TV Review: Line of Duty (Series 5)

Series 5 of Line of Duty has some cracking moments, some big revelations and one of Anna Maxwell Martin’s best ever performances

“There’s no secrets in AC12”

So we make it to the end of Series 5 of Line of Duty and it was a lot wasn’t it. A properly tragic couple of deaths, a deep suspicion of a core team member or two and perhaps inevitably, one step forwards and two steps back in the ongoing H conspiracy.  

Jed Mercurio’s plotting remains as tightly wound and full of surprises as ever, the reveals in the organised crime group were well done but I think the gang stuff was nowhere near as much fun as the internecine conflicts within the police force itself.

Did we ever really believe that Ted was properly corrupt? Maybe, but the introduction of Maxwell Martin’s DCS Carmichael to interrogate him tipped the boat for me – it was just a question of whether he’d get framed or not, a challenge considering how murky his past turned out to be. Still, her quiet ferocity was a real shot in the arm for the interrogation scenes for which the show is so well known.

I worry just a little that Steve and Kate are getting just a little holier-than-thou as the arbiters of all that is right and good. Just a little too often there’s a smugness that wants wiping off their face and I’m sorry but the late-emerging revelation from Dot’s death was a real clunker. As much I enjoy it, I wonder how many more series this show has where it can maintain such a high level.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *