Line of Duty

[String Cheese Theory Joined: Aug 16th, 2020 Topics: 8 Posts: 2107 View Predictions]

#1204145516

I couldn’t find an existing thread but everyone’s favourite BBC drama about bent coppers is coming back this week for season 6 and if there are other fans, this is the place to debrief.

Here for the comedies

X

Reply

[ClairesCrown Joined: Jan 18th, 2021 Topics: 0 Posts: 262 View Predictions]

#1204145523

Is Keeley Hawes starring? Or did she leave never to return

FYC EMMYS: THE CROWN IN ALL CATEGORIES (ESP. OLIVIA COLMAN - D. ACTRESS & HBC - D. SUPP. ACTRESS) & IT’S A SIN IN ALL CATEGORIES (ESP. LYDIA WEST - LIM. ACTRESS & KEELEY HAWES - LIM. SUPP. ACTRESS) & I MAY DESTROY YOU IN ALL CATEGORIES

X

ReplyCopy URL

[wolfali Joined: Apr 8th, 2023 Topics: 251 Posts: 39217 View Predictions]

#1204145592

Really interested to see whah Kelly MacDonald does here. She’s quite underrated as a dramatic performer (her turn in The Victim is one of the greatest miniseries performances I have ever seen).

Out of the guest leads I felt that Hawes and James gave the strongest performances. Stephen Graham was great too. I love Thandie Newton in Westworld (even though I’m not a fan of the show anymore) but I wasn’t taken so much by her work here.

ClairesCrown wrote:

Is Keeley Hawes starring? Or did she leave never to return

Well considering you seem to have not seen it…

Solidarity with the striking writers. Pay them the wages they are owed for bringing us the content we are all on here because of!

X

ReplyCopy URL

[String Cheese Theory Joined: Aug 16th, 2020 Topics: 8 Posts: 2107 View Predictions]

#1204145670

Stephen Graham was absolutely fantastic. Weird to see him pop up in The Irishman shortly after. Kelly Macdonald will forever be a teenage clubber to me, I refuse to believe she’s aged no matter what she pops up in, poor lass.

Here for the comedies

X

ReplyCopy URL

[Craig Kell Joined: Jan 12th, 2012 Topics: 0 Posts: 330 View Predictions]

#1204146521

Now we’re sucking diesel!

I binge-watched it for the first time recently, looking forward to the new series.

X

ReplyCopy URL

[String Cheese Theory Joined: Aug 16th, 2020 Topics: 8 Posts: 2107 View Predictions]

#1204146884

craigkell wrote:

Now we’re sucking diesel! I binge-watched it for the first time recently, looking forward to the new series.

Welcome! 🙂

No one makes a crime procedural like the BBC. According to Wikpedia, more than 13.5 million people watched the season 5 finale. Not quite Bodyguard numbers, but that’s some serious viewership.

Here for the comedies

X

ReplyCopy URL

[String Cheese Theory Joined: Aug 16th, 2020 Topics: 8 Posts: 2107 View Predictions]

#1204147020

Perfect viewing for the weather. Sherlock and Broadchurch are also among those watercooler shows of yore. People really love the telly in the UK.

Here for the comedies

X

ReplyCopy URL

[String Cheese Theory Joined: Aug 16th, 2020 Topics: 8 Posts: 2107 View Predictions]

#1204149203

SPOILER……….

 

 

I stayed up late and VPN-ed this … wooo we are back. Crimes against turtlenecks and women with short haircuts, and everything else you’d expect from a setup. Kelly Macdonald HAS to be the naughty one, but how??

Here for the comedies

X

ReplyCopy URL

[wolfali Joined: Apr 8th, 2023 Topics: 251 Posts: 39217 View Predictions]

#1204154162

What Jed Mercurio does very well with his writing (even in something s ridiculous as Bodyguard) is that he knows how to craft an opening sequence! That being said whilst I welcomed the slight change in approach from season 5 in tone (it felt less formulaic) I did feel quite underwhelmed. I’m not asking for a twist every second (because that would be ridiculous) but it felt as if I got nothing from that episode other than Macdonald (who was quite delightfully sinister in this role)’s character being a more multi faceted villain. Speaking of Macdonald I actually was quite impressed by some of her choices with this character in this episode. Probably the most realistic depiction of a dodgy copper since the two punch of James and Hawes back in the earlier seasons.

Episode 1
Grade: B
MVP: Kelly Macdonald

Solidarity with the striking writers. Pay them the wages they are owed for bringing us the content we are all on here because of!

X

ReplyCopy URL

[String Cheese Theory Joined: Aug 16th, 2020 Topics: 8 Posts: 2107 View Predictions]

#1204164576

And we’re off to the Stairway of Judgement and the Mezzanine of Shame! I already have a theory, not sure if I should put it forward …

Here for the comedies

X

ReplyCopy URL

[forwardswill Joined: Apr 9th, 2013 Topics: 26 Posts: 3892 View Predictions]

#1204164689

Anyone else waiting for something to actually happen?

X

ReplyCopy URL

[Eden Joined: Jun 7th, 2016 Topics: 11 Posts: 820 View Predictions]

#1204165472

I binged the series recently and this being my first season of weekly watching is brutal. It does appear somewhat underwhelming so far, but my judgement is clouded after binging a season a day.

X

ReplyCopy URL

[String Cheese Theory Joined: Aug 16th, 2020 Topics: 8 Posts: 2107 View Predictions]

#1204165698

You know they will bring it. A lot has happened already, groundwork laid, even where it doesn’t look like it. Take Arnott’s visit to Steph Corbett’s house, the meeting with Fleming in the underpass, Arnott’s temp promotion. Heaps more going on, undoubtedly. Where I get lost is in the callbacks to previous seasons and characters. I have a memory like a goldfish for “that guy did that thing in season 2 and now he’s back, surely he’s the brother of that guy in season 4 which means keep your eye on him”.

Here for the comedies

X

ReplyCopy URL

[wolfali Joined: Apr 8th, 2023 Topics: 251 Posts: 39217 View Predictions]

#1204165753

Mild Spoilers for Line of Duty season 4 to 6

My feelings are somewhat ambivalent. On the one hand I’m glad to see a reduction of the hyper realistic elements of the previous two seasons. Neither of those seasons were terrible but I felt that the show’s gravitation towards throwing in random twists and action sequences that eventually came to no use to be quite tiring and parodic. By that I don’t imply that I disliked the shocks and turns detailed in the writing (i.e. Huntley’s great escape!) but more that they felt like they were an overused trope that took away from the intriguing character based elements of the series. The thrilling action packed elements of Line of Duty are a part of its DNA and the show feels a bit incomplete without them but I felt that they detracted from the intriguing character based elements of the show that the show’s introduction of a new guest lead presents itself with (this was an issue I had more with season 4 than 5).

So in a sense I’m glad this season has been more of a slow burn so far because I’m finding Macdonald’s character to be quite a fascinating character study. Is she corrupt? Is she the villain of this story? Or is she just a miserable old sod doing her job? Macdonald has been excellent with her performance so far and I’m intrigued to see where it goes.

But then at the same time, there are some elements of the storytelling that feel as if they have been stitched up with redundant and fruitless subplots to pass time. I am unsure what to think of Kate and Joanna’s “relationship” and I hope it isn’t some form of queer baiting. This painkiller storyline with Steve feels like it’s been going on for centuries with no avail. So instead of the repetitive hyper-realised sequences of tension that were seen in seasons 4 and 5 to fill in the gaps in storytelling, we have soapier pieces of drama replacing them.

I do have confidence that it will pick up (this episode was an improvement on the premiere) but I am rather baffled at the moment which I felt has been ironically somewhat of a rarity for me during the past five seasons in which I had strong qualitative thoughts this point in.

Episode 2
Grade: B+
MVP: Kelly Macdonald

Solidarity with the striking writers. Pay them the wages they are owed for bringing us the content we are all on here because of!

X

ReplyCopy URL

[forwardswill Joined: Apr 9th, 2013 Topics: 26 Posts: 3892 View Predictions]

#1204194242

Kelly Macdonald is so bad in this I actually can’t believe it.

X

ReplyCopy URL