Behind the lines: five key factors in AC-12’S new case
Maureen Coleman delves into the talking points of Line of Duty’s twisting storyline
AS Line of Duty series six begins to ramp up the drama, fans are furiously trying to piece together the clues.
At one stage on Sunday night, the second episode — which drew in almost nine million viewers — was trending on Twitter with up to 10 different hashtags, including #Hastings, #Ohkate, #AC-12 and in Northern Ireland, #atusnai.
With theories and questions in abundance, we break down some of Sunday night’s main talking points.
Oh Kate!
After being approached by her former AC-12 colleague DS Steve Arnott, DI Kate Fleming was asked to become an AC-12 mole in the Murder Investigation Team (MIT). It seems her loyalties lie with her new boss, DCI Joanne Davidson though, when she tips her off about AC-12’S investigation and upcoming raid. Arnott is upset at her betrayal while former gaffer Hastings is apoplectic.
But Fleming is an undercover specialist and could be working alone; getting closer to Davidson as a strategic move. She’s certainly cosying up to her boss but does she have an alternative motive? Or could she be secretly working for Hastings and his anger is all part of a huge double bluff?
Fleming seems to be onto new MIT recruit Ryan Pilkington, suspecting something is familiar about him. Yes Kate, you interviewed the thug back in series one, when he was helping the Organised Crime Gang (OCG). Wake up and smell the coffee.
DCI Joanne Davidson
The enigmatic DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) is, by all appearances, a bent copper. Her re-routing of the armed convoy — giving a second potential suspect (Carl Banks) time to escape — is far too suspicious. Someone made that call to the OCG to alert them that the police were on their way.
Her setting up of former lover Farida Jatri, by planting burner phones in her home, is equally dodgy. Then later, we see her in a clandestine meeting with a shady looking man, who hands her a new burner phone. This suggests she’s in cahoots with the OCG. But her emotional outburst in her car suggests that all is not as it seems. Is she being blackmailed to work for the OCG? It’s not the first time organised criminals have forced coppers to do their bidding. Remember DCI Tony Gates?
Ryan Pilkington
So he’s back. We knew he was coming when he popped up at the end of series five, training to be a police officer. But still, what a shock to see Pilkington now as a fully fledged member of Davidson’s Murder Investigation Team. Last series the character had progressed from troubled youngster to full-on criminal, murdering undercover cop John Corbett, by slashing his throat. OCG’S Lisa Mcqueen looked on, saying ‘you’re a rat John, a rat’. When Pilkington and Davidson come face-to-face at the end of episode two, Pilkington asks her if she knows Jatri has been arrested. Of course she does; she set her up. But she replies to him ‘that’s what happens to a rat’.
Was it Davidson who ensured Pilkington’s recruitment to MIT? It seems too much of a coincidence that he just happens to be in the right place at the right time, to replace Jatri.
I smell an OCG rat.
Steph Corbett
Why is Steph, widow of murdered cop John Corbett, back? Why is Hastings still in touch with her? Could it be guilt on his part? After all, it was his leaking of intel to OCG member Lee Banks (Carl Banks brother?), during a prison visit, that led to Corbett’s death.
Hastings had hoped that this leaking would bring the undercover cop back into line, but it didn’t quite turn out that way. The gaffer later donated £50,000 (from the OCG bribe) to Steph Corbett. But her reappearance is surely significant. And what of her relationship with ladies’ man Arnott?
Gail Vella
Who killed the investigative journalist and why? Well, it seems every story she had worked on led back to the links between police corruption and organised crime.
Remember the shooting of Karim Ali by police in series one that prompted Arnott to join AC12? Yep, Vella reported on that. And when retired Chief Superintendent Patrick Fairbank was found guilty of sex abuse charges? She covered that too.
AC-12 discover that Vella was working on an investigative podcast when she was gunned down and that her notes had gone missing. But the original team investigating her murder dismissed the idea that burglary had been a motive. After all, there was no sign of a break-in and her laptop and computer had been left untouched.
Or had they? AC-12 dig around and find out that there are no traces of Vella on either keyboard or screen. Of course there aren’t. They don’t belong to Gail Vella.