Well, well, well. Whoever would have thought that one day we’d see Superintendent Ted Hastings sat on the other side of the table in one of Line Of Duty’s trademark interrogation scenes?
But that’s exactly what came to pass during Sunday night’s penultimate episode of the series, when our beloved AC-12 boss faced allegations of conspiring to murder rogue undercover operative John Corbett.
And if he didn’t already have enough to worry about, it looks like he’s about to go down for being mysterious organised crime boss H too. Poor fella.
With next week’s extended series finale expected to (finally) deliver some answers, here’s the questions we’ve been left asking this week...
Did Hastings have anything to do with Anne Marie McGillis’ death?
As many fans predicted, the story from series one about Hastings being involved in a loyalist paramilitary attack while serving in the Royal Ulster Constabulary appears to be connected to John Corbett.
Arnott and Fleming discovered Corbett’s birth mother, Anne-Marie McGillis, was suspected of being a police informant when she went missing in 1989. Shortly after her disappearance, Hastings was injured in the pipe bomb attack and went on extended sick leave.
When Anne-Marie’s body was found in 2001, her injuries were consistent with a paramilitary attack - just as Roisin Hastings’ injuries were when Corbett beat her up.
Could it be Anne-Marie was acting as an informant for Hastings back in 1989, and Corbett was seeking revenge on Hastings, blaming him for her death? Therefore, could he also have been trying to fit Hastings up as H from inside the OCG?
Why was Biggeloe pushing for the case to be dropped?
When the DCC decided to rescind AC-12’s investigation into Operation Pear Tree, it seemed as if it was legal counsel Gill Biggeloe who was manipulating it all.
With popular fan theories suggesting she could actually be H, was she pushing for the plug to be pulled so that her real identity would not be exposed?
What the hell is wrong with Hastings’ judgement?
If, like us, you don’t believe Hastings is H, there’s still no denying he’s been making some bad decisions of late.
Following his order for Arnott to kill Corbett during the surveillance op last week, to self-sanctioning to send himself undercover this week, his behaviour seems out of character for someone who has always been a real stickler for regulations and operating “to the letter of the law”.
Is he simply rattled at Corbett’s attack on his wife? Or is there something bad from his time in the RUC that he is worried Corbett would have exposed?
Did Hastings tip off Lee Banks about Corbett?
After McQueen’s arrest, she revealed the tip-off about Corbett’s real identity came from someone inside Blackthorn prison - the same place where Hastings visited imprisoned OCG member Lee Banks in last week’s episode.
We never saw the full conversation between them, but it very much sounded like Hastings had information that Banks was going to want to hear - was Hastings really the one who blew Corbett’s cover?
What is the story with McQueen?
For a while now, there’s been some suspicions McQueen was an undercover officer taking part in a wider investigation of Hastings’ into the OCG, following her emotional reactions to Maneet Bindra and Corbett’s deaths.
However, after coming face-to-face with the Superintendent while he was posing as H, there was no mention of any such operation during her subsequent AC-12 interview.
Does this mean the theory she was an UCO is now dead in the water? Perhaps her reactions to Maneet and Corbett’s deaths were put in to throw us off the scent, and she is simply a woman who is in too deep? Either way, we’re going to need the finale to tie this up.
Why did Moffatt lie about the money he gave Hastings?
After Hastings’ arrest, AC-3 found the £50,000 Moffatt had given him for his investment into the Kettle Bell Complex in his hotel room. However, when questioned, Moffatt denied ever giving Hastings the money, with forensic evidence also backing up his claim.
This suggests Moffatt is part of a conspiracy to fit Hastings up as H, so could he have been working with Corbett? Or perhaps he is in cahoots with H directly?
Will Hastings go down?
Final scenes of the episode saw Hastings arrested on suspicion of conspiring to murder Corbett, with newcomer Detective Chief Superintendent Carmichael later telling Arnott and Fleming she was determined to nail him for being H.
Hastings has certainly got his work cut out to try and prove the allegations are false, so will he end up going down - guilty or not?
Who is H?
Come on, we’ve waited long enough now. (Our money is still on Biggeloe, FYI).
Check out more theories here.
Line Of Duty concludes next Sunday at 9pm on BBC One with an extended 90 minute episode.