Line of Duty (BBC)

[bradigor]

On 01/05/2021 at 16:53, Festoon said:

 

Would have made for a better outcome.

[pulsemyne]

Spoiler

Although I did like the fact that Buckles fucked himself over with the whole immunity thing.

 

[Sirloin]

Spoiler

The Bodyguard really ruined Mercurio didn’t it? All has to be big twists and double bluffs now even when they don’t make much sense. The earlier series worked because the stories went through to their logical conclusions rather than twisting themselves about for the sake of false tension. The interview scenes don’t have any real weight to them as it’s all just random stuff they are pulling up rather than you seeing them finding the stuff and building the case. The big man who was coordinating everything is a man who didn’t even bother to keep the very incriminating computer, with backups of all his conversations, outside of his own damn house?

 

[FishyFish]

No comment

[Jamie John]

The best thing about that episode was the trailer afterward for that new submarine murder mystery with Scottish Steve, Dr Foster and Stannis Baratheon.

 

Very underwhelming after the quality of the prior two episodes. I thought it was going to be a purposeful anti-climax, sort of like the end of The Wire where there's a montage showing that all of the department's actions have ultimately been meaningless and corruption is just an inevitable part of any large institution. Instead, it was just shit.

[ChewMagma]

I thought it was a decent enough ending to the season but I'm assuming they will do another season at some point, they seemed to be teeing it up with enough further hooks at the end.

[Wickedkitten]

Spoiler

No fucking way is Buckles H. Fucking Buckles???? 

 

[Sirloin]

6 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

The best thing about that episode was the trailer afterward for that new submarine murder mystery with Scottish Steve, Dr Foster and Stannis Baratheon.

 

Very underwhelming after the quality of the prior two episodes. I thought it was going to be a purposeful anti-climax, sort of like the end of The Wire where there's a montage showing that all of the department's actions have ultimately been meaningless and corruption is just an inevitable part of any large institution. Instead, it was just shit.

 

Spoiler

You see, that would have worked better if they had had anyone apart from Buckells as the villain. Make it Osbourne, AC12 and the PCC are reinstated as the price for the hush up as he’s too big to take down with the evidence they currently have. That makes sense and more realistic/downbeat. Better than just random things happening and then Carmichael pulls a few faces.

 

[pulsemyne]

3 minutes ago, ChewMagma said:

I thought it was a decent enough ending to the season but I'm assuming they will do another season at some point, they seemed to be teeing it up with enough further hooks at the end.

Yeah he's left plenty to work with. Indeed it might actually be more liberating to write a new series without so much of the baggage of the previous series.

[Stopharage]

I can’t quite get over how spectacularly dreadful and incredibly dull that was. 
 

I don’t buy the whole ‘it’s shit and living on past glories’ rhetoric. It’s compelling popcorn tv; a late night kebab without the food poisoning. 
 

But that was a truly abysmal ending. Three great leads with an insipid and perfunctory plot to contend with. The only good part was 

Spoiler

Ted’s admittance to Carmichael. The rest though? Just drawing out the whole H nonsense for more seasons. 

 

[Timmo]

2 minutes ago, Stopharage said:

I can’t quite get over how spectacularly dreadful and incredibly dull that was. 
 

I don’t buy the whole ‘it’s shit and living on past glories’ rhetoric. It’s compelling popcorn tv; a late night kebab without the food poisoning. 
 

But that was a truly abysmal ending. Three great leads with an insipid and perfunctory plot to contend with. The only good part was 

  Hide contents

Ted’s admittance to Carmichael. The rest though? Just drawing out the whole H nonsense for more seasons. 

 

Agreed about your spoiler. I assumed as soon as it happened that

Spoiler

it'll lead to Ted's incarceration and Carmichael leading a new unit next season. She's got the acting chops to become a more rounded character and it'll certainly give the show a boost to not be bogged down with 6 series of twists. 

 

[Fierce Poodle]

Was well chuffed for Terry.

[Timmo]

Also, did anyone else find it funny how they treated Chloe in this? Ted, Steve and Kate spent the series driving round fast and chatting in graffiti tunnel while Chloe did all the work, calling them in to listen to updates. Then as soon as she's done it's like "Fuck OFF Chloe, get the FUCK out of shot. No you can't come to the interview."

[Stopharage]

Just now, Timmo said:

Agreed about your spoiler. I assumed as soon as it happened that

  Hide contents

it'll lead to Ted's incarceration and Carmichael leading a new unit next season. She's got the acting chops to become a more rounded character and it'll certainly give the show a boost to not be bogged down with 6 series of twists. 

 

I think the problem is 

Spoiler

that the H storyline isn’t over.  It’s the albatross around the neck. It will still underpin whatever other storyline they  run with next season. 

 

[Fierce Poodle]

There has to be another season, they still need to take down that fat faced prick Osborne.

[Vimster]

As others have said that was underwhelming, although frankly that wasn't a massive surprise. Compare that to the first three series where by the time you got to the finale episode in each you were on the edge of your seat. It was clear where things were heading, there was genuine tension, the other plot lines all come together. The series six finale lacked that clarity and drive.

 

I've said before the fact this is now so tied up with previous series really hamstrung this one, twists for the sake of it, drawing in even more obscures connections in lieu of decent clear-cut plot points. It is superbly produced, feels like premium TV and has a pace and direction that makes it feel weighty and important yet that's an illusion. Utterly pathetic.

 

When the continuity announcer came in and said "and breathe" I was wondering if she'd watched the same show.

 

[Vimster]

27 minutes ago, Timmo said:

Also, did anyone else find it funny how they treated Chloe in this? Ted, Steve and Kate spent the series driving round fast and chatting in graffiti tunnel while Chloe did all the work, calling them in to listen to updates. Then as soon as she's done it's like "Fuck OFF Chloe, get the FUCK out of shot. No you can't come to the interview."

She was such a poorly-drawn and lazy character, PC Exposition basically. She had one or two moments where she could actually get some drama in but 99% of the time she was just reading stuff out or summarising.

[Jamie John]

This was better than that finale:

 

 

[Eighthours]

Spoiler

I can’t believe H wasn’t Osborne. It’s still going to be Osborne, right? He has proper menace and we’ve barely seen him. Surly one more season to nail him… right?!

I assume we’ve reached the ratings high point. This episode has probably killed the show for that - it’ll still be very popular but nothing like the heights we’ve seen this year. Assuming it comes back for season 7.

[Vimster]

54 minutes ago, Timmo said:

Also, did anyone else find it funny how they treated Chloe in this? Ted, Steve and Kate spent the series driving round fast and chatting in graffiti tunnel while Chloe did all the work, calling them in to listen to updates. Then as soon as she's done it's like "Fuck OFF Chloe, get the FUCK out of shot. No you can't come to the interview."

 

[Vimster]

6 minutes ago, Eighthours said:

I assume we’ve reached the ratings high point. This episode has probably killed the show for that - it’ll still be very popular but nothing like the heights we’ve seen this year. Assuming it comes back for season 7.

A lot of people on Twitter comparing this to the end of Game Of Thrones. The BBC will hail this series as a triumph largely down to ratings, and if they do do another series they'll use that to justify it. And I'm sure people would watch it but yes, not in the numbers this series has.

[El Geet]

Underwhelming finale no question but not entirely unexpected given we know there’s at least one more series to come.
 

Spoiler

Carmichael seemed to be having doubts about her approach which was interesting. Buckles was just rubbish though. Just not a particularly satisfying collar and not a good enough pay off. 

It’s enjoyable enough TV for a Sunday night but it’s never been much more than that. It’s entered that phase of self-awareness now though where the main characters are hamming it up along with the writing. But they’re clearly enjoying themselves which I think is it what makes it a decent watch. 
 

 

[Mawdlin]

This series has teed up the next beautifully so that Ted, Kate and Steve can investigate bent coppers through time and space in their magical glass elevator. Classic BBC.

[NickC]

A disappointment for sure. As my wife said last night though, Line of Duty relies on conspiracies laid over conspiracies, and the writers tie themselves into knots they can't easily untangle.

 

The only way they could have upped the ante further would have been for the finale to have revealed the existence of the long-rumoured BBCU, with the camera panning back at the end of the episode to reveal Ian Beale writing a scheming letter to Charlie from Casualty and using the word "definately".

[Garwoofoo]

Looks like I'm the only one who thought it was a really good ending, then.

 

The idea that endemic corruption can never really be beaten seemed like the right one. The "good guys" can win individual battles but will always lose the war. Often that's because of something as mundane as running out of time, or one person being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 

The fact they've spent years chasing around an imaginary criminal mastermind and it turned out to be one mediocre white guy who'd repeatedly failed upwards seemed absolutely spot on for this day and age. Because there never is an evil figure pulling the strings behind the scene, it's only ever a network of individuals all on the make for their own personal benefit leading to a web of dependencies and cover-ups. I'm sure they had our current government in mind when they were writing this.

 

If there's a seventh season where the team reunites to take down a cackling chief constable and defeat corruption in the police force forever... nah, let's not go there.

[NickC]

I think that sort of ending works for something like The Wire, which week in week out demonstrated the futility of policing and crime at every level. But Line of Duty never really struck that tone for me. To me they always seemed to suggest there was a big mastermind at play, and then in the last episode they came out with with 'Nah, not really lol'.

[Garwoofoo]

I'll agree it came out of nowhere a bit. Charitably I guess you could say that represents the fact we've seen everything from the viewpoint of the main characters, and so as they were blindsided by everything, so were the audience; but that's probably a bit of a stretch.

 

Although I'm of the school of thought that the series has been going a bit downhill ever since they introduced the H nonsense in the first place, so to have the rug pulled in the final episode was an unexpected delight.

[Professor Rob]

Surely this is all leading into a further series, where the Chief Constable is the target of the investigation? Ted voicing his suspicions about Buckells being promoted way beyond his abilities seems to have given Carmichael pause for thought, and it would seem a logical next step for her to carry the investigation on. 

 

If this is the last series, then it's quite possibly the biggest anti-climax in the history of television.

[Pete]

At least it made sense? I thought they'd dig a deeper plot hole and spend two series getting out of it again.

Spoiler

Also I'll take the witness protection with the country manor, dog and red head please thanks.

 

[PK]

22 minutes ago, Pete said:

At least it made sense? I thought they'd dig a deeper plot hole and spend two series getting out of it again.

 

 

I think I might have preferred some more Morse code bollocks over Hbuckles