gutted when she reappeared!!!

I'm waiting for Chris from the MIT to come out of the woodwork with a revelation or OCG link.

Ma'am

Ok just rewatching and after the arrests Charmichael says to Steve "I've just learnt the vehicle is yours", so as some of us suspected they weren't tracking personal vehicles so it does massively beg the question of how the hell they found Kate and Jp so quickly....

Not read the full thread(s) so apologies for any repetition. I'm disappointed that Mercurio used that tired old trope of a Mexican stand off between Ryan and Kate. Given the OCG's policy of murdering anyone in their way, to have Ryan say "we gave you a way out when we asked you to apply for a transfer" and, considering he killed Maneet and Corbett in the way he did, not to have shot Kate the minute he stepped out of the car is a massive plot hole for me.

Agreed JoeGrundy. I had a bit of a moan about that Dr Evil moment myself last week. Son posters tried to explain it with Ryan being unfamiliar with guns (strangling being his MO) but that's week IMO.

I guess as it was a workshopped gun he may have been reluctant to use it in case it backfired. That's my best explanation.

@BentBastard

Agreed JoeGrundy. I had a bit of a moan about that Dr Evil moment myself last week. Son posters tried to explain it with Ryan being unfamiliar with guns (strangling being his MO) but that's week IMO.

I guess as it was a workshopped gun he may have been reluctant to use it in case it backfired. That's my best explanation.

It didn't make any sense at all. Ryan slits throats and could easily have found a way to get Kate and kill her that way.

*weak

I didn't understand how Steve and Ted end up arriving at the roadblock for the stand off with Jo and Kate seemingly in the same car as Carmichael - they'd seen Carmichael leaving the office and followed her out - but they seemed to arrive in the same vehicle? How?

Was also very confused about the car chase element. What was Kate running from?
Steve must have had a incline about what she was at as he and Ted never questioned her about it? Surely Steve should have been worried about her when she disappeared off with the person who had lured her to be murdered/ an OCG acquaintance?
The whole thing was confusing - why did Kate say that they were being framed? For what?

AMM is a brilliant character.

@shyposter for the stand off Ted said "that's my officer" with Carmichael following them out and presumably getting in same car to keep an eye on them. Last night they watched Carmichael leave for something else and followed her out separately.

Kate said they are being framed as the amount of armed officers involved in apprehending her and Jo was over the top, particularly when they know Kate is undercover/helping AC12 and Ryan is bent. Kate doesn't trust anyone, particularly now she knows Carmichael is in charge, so it would be convenient for dodgy police officers to frame Kate and Jo to stop any further investigation.

Checking in! What could be under that floor?

Ooh, I wonder what’s under the floor too. Clearly something. Bodies, weapons?

For the record I think the actress who plays jo played it really well last night. I wasn’t convinced when she was playing her police role, but last night I think she nailed it.