Line of Duty series 3

Thanks wilma. I haven't seen Series 1 to make the link between Tommy, "The Caddy" and Dot, so that's helpful.

I agree about Denton and her capacity for violence. It doesn't make her guilty, though, necessarily. I'd like to have seen more of the trial, and the basis on which she was found guilty; to me, the evidence was mainly circumstantial. Unless I've missed something (probably).

The link between the 1st and 2nd series is Tommy Hunter. He was the gangster that Gates (Lennie James) was working for (under duress). Gates is the police officer under investigation in the 1st series. Dot is Tommy's inside man aka The Caddy because he used to caddy for Tommy as a teenager. Dot told Tommy how to avoid getting arrested and it involved him turning informer. The way things turned out, Tommy's evidence was never used.

At the start of the 2nd series, we see Tommy being moved to a new safe location and Denton (Keeley Hawes) in the lead car taking a diversion from the agreed route. The two cars are then ambushed, leaving Denton as the only survivor. Denton is the police officer under investigation in the 2nd series. She is found guilty of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Dot gets seconded to AC12 in the 2nd series and the fox is in the hen house. The secondment is made permanent at the end of the series. The fox now lives in the hen house. Dot masterminded the murder of Tommy and his minder police officer Jayne Akers.

So now in series 3, we see Denton appealing against her sentence and Tommy's name on Danny's list. All 3 series are linked. It is confusing, so hope this helps.

PS Anybody who thinks Denton is innocent should remember what she did to the Asian police officer in the car park when she was on the run. I've heard of road rage, but this was way beyond that.

It was a surprise when Keeley Hawes appeared, especially as she'd previously said she was only in the 2nd series. What a brilliant twist linking her in this way to this series, appealing against the outcome of first trial. I don't think she's innocent, not anymore and she can cause havoc in or out of jail.

Dot is such bad guy. And another great twist seeing Tommy Hunter's name on the list - link 2 with the 2nd series. Dot is about as bent as a copper can get and now he's working in AC12 on a permanent basis and senior to Steve and Kate, who knows what he will get up to?

I think anyone who's not watched the other series will struggle to understand the significance of what happens. This series is going to be great if we're seeing twists like these so early on.

Thank Goodness for G N! I had not watched the first two series, so I was totally befuddled when a whole gaggle of new characters popped up out of nowhere. I even wondered if I was beginning to loose my faculties, and Alzheimer's was lurking around the corner, waiting to pounce.
It's hardly worth trying to imagine what might have happened in the past, so I'll just have to give the rest a miss. Pity, I was enjoying it.?

Just had a look on line - it was series two with Keely Hawes - series one was about th black policeman who committed suicide at the end rather than lose everything.
I see they are starting to film series four in the summer- by the end of that we will all be confused!

I think that Keely Hawes was in the first series as 2014 was mentioned and yes it is an appeal. She didn't actually kill the people but because of the phone call was there. I think if she had known what was to happen she would have been a lot slower responding to the call to miss the action!

Maybe it is just easier if you didn't see the earlier one. I thought Lindsay was innocent- having had no previous knowledge and meeting her for the first time.

I felt the same about Keeley Hawes, gettingonabit - she's very convincing in the rather dowdy and ratty haired role of Lindsay, but don't usually like her.

I apologise for misleading you all! I thought the last series was the end of that case but clearly it wasn't!
I'm nearly as confused as some of you because even though I saw the last series, I can't remember all the details!
Sorry folks.

ana I'm hoping she'll be found to be innocent too. She's heavily implicated though; she was manipulated into taking the 50k from Akers, and the cash was subsequently found. I'm really confused, though, as to what real evidence other than circumstantial they have as to her motive for killing the others in the ambush.

Hopefully that'll come out in this series.

I was pleased to see her back. I couldn't believe it was Keeley Hawes. I don't normally like her in things but she's good in this.

One thing I don't understand about the Denton case: is this the first trial or is she appealing? I'm getting the impression that she's trying to claim the conviction is unsafe due to breach in procedures (to do with her involvement with Arnott).

There must be a connection between Dot and the first case. I had no idea he was bent (although everyone else is, so why not)?.

And Kate is the most unsubtle undercover cop ever.

I still think Lindsay is innocent!

A lot of the case against her was that she was present when there was the car crash/ stopped and the police shot and she survived but she was not meant to be there as either was not on duty or not for that particular role that night. She received a call from the call centre asking her if she would respond as the officer who should have responded was not available for some reason.
I remember her having a lot on her plate with the mother being in a home and very ill in the first series and then she died.
I have watched all the episodes but feel I need to go back to the first one and watch again to revise and understand all nuances!!

Maybe I wouldn't have much idea had I had the previous 11hours of story!

It did seem very unlikely that the policeman (can't remember his name) would have shot himself - why there, and why then? And all the other cops lied and then changed their stories when Will Mellor's character was found hanging and blamed him instead.

I don't think Dot's name was on the list, but no idea why he burned it...

Whew!! its very complicated I've watched it and I'm sure there is stuff I didn't quite get.
Very briefly leaving loads out Lindsey is in prison for conspiring to kill a man in witness protection (Tommy Hunter) at first it seemed she was innocent but then everything changed and she was guilty . This was her appeal against her conviction at first Renton thought she was innocent and being framed but in the end they had us believing she was a manipulative murderer. (still not quite sure on that one).
You're guess is as good as mine as to why the policeman shot himself (if he did) he was abused by the two men he murdered but whether he killed himself or not I don't know. The officer who burned the list is in with all the corruption in the 2nd series but I don't know why her burned the list maybe his name was on it?

As I said its terribly complicated and I am not sure of a lot of the things going on yet.

I have just started watching this for the first time and undwrstood what was going on without any real knowledge of the back story.

It didn't stand alone. I am just annoyed that they let one and a half episodes go by before we found out that we hadn't a clue what was happening. If it was obvious in the first 10 mins I wouldn't have watched.

It needed a recap first. In my paper it said it was episode 1 and there was no mention that it was episode 12. Who on earth would start watching something if they missed the first 11 episodes and they were vital to understand it?!
A lot of dramas you can see series 3 because what happened before isn't important.
How are we supposed to know what the court case was about, why Linsay Denton was in prison or why the officer committed suicide? From the synopsis there appears to be a hit and run at some point. Who is Tommy Hunter and why was the list burnt.
Whoever wrote the synopsis on Wikepedia was useless!
I haven't time to watch 11 episodes before next week. Can anyone do a simple, straight forward synopsis?

I was just fortunate I'd watched the whole of 2nd series at the weekend but I agree it would of been very annoying if I hadn't know who Lindsey was. I thought someone said each series was stand alone and we didn't need to catch up 1 and 2!

I totally agree.

I just feel miffed to have 1and a half hours of a story that was easy to follow, and stood alone, and suddenly it all switches to people you don't know and at that point you realise there is a back story ! Had it been obvious at the start I wouldn't have watched.

they all

I was actually glad when Lindsay reappeared - it's not been the same without her somehow...

I can't believe how corrupt the all seem to be, though!

I watched last week and thought it good, I was fine until half way through last night and then suddenly we got a character I had never seen and a mystifying court case. I think that it should have been explained that you needed to have seen previous episodes- I had assumed that we were starting a new story. I read a synopsis of the last 2 series and it is all as clear as mud! I don't know whether to carry on.