Just when you think AC-12 has uncovered its biggest conspiracy yet, Line of Duty finds another way to make things even more complicated.
Series 5 continues the show’s winning formula of intense investigations, complex characters, and a conspiracy that seems to reach deeper into the police force with every revelation. This time, AC-12 investigates Operation Pear Tree and an Organized Crime Group with connections throughout Central Police, while the mysterious figure known as “H” remains at the center of it all.
The season gets off to a brutal start with the hijacking of a police convoy carrying seized drugs. The investigation eventually leads AC-12 to John Corbett (Stephen Graham), an undercover police sergeant who has gone completely rogue in his obsessive attempt to uncover “H.” Graham is fantastic, bringing a dangerous intensity and real emotional depth to Corbett. He is clearly crossing lines, but the further we get into his story, the more complicated his motivations become.
Corbett’s investigation eventually puts him on a collision course with Ted Hastings. After secretly working with Steve Arnott, Corbett becomes convinced that Hastings is the corrupt mastermind behind the conspiracy. What follows is one of the season’s most uncomfortable storylines, as Hastings finds himself under suspicion from his own colleagues.
And Line of Duty does an excellent job of making the evidence look damning.
Hastings secretly visits imprisoned OCG member Lee Banks, impersonates “H” to flush out the criminals, is discovered hiding £50,000 in cash, and even disposes of his laptop. Before long, DCS Patricia Carmichael is convinced Hastings is the man AC-12 has been searching for.
Watching Hastings being interrogated by his own colleagues is one of the season’s biggest highlights. Adrian Dunbar brings an incredible amount of emotion to the storyline, especially as Hastings struggles to defend himself while realizing that even the people closest to him are beginning to question his loyalty.
Thankfully, Kate Fleming and Steve Arnott aren’t ready to give up on their boss.
Their investigation into Corbett’s past eventually uncovers the truth behind the conspiracy. Central Police legal adviser Gill Biggeloe is revealed to be a major OCG insider who manipulated Corbett by convincing him that Hastings was responsible for the historic murder of his mother in Northern Ireland. That lie helped fuel Corbett’s obsession with bringing Hastings down.
The final interrogation of Biggeloe is classic Line of Duty: tense, methodical, and packed with revelations. Watching Kate and Steve slowly dismantle her story is incredibly satisfying, especially after spending so much of the season wondering whether Hastings really could be “H.”
Then comes another major revelation.
Steve revisits DI Matthew “Dot” Cottan’s dying declaration from Series 3 and realizes that Dot was communicating in Morse code with his left hand. The famous “H” clue wasn’t pointing to one specific person. Instead, it represented four corrupt police insiders.
With Dot Cottan, Derek Hilton, and Gill Biggeloe exposed, there is still one final person hiding within the system.
And the show leaves us with a particularly chilling possibility.
Ryan Pilkington — the young gang member who has already killed before — is shown successfully joining the police academy. After everything we’ve watched this season, seeing Ryan potentially enter the very institution he could eventually corrupt is an incredibly unsettling way to end the story.
Meanwhile, Hastings is cleared of being “H” and returns to lead AC-12, although he receives a written warning for his increasingly reckless and unauthorized behavior. Even then, the show refuses to give us a completely clean ending. The final suggestion that Hastings secretly gave the remaining £50,000 to Corbett’s grieving widow leaves his future — and his moral standing — just ambiguous enough.
That’s what I continue to love about Line of Duty. Nobody is ever completely safe, and almost nobody is completely innocent.
Series 5 manages to expand the conspiracy while keeping the focus on the people caught inside it. Stephen Graham is outstanding as Corbett, Adrian Dunbar gets some of his best material as Hastings, and Martin Compston and Vicky McClure continue to make Steve and Kate the heart of AC-12.
The conspiracy can occasionally become a lot to keep track of, but the character drama and constant tension make it easy to stay invested. Every interrogation feels like a battle, every revelation raises another question, and just when you think you’ve figured out where the story is going, Line of Duty pulls the rug out from under you again.
Series 5 once again proves why Line of Duty is so addictive. It’s tense, complicated, brilliantly acted, and packed with enough twists to keep you guessing right through the finale.
And with Ryan Pilkington now heading toward a career in the police, something tells me AC-12’s problems are far from over. Overall, I give season five an 8.5/10.
Have you watched Line of Duty Season 5? What did you think of the season? What were your favorite or not so favorite moments? Leave a comment.
You can stream Line of Duty on BritBox and AcornTV.
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