It was a week when no one was prepared to trust anyone, as Kate became estranged from Steve who began to suspect Hastings, who in turn now suspects Steve. Come on AC-12: if you turn on each other, who’s going to catch the real criminal mastermind? Not that Devious Dot is without his own problems given the closing moments, which revealed that slippery Nige had craftily palmed off a duplicate mobile and SIM card on his old mucker. You know how the saying goes: he who trusts no one lives longest – and if it doesn’t, then as far as Line of Duty is concerned it most certainly should.
The bad guys
Hold on everyone, because this is going to take some untangling. Essentially it transpires that Steve’s glamorous (possibly soon to be ex) girlfriend Sam is a murder squad detective, which was pretty handy given that Joe, the abuse survivor Steve interviewed last week, gave another interview in which he mentioned that he and the other boys had told a well-meaning social worker, Oliver Stephens-Lloyd, what was going on. Stephens-Lloyd raised his concerns, only for his body to rock up in a convenient waterway, an apparent suicide. One cold-case reopening later and Sam’s also tipping Steve off that Ronan Murphy was questioned in relation to Tommy Hunter’s death – an interview that mysteriously never made it into any of AC-12’s files.
Enter the ever-scheming Nige Morton, erstwhile frenemy of Dot (a pleasure, as always, to watch Neil Morrissey in this role). It was Nige who first put a face to The Caddy, adding another crime to conveniently deceased vice cop Jeremy Cole’s rap sheet to prevent AC-12 from realising that the real villain was Dot. He was hauled back into AC-12, changing his statement slightly to incriminate another cop (this one with convenient Alzheimer’s) while repeatedly stressing his “extreme remorse”. Oh, Nige, don’t ever change. Meanwhile, a further investigation revealed that the former head of vice, Pat Fairbank, almost certainly knew about the historic abuse and ensured the story remained buried. I didn’t see if Fairbank’s name was on Danny’s Little List of Long Delayed Justice, but it seems likely. Muddying the waters still further – the possible masonic handshake between Fairbank and Ted Hastings. Et tu, Ted, et tu?
The real joy here though is that Jed Mercurio has been playing the long game. With each season the different strands pull ever tighter, ensuring that a corrupt cop investigation from series one has now expanded to take in an entire network of corruption, misdeeds historically suppressed and lies going right to the top. Is it realistic? It certainly draws on history – as many commenters pointed out last week, the Kincora abuse ring, which continues to make headlines after being excluded from the Goddard Inquiry, was probably the main inspiration – although I understand those who have picked holes in some of the more convenient plotlines. What it definitely is, however, is gripping drama. The more the plot thickens, the more addicted I become. Is it illogical that Dot continues to get away with so much? Almost certainly, but it’s such fun watching him try …
The inbetweeners
Ah, Lindsay Denton, what am I going to do with you? Newly freed from prison, The Fringe set about trying to reclaim her life. As ever with Denton, half the pleasure came from trying to work out which of her actions were about playing everyone around her and which stemmed from the fact she’s more than a little unhinged. Take her insistence that she would return to the police force once her name was vindicated – umm, Linds, I’m not an expert but I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works. By contrast, her opening interview with AC-12 was hugely entertaining, unleashing a torrent of one-liners on the gang with barely any room for rebuttal. Her subsequent meeting with Steve was equally chilling (“I don’t enjoy threatening people … they make me”) and her seeing off of creepy parole officer Robin little short of magnificent. A lengthy stay in prison may not have done much for Ms Denton’s quality of life but it’s certainly honed her understanding of surveillance. Just make sure you keep charging the phone, Lindsay. It’s hell when they run out of juice while you’re recording incriminating evidence for blackmail/survival purposes.
The good guys
Oh dear AC-12, this was not a good week. First Denton turned the tables on Steve, forcing him to admit that while he might not have slept with her, some kind of sexual relationship occurred. This led to Kate giving Steve the cold shoulder, a move that struck me as ever so slightly hypocritical. Come on Kate, we all remember you were sleeping with the husband of a fellow officer who happened to be a close friend. Yes, you’re hurt Steve didn’t confide in you, but the snubbing seemed a bit off.
The biggest events of the evening, however, involved the relationship between Steve and his possibly fallen idol, Superintendent Hastings. Is Hastings a Freemason? It’s possible but I wasn’t sure if Steve jumped to conclusions over the handshake, seeing what he wanted to see. Unfortunately for him, his boss was also seeing links where there may not be any as Dot carefully constructed a profile of The Caddy that led only to one man. With a fourth season on the cards, I’m beginning to wonder if this is all heading towards Steve being arrested and fighting to clear his name next year as the whole pack of lies comes tumbling down. That would be very interesting indeed.
Case notes
I felt for Superintendent Hastings and his lovely wine-lit meal of moral confliction (“I took vows. I can’t undo them”). Could this man really cover up a historic child abuse case? I’m biased, but say it ain’t so.
His dinner companion on the other hand … things definitely got a little murkier regarding Gill Bigelow this week. We know that, contrary to Steve’s belief, it was her who gave Hastings the Ronan Murphy file and I can’t help thinking there’s more going on than meets the eye.
I also think AC-12 should be recruiting Maneet – as someone pointed out last week, she’s the only officer doing real police work, although I’m worried that Dot has now stashed her somewhere out of the way for the foreseeable.
The creepily avuncular Pat Fairbank was played by George Costigan, last seen minus the sideburns as local business owner Nevison Gallagher in Happy Valley.
“He can be an irritating wee gobshite but …” Ah Superintendent Hastings, you continue to enchant me.
Weasel of the week
Many possible contenders, from the perennially weaselly Dot to the deeply sneaky Nige, but I have to award it to the loathsome Robin (Brian Ferguson), a man who clearly doesn’t understand the idea of not preying on the vulnerable, having boundaries or doing his job properly. Unfortunately for him, Lindsay Denton is far more of a predator than she might initially appear.
Quote of the week
“I’ll take your Human Rights Act and I’ll raise you section four of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. Your offence under that act carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and I’ll see you in court.” She may not be a police officer any longer, but Lindsay Denton still knows how to lay down the law.
So what did you think? Will Dot get away with setting up Steve? Is Steve right to be suspicious of Hastings? And how dodgy is Gill? As ever, all speculation and no spoilers welcome below …
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