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People Are Divided On The 'Line Of Duty' Finale, But Everyone Agrees On Its Most Iconic Moment

Nick Levine
Last Updated 6 May 2019, 8:35
Courtesy of BBC
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Line of Duty season 5.
It's officially the most-watched show of 2019, so Sunday's Line of Duty finale was always going to have to be pretty special to live up to expectations. In practice, it proved to be a long and somewhat convoluted episode which finally told us that, no, Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar) wasn't the villainous "H", but that senior police counsel Gill Biggeloe (Polly Walker) was involved with the OCG.
However, viewers who'd predicted that Biggeloe was "H" weren't quite right, because it turned out that, well, "H" doesn't exactly exist. At the end of season three, D.I. Matthew "Dot" Cottan (Craig Parkinson) was actually trying to tell D.I. Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) in his dying declaration that there were four rotten apples within the Central Police ranks: him, Biggeloe, Assistant Chief Constable Derek Hilton (Paul Higgins), and one other who's still at large.
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Any guesses on what season 6 might be about?
Anyway, viewers sharing their reactions online seem pretty divided on whether this constitutes a satisfying conclusion to the season. Some reckon the finale was a little disappointing, whereas others are calling it excellent and nerve-shreddingly tense.
Anna Maxwell Martin's ice-cool and clinically effective character, Detective Chief Superintendent Patricia Carmichael, drew particular praise from viewers – and rightly so, she's the latest in a growing line of brilliant female characters who really make Line of Duty pop.
(For what it's worth, I still refuse to accept that Keeley Hawes' Lindsay Denton and Thandie Newton's Ros Huntley are, you know, actual baddies).
However, one thing viewers can agree on is the episode's most iconic moment: Kate Fleming telling AC3 officer D.I. Michelle Brandyce (Laura Elphinstone) to leave the room in the plainest way imaginable.
Let's be honest: this one is definitely going to become a meme.
There are definitely (not "definately", as Ted Hastings would spell it) a couple of other things about the finale worth flagging up. First, it was directed by Sue Tully – the actress-turned-director who played Michelle Fowler on EastEnders.
And second, if you thought you'd already seen Ryan Pilkington, the character who seems to be getting groomed to become the new Caddy, you were absolutely right...
Shook, tbh... bring on season 6!

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