Line of Duty Season Six Review

Line of Duty is one of the BBC’s biggest shows and the sixth season is arguably the biggest produced.

Since the events of Season Five, DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) has transferred from AC-12 to Operation Lighthouse, to an investigation into the murder of a journalist. The investigation is led by DCI Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald) who becomes a person of interest for AC-12 when Davidson interrupts a raid to stop a robbery and arrests a man with Down Syndrome for the murder.

Line of Duty became a hit because of its complex plotting, shocking twists, and intensity. It was a show that was able to get a big-name actor to appear for a whole season, like Thandiwe Newton and Stephen Graham. It was a show that had a multi-season-long storyline with AC-12 uncovering a network of corrupt police and trying to find the mysterious H. It’s what kept audiences hooked.

The sixth season of Line of Duty aimed to bring the series full circle. It brought back numerous characters who appeared in previous seasons. Most notable were Terry Boyle (Tommy Jessop) and Ryan Pilkington (Gregory Piper), characters who appeared in Season One. Terry Boyle was a man with Down Syndrome and a victim of the gangs who ruled his estate. He was seemingly being set up as a fall guy because he’s an unlikely murder suspect.

Ryan Pilkington was shown to be a part of Lisa McQueen’s gang and at the end of Season Five he attended police training college. In Season Six he was embedded in Davidson’s team, and he acted as H’s spy and enforcer. Yet his connection to the criminal organisation and his role in this season was deeper than expected. There was a great twist when his identity was revealed and it goes to show how deep the writing for the show can be, especially with the complexity of this criminal world. Pilkington made for an interesting villain since he was violent, cruel, and cunning, but he was groomed from a young age to be a criminal. He was a victim as much as a villain.

Season Six also brought back some minor characters. The prison guards who tortured Lindsay Denton were back and they were still in the pocket of the criminal organisation. They got the outcome they deserved.

The season’s need to bring closure to the series meant it needed to conclude the H storyline. The series finally revealed who H was and it was a disappointment because it was hard to believe that the person was the mastermind behind a massive criminal enterprise. This was the reveal that fans were waiting for since Season Two and it seemed like the showrunners just picked a random character. The setup of H was so great that it would have been hard to give the storyline a satisfying conclusion.

Line of Duty has been known for having multiple subplots and Season Six was no exception. Some of them were continuations from Season Five. Hastings was dealing with guilt regarding his past with DS Corbett and he tries to make amends with Corbett’s family. This led to suspicion from AC-12 that Hastings was up to no good, a storyline that Line of Duty has done before.

DI Arnott continued to struggle with his painkiller addiction. This added to the relationship between Arnott and his superior officer because Hastings was willing to bend the rules. Hastings gave Arnott a stay of execution to get clean before a drug test.

DI Price’s loyalties were divided in this season. Since Season Five, Price had transferred from AC-12 to Operation Lighthouse and she had grown close to Davidson. When AC-12 started to investigate it put Price in a difficult position. It was an interesting dynamic throughout the season.

Davidson was similar to Denton and Huntley from Seasons Two and Four. All three were officers whose motives, and agendas were in question. Like those officers, Davidson was willing to throw anyone under the bus to save herself, but as the season progressed more was revealed about her. Macdonald has always been a great actress and was a welcomed addition to the series, being someone who was both scared and ruthless.

The sixth season of Line of Duty gave fans more of what they wanted. There was plenty of character drama and complicated plotting, even if things did get a bit too elaborate. It’s just a shame about the who and how H’s identity was revealed.