Some strong scenes intermixed with a lengthy and eventually yawn-worthy interrogation scene, despite the brilliance portrayed by all the actors. I especially enjoyed the twin scenes in the toilet - and surely the writers deliberately mirrored each character's private despair in the loo. Vivid fight scene, too! Surprise!
I wasn't surprised by the big twist in terms of the real rotten apple but I didn't see the backstory happening the way it did. Corbett is a tragic figure indeed. McQueen may well be back again working for OCG, as I see her as a career criminal. This wasn't her first conviction nor her first easy-going sentence. We can expect to see more of the new police academy recruit. But the big question is HOW WAS CADDY SO FLUENT IN MORSE CODE?
28 Reviews
Down the line
Lejink6 May 2019
And so another gripping series of "Line Of Duty" ends, like its predecessors apparently captivating the nation avid to learn the fate of Adrian Dunbar's AC12 commanding officer, Ted Hastings and whether he himself was actually the "bent" top cop "H" his unit has been pursuing for years. With its by now almost traditional double-length season finale, again the bulk of the programme featuring an intense interview principally between Ted and the chief investigating officer determined to find him guilty, although more than one of the other attendees at said interview also had a significant part to play in the denouement as things turned out.
The run-up in the previous episodes to the big finish was probably better than the conclusion with Stephen Graham excelling in the principal role of the undercover cop John Corbett who embeds himself so deeply into H's criminal organisation that he crosses the line with his conduct so much that he is suspected of having gone rogue. The series duly delivered on a shocking "didn't see that coming" moment but it just seemed to me after that to run out of steam and ideas to get to the finishing line even down to repeating almost exactly the ending to the Dot Cotton / The Caddy saga from three series back.
I also found the suspension of disbelief required and level of coincidence deployed to be just a bit too much to swallow this time, such as the preponderance of police top dogs bearing the surname initial "H", to the revealed connection between Ted and Corbett. It also helped to have a long memory of the preceding series as back-references to them abounded, although I think this helped bolster credibility given the ongoing nature of the investigation going back almost to day one.
There were compensations in the acting however. Besides Graham's terrific turn, Adrian Dunbar acquitted himself well as the cornered commander, beset by personal issues both financial and marital and I was especially impressed by the performance of Anna Maxwell Martin in the icy-cool, Grand Inquisitor role.
Even as the end credits rolled, it was unsurprisingly announced, especially given the tease inserts placed just before the end seeming to centre on a new young recruit to the police force, that there would be another series to come, but that will have to wait for another day.
For now, I and millions of other viewers will have to wait a while to see just who the mysterious kingpin is. Even if not one of the best of the series to date, it was still a mostly compelling contemporary drama which almost makes it worth paying the licence fee for.
The run-up in the previous episodes to the big finish was probably better than the conclusion with Stephen Graham excelling in the principal role of the undercover cop John Corbett who embeds himself so deeply into H's criminal organisation that he crosses the line with his conduct so much that he is suspected of having gone rogue. The series duly delivered on a shocking "didn't see that coming" moment but it just seemed to me after that to run out of steam and ideas to get to the finishing line even down to repeating almost exactly the ending to the Dot Cotton / The Caddy saga from three series back.
I also found the suspension of disbelief required and level of coincidence deployed to be just a bit too much to swallow this time, such as the preponderance of police top dogs bearing the surname initial "H", to the revealed connection between Ted and Corbett. It also helped to have a long memory of the preceding series as back-references to them abounded, although I think this helped bolster credibility given the ongoing nature of the investigation going back almost to day one.
There were compensations in the acting however. Besides Graham's terrific turn, Adrian Dunbar acquitted himself well as the cornered commander, beset by personal issues both financial and marital and I was especially impressed by the performance of Anna Maxwell Martin in the icy-cool, Grand Inquisitor role.
Even as the end credits rolled, it was unsurprisingly announced, especially given the tease inserts placed just before the end seeming to centre on a new young recruit to the police force, that there would be another series to come, but that will have to wait for another day.
For now, I and millions of other viewers will have to wait a while to see just who the mysterious kingpin is. Even if not one of the best of the series to date, it was still a mostly compelling contemporary drama which almost makes it worth paying the licence fee for.
Episode 5.6
Prismark106 May 2019
The finale for series 5 is the showdown between Superintendent Ted Hastings and Detective Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael. It was a bit of a cracker.
This is a dialogue heavy episode and Hastings, stripped of his rank by Carmichael, unshaven and accompanied by a not very good solicitor is heading for a loss by technical knockout.
He looks down and out, his only solace is Gill Biggeloe who attends the interrogation as an observer.
Arnott and Fleming are sidelined in this episode but their contribution has impact at the end.
This episode deconstructs Hastings, his character and his history. A Catholic in the RUC back in the early 1980s.
It was a tense riveting ending and Carmichael was left sullied by it all. I always thought someone might be manipulating events and had a good idea who it might be.
This is a dialogue heavy episode and Hastings, stripped of his rank by Carmichael, unshaven and accompanied by a not very good solicitor is heading for a loss by technical knockout.
He looks down and out, his only solace is Gill Biggeloe who attends the interrogation as an observer.
Arnott and Fleming are sidelined in this episode but their contribution has impact at the end.
This episode deconstructs Hastings, his character and his history. A Catholic in the RUC back in the early 1980s.
It was a tense riveting ending and Carmichael was left sullied by it all. I always thought someone might be manipulating events and had a good idea who it might be.
What a send off. The idea of H is finally understood.
Sleepin_Dragon5 May 2019
This series simmered initially, by part four though, it totally burst into flames, producing some sizzling, intense drama.
This finale, wasn't the episode I'd expected, and certainly didn't follow the pattern of previous finales. Not an action packed all guns blazing episode, this was a very dialogue heavy, intense drama, with the kind of intense dialogue I personally love.
Exceptional performances, Adrian Dunbar and Anna Maxwell Martin both gave outstanding performances, as did Polly Walker, always in the shadows, but she, as always was intensely charismatic. Some of the scenes between Martin and Dunbar were incredible, she was chilling.
The writing, once again proved to be a huge winner, with some incredible links to the past. When you think you know it all, think again.
I'm sure there will be some that won't quite enjoy this one so much, as it is very heavy, dialogue driven drama, with some of the main players taking a back seat.
Series 6 can't come soon enough. 10/10
This finale, wasn't the episode I'd expected, and certainly didn't follow the pattern of previous finales. Not an action packed all guns blazing episode, this was a very dialogue heavy, intense drama, with the kind of intense dialogue I personally love.
Exceptional performances, Adrian Dunbar and Anna Maxwell Martin both gave outstanding performances, as did Polly Walker, always in the shadows, but she, as always was intensely charismatic. Some of the scenes between Martin and Dunbar were incredible, she was chilling.
The writing, once again proved to be a huge winner, with some incredible links to the past. When you think you know it all, think again.
I'm sure there will be some that won't quite enjoy this one so much, as it is very heavy, dialogue driven drama, with some of the main players taking a back seat.
Series 6 can't come soon enough. 10/10
A Real Gem!!!
yashodixit14313 May 2019
It's a fair cop
tronvszombies-15 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Enjoyed the episode with the talky sections holding your interest mainly because of the cast. Not that twisty after a time and the previously on Line Of Duty foreshadowed one of the gags that sets up a Departed type scenario. But still lots of fun with some nice payoffs. Gripping telly.
Line of Duty as you've come to expect
connjam5-381-4252636 May 2019
All through the series we were waiting for a glass box head to head. We finally got it in the finale and in spades too. Superb showing from Dunbar going through the full spectrum of emotions in this epic interview scene surpassing that of the series 3 finale. Hats off to the cast. This is what LOD is all about. Big long interview scenes packed with information and intrigue in full Tarantino'esque fashion.
Still rivetting - but beyond the peak of its powers
jrarichards16 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
In the world of "Line of Duty" there is no such thing as a weekend, and nobody ever says "See you on Monday". Indeed, work-life balance does not exist here. On occasions, the makers attempt to make that clear, most especially when Vicky McClure's DI Fleming fails to match up to her duties as wife and mother, while Martin Compston's DS Arnott - shall we say - fails to rekindle the flame of romance with his good-looking, police-serving ex. But on the whole the makers act like their main protagonists are on the job CONSTANTLY, and rarely if ever have a non-significant interaction or dialogue. And no amount of peppering of that dialogue with the word "mate" is going to change that!
Does this focus distract from the complex, high-powered and at times rather distressing revelations of crime and corruption that have become the hallmark of Jed Mercurio's writing?
Not a lot but maybe somewhat, because - when mixed in with an endless verbal diarrhoea of abbreviations and in-crowd language - we are sometimes faced with content at the limits of our ablities to digest it. The organised crime component likewise gives us moments of violence hard to take.
And, competent though the whole thing mostly looks, we head past the limits of suspended belief when senior personnel are brought crashing down by ostensibly watertight and damning chains of evidence, only for single small revisions in the edifice to let those same staff members fully or almost fully off-the-hook. Sorry, but whether stories are God's own truth or total frame-ups, they have their consistency and complexity and that cannot in all likelihood be dependent on small extra findings.
It may be gathered from the above that I am eschewing spoilers here, even if normally warn and then indulge, as why should I spoil the fun. But suffice to say that Adrian Dunbar's compelling (and at times touching and inspiring) performance as Ulster-born Superintendent Ted Hastings is absolutely to the fore here, while the Liverpudlian John Corbett (played by Stephen Graham) comes over very well as a complex character, and in that sense is a good foil for the (apparently) unshakeably hard Lisa McQueen played by Rochenda Sandall.
To be honest, these three act better and convince more than our theoretical stars of the show Compston and McClure.
As a whole things are exciting, disturbing and certainly "page-turning", but I think it is nevertheless fair to say that we've now had the greatest days of "Line of Duty", brilliant though it mostly was.
Does this focus distract from the complex, high-powered and at times rather distressing revelations of crime and corruption that have become the hallmark of Jed Mercurio's writing?
Not a lot but maybe somewhat, because - when mixed in with an endless verbal diarrhoea of abbreviations and in-crowd language - we are sometimes faced with content at the limits of our ablities to digest it. The organised crime component likewise gives us moments of violence hard to take.
And, competent though the whole thing mostly looks, we head past the limits of suspended belief when senior personnel are brought crashing down by ostensibly watertight and damning chains of evidence, only for single small revisions in the edifice to let those same staff members fully or almost fully off-the-hook. Sorry, but whether stories are God's own truth or total frame-ups, they have their consistency and complexity and that cannot in all likelihood be dependent on small extra findings.
It may be gathered from the above that I am eschewing spoilers here, even if normally warn and then indulge, as why should I spoil the fun. But suffice to say that Adrian Dunbar's compelling (and at times touching and inspiring) performance as Ulster-born Superintendent Ted Hastings is absolutely to the fore here, while the Liverpudlian John Corbett (played by Stephen Graham) comes over very well as a complex character, and in that sense is a good foil for the (apparently) unshakeably hard Lisa McQueen played by Rochenda Sandall.
To be honest, these three act better and convince more than our theoretical stars of the show Compston and McClure.
As a whole things are exciting, disturbing and certainly "page-turning", but I think it is nevertheless fair to say that we've now had the greatest days of "Line of Duty", brilliant though it mostly was.
the ending ruined it, SPOILERS
jakepenrose19 April 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I love this show and have loved every moment of it, until the utterly ridiculous ending to this episode. Instead of it being wrapped up nicely, the morse code signalling 4 Hs was a ridiculous and vague grasping at straws to allow the show to continue. The amount they seemed to 100% work out from one man's hands is just bonkers and really wound me up. I really hope this was just a blip and season 6 is as brilliant as always.
Dunbar is superb in this series.
keithwebb-3068229 February 2020
Just a couple of niggles-
I recognised the underground carpark from earlier series - Cottan gets the phone and burns the sim card S2, is also used as Arnott's apartments parking S5.
The flat where the forgotten body parts are kept in a freezer S1, just happens to overlook the print shop S5.
OK but not Great
Warin_West-El22 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
One major lesson revealed in this episode is: Don't kill off the main protagonist early. John Corbett was killed last episode resulting in this one being subdued.
The introduction of DCS Patricia Carmichael into the plot somewhat compensated. However fire was replaced with ice, which judging from the reviews, some people found off-putting. Nevertheless, Anna Maxwell Martin gave a stellar performance as the superficial, arrogant Detective Chief Superintendent.
Many praised Adrian Dunbar's acting but I found it a bit pedantic. The actor seemed to be hemmed in by a bad script. Hastings is a crack marksman and world savvy. But the writers want us to believe he didn't perceive he was being set up until far too late. His cries of "I'm being set up" rang hollow.
ONE great reveal was learning that Gill had been targeting Hastings from the get-go. However, that "emergency exit" gag previously used by Dot Cotton felt like they were beating a dead horse. Thankfully, the writer didn't expect us to believe the same thing could be pulled off twice.
Some people say this episode is "boring." While it's true this finale did not have the action sequences similar to the past two, nevertheless for those who enjoy the interrogation sequences, this episode did not disappoint.
I also agree with many of the reviewers who say there was an over-reliance on the Dot Cotton death scene. The man's fingers are given the profundity of The Da Vinci Code.
Polly Walker was totally believable as the two-faced evil woman pretending to be a goody two shoes. So much so that when Gill Biggaloe's duplicity was revealed during the final interrogation, we weren't surprised. It all felt plausible and made sense. Later on, when Gill Biggaloe opened the door to the loo, you just KNEW something evil was going to be waiting for her on the other side.
This finale was not as thrilling as the one in season four but it was more satisfying than the ending of season three.
The introduction of DCS Patricia Carmichael into the plot somewhat compensated. However fire was replaced with ice, which judging from the reviews, some people found off-putting. Nevertheless, Anna Maxwell Martin gave a stellar performance as the superficial, arrogant Detective Chief Superintendent.
Many praised Adrian Dunbar's acting but I found it a bit pedantic. The actor seemed to be hemmed in by a bad script. Hastings is a crack marksman and world savvy. But the writers want us to believe he didn't perceive he was being set up until far too late. His cries of "I'm being set up" rang hollow.
ONE great reveal was learning that Gill had been targeting Hastings from the get-go. However, that "emergency exit" gag previously used by Dot Cotton felt like they were beating a dead horse. Thankfully, the writer didn't expect us to believe the same thing could be pulled off twice.
Some people say this episode is "boring." While it's true this finale did not have the action sequences similar to the past two, nevertheless for those who enjoy the interrogation sequences, this episode did not disappoint.
I also agree with many of the reviewers who say there was an over-reliance on the Dot Cotton death scene. The man's fingers are given the profundity of The Da Vinci Code.
Polly Walker was totally believable as the two-faced evil woman pretending to be a goody two shoes. So much so that when Gill Biggaloe's duplicity was revealed during the final interrogation, we weren't surprised. It all felt plausible and made sense. Later on, when Gill Biggaloe opened the door to the loo, you just KNEW something evil was going to be waiting for her on the other side.
This finale was not as thrilling as the one in season four but it was more satisfying than the ending of season three.
So many plot holes!
gsloane-660-56785310 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
If Hastings really was H - then surely he would've just given the order to OCG via the laptop early on to have him knocked off! Rather than go visit a bent copper in prison and thereby incriminate himself.
That's just one of the multitude of plot holes that make this the worst season of an otherwise decent series.
That's just one of the multitude of plot holes that make this the worst season of an otherwise decent series.
Brilliant
garfy-802035 May 2019
Bint watch
xmasdaybaby196623 April 2021
I am writing this after binge-watching the first 5 series (and while the current run of series 6 is being heavily hyped).
For me, this series has been a disappointment with the timing being off, very wordy and little in the way of action 7 years on and I am still not happy that a Midlands based show got moved to northern Ireland.
As an earthy Capricorn name, it was hard to concentrate on this episode with the allure of Polly Walker screaming out from the screen (oh to be in a room with 3 tantalising Taureans Polly Walker, Vicky McClure and the succinct Anna Maxwell Martin - thankfully not bulls in a China shop!) but the strong conclusion didn't detract from series being below its usual dizzy heights.
Obviously, it is known there is a series 6 but how long can this last before it really goes on too long?
8 out of 10 for earthy sex appeal.
For me, this series has been a disappointment with the timing being off, very wordy and little in the way of action 7 years on and I am still not happy that a Midlands based show got moved to northern Ireland.
As an earthy Capricorn name, it was hard to concentrate on this episode with the allure of Polly Walker screaming out from the screen (oh to be in a room with 3 tantalising Taureans Polly Walker, Vicky McClure and the succinct Anna Maxwell Martin - thankfully not bulls in a China shop!) but the strong conclusion didn't detract from series being below its usual dizzy heights.
Obviously, it is known there is a series 6 but how long can this last before it really goes on too long?
8 out of 10 for earthy sex appeal.
Pretty good finish but nothing new
snoozejonc8 April 2023
Hastings feels the wrath of an anti-corruption enquiry into his conduct.
This is a good finish to the fifth season with some great performances.
The plot is enjoyable and gives several characters the opportunity to shine. I think the main draw is writing, staging and acting of the interrogation scenes. "As you well know" Line of Duty produces strong drama out of this type of character exchange and this one has the benefit of using Adrian Dunbar to great effect along with Anna Maxwell Martin.
At this point in the show we have seen a lot of this type of drama before so it feels quite by-the-numbers. You know all will seem lost before some piece of evidence pulls it out of the fire. As for the characters, there aren't many left now who haven't either been locked up or both sides of the interrogation desk.
Series 5 started out very well but for me lost a bit of momentum after the best character was killed off. Overall it is solid entertainment.
This is a good finish to the fifth season with some great performances.
The plot is enjoyable and gives several characters the opportunity to shine. I think the main draw is writing, staging and acting of the interrogation scenes. "As you well know" Line of Duty produces strong drama out of this type of character exchange and this one has the benefit of using Adrian Dunbar to great effect along with Anna Maxwell Martin.
At this point in the show we have seen a lot of this type of drama before so it feels quite by-the-numbers. You know all will seem lost before some piece of evidence pulls it out of the fire. As for the characters, there aren't many left now who haven't either been locked up or both sides of the interrogation desk.
Series 5 started out very well but for me lost a bit of momentum after the best character was killed off. Overall it is solid entertainment.
Come on like!!
chris-568-9206864 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Ah now here, come on for jaysus sake! Give our intelligence a little credit.
Morse code? Would you give me a break! Maybe he had his beats headphones in or was trying to click his fingers again for another cup of tea.
Also Hastings? Before it was Steve, then Dot, who's next? Kate, her husband? The dog? They really are grabbing it straws now. And as for Deuce Bigolo Male Gigolo , nobody suspected her after she done the exact same thing about 3 seasons back?
What are you smoking? I honestly think at this stage they've gone through the script archive and asked who hasn't been read their Miranda rights, discovered it was no one and so started all over again.
This had the potential to be the best British tv drama of all time, I had hoped that British drama had finally caught up with HBO and the likes, but once again the arrogance of the creators opinion of the audiences intellect is the down fall.
I'm off to watch The Wire, goodnight.
Morse code? Would you give me a break! Maybe he had his beats headphones in or was trying to click his fingers again for another cup of tea.
Also Hastings? Before it was Steve, then Dot, who's next? Kate, her husband? The dog? They really are grabbing it straws now. And as for Deuce Bigolo Male Gigolo , nobody suspected her after she done the exact same thing about 3 seasons back?
What are you smoking? I honestly think at this stage they've gone through the script archive and asked who hasn't been read their Miranda rights, discovered it was no one and so started all over again.
This had the potential to be the best British tv drama of all time, I had hoped that British drama had finally caught up with HBO and the likes, but once again the arrogance of the creators opinion of the audiences intellect is the down fall.
I'm off to watch The Wire, goodnight.
Disappointed
kevpadcock-586-3487696 May 2019
First three episodes were passable, five and six fell flat.
Jim-Eadon18 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Aside from the tension of the scenes with the undercover cop early on, the series was dull. Episodes 5 and 6 were flat and anti-climactic.
Also the dialogue throughout was terrible. The acting was lousy too, possibly because the actors could see how ludicrous the plot was, particularly towards the end. Too many things did not make any sense.
Why did the undercover cop blow his cover in such a stupid and reckless manner? Why were the others expecting him to react like he did?
I wonder what happened to the female AC cop, she looks a bit haggard.
Having Hastings be the bent cop would have been the most satisfying and logical plot line. Having the obviously-bent lawyer bit-art lady be the villainess was neither here nor there.
Regarding the Hastings interrogation, wouldn't his serious protestations that he had been framed be investigated, prior to rushing to prosecution? It didn't seem realistic, in fact none of it was convincing, the more you think about it, the more nothing makes sense, nothing is plausible.
Every time "Dot" is mentioned, I was thinking about how lackluster this season was compared to the great couple of seasons.
Very disappointing ending! (S05E06)
backofthevan5 May 2019
I won't say what's so disappointing exactly, because I won't be responsible for spoiling it for those who haven't seen it. It's just a very unsatisfactory cop-out (if you'll excuse the expression!), with a mind-numbing swirl of talk and forms and numbers filling the allotted time. Yawn. "Is that it?" we said. We'd hoped for/expected a whole lot more. Didn't get it. Will be interested to see what others make of it.
I had to watch in in 3 sittings as I fell asleep twice
olliebenet13 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This was my favorite show and was excited about the new series but it's sort of the same as the last one, same nonsense "oh no frame the main guy again and then just pummel him in the world's most boring interview that never ever ever ended with incredibly boring nonsense" Same story without the excitement and we discover basically nothing at all other than H isn't H because somebody is tapping in his hands "that they never saw before" "the screen grab made me realize he was trying to say something" wat... It's a still screen how did you suddenly work out he was doing Morse code with his hand? Honestly it's was the most boring thing I ever saw.
Big disappointment
Andy-58-6159945 May 2019
The majority of this series has been poor. The storyline has become too far fetched and daft.
I don't know what hold the baddies have over these cops to have them involve themselves in murder and armed robbery. Usually in front of other Police.
The writer appears to have run out of ideas. The finale was underwhelming and you could see it coming.
Hasting is almost like a comedy character in this series. Although he is entertaining.
I hope series 6 goes back the earlier gritty series which made this show enjoyable to watch if not I'd hope the writer would end it here.
Out of 5 seasons clearly the worst flattest episode
Ballbagboy5 May 2019
As the title says, every season every episode keeps you gripped with twists and turns in all directions. so much built up for this final chapter of this season and my god it was awful.
Predictable, Flat, awful acting seems they ran out of ideas to which was building up a good storyline. Best to start from season 1 again and skip this ending major flop
I think we've jumped the shark if we hadn't already
danburns-7617822 September 2019
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