Jed Mercurio’s epic police anti-corruption drama leaves viewers questioning more than ever before. (Warning big spoilers ahead!)
Audacious, explosive and… slightly underwhelming, Line of Duty aired its rumoured-to-be last ever episode on Sunday night. Jed Mercurio has consistently delivered in igniting vehemence and dominating the British crime drama scene (remember Bodyguard?) and the ratings rolling in after the series finale of Line of Duty certainly do not disprove his talent any further with 12.8 million viewers watching the finale – a hit record for the show, according to BBC News. Despite this, fans across the country protested the abrupt and blandly finished final episode.
As an audience, our main precedence was to uncover one cardinal secret that covertly wormed its way through all six seasons: who is ‘H’, or the ‘other man’?
Did we find out? We ‘defiantly’ did. Did it disappoint? Well, it wasn’t the take-your-breath-away moment we were geared up for … but perhaps Mercurio ‘buckled’ under the pressure of the show’s following (…sorry, I couldn’t resist). It certainly was clever in some aspects; Hasting’s mantra, “to the letter of the law” certainly mirrors Ian Buckells unfortunate mistake of misspelling, to the point where it cost him an entire operation.
While mediocre in shock, the cast’s prodigious performances kept me gripped to the edge of my seat at all times. As an infamous and formidable trio, Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure, who also happens to be an Honouree Graduate here at NTU) are on the verge of breakthrough in the fight against corrupt police officers colluding with the OCG, also known as an Organised Crime Group.
Appreciative nods are deserved for Shalom Brune-Franklin whose portrayal of Chloe Bishop was pleasantly refreshing, and Kelly Macdonald’s Joanne Davidson easily stole the show; I have never wanted a supposed ‘criminal’ to have a happy ending as much as I have with this intricate, emotionally delivering Detective Chief Inspector.
Pushing the anti-climax aside, the finale of Line of Duty incorporated enthralling action scenes including one of my personal favourite moments from the series; the satisfaction and relief that washed over me upon seeing our two favourite partners jump out of the intercepted prison vehicle upon Jo Davidson’s untimely planned murder… it was certainly a moment worthy of a small cheer when the meticulous prison officers were locked away in their own handcuffs.
A myriad of storylines was semi-tied up by Mercurio’s finale; Hasting’s suspicious sum of cash allowed for Dunbar’s excellent exiting soliloquy, Gail Vella’s murder weapons were finally uncovered meaning it was confirmed Ryan Pilkington and Carl Banks were as dodgy as they looked, and the well-executed storyline of Steve’s painkiller addiction was sensitively dealt with him getting professional help.
But what does this questionable episode mean for the future of the show? After news spreading of the sixth season being their final, speculations are running high regarding the possibility of further episodes of Line of Duty returning… hopefully to explain the mediocre ending.
And there certainly is reason for Mercurio to continue where he left off. If Buckells is our real ‘H’ then I can only suggest that Line of Duty has unfortunately followed the likes of Game of Thrones, Lost and similar iconic programmes that just did gradually get worse. But perhaps Mercurio has something up his sleeve.
I am almost certain that we have not heard the end of Chief Constable Osbourne, or Hastings’ precursor, Carmichael, by any stretch. Surely, there is reason for Carmichael infiltrating the very people who were on their back, by merging anti-corruption units and reiterating that ‘old corruptions cases are NOT a priority’. Surely, there is a reason for suggesting Kate Fleming return to AC-12? Perhaps this isn’t the last we have seen of our favourite trio after all…
Whether Line of Duty returns to our screens or not, there is one thing we can certainly be sure off: you cannot make mugs of AC-12.
Line of Duty is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
By Sophie Avant
Feature image: Digitalspy.com