Line of Duty Thread 9, no spoilers! Watch along as we find out (?) wtf is going on!

[TedisnotH]

Reporting in, fellas. Let's fill up Thread 8 first though, ok?

No, there is lots of missed bits, like who was jos bent copper father, why did Kate go on the run with jo like that,,loads missing,,

Who decides who gets the Boden cottage under witness protection, and who gets the dodgy 6th floor flat with lift that smells of wee?

And Jo hasn't really escaped the OCG.
That dog is really an undercover cat and we all know they can't be trusted.

@Its90minutestonight

I don't get the love for The Shield. I thought it was crap.

I realise we all like different things, but I cannot comprehend this at all - how much of it have you seen?

The last couple of series are the most brilliant TV I’ve ever seen, and it’s the best example of plotting and ending I can think of. Everything follows on from a few big actions from the strike team in the earlier seasons, and you just gradually see the noose tightening.

I suppose the first season is a bit of a scene setting series and maybe not all that different from other police shows of that time, although more gritty I guess.

It has definitely affected me more than any other series - I enjoyed Breaking Bad and The Wire, but The Shield is better IMO.

@diddl

The messages on the laptop-I was thinking that they were coming direct from the OCG rather than H.

Was the idea that the final H was someone high up who was running an OCG?

Or that there were corrupt officers & the one that they were looking for was high up?

When they realised who Ryan was it must have given the clue that it was still an ongoing thing & that there were more than Dot knew about?

Do they even all know each other?

Ted said something last night about the ’wrongly named H’ or ‘wrongly attributed to ah’ so did H not exist? It was just 4 men?

To H*

@mummabubs

I hate to admit it but I was disappointed too. I was expecting Thurwell to be alive (who employs James Nesbitt for one photo and then no clear image of a body) and I was secretly hoping that the fourth man would transpire to actually be a woman (eg Carmicheal who seems so hellbent on diverting attention away from investigating anything to do with bent coppers). Of course both of which could still happen, as we were left with pretty much no progress it felt to me. I was honestly expecting something amazing to link into something that happened series ago to make us gasp. Such a build up to who was being interviewed and when Buckells sat down (who we only really met a few weeks ago and who's screen time has not exactly been huge) I just felt a bit "oh... Ok... Meh". It's lost the spark of earlier series but I still want another one in the hope of redemption (and more Ted Hastings quotes).

Buckles has been in and out of this since series 1, when he replaced Tony Gates in the enquiry.

I'm in the minority who enjoyed it. Sure there were ridiculous bits, eg the lift, and when they were not saying the name of the person who spelt definitely wrong, but LOD has always had ridiculous bits, Roz Huntley's rotting arm was probably a low for me, the ridiculous change from looking for H to looking for the 4th man. Maybe my expectations were slightly lower, so I enjoyed it more.

I think Kate asked to go to OH as she could see it was helpful for Steve. And I think the discrepancy between Gill's witness protection and Jo's was Jed's sympathies due to their reasons for being in trouble in the first place. Gill was simply greedy. Jo was groomed. Not that I imagine WP have that kind of money for that kind of house - maybe her girlfriend/DW is aristoctacy bit I think this was dramatic licence. I'm pleased she had a happy ending.

The only loose end for me that hasn't been mentioned is why Farida was saying such strong things about her: "you don't know what she's capable of".

H changed to the 4 caddies when they found the miraculous footage of Dot's dying, tapping hand.

Ted has actually said a few times this series, "the 4th man who we mistakenly used to refer to as "H"".

Such a shit ending. Some writers really don't know when to call it a day. Do another series if you want, but finish this one off properly first! They put so much effort into developing carmichael then she didn't do anything for the entire episode!

Jo was guilty of conspiracy to murder Kate so how come she got put into witness protection when buckells would have been ineligible for the same offence?

Buckells does at least look the kind of person that can’t spell definitely, that at least rings true

We should have met Gail Vella in the first episode and then had her killed off.

I thought it was made clear that it was Fairbanks who Tommy told her was her dad.

It also irritates me that there was no questioning at all over dot's "morse code". It could have meant literally anything but they leapt on one implausible explanation and by jove happened to be right.

@Piggywaspushed

When Jo and Kate did their Thelma and Louise, Jo took Kate to the print shop as there was going to be Something Very Important there or in the flat opposite. That thread was never resolved?

I thought they found Gail Vella's stolen laptop/computer at the print shop

Jo thought her dad was Fairbanks. Hence the reason he was bought in for questioning and his cell searched.

@ThankYouHunkyJesus

Such a shit ending. Some writers really don't know when to call it a day. Do another series if you want, but finish this one off properly first! They put so much effort into developing carmichael then she didn't do anything for the entire episode!

Jo was guilty of conspiracy to murder Kate so how come she got put into witness protection when buckells would have been ineligible for the same offence?

Cos she manipulated Kate emotionally and Kate covered for her and both made out it was all Ryan and nothing to do with Jo.

Bluntness Jo fingered Fairbanks. Kate said "you're safe now", they'd just saved her life, "you can tell us", then the next scene was them going to Queens Close (?) prison to interview Fairbanks.

I had to admit I thought his dementia was acting but it appears not. I had wondered if, if he truly did have dementia, she had named him to protect the real person, but actually I think she is a goodie with a sad history.

At the beginning a lot of people thought it was Buckells, or at least liked the idea that the useless DSI could be H. It could have possibly worked if the last episode wasn't so rushed. The episode felt padded out because it didn't knit together well, but if it was 90 minutes, there might have been more substance to it and time to build it up into something more.

I'm glad the fourth man wasn't Ted or Osborne. I initially thought they said it was Carmichael and was looking forward to a Carmichael glass box spectacular. That would have been more intense than some no comment shrugging. A situation where one of the main three or Jo was in danger would have added to the episode. I guess that was what the intercepting of the transfer should have been, but didn't have enough time for tension to build.

I agree with the pp that there might have been a U-turn in the writing of the show at some point.

I guess Ted's frustration that H represented an incompetent fool rather than the top criminal mastermind he had been chasing for years is akin to the huge disappointment that many feel over the finale.

Jed is renound for putting in red herrings and there were a lot of red herrings.

I don't get why, if Buckells was sending all the messages, he got Jo to set him up. Who would then pass all the messages on for the OCG? And when Lakewell was killed didn't Buckells say something like "I'm only the messenger" when Lakewell asked what was going on? Big clue there!

Didn't like the hidden OCG element. Last series was better when you had the group on screen.

Ryan deserved a better ending than just being shot off screen.

@LeaveTheBentBastard so true felt like they needed one more episode everything was very rushed.

@ThankYouHunkyJesus

It also irritates me that there was no questioning at all over dot's "morse code". It could have meant literally anything but they leapt on one implausible explanation and by jove happened to be right.

When people are complaining about this episode it does help to set in context that there have been other daft bits. But they weren't obsessed on by everyone because people weren't watching and talking about it to this extent.

Carmichael was a completely different character last night.

Previously, Ted wasn’t permitted to interview on his own. She prevented Steve from doing what he would usually do. Kate was marked yet last night she was floating around like a bloody fairy saying and doing nothing.

@ThankYouHunkyJesus

It also irritates me that there was no questioning at all over dot's "morse code". It could have meant literally anything but they leapt on one implausible explanation and by jove happened to be right.

And.... when dot was actually dying, no-one was filming him, so where did that footage come from?

But if Jo revealed Fairbanks as the man she thought was her father, why was she still so scared of him and doing the OCG bidding? He'd been in prison with dementia for years so no threat.

@IdrisElbow

The Homeland finale still holds top spot for a series ending.

It was perfect!

And.... when dot was actually dying, no-one was filming him, so where did that footage come from?

To quote the best thing I ever read on MN ever: a wizard did it, then ran away