Line of Duty - Series 6

fevertree

SusieWoosie However, if nothing changes hands but people keep quiet when the problems emerge to save their own skin ( and bonuses) what do we call this? Not incompetence but a form of corruption?

In my book, it is the latter (a form of corruption).

Yes I agree - corruption comes in many forms and guises doesn’t it and is perhaps most invidious when it passes for something else and so goes unrecognised and unacknowledged.

shandi6570

I'm probably a lone voice but I felt as though the ending was feeble because originally it was written differently with a big bang ending.

When it became obvious that viewers didn't want the programme to end it was changed hastily to leave it open for a possible future series, hence the bitty unsatisfactory finish.

That is definitely my theory ?

This is an interesting theory, and could well be the case.

Parsley3

I thought this series was disjointed and the socially distanced scenes were fairly obvious. In the end it was the bumbling fool who was giving the orders but as he insisted he was just passing on the message and the real decisions were being made by someone else. As if anyone would be taken in by a bumbling fool. Oh wait.
Just a thought though, is he any relation to Fred Buckles in Call the Midwife.

I thought so too. Very wet ending with all sorts of dangling bits left to sort out. And why did Ted walk out so easily? He had nothing to go to; his ex-wife having got the lot. And Carmichael? What was she hiding?
Nah, not happy at all. Very unsatisfactory ending.

Atqui

The weather?

The only good part of it was that it came to light that Ted was John Corbett's father.
As Alegrias said, he wasn't John Corbett's father.

I think he had said way back that he met Anne-Marie when she already had the 'wee boy'

Thanks for confirmation Alegrias.
I find the Radio Times update is very good when I have missed something. ( especially as I only started watching at Series 5). What shall we talk about next Monday?!

SusieWoosie However, if nothing changes hands but people keep quiet when the problems emerge to save their own skin ( and bonuses) what do we call this? Not incompetence but a form of corruption?

In my book, it is the latter (a form of corruption).

I thought this series was disjointed and the socially distanced scenes were fairly obvious. In the end it was the bumbling fool who was giving the orders but as he insisted he was just passing on the message and the real decisions were being made by someone else. As if anyone would be taken in by a bumbling fool. Oh wait.
Just a thought though, is he any relation to Fred Buckles in Call the Midwife.

Whitewavemark2

Yes I think it has definitely ? left us hanging.

Buckles is too young to be her father.

He isn’t H - bet a dollar on it.

Buckells managed to persuade Jo that the head of the OCG was her father; whether it was Fairbanks or not who was her father and the head of OCG was still unclear, I thought.

Although she was Buckells's boss, he was manipulating her.

I think you may be right about the ending shandie

Despite taking on board the many comments on here, I still think it was an anticlimax and didn’t live up to the rest of the series. The drama played out effectively what may indeed be occurring in RL, but I want entertainment as well as credibility. Buckles just didn’t cut it for me.

Hastings said at the end he was appealing against his compulsory retirement, so watch this space. BBC are up against it these days so need to keep their audience happy.

NanKate

Kate’s hair style was fab.

No lockdown hair for Kate!

I am left wondering if Buckells lived in that house which was owned by a company registered in the Cayman Islands - if so how come none of his fellow officers had been alerted to the fact that that type of house was way above his pay grade? Surely they would know where fellow officers lived and that would arouse immediate suspicions?

I still think someone else higher up was directing him.

Ted is not John Corbett's father. Quote from Jed Mercurio:

No, Hastings was not Anne-Marie McGillis's babydaddy.

As Mercurio points out, "if you look at the ages [of the various characters], that's not physically possible, because it would mean that Ted had fathered John before he'd even met [Corbett's mother] Anne-Marie".

Emily 49, love the wee donkey

Ted was Corbett’s father? Oh, I am dim, didn’t register that

I think there may have been another ending involving James Nesbit but Covid struck and they had to work within the rules, so they killed him off and made do with what was left using actors that were already working on the series. I didn't mind it. It did explain why Buckles was in the cell when the solicitor was killed-checking things were done.

Never been so disappointed with an ending. The only good part of it was that it came to light that Ted was John Corbett's father. I was so glad about that because there was no way Ted could have been dodgy. There must be another series in the offing as that ending was so inconclusive and there was something not quite right about it.

I'm probably a lone voice but I felt as though the ending was feeble because originally it was written differently with a big bang ending.

When it became obvious that viewers didn't want the programme to end it was changed hastily to leave it open for a possible future series, hence the bitty unsatisfactory finish.

That is definitely my theory ?

The most rubbish ending of a good series that I have ever watched.The writer had obviously no idea how to end it all so went for the easy (and lame) option. Shan’t waste my time watching any further LOD if any more are made.
The best days of it have gone and Jed Mercurio should call it a day and move onto other things.
In fact this series was the weakest all round from the get go.
There’s a good reason that there shouldn’t be too many in a series and this illustrates it.

I agree suziewoozie

cornergran

Disappointment here too. Nicely set up for another series perhaps without Ted

I’m going to nail my colours to the mast here - no further series. It’s all been said, there is no hope.

Disappointment here too. Nicely set up for another series perhaps without Ted

Exactly Iam64. I can't remember the line exactly, but Hastings said something about incompetent people being promoted way beyond their capabilities, and nobody questioning it.

I'm surprised nobody is mentioning the bit where Hastings came back and "admitted" to Carmichael what had happened about him giving away the existence of the UCO. He could have kept quiet about it, and Kate and Arnott would have kept quiet too. But he realised that telling Carmichael was the right thing to do, so maintained his integrity while all those senior officials had lost theirs.

Mother of God, its Shakespearean.

fevertree

Whitewave I agree with you. Watching this episode last night, the similarities with the Post Office disgrace kept creeping into my thoughts - was that due to incompetence? cover ups (i.e. corruption)? (e.g. it was known the IT programme was full of bugs) and definitely, power.

Interesting post. I think the issue about corruption and/ or incompetence is worth exploring. With the PO it would imo definitely ( see what I did there ?) be corruption if the decision to buy the Horizon software was because the person making the decision received cash/favours so for doing. It would also be corruption if the software was properly selected with no favours but if when the problems emerged, someone was paid off to keep quiet. However, if nothing changes hands but people keep quiet when the problems emerge to save their own skin ( and bonuses) what do we call this? Not incompetence but a form of corruption? The third possibility is just sheer incompetence - the problem ran away with them and they just panicked and kept trying to deny it/ minimise it or cover it up.
I think this is what LOD was all about last night - what is going on?

LoD is the best series we’ve had in years.
I didn’t find the final episode in series 6 disappointing.

Evil, corruption/bullying/coercive control to thrives in organisations, families and countries when people stop caring. Narcissistic people rise to the top by power of their self belief, lack of honesty and disregard for anyone other than themselves. Bumbling Buckles - we have Bumbling B on our TVs every day. Hiding in plain sight.
As others have said, the finale mirrors life, with powerful, corrupt people getting away with it

I've heard that there'll be a Christmas spin off starring Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey ?