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Thread: Line of Duty - did you partake?

  1. #151
    Master village's Avatar
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    Series 7?.......might be some shark jumping involved!

  2. #152
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    Quote Originally Posted by village View Post
    Series 7?.......might be some shark jumping involved!
    I think that happened really after Dot was revealed as the Caddy, that was actually the Fawlty Towers time to end the series on a real high, but as each series goes on they become more and more unrealistic and twisty and then the ending/payoff gets built up and up only to then naturally fail to deliver as it was not in the writer's mind when they conceived the series, but a later add on that needed to be thought up due to the show's continuing success.

    That is why film sequels are nearly always far worse than originals, and for Game of Thrones the showrunners only planned to make up to the end of series 3 and the Red Wedding, and each season after that naturally deteriorated, esp the last 2 when they ran out of Martin's source material.
    Last edited by aksing; 2nd May 2021 at 23:04.

  3. #153
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  4. #154
    Craftsman enndriz's Avatar
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    Line of Duty - did you partake?

    Very disappointed, can’t believe buckles was the best they could manage for the big reveal, and the whole thing just petered out with a whimper. This series has been a pretty poor imitation from the start.

    Classic example of something becoming too popular for its own good - starts off brilliant with a hard core following, then once everyone and their mother is going on about how brilliant it is, you know it’s going to go to sh*t


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  5. #155
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    Disappointing last episode, hope that there is a secretly filmed episode 8 next Sunday, with proper ending . That would be a surprise.

  6. #156
    Everything was headed for a big reveal...the copper criminal genius masterminding the whole thing but having Buckles as the '4th Man' was probably more believable... the police were never in control of the OCG, they were just used by them, either willingly or more unwillingly. As Buckles said, he was just there to pass on messages, he was just an incompetent officer with poor spelling who rose through the ranks and embraced his role he never made decisions (although it strongly implied he/other bent coppers were rather more involved in the Gaille Vela murder).

    I guess in trying to be more 'realistic' it had to forego the shock factor ending. There was never a criminal mastermind in the police controlling things and organised crime isn't really very organised, it's just bad people doing bad things.
    Last edited by Meesterbond; 3rd May 2021 at 08:53.

  7. #157
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    When they did the swap in the prison van I thought it was heading for a fantastic ending, but sadly no!

    Gormless Buckells just disappointed - I’m guessing his smirk right at the end as they closed his cell door was the ‘ha ha you think it’s me, but no I’m too stupid to be the mastermind behind all of this, but all will be revealed in series 7’ poor attempt at a cliffhanger.

  8. #158
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    Quote Originally Posted by Meesterbond View Post
    Everything was headed for a big reveal...the copper criminal genius masterminding the whole thing but having Buckles as the '4th Man' was probably more believable... the police were never in control of the OCG, they were just used by them, either willingly or more unwillingly. As Buckles said, he was just there to pass on messages, he was just an incompetent officer with poor spelling who rose through the ranks and embraced his role he never made decisions (although it strongly implied he/other bent coppers were rather more involved in the Gaille Vela murder).

    I guess in trying to be more 'realistic' it was definately more of a damp squib.
    Exactly this - no arch evil genius, just a bent muppet.

    Underwhelmed

  9. #159
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    I was pretty disappointed with that finale. As other have said, Buckells is not the criminal mastermind we had all been hoping for, in fact his base motives, low intelligence, and sheer incompetence leave me with a feeling of being cheated - 6 seasons for this!?

    That said, I can understand why Mercurio wrote it this way. The message seems to be that corruption is not about one mastermind who, once removed, solves the problem. Rather, it is the the opportunists, stooges, and morally bankrupt mediocrities that pervade these institutions that are the root of corruption. For me Mercurio wanted to make a point at the expense of the story he had woven for the viewer - a fatal mistake. For years he has very successfully made these points in a way that serves the story - alas not this time.

    There are clearly possibilities for further seasons, and Mercurio has hinted there will be more. Ted retired-but-not-quite, Steve and Kate still in-play, Patricia in charge of AC and "carrying the fire"... Lots to play with.

    Aside from that, there are still some questions... Who forged the prisoner transfer form? Buckells was in prison at the time, so surely couldn't have been him. Was Osborne turning a blind eye, or in on it? Ted interrupted Buckells when he was rattling off names of those involved.

    Overall it wasn't as terrible an ending as some have made out, and in many ways the show (like lots of others) has suffered from it's own success. I will give the full series a re-watch in due course, but for now I'm all Line of Duty'd out. Mother of God!

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  10. #160
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris_in_the_UK View Post
    Nothing has been offered - keep up.
    Sorry I don’t understand?

    Did I miss something or was that the whole point i.e. there was nothing to miss?


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  11. #161
    As others have said, a bit of a damp squib. I have a feeling they were trying to be too smart for their own good by implicating Buckles, which never really gave the plot any credibility. They could have easily implicated a few baddies such as Carmichael or the Chief Constable which would have been a bit more believable. The only real positive is that they finally put to bed the 'H' saga, which should have been done a few seasons ago. They also missed an opportunity not to have some fresh plot scenarios which could have breathed some new life into the series, instead they regurgitated old plot twists which clearly had ran it's course a long time ago. Overall, a C- for this series.

  12. #162
    I think it's been great until the last episode.
    Andy

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  13. #163
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    Just read that even the actor playing Buckells couldn't believe that he was in fact H when Jed told him during filming season 6.

    I'm sure now Jed regrets building up the whole H as the mastermind thing as he knew it was going to be Buckells or some such lowly character, so they were pushing this Fourth Man idea instead, which makes sense with Buckells as just the last of the 4 to be identified for obvious character reasons, but by then the H thing had taken on a life of its own, and thus we get not a Keyser Soze grand reveal but a David Brent one.
    Last edited by aksing; 3rd May 2021 at 11:17.

  14. #164
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    I sat there somewhat dumbstruck as the credits rolled.

    Having watched every episode since it began (and many twice) I hope now that was the end.

    It was such a poor ending for what has been a great series.

    Hopefully Vigil by Mercurio and starring Compston later this year will be a worthwhile watch.

    scooter

  15. #165
    I gave up on LoD about series 4 when it was getting more and more ridiculous.

    I didn’t invest any more time into it, as the writing was on the wall that it as past its prime back then.

    Everyone wanted the big reveal, so do not understand why the writers could not satisfy. After all, it is complete fiction.

  16. #166
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    Soft ending but still really enjoyed the series ... tempted to go back an start watching again for the beginning ... never rewatched a series before ...

  17. #167
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    Just watched the last episode and feel somewhat deflated. Did I misunderstand, I though Kate, Steve and Hastings were talking about Carmichael having spelt definite/definitely incorrectly? And the held off because of Hasting’s somewhat dodgy dealing with the money? Where did Buckles suddenly spell things incorrectly or did I just mishear?

    Disappointing anyhow.

  18. #168
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    There has to be more behind James Nesbitt cameo as a mugshot. I reckon his character is not really dead at all, and will be in the next series as the real mastermind.
    Last edited by Tatters; 28th May 2021 at 20:03.

  19. #169
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tatters View Post
    There has to be more behind James Nesbitt cameo as a mugshot. I reckon it character is not really dead at all, and will be in the next series as the real mastermind.
    Amongst many odd things in this series the idea of having a big name like that but then not to use him at all is very unsatisfactory.

    When they said the bodies identities were confirmed I just shouted “rubbish “ at the TV.

    It’s either a cheap deflection tactic that did little other than annoy viewers or paves the way for Season 7.


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  20. #170
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    Quote Originally Posted by Papa Hotel View Post
    😂😂

    I thought the final episode was only one-up from an "and then I woke up and it had all been a dream" ending that a child would put on a complicated story that they didn't know how to finish.

  21. #171
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    yes it seemed to be an anticlimax ending but at least it was credible
    I quite like the idea of incompetence being indistinguishable from corruption from the outside.

    No good interview scene this series or other new ideas and so i hope that this is the end of the whole story as its ran out of steam this season and tipping over into self parody.

  22. #172
    Lots of criticism of what seemed a flat ending

    I kept looking at my watch - thinking - surely it’s not just this?

    However, it’s now open for another series I reckon

    Yes lid get my Sunday nights back again lol


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  23. #173
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tatters View Post
    There has to be more behind James Nesbitt cameo as a mugshot. I reckon it character is not really dead at all, and will be in the next series as the real mastermind.
    My thoughts as well - no way they paid James Nesbitt a fee to only use a photo of him.

  24. #174
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    The thing about James Nesbitt is a red herring I'm sure. Lots of people will say it makes no sense to have such a high-profile actor appear in such a limited and strange way. However Line of Duty is filmed in Northern Ireland and it's a matter of fact that filming of S6 overlapped with the filming of Bloodlands. Bloodlands stars James Nesbitt and is exec produced by Jed Mercurio, and it's filmed in NI. So I'm sure that Mercurio used these circumstances to shed further doubts and create more suspicions and fan theories.

    Also to add - there may have been no fee to use the image, we don't know that, or it could be nominal. Craig Parkinson (Dot Cottan) confirmed he is paid nothing for repeated use of his image in subsequent seasons after his departure.


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  25. #175
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    Quote Originally Posted by trott3r View Post
    No good interview scene this series or other new ideas and so i hope that this is the end of the whole story as its ran out of steam this season and tipping over into self parody.
    After the brilliant interview scenes we’ve had in the past (think Dot/Gill Bigelloe), as a grande finale we got this:



    I agree tho, as disappointing as it was I do hope this is the end - another series would be well and truly into jumping the shark territory


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  26. #176
    Gutted, just watched it now, tbh I’ve thought this season has been the weakest season so far so I was hoping for it to be wrapped up and put to bed. There’s no way they can leave it like this and there has to be a season 7 surely, just to wrap everything up???


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  27. #177
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    Must say I was left thing WTF !! Is that it?


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  28. #178
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    The season in itself I thought was great, there were some real cliffhanger episodes. But the last episode and the finish in particular was average. This often happens I guess, leaving a mystery.

    I cannot believe that H has really been revealed as Buckles. That, with Carmichael back in the frame and an AC12 rebuilding on the cards (with or without Hastings), there must surely be another season.

    (Although the narrative, including the Buckles actor on the news talks about how he felt to be H, so could be totally dreaming!)

  29. #179
    Grand Master TaketheCannoli's Avatar
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    There has to be a S7. Ted will come back after successfully appealing his forced retirement, Carmichael surely has something to do with the OCG and who has been pulling Buckles' strings within the Force? Who has been in control of Buckles' career progression? Buckles is the village idiot passing on messages so there has to be someone more senior protecting the OCG.

  30. #180
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    What a lame episode let alone season finale
    Last edited by wileeeeeey; 3rd May 2021 at 22:14.

  31. #181
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    Quote Originally Posted by village View Post
    It was a decidedly average ending to say the least.

    The decision to reveal the fourth man as being the most wooden actor in the entire six series was terrible.
    He was terrible but surely the PCC/mayor was more wooden that the panelling in the office he always appeared in?

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  32. #182
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    Snatching defeat, from the jaws of victory.

    Yeah, not the worst "ending" ever - and unless someone explicitly said it was the end of the show, not just the end of series 6, then just a poor ending of series 6.

    The last 2 episodes of GOT were truly atrocious, so much so, I won't be doing reruns, or watching anything spun off. The TV show makers might have a partial excuse, if they were just doing a screenplay of an already written book.

    Is there an excuse for the poor last episode of LOD?

    Dexter, was utterly terrible - and now we hear there is a reprise in the making.

    Rob.

  33. #183
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob (NZ) View Post
    Snatching defeat, from the jaws of victory.

    Yeah, not the worst "ending" ever - and unless someone explicitly said it was the end of the show, not just the end of series 6, then just a poor ending of series 6.

    The last 2 episodes of GOT were truly atrocious, so much so, I won't be doing reruns, or watching anything spun off. The TV show makers might have a partial excuse, if they were just doing a screenplay of an already written book.

    Is there an excuse for the poor last episode of LOD?

    Dexter, was utterly terrible - and now we hear there is a reprise in the making.

    Rob.
    I think many are keen for the new Dexter to erase memories of the original ending, looking forward to it.

    I see Jed is still trying to defend the ending of LOD, even putting up statistics to show viewers approval in the face of all of SM telling him the ending was very unsatisfactory, which interestingly the Dexter actor now admits his show's ending was as well - looks like Jed really does not want to write another season and in a few years he too will admit the truth.

  34. #184
    Master smokey99's Avatar
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    Yeah I saw that Twitter thread from Jed Mercurio and not sure he did himself any favours.

    ‘Me think he doth protest too much’ ....comes to mind.

    It’s not a science and you can’t prove satisfaction.

    It’s his baby and can understand he wants to protect it but the lengths he’s gone to in attempt to prove and explain why the script decisions were justified says everything you need to know.


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  35. #185
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    Yup and this survey ranking it the worst ending of all, even beating GOT and Lost comfortably says it all... as did Gogglebox when Jenny ripped up her LOD notes.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/14829674...ston-mercurio/

  36. #186
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    Quote Originally Posted by TaketheCannoli View Post
    There has to be a S7.
    Giles Coren tweeted that a friend had been for an audition for series 7. Whether that’s true or not ....

  37. #187
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    Quote Originally Posted by tiny73 View Post
    Just watched the last episode and feel somewhat deflated. Did I misunderstand, I though Kate, Steve and Hastings were talking about Carmichael having spelt definite/definitely incorrectly? And the held off because of Hasting’s somewhat dodgy dealing with the money? Where did Buckles suddenly spell things incorrectly or did I just mishear?

    Disappointing anyhow.
    No, you never really misheard - I think it was another purposeful misdirection, if only for another 2 minutes.

    That, and everyone wanted it to be her.

    When Chloe left the room after giving the three of them the evidence, Steve said "he's been under our noses", Hastings said "getting your man", then "getting the evidence to nail him".

    When Hastings said "let's see what Carmichael's got to say for herself now", he meant "we finally have evidence of OCG involvement/police corruption, surely she can't ignore it/shut us down".

    Rob.

  38. #188
    Grand Master TaketheCannoli's Avatar
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    We're watching it from S1 E1 again, currently at S2 E6, and it all makes so much more sense now you have the knowledge. An outstanding show.

  39. #189
    Grand Master TaketheCannoli's Avatar
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    Now on S6 E1 again having watched every episode from S1 E1 back to back over a couple of weeks, effectively one long series. Everything is clear when watched in sequence back-to-back. Absolutely brilliant.

    Bent coppers

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