Line Of Duty

[dalliance]

British-made police dramas are so ubiquitous and so similar in premise and in naming that they all form one large and indistinguishable amorphous blob in my mind. So when Line of Duty with its unpromising title started a second series a few weeks ago on BBC, I paid no attention to it at all - I wasn't even aware there had been a first series.

But I read some outstanding reviews of it over the weekend, so laudatory that I was encouraged to seek this out on iPlayer and have now watched two of the three or four episodes aired.

A quick spoiler-free summary of the story. Three police officers murdered in a lethal ambush; a fourth spectacularly defenestrated; a seriously injured individual in witness protection finished off in hospital – and the only survivor of the carnage is DI Lindsay Denton, who may or may not be personally implicated in all or some or none of the above carnage.

What can I say apart from how absolutely great this is. Keeley Hawes plays Denton and is wonderful - finally she has a script of real substance to show her talent. It's dark and violent and full of a set of characters who have their own dark secrets and their own conflicting motives.

In particular there's an interview scene at the end of Episode Two which must rank among the best 10 minutes of drama I have ever seen on British tv. If you haven't watched this then I cannot recommend it highly enough and all the episodes are still on iPlayer.

[PDD2]

Line Of Duty

Agreed. It's one of the best things I've seen on TV in a long time. Myself and the wife watched the 1st 2 episodes back-to-back, and immediately wanted to watch the next one. It's that good. Dalliance - Episode 3 is pretty good as well. It's now got to the point that I haven't a clue if Denton is guilty or not

[Felicity, I guess so]

Line Of Duty

Glad someone started a thread on this, I was woried I was alone in thrilling to it.

The performances by both female leads are great. Absolutely no idea who it is/was whodunnit, and the whole range of behaviours performed and hidden scandals concealed by all the coppers creates a web of ambivalence and complexity rare in a tv show.

[Benjm]

Line Of Duty

Count me a fan too. It's good to see that Dennis Wise has found a new niche after the Newcastle thing went sour.

POSSIBLE SPOILER.

Hopefully the plot links back to the first series won't make it overly confusing. When the witness was identified we couldn't remember whether we had seen him before or not, having watched the first series when it was broadcast.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Line Of Duty

good to see that Dennis Wise has found a new niche

Well we've been referring to him as 'young Nigel' in a Cloughie accent...

[Benjm]

Line Of Duty

Nigel or Dennis, Dennis or Nigel? It's the kind of unsettling ambiguity that makes the series so gripping.

[garcia]

Line Of Duty

is it advisable to watch the first series first?

[Benjm]

Line Of Duty

I reckon so if you have access to it. It sets up the characters and situation of the investigating team and it looks like the plot will be relevant to this series. It's a good watch in itself too - Lennie James is great.

[dalliance]

Line Of Duty

If I knew where to find the first season I would happily watch it, but at no stage so far in this series have I missed any references or plotlines. If there are links between the two then I don't get the impression they are strong enough to dilute your enjoyment if you are watching Season 2 first.

***EPISODE 3 SPOILER***

Very good again though I thought it left the balance not quite right by the end. In both 1 and 2 you had no idea at all if she was innocent and guilty as the plot pulled you one way and then back the other.

Episode 3 seemed to be generally all positive for Denton and increasingly negative for Dryden, the Scottish big boss guy. Now I'm sure future episodes will swing back and forth again but I just thought it lacked that roller coaster ride effect within that particular episode.

[Tony C]

Line Of Duty

Yes, it is very good indeed.

[dalliance]

Line Of Duty

Episode four from six last night and again, truly excellent.

[Benjm]

Line Of Duty

Excellent and nothing to do with the first series - I may have read too much into earlier references.

The news has just started; it must be quite difficult to write a police corruption drama that outdoes reality without seeming to be ludicrously far-fetched.

[dalliance]

Line Of Duty

To be fair we have no record of the police in the UK having...

NEXT EPISODE SPOILER

....waterboarded anyone.

[NickSTFU]

Line Of Duty

Benjm wrote: Excellent and nothing to do with the first series - I may have read too much into earlier references.

The news has just started; it must be quite difficult to write a police corruption drama that outdoes reality without seeming to be ludicrously far-fetched.

There are links though. The protected witness now deceased was in the first series, one of the missing persons that Denton looked at before settling on ‘Carly’ was the lover of DCI Gates who we know was murdered. Finally ‘Dot’ Cotton was part of the team led by Gate’s and that adds a bit of friction to the current Anti – Corruption team.

Of course we still have two episodes to go so there may be more.

[Fussbudget]

Line Of Duty

I watched the first 4 episodes of the current series without having seen series one and certainly haven't had any problem following the plot.

However. Having now watched the first (and slightly weaker) series over the weekend, there's a pretty major revelation at the end of it which casts a very different light on some of what's happened this series, and will have to come into play somehow. I might have to rewatch series two from the start to catch all the implications.

[dalliance]

Line Of Duty

Brilliant again tonight. There was a 15 minute interrogation scene with Denton at the end of the second episode which I thought was perhaps the finest 15 minutes of British drama I had seen.

In this latest episode there's a 20 minute interrogation scene with Dryden which is arguably even better. Wonderful stuff, I cannot remember the last time I watched something this compelling.

[PDD2]

Line Of Duty

Agreed. After 5 episodes I'm still no nearer knowing who is the bad guy. Just hope they bring it to a satisfactory conclusion next week.

[Tony C]

Line Of Duty

Yes, the Dryden interview was riveting.

Directorially, it's very rare to donate twenty minutes to a single scene in a television drama but the decision was fully vindicated here; not a word wasted, every facial expression meaningful. Dryden's disintegation was quite something to see.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Line Of Duty

It was great.

Impressed by the actor playing Dryden.

I've met quite a number of Scots (often Weegies) who've risen up various ladders but give you a glimpse of the street they came from in conflict/stress situations (not that I've ever been in a murder interview I hasten to add). He captured that controlled aggression brilliantly.

[dalliance]

Line Of Duty

Yes, the 'I shagged her a few times. She was a bunny boiler. I moved on' line fits that description as it came from nowhere and was his first real slip from controlled, menacing aggression.

[Tony C]

Line Of Duty

Felicity, I guess so wrote: It was great.

Impressed by the actor playing Dryden. .

He's also in 'Shetland'.

[Benjm]

Line Of Duty

Rats, have just remembered that we're going to Bruges on Wednesday so won't get to see the final episode until Sunday. Cue Likely Lads style attempts to avoid any spoilers before then.

[jwdd27]

Line Of Duty

Mark Bonnar is the actor playing Dryden, brilliant performance alongside the leads, agree this week's episode was the best yet, the interrogation scenes are so well done.

Bonnar's performance is especially praiseworthy as he replaced Robert Lindsay, who left after two days' shooting due to the classic "creative differences".

Can't imagine Lindsay doing a better job, especially as I feel I've seen him do similar characters before, and Bonnar's Scottishness is a large part of his portrayal of the character.

[Sean of the Shed]

Line Of Duty

I think it's entirely possible that we are looking at anyone and everyone as the bad guy/girl.
*SPOILER*
There's far more to Denton than she portrays. She showed her nasty side when she confronted Fleming, but she blew that out of the water when she took out Prasad and then calmly procured a recorded confession. I'm beginning to think she did set up Dryden with regard to the young girl, but the fact she didn't recognise Prasad and Cole should rule her out of the ambush.
I'm also beginning to wonder about Hastings too.

[sw2borshch]

Line Of Duty

Fussbudget said

Having now watched the first (and slightly weaker) series over the weekend, there's a pretty major revelation at the end of it which casts a very different light on some of what's happened this series, and will have to come into play somehow.

This.