We’ll admit it: we feel a bit overwhelmed after that episode of Line Of Duty.
From PC Pilkington’s attempt on Boyle’s life, the murder of PC Patel and DI Fleming’s return to AC-12, to PS Jatri’s prison assault, DI Arnott’s discovery in Steph Corbett’s loft, DSU Buckells’ arrest and DCI Davidson’s illicit contact with the OCG, there was a hell of a lot to wrap your head around as the BBC drama continued on Sunday night.
With the story having now moved forward several paces, there are now even more questions we armchair detectives are in hot pursuit of answers to.
Here are the ones we’ve been left asking this week...
1. Is PCC Sindhwani “the fourth man”?
Superintendent Hastings was summoned to see DCC Wise and PCC Sindwhani over the way he had begun his investigation into Operation Lighthouse.
Sindwhani was adamant that Hastings should drop his obsession with police corruption, and specifically his pursuit of the artist formerly known as “H” – aka the fourth senior police figure in league with organised crime.
He also called murdered journalist Gail Vella a “lovely woman”, despite unused footage from her investigations – which were seen by AC-12 – revealing that the pair had actually clashed about police corruption in an interview, to the point where he walked out.
Do both of these signs point to Sindwhani being “the fourth man”?
2. Why isn’t anyone doing anything about Pilkington?
After Fleming reported to AC-12 about her suspicions that an attempt on Terry Boyle’s life was made, she and Arnott established the links Pilkington had to their previous investigation into DCI Tony Gates in series one.
She later questioned Pilkington and seemed unsatisfied with the answers he gave about the “accident”, so why is he still being allowed to serve as an officer?
Obviously they are biding their time, but surely there’s an immediate risk to life that would mean a formal investigation is needed ASAP?
3. What were all the glances between Fleming and Hastings about?
There were a lot of awkward looks between Fleming and Hastings during her visit to AC-12, and we couldn’t help but read into the nod she gave her former gaffer when she got in the lift and was out of sight of her former colleagues.
There’s a widespread fan theory that Fleming is actually deep undercover, on a mission that only Hastings knows about, and these glances certainly appear to play into this theory.
4. Is Davidson actually suspicious of Fleming?
There were also lots of looks from Davidson at Fleming that suggested she believes the former AC-12er is up to something.
She was subsequently seen stroking Fleming’s ego in what we reckon might have been an attempt to manipulate her into believing DSU Buckells’ guilt. Will Fleming be able to see through it?
5. Will Jatri start co-operating again?
PC Jatri was assaulted by a prison officer – presumably on the instruction of Davidson via the OCG – in an attempt to silence her, and she has since withdrawn her cooperation with the investigation into the burner phones found at her address. Will she stay silent?
6. Will Arnott disclose what he found in Steph Corbett’s loft?
We didn’t get to find out what exactly Bishop found when she looked into Steph and John Corbett’s accounts, but we’re assuming there was no trace of the “life insurance payment” Steph had mentioned, thus arousing Arnott’s suspicions and prompting his search of her house.
In her loft, Arnott discovered an envelope of cash that seemingly confirmed that Hastings paid Steph £50k after John’s death at the end of series five.
This was half the sum of the money corrupt former officer Mark Moffatt had given him when the ex DCI was part of the plot to frame Hastings as “H”.
Arnott will likely not have put all the pieces of the puzzle together yet, but he’s already suspicious of Hastings’ contact with Steph, so will he reveal what he’s found?
7. Why are Hastings and Steph still in contact?
She appears to still living off the original £50k he gave her, so it seems unlikely she is in contact with him to extort more money out of him. This means there must be another reason why they are still in touch – so what is it? Could Hastings have been Corbett’s father after all?
8. Is Hastings setting Arnott up?
It appeared Hastings ordered the first surprise drugs test for AC-12 as a nudge for Arnott to clean up his act, having spared him from the list of people to test. However, when they turned up again, Arnott was the first person the testers came for.
Did Steph tip Hastings off again – this time about Arnott spending the night at her house – and he has set Arnott up to stop him getting to the truth about his and Steph’s arrangement (whatever that might be)?
9. Will Arnott lose his job?
We didn’t actually see Arnott take his drugs test, so he still might manage to wriggle out of having to do it. And we know from a hidden treasure hunt clue that was hidden in an on-screen QR code that the top police bosses are eying up Arnott to replace Hastings as the head of AC-12.
10. Is Davidson framing Buckells..?
Some of the evidence against DSU Buckells – claims he pulled strings to disclose the identity of CHIS Alistair Oldroyd and the missing case files on Vella’s murder that were found in the boot of his car – were all things that Davidson could have had a hand in.
We already know that it was actually Davidson who “messed up” the surveillance authority during raid at Beechwood House, having asked Buckells for ‘Directed Surveillance Authority’ instead of the ‘Intrusive Surveillance Authority’ she actually needed. Plus, her later contact with the OCG certainly pointed to her fitting him up.
11. ...Or is Buckells also in league with the OCG, but pinning all involvement on him to save herself?
It appears Buckells was responsible for Pilkington’s hire into MIT, having links to his family, while he previously crossed paths with the witness who identified Boyle as the man Oldroyd was speaking to at the pub. Both of these appear to suggest there’s at least some level of corruption on Buckells’ side.
Is it the case that Buckells and Davidson are working with the OCG together, but she offered him up to AC-12 in order to stop them sniffing around her?
12. Who was Davidson talking to on her laptop?
It’s been a while since we’ve seen the OCG’s dark communication system, with Davidson in contact with a mystery assailant insisting things were “all under control now”.
Could she have been speaking directly to “the fourth man”?
Line Of Duty continues on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.