‘Line of Duty’ Recap: ‘Season 2, Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

​There are a great many elements about the human condition that outright pique our curiosity. But of the many that populate our minds, one that stands out above all else is an age-old question, in that, what is it that drives good people to do such horrible things to one another? Because we are a species that has demonstrated great beauty, yet we are capable of such cruel acts and truly, the best place to explore what motivates us to turn our backs on our brethren is fiction. Because within the framework of a story, we can carefully dive into the steps that bring someone to acts of evil and one show that excels at this particular exploration is the AMC/BBC America series, Line of Duty.
 
For this particular series takes the time to examine what turns some police officers into criminals, which is a fascinating concept to say the least, since law enforcement officers should represent the best of us. But they are human beings as well, and they too falter and thus far, the series has taken the time to explore how ego can aid in a good man’s downfall, since DCI Tony Gates’ tragic story arc saw him fall from grace simply because he believed his standing as the force’s finest officer made him invincible and powerful. But with his story now in the books, the time has come for season two to find new ways to examine how good peace officers manage to let darkness in, and the season two premiere wasted no time in exploring such matters in explosive fashion. 
 
Because the opening moments of this new tale, sees DI Lindsay Denton come under fire for botching a critical rescue operation. One that should have brought an important witness on an equally important case to safety, but instead, the whole thing ended in the death of three police officers and a badly wounded witness and well, at first glance it doesn’t seem as though DI Denton is going to be the focus of this show’s exploration on how officers stumble and fall. Because she is instead, a victim in many ways. For she’s fallen on hard times, finds herself persecuted by her coworkers for her mistakes and lives a lonely life with nothing to look forward to outside of work. Facts that prompt DS Arnott and his new partner DC Georgia Trotman, to look elsewhere in regard to how this operation was leaked to the wrong people.
 
But as it turns out, there is more to Denton than meets the eye. For the sorrow she’s currently experiencing in life is slowly turning her soul into something sour, and minute by minute, she’s beginning to abuse her power as an officer in order to purge her fury. And to make matters worse, it would seem that she was indeed involved in the sabotage of this ruined rescue operation after all. For once DC Fleming gets involved in the case, she discovers that Denton has called the hospital and that means trouble for the witness. Which led to the most stunning sequence of this particular tale. Because once Arnott and Trotman arrive to check on the witness, they discover an assassin that is working hard to kill the witness. And after knocking Steve out and tossing Georgia out of a window, he’s successful in his endeavor and all this death is a direct result of the fact that Denton is keeping some ugly secrets.
 
What those are exactly, will likely be revealed at a later time. For this series does an amazing job of providing its audience with answers, so there’s no need to speculate at the moment. Instead, it is best we celebrate one phenomenal season premiere. Because this one did a fine job of setting up this season’s mystery in an organic and natural fashion. For it really did feel like a logical extension to last season, and it is nice to see that both Arnott and Kate have settled into their roles in AC-12 and are as human as ever, since Steve actually explored romance in this tale while Kate explored infidelity. In the end however, it’s just wonderful that AMC wasted no time in airing the second season of this dynamic series, so that we can once again enjoy a powerful crime drama that offers so much more. And it is going to be quite a treat to see what Steve and Kate uncover about another crooked cop since this mystery, looks to be more complex than the mess that Tony Gates made for himself. Until next time.  

---