Warning: Spoilers
On Sunday night (2nd May), we saw the storyline of the last six series of BBC One’s police drama, Line of Duty, come to an end. The highly anticipated finale received mixed reviews from fans; perhaps not quite the action-packed sequence we were used to. Despite the absence of an “urgent exit required”, it’s time to unpack exactly why the series six finale was so excellent.
Over the last months, viewers have been wildly speculating over the identity of the elusive ‘H’, a storyline that creator, Jed Mercurio, has been mapping out since the show’s inception in 2012. After a suspense-filled beep from the DIR (digital interview recorder), DSU Ian Buckles (Nigel Boyle) was revealed as The Fourth Man. Like many, I was left a little underwhelmed as the infamous theme tune faded in, but after a second watch, I realised that Jed Mercurio’s artful writing had fooled me yet again.
Who is Ian Buckles?
“Holding him to account mid-series was the perfect way to misdirect viewers.”
“Bumbling” Buckles first appeared on our screens way back in series one, as the senior investigating officer of the Jackie Laverty case. Crucially, he was appointed by DCC Derek Hilton, who was the second member of ‘H’ to be unmasked. Later in series one, he appeared again, this time playing a round of golf with the top man in the OCG (organised crime group), Tommy Hunter. On top of this, Buckles was the one to allow Matthew ‘Dot’ Cotton to speak to Tommy Hunter in the back of the police van as the first series drew to a close; our first hint of the ongoing corruption in the force.
He made his return, first in series four, now promoted to DCI on the Roz Huntley case, and was accused of blowing Kate Fleming’s undercover operation. We saw his return in episode one of series six, as DSU on Operation Lighthouse. Right from the get-go, suspicions were aroused when a set of golf clubs were spotted in the corner of Buckles’ office. But the accusations subsided after he was arrested for his conduct. Holding him to account mid-series was the perfect way to misdirect viewers.
Misdirection and artful writing
“The fact that Buckles has been under our noses since 2012 is a testament to Jed Mercurio’s writing.”
So, why Buckles? When speaking on the BBC Sounds podcast, Obsessed with… Line of Duty, Jed Mercurio said: “It was really about the heritage of the series.” Whilst Chief Constable Philip Osbourne has also been around since series one, he only made his reappearance in the latest series, making him an underdeveloped character. The fact that Buckles has been under our noses since 2012 is a testament to the writing. Although ‘H’ isn’t the criminal mastermind we expected, perhaps Mercurio has made a different kind of commentary this time: how one person’s simple negligence can do a great deal of damage. Buckles’ own lack of integrity and low standards made him vulnerable to be groomed by the OCG, purely because the deal suited his own selfish ways.
“Line of Duty has always had an undertone of Mercurio’s own political statement on the world, and this series is no different.”
While I must admit I missed the edge-of-your-seat action in the final moments of the series, the finale offered what is arguably a much more honest picture of police corruption. Tweeting after the episode aired, Mercurio said: “We knew attempting to explore the real nature of corruption in our society wouldn’t appeal to everyone.”
It’s not villains like ‘The Caddy’ who damage the police force, it’s gullible fools like Buckles.
Real-life parallels
The show’s real-life echoes have been spotted many times before. Think back to series one when Steve Arnott testified in court to his unit’s shooting of an innocent man, Karim Ali. No police officer was prosecuted. This drew a parallel with the real-life shooting of Jean Charles De Menezes. The officer who was in charge of that operation, Cressida Dick is now chief of the Metropolitan Police. The fictional Karim Ali shooting was led by Philip Osbourne, the highest-ranking officer in the show. Line of Duty has always had an undertone of Mercurio’s own political statement on the world, and this series is no different. I think we can all think of a few Ian Buckles.
The end of the series?
“The series ended just as it all began way back on Wednesday nights on BBC Two.”
Of course, we can’t neglect the conclusions of the other storylines in the series, perhaps the most wholesome of these being Jo Davidson’s new witness protection life in the countryside. As well as this, we saw a strongbox being uncovered, holding weapons that incriminated Ryan Pilkington for the murder of Maneet Bindra and John Corbett, and Carl Banks for the murder of Gail Vella. Ted Hastings re-established his position as the moral compass of AC-12, as he absolves himself to Kate and Steve, before confessing his transgressions to Patricia Carmichael. Despite his fate still being unknown, the reformation of our crime-fighting trio tied up a loose end. Personally, the most satisfying moment came when the two corrupt prison wardens that attempted to transport Jo Davidson to her death were finally brought to justice and arrested. They’d been causing havoc since series two when they abused inmate, Lindsay Denton.
The series ended just as it all began way back on Wednesday nights on BBC Two; a headshot of DCI Tony Gates being packed into a storage box. There was something oddly sentimental about seeing the storyline come to a conclusion. “AC-12’s powers to curb wrongdoing in public office have never been weaker,” was the final caption we saw, leaving speculation as to whether we will get a series seven rife. 12.8 million UK viewers seems to warrant it, but we shall have to wait and see.
If you found yourself shouting “Is that it?!” at your television, I urge you to give the final episode a re-watch, maybe even all six series. Enjoy all of Jed Mercurio’s genius tricks that you missed.
Nicola Townsend
Featured image courtesy of Francois Olwage on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.