Line of Duty wastes no time getting started – Series 5 Episode 1 Review

I like police dramas, but they come around so often that it can often be difficult to get particularly excited about specific shows. That’s how I know that Line of Duty is something special, because I don’t think I can remember the last time that I’ve anticipated the return of any show as much as I’ve been looking forward to this one. But, now in its fifth series, is Line of Duty starting to lose its magic?

Well, in typical Line of Duty fashion, there’s a hell of a lot to take in during this hour. With fond but foggy memories of the previous series’ that I watched over two years ago, I was worried that I wouldn’t be fully up to speed on what was going on with all the characters – and I mean all the characters from the show, past and present, what with Jed Mercurio’s habit of pulling us back to characters and plot points from years earlier.

In typical Line of Duty fashion, there’s a hell of a lot to take in during this hour

Thankfully, I was quickly reminded of key characters and details as they came into play, such as the balaclava man/group and Maneet’s corrupt shenanigans. But, despite picking up on these threads from the previous series, the episode opened up a very new world for us. I remember that the first episode of Series 4 back in 2017 left me incredulous to the point of disappointment. I didn’t have such doubts this time around, as I was intrigued by the new story that was being introduced.

In particular, the (apparent) central conceit of the series – an undercover officer who has gone too deep – immediately seems to have potential. My interest started to really develop when AC-12 were firewalled out of an undercover operation. This had all the makings of corruption that ran deep, and it felt like a different premise to what we’ve seen in the past. What’s more, I’m intrigued about the moral questions that all this is going to bring up. We’re not dealing with cover-up or blackmail (excessively familiar territory for the show) but with where to draw the line in a case that could potentially bring down a very deadly organised crime group.

The interview scenes of this episode, with an admittedly high bar to compete with, didn’t feel like the show’s gold standard

Don’t get me wrong, the line has clearly been crossed (although I’m hoping that the officer hasn’t actually changed sides, as that would be less interesting). This was underlined gruesomely enough in that final scene of Maneet’s execution. Poor Maneet. I knew her character was going to become more involved this series, but I absolutely didn’t expect things to escalate as quickly as they did here. I assumed that she’d be an inside mole for a while longer. I should’ve known better than to assume anything, shouldn’t I?

The interview scenes of this episode, with an admittedly high bar to compete with, didn’t feel like the show’s gold standard. Despite a fiery performance from Hastings and an undertone of betrayal, Maneet was too forthcoming for the interview to be particularly tense. Still, they whet the appetite for what will hopefully be the first of many uncomfortable scenes in that interview room. And we’re still greatly anticipating the explosive moment when the accused officer bypasses a question because the officer asking it is not at least one rank superior.

I absolutely didn’t expect things to escalate as quickly as they did here

I’m pleased to say that I guessed the final twist. I’ve learnt to be wary of jumping to conclusions of any sort with this show, and AC-12 were jumping to a conclusion by assuming that Lise was the undercover officer. I was very aware of the fact that there wasn’t yet concrete proof that she was undercover. What’s more, the idea of sending a woman undercover to infiltrate an all-male crime group was implausible. The police may well be progressive enough to believe a woman to be capable of such a thing, but they can hardly take for granted that a bunch of male hoodlums will think likewise and accept her as one of their own.

So, it’s a strong start for this new series of Line of Duty, and I look forward to seeing where things are going from here. I’m not yet fully obsessed with the new series, but I can confirm that the magic has not been lost.