Advertisement

Line of Duty: 10 HUGE questions after episode 5

Photo credit: World Productions / BBC / Bernard Walsh
Photo credit: World Productions / BBC / Bernard Walsh

From Digital Spy

Bloody hell. Arrests, allegations and amputations – this week's Line of Duty had it all, as BBC One's addictive cop thriller set the stage for one hell of a finale.

Join us now as we unpack a typically dense chapter – these are the questions we want answered next week.

1. Is ACC Hilton a criminal mastermind?

Photo credit: World Productions / BBC / Aidan Monaghan
Photo credit: World Productions / BBC / Aidan Monaghan

Does shifty Hilton (Paul Higgins) really believe that AC-12 is no longer fit for purpose, or does he have an ulterior motive for attempting to quash Hastings's operation?

It's looking increasingly likely that Hilton might be part of the "clandestine network of corrupt officers in league with organised crime" – in fact, he might even be the top dog. Is that why he had Maneet (Maya Sondhi) hand over Dot Cottan's dying declaration, to find out if he was named?

Before Dot died, he was able to implicate a senior officer (someone above the rank of Inspector) with the first initial 'H' – and while he's trying to shift the blame to Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), it's obviously Hilton who's the Big Bad, right?

2. Why did Balaclava Man kill those women?

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Everyone's been assuming that 'Balaclava Man' was just your garden-variety serial killer, but what if the truth is more complicated?

As we speculated last week, it appears that the killings of Leonie Collersdale and the other victims are linked to events that occured back in the first series of Line of Duty – with Leonie's body being stored in a manner similar to Jackie Laverty's.

Jackie, in case you've forgotten, was the mistress of series one's corrupt cop Tony Gates (Lennie James), who was murdered by masked thugs. Now it appears the same criminals are behind the Balaclava Man killings. But why? What's the motive?

3. Why has Maneet betrayed AC-12 to Higgins?

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

It was Maneet, the turncoat, who gave up Kate (Vicky McClure) as an undercover operative. She later tricks hapless Jamie (Royce Pierreson) into giving up his password, using his log-in to steal classified AC-12 files.

Poor DC Desford gets the blame – but why has Maneet turned on her colleagues? Is she simply bowing to pressure from a superior officer, or is she being bribed? (Babies are expensive, y'know.)

Either way, she's not happy about it, telling Hilton that she's "finished" and handing in her notice to Hastings. Will AC-12 learn the true identity of the leak?

4. Why did no-one notice that Roz was only using one hand?

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

It was starting to become pretty obvious, every time Roz (Thandie Newton) briefed her officers, that she was concealing her injured arm.

The wound gets more and more infected ("It's starting to sink," notes Nick – eurgh) and after collapsing at home, Roz is rushed to hospital, where she's forced to have her hand amputated.

Blimey. At least she's still got one left to give Nick (Lee Ingleby) another slap.

5. Who attacked Steve Arnott?

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Biometrics – always useful – indicate that Steve's attacker is the same build as the Balaclava Man who was captured on security footage, the night Leonie Collersdale disappeared.

There's a good chance, then, that Arnott's assailant is the same killer Roz was hunting - but just who's behind that mask?

6. Is Michael Farmer hiding something?

Photo credit: World Productions/ BBC / Aidan Monaghan
Photo credit: World Productions/ BBC / Aidan Monaghan

Michael (Scott Reid) almost changes his plea to Guilty, until a visit from his dear old Nana convinces him not to give up.

But is Farmer totally innocent? Body parts belonging to Leonie Collersdale are dumped in some woods while he's behind bars – plus, he has a partial alibi for the night of her disappearance, and there's the forensics and biometrics casting doubt on his involvement in the kidnappings / murders.

But none of that matters if Michael was working with an accomplice – the masked man captured on camera, who's still at large. It's easy to imagine him being manipulated by a more powerful personality.

It's looking increasingly unlikely, though, that Michael was ever in league with Tim Ifield (Jason Watkins) – dates on the newspaper used to wrap Leonie's body parts reveal they were disposed of after Tim was already dead.

7. Is Nick Huntley going down?

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Let's assume for a second that Michael Farmer is innocent. If that's the case, who picked him as a patsy?

Nick's alibi for the night Leonie disappeared is swiftly dismantled by AC-12, who also discover that the blood on Leonie's body – Tim Ifield's blood – contained fibres from the forensic suit he was wearing when he was killed.

They're now assuming that Roz tampered with the evidence to frame Tim and protect Nick, the real Balaclava Man. But even if Nick is the masked murderer, we've seen no evidence that Roz suspected him of the crimes.

That all being said, the episode ends with Roz arresting her husband for Tim's murder – though only as a last-ditch effort to save herself.

8. Is Jimmy Lakewell the Balaclava Man?

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

A far more plausible candidate than Nick to be Balaclava Man is his smug solicitor James 'Jimmy' Lakewell (Patrick Baladi).

Lakewell already knew Michael Farmer – having represented him when Michael was arrested for rape – and might've found out from his old pal Nick that Roz was closing in on Balaclava Man, hence why he chose to frame an easy target.

(Alternatively, Jimmy might've mentioned Michael to Roz and/or Nick. But we doubt Nick has the balls to frame anyone – and our suspicion is that Roz was simply desperate to secure a conviction, so blindly followed a trail of breadcrumbs left by somebody else.)

9. Are Steve Arnott's days at AC-12 numbered?

Photo credit: BBC
Photo credit: BBC

Steve's having mobility issues after his fall, and they're serious – he might never walk again. He lies to Hastings about his condition, but later confesses the truth to Kate in an emotional scene. Could Arnott's injuries prove serious enough to end his career?

10. Is Kate's career as an undercover cop over?

Photo credit: World Productions / BBC / Bernard Walsh
Photo credit: World Productions / BBC / Bernard Walsh

"Undercover officers have a lifespan. There comes a time when they've been deployed once too often. They get recognised, or they lose their touch."

We joked last week about how Kate gets caught out every series... but is Buckells (Nigel Boyle) right? If it's no longer practical for her to serve as an undercover, will she have to take on a different role in AC-12?

This, coupled with Arnott's injuries and Maneet's betrayal, means we could be looking at a very different Line of Duty when the show returns for a fifth series, regardless of what happens next week...


Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.

You Might Also Like