[striing]

Originally Posted by tealady

Why investigate?

Well I think Flemming did make reference to this at some point where she said that Gates creaming off the 'sexy' cases leaves people like the guy who got repeatedly burgled with no help.

But as for what she was doing before Arnott arrived - no idea, other than 'going undercover' to set up the case. Not sure where the sleepless nights came in.

It moved fast enough for me not to really care. The only plot hole I couldn't quite ignore was the deletion of files. I've worked in far less secure places than a police station with crappy data systems and even there you could never wholly delete something - it always left a trace showing who deleted it and when. I would have expected a police computer not to allow anyone, even of Gates' level, just to delete a whole record. But that's a minor point in the overall context.

[Meldrewman]

Originally Posted by tinkie

Click on the button next to the quote button and continue until to have finished multi quoting and on the last one press quote

Ta.

I was looking on the toolbar on the reply screen! Now realised where it is - and can't believe I'd never noticed it before!

[tinkie]

Originally Posted by Meldrewman

Ta.

I was looking on the toolbar on the reply screen! Now realised where it is - and can't believe I'd never noticed it before!

My pleasure

[tealady]

Originally Posted by striing

Well I think Flemming did make reference to this at some point where she said that Gates creaming off the 'sexy' cases leaves people like the guy who got repeatedly burgled with no help.

Kinda standard in all sectors though? The people at the bottom do the filing etc.
So AC12 would be investigating, well everyone above PC/DC...
Arguably, it requires a person of the right calibre and tenacity to deal with the " 'sexy' cases ".

[Syntax Error]

The ending reminded me of a programme that had its budget cut before they finished the series, so they just rushed it through to end it.

So disappointing for a fairly grippy series.

At first, I thought it was going to be a British version of The Shield, but it turned out not even to be as good as The Shield's opening credits!

[AoibheannRose]

Definitely returning.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...-second-series

Interestingly that article states that 'But the grisly finale to Tuesday's night's climax – no spoilers – mean it will have to return without one of its biggest stars as the anti-corruption unit, AC12, begins a "new and controversial" investigation.' Does the BIB indicate that others from this series will be returning I wonder.

[LostFool]

Just caught the final episode and I thought it was an excellent ending to a fantastic series - possibly my favourite police drama since Luther. Good to hear that it's returning too.

I initially groaned when I saw Neil Morrissey was cast in this but he was excellent. Where has his acting talent been hiding all of these years?

[nate1970]

Originally Posted by LostFool

I initially groaned when I saw Neil Morrissey was cast in this but he was excellent. Where has his acting talent been hiding all of these years?

A couple of weeks ago I watched his episode of "Murder In Mind" from 2003, and he was... well, there's no nice way to put it, he was atrocious. But yeah, I loved him in this.

[Fangster]

Originally Posted by nate1970

A couple of weeks ago I watched his episode of "Murder In Mind" from 2003, and he was... well, there's no nice way to put it, he was atrocious. But yeah, I loved him in this.

Just to agree with this, Neil Morrisey was a revelation. He can act! Who knew?

[Andy-B]

Originally Posted by tealady

heh heh . Deserved that for a poor post.

Trying again. Fleming made comments on the amount of time she was undercover and the sleepless nights, yet most of the time she was in CID, so what exactly was she doing? What was in a simple CID job that was stressful?
What was it that she could pick up that could not be gleamed from an IT forensic investigation? What was it that prompted the need for her to be there in the first place?
It also seems a pretty poor strategy to *hope* that Gates puts you in his team!!!
Nothing really happened until Arnott turned up. Was that happistance or was the plan to wait for "an Arnott"? How long were they prepared to wait? What was plan B?
Really seemed like a fishing expedition from Hastings which begs the question: Why investigate?

Have you heard of Mark Kennedy or Mark Stone - they are the same person?

Fwiw, he spend several years undercover infiltrating not a criminal gang but a campaign group based on an issue of conscious, there was no crime that initially triggered his deployment. Turns out there were many Mark Stone's, it was a broad police stratgey that they thought made sense at the time. Some women in the groups actually had chlldren by these, often happily married, undercover policemen with whom they'd build relationships based on their bogus identities.

Sometimes art imitates life to make a point.

[Matt35]

I wonder if the second series will do as well without

Spoiler

Lenny James

. he was main reason i watched it.

[jsmith99]

Originally Posted by Fangster

Just to agree with this, Neil Morrisey was a revelation. He can act! Who knew?

The only thing I've seen him in prior to this was Men Behaving Badly, in which he played a rather childish individual of low mentality who got nasty if he didn't get his own way.

Obviously, the part he played in this was ....different?

[Chiaroscuro]

Originally Posted by Fangster

Just to agree with this, Neil Morrisey was a revelation. He can act! Who knew?

I agree he was very good.

I thought it was a terrific series, excellent performances all round but:

Originally Posted by Matt35

I wonder if the second series will do as well without

Spoiler

Lenny James

. he was main reason i watched it.

I wonder this too. For me, he was by far the most charismatic and interesting character. It's rare I'm left feeling shaken by a drama these days, but this one really did it to me.

Certainly look forward to the second series with interest though.

[Meldrewman]

Originally Posted by Fangster

Just to agree with this, Neil Morrissey was a revelation. He can act! Who knew?

Originally Posted by jsmith99

The only thing I've seen him in prior to this was Men Behaving Badly, in which he played a rather childish individual of low mentality who got nasty if he didn't get his own way.

Obviously, the part he played in this was ....different?

I must admit I was less than impressed to hear that he was in the cast - but must be fair ...

by the end of this drama I hated his character and admired his portrayal - job done!

[misha06]

I'd certainly give any second series a good go.

Just wonder how they could bring back many of the existing characters.

Arnott obviously, possibly promoted to DI to give his character a bit more clout, and the Boss of AC12.

FWIW: I think a slight change would work in that AC12 investigate different cases, but with an ongoing story arc, maybe about Dot and his cronies.

just my opinion

[SULLA]

Originally Posted by striing

I've obviously missed something somewhere - how does Arnott know Owen Teale and why did he speak to him like that?

and why was he about two foot shorter

Originally Posted by striing

Excellent performances but very sad.

Yes the performances were excellent. It's a pity that the plot was silly

A bit crap that the connection was playing golf - but not unrealistic I suspect.

Why ddi he feel the need to tell the Chief Supt about him being a cady and why did the Chief Supt think that he could guarantee him promotion?

Originally Posted by Killary45

A great cop drama. Perfect ending.

I enjoyed the acting

Originally Posted by Meldrewman

Great stuff - and in no way disappointing. Loved the information at the end.

I did not know it was based on a real case

Originally Posted by Andy-B

They wanted to pursue him for laddering when the senior officer encourages Fleming to decrime knife offences and CID want to massage clear up rates by hanging as many TICs on a random burglar as poss?

The detction of such offences would merely be a paperwork excercise. NO need for any undercover work at all.

The entire cast was doing everything except normal policing.

Except for the jobsworth female constable

Originally Posted by Matt35

I wonder if the second series will do as well without

Spoiler

Lenny James

. he was main reason i watched it.

No need for the spoilers now

[DJW13]

Originally Posted by SULLA

I did not know it was based on a real case

What makes yopu think it was a real case? Surely the information given at the end was just a device to clear up all the loose ends - cheaper than having another episode?

[Andy-B]

Fleming aside, surely the subtitled end was mostly a parody?

[pfgpowell]

Originally Posted by Andy-B

Fleming aside, surely the subtitled end was mostly a parody?

I rather think it wasn't, though quite why anyone involved thought it would be a good idea defeats me. Anyway, how exactly would a parody have been appropriate?

[SULLA]

Originally Posted by DJW13

What makes yopu think it was a real case? Surely the information given at the end was just a device to clear up all the loose ends - cheaper than having another episode?

I suspected as much

[Fireball XL5]

I've a strong feeling that an episode was cut. It was as if the ludicrous doco-style captions were stating what episode 6 would've contained.

The captions were idiotic and totally inappropriate - you can't mix genres like that. I'm a great fan of Jed Mercurio's work in general but this series was strangely awkward and poorly-written with very thin characterisation. Powerful and interesting in parts but it seemed to constantly shoot itself in the foot.

Perhaps it's because this is Mercurio's first venture into an area outside his comfort zone. He normally does stuff based in hospitals, where he used to work as an NHS doctor, so perhaps he isn't used to deep research in other arenas.

I'm sure lessons will have been learnt and I'm thoroughly looking forward to series 2.

[jsmith99]

Originally Posted by Andy-B

Fleming aside, surely the subtitled end was mostly a parody?

A parody of what?

[somerset fox]

[quote=Fireball XL5;59906388]I've a strong feeling that an episode was cut. It was as if the ludicrous doco-style captions were stating what episode 6 would've contained.

QUOTE]

The series was always touted as a 'five part drama', right from the early notifications. Suspect the end subtitling was to make out it was a real-life drama, but i think i can safely state, with confidence, that this actual story was fiction.

[Prince Monalulu]

[quote=somerset fox;59912148][quote=Fireball XL5;59906388]I've a strong feeling that an episode was cut. It was as if the ludicrous doco-style captions were stating what episode 6 would've contained.

The series was always touted as a 'five part drama', right from the early notifications. Suspect the end subtitling was to make out it was a real-life drama, but i think i can safely state, with confidence, that this actual story was fiction.

I don't know why some are making such a fuss about the ending subtitles.
I know Sulla was joking about it being 'real' (posts nonsense to gee people up), can't understand how others are having problems with it on principle.
'Can't mix genres' you can do anything you damn well please.
So we had to fill in the blanks ourselves, it's not the first time we've had to do that.
We'll all probably come to slightly different conclusions on what, where, when and why.
The Caddy thing, it was the 'kid from the gutter, done good' thing his 'story' fitted the profile of what management wanted to hear.
The working class, non graduate types rising up the ladder, because it's the flavour of the month.
The same as the Terrorist thing played better upstairs, they wanted terrorists, they found some.
It's like reds under the beds, go looking for something with the blinkers on and you'll find it.

As for the writers research, apparently he's been talking to coppers and hanging around anonymous Police blogs/forums, getting into the politics of the organisation.
It's a drama, take a premise and run with it, 'artistic license' or whatever.

Anyway, that's and end to that, put it to bed and on to the next thing IMO.
I won't be 'looking forward to' a second series, don't mind if it comes back, I'll watch it if there is one.
I was a mainly in it for Lennie James and wanted him to dig himself out of the hole.
3 million viewers, I'm guessing is enough to greenlight a second series.

I want Shadowline back because the characters are better than the plot, bring back Rafe Spall doing his finest Bedlam day release act

[pfgpowell]

I’ve been mulling over Line Of Duty and I must say that bit by bit it is losing credibility in my eyes. The more you think about it, the more you realise how many corners have been cut and just how much at the end of the day the viewer was shortchanged.

The first four episodes centre on Gates and he is initially shown to be, well, a little corrupt in that he was laddering. His subsequent troubles did get out of hand, but the suggestion that he was inveigled into an affair just to compromise him into doing the Mr Big’s bidding is quite laughable. He wasn’t needed by Mr Big, especially as the real Mr Big was one of his men.

Then there is the death of the accountant. Given that it wasn’t a hit and run and that he was apparently murdered because he either wasn’t playing ball any more with the money-laundering or had just found out about it and was going to tell, his death was simply left out there. Surely once Arnott had put two and two together, he would have concentrated on it, but in the event even as a hit and run it was left lying by the roadside.

Why did Mr Big employ that little 14/15-year-old runt, who would have been a liability at the best of times. Surely someone with that kind of criminal network would have been a little wiser? Then there is the ludicrous scene where young shaver is tasked with snapping off Arnott’s fingers with the bolt cutter, followed by the even more line that - Lordy, Lordy, such luck! - they malfunctioned. Equally unacceptably deus ex machina was Gates change of heart: he is the guy who lured Arnott to his death, then has a change of heart and rides to the rescue. Come on.

What about Mr Big’s big crime network? It would seem to consist of our lovable young shaver and a couple of heavily accented Latvians (two actors who will have come cheap as only one had lines and they consisted more or less of only 'me, I know nothing') but no more. And why did the uniform branch in that particular city seem to consist purely of a bolshy blonde and her more caring sidekick? Cutbacks?

Rather wearing was the continual modern cynicism of the PCs about their job, with line after line of ‘don’t bother, it’ll just get bogged down in the paperwork'. And who was the autistic chap into who kitchen deep freeze parts of the murdered woman were put? Where did he come from? Mr Big's nephew? And why weren't we given more detail of Mr Big?

And I know the whole shooting match ended with an apparent stitch-up and the assurance to Mr Big that if he sticks to the al Qaeda line, he’ll be off the hook, but how does that work? They still have a missing, presumed murdered woman, three drug dealers murdered and a cop who topped himself. That isn’t just going to go away as we were led to accept.

Sorry, but the whole thing loses more and more the more I think about it. And I suspect that what with the final scene of Dot Cotton revealing himself as a criminal mastermind rather than a dimwit, this all been stacked up to ensure a second series. As for the final scene captions, they were not parody - what was there to parody? - just plain ludicrous, giving the whole series a spurious gravitas of some sort.