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?

@Frazzled2207

going off on a slight tangeant the daily fail is reporting that 'bbc bosses' are trying to get Vicky M on strictly this year. Oh yes! Would love that. But would possibly love Adrian Dunbar in the 'dad category' more .

She’s a trained dancer though, who auditioned for the Royal Ballet, so that would be a bit

She’s a trained dancer though, who auditioned for the Royal Ballet, so that would be a bit hmm

And it’s not like they’ve cast a shed-load of trained dancers in the past, eh?

[quote SophieB100]@SoupDragon
I just watched it again - Steve was in the front, Kate in the back. Definately [/quote]
It's really weird - I can clearly remember them both being in the open doors doing the "armed police" thing. Even though I know it isn't true, I can't shift it. Not just from last night either as it was on the trailer.

@Kelvingrove

I loved the ending.

I was worried that Ted would be OCG but he confessed and explained his error to Kate and Steve and then to Carmichael so he can be forgiven.

Steve and Kate are both honest and back to trusting each other which is just as it should be.

None of the main characters were killed.

Steve ( and Kate) seem to be getting some help from Occupational Health so hopefully Steve can fully recover from his injuries.

Terry and Jo have promising futures.

Carmichael looked ashamed and thoughtful after Teds speech so there is a glimmer of hope for anti corruption.

I loved the final scene in the lift with the three travelling together.

That's all fine, but the Buckells thing makes little sense, or why and how Kate sped away from the scene after shooting Ryan which was never shown or explained.

I think the season was okay from the main 3 character standpoint but the wider plot was a disjointed, underwritten mess.

Thanks @buggerthebotox, that makes sense as presumably Kate would have been consigned to desk duties or put on gardening leave while any investigation happened. I suppose it could also show Kate has her own skeleton in the cupboard but it's definitely a clunky storyline!

Adrian Dunbar was superb last night. SUPERB, I tell ya. This whole series was all about Ted for me.

Love the bit after they search Fairbanks' Cell and Ted goes to Steve and Kate and says "Nothing! Not so much as a Post It note!"

Lovely nod to all the post-it note clues that JM had dotted throughout the series

Giles Coren tweeted that one of his friends has been cast in LOD S7. Whether that's accurate I know not.

wider plot was a disjointed, underwritten mess. Yes.

There were more holes in the plot than in a string vest, and no I didn't want a bang, bang grand finale, I wanted a clever, plausible and coherent ending and that was none of them, it was unbelievably weak.

A lot about this series has jarred, the reason Gail Vella a high profile journalist was killed, Thewell being in Spain supposedly sending messages to Jo and it appears he was in fact dead at the time those messages were being sent, what was the point of the Thewell storyline - there wasn't one. I could go on but the whole thing was a major disappointment, previous series have been sharp and edgy this was not.

@SoupDragon

as the driver and other officer were arrested (and swapped with Steve and Kate).

I don't get this - weren't Steve and Kate both in the back when they opened the doors and shouted "armed police!" It's been confusing me everytime someone here mentions Steve being in the front.

No Kate was in the back. Steve was driving.

"to be telling Jo to get rid of Kate one minute then shaking like a leaf the next was ridiculous. "

Classic keyboard warrior. Easy to be brave anonymously behind a screen.

I think Jo waltzing off into the sunset was to show that despite her shite upbringing she could at least have a decent chance now and with the "family" ( partner and dog ) she was denied as a child. It makes her look like she was more wronged that a wrong 'un.
And they all lived happily ever after. Too sappy for me.
I'd've preferred to see her with a couple of doberman as guard dogs constantly looking over her shoulder.

@TheWeeDonkeyFella Jo and Kate covered up Kate killing Ryan because if Jo has admitted it she would have been suspended pending an investigation and wouldn't be allowed to continue solving H/Gail Vella etc. Jo was already in jail for OCG involvement so made sense for it to be just her taking the wrap.

to be telling Jo to get rid of Kate one minute then shaking like a leaf the next was ridiculous.

Not really. Lakewell was involved in the OCG too, it could easily be Buckells being murdered if he fucks up.

I think some people missed that Buckells wasn't top of the OCG. He was senior police but still at OCGs bidding (albeit he had done very nicely out of it) and could easily be taken out if he proved a liability/rat.

The OCG were always in charge.

@BronwenFrideswide

wider plot was a disjointed, underwritten mess. Yes.

There were more holes in the plot than in a string vest, and no I didn't want a bang, bang grand finale, I wanted a clever, plausible and coherent ending and that was none of them, it was unbelievably weak.

A lot about this series has jarred, the reason Gail Vella a high profile journalist was killed, Thewell being in Spain supposedly sending messages to Jo and it appears he was in fact dead at the time those messages were being sent, what was the point of the Thewell storyline - there wasn't one. I could go on but the whole thing was a major disappointment, previous series have been sharp and edgy this was not.

I think that's why people are put out by the finale. There was so much about the season that didn't add up and it was hoped that it would all make sense in the last episode.

OCGs, plural. Like Balaclava Men, not Balaclava Man.

I think it was good, and entirely in keeping with the show. If you want soap opera or action film, those exist. This was perfect.

I'm confused about how Buckells can be H. In Dot's dying declaration, Kate asked him for the first letter of the name of the person behind all this. He blinked at H. So what's the connection with H and Buckells?

There was no H as such.
Hastings said this last night - previously, mistakenly, they thought it was one person, then they changed this following Dot's morse code: 4 caddies or men.
The final one to be brought down was Buckles.

There isn't an H...

It was a red herring...

The revelation about the H / morse code thing was the ending to season 5 and has been mentioned loads of times this season.

@Gordongrumpy

OCGs, plural. Like Balaclava Men, not Balaclava Man.

I think it was good, and entirely in keeping with the show. If you want soap opera or action film, those exist. This was perfect.

Yes you're right, I was making the point quickly. Point still stands though I think.

How did Steve end up driving the van?? Was there a swap in the underpass thing?

@BentBastard

I think some people missed that Buckells wasn't top of the OCG. He was senior police but still at OCGs bidding (albeit he had done very nicely out of it) and could easily be taken out if he proved a liability/rat.

The OCG were always in charge.

I think everyone gets that, it was very clear. However for six series we have been fed the concept that someone senior was highly corrupt and orchestrating a massive organisation of corrupt officers on behalf of the ocg, and we find out it’s a totally incompetent inconsequential non entity of a character who can’t even spell..

It was always clear that H was working on behalf of the ocg. Simply everyone thought h would be someone powerful, clever, significant. That they were cracking something major. Instead it’s a small inept character who looks like he’d struggle to make his own cup of coffee in the morning.

Charlotte Moore, BBC's chief content officer said: "Addictive event television, Line of Duty has kept the nation guessing for the last seven weeks, so it's no surprise that last night's jaw dropping finale set a ratings record.
"Jed Mercurio is a master of his craft, and I would like to congratulate him and the entire cast and crew for delivering such an incredible drama series. I'm looking forward to having a conversation with the team about where we go next and what the future of the series might be."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56945425

I now really want a S7 to make amends for that episode.