‘Line of Duty’ Recap: ‘Season 2, Episode 4’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

The true beauty of the crime drama is that at some point down the line, all will be revealed in regard to whatever crime our heroes are investigating. Because one cannot deny the audience answers and what separates the best crime stories out there from the everyday ones is how that reveal takes place. For if it is handled in a lazy fashion, then the reveal is a throwaway moment. But if one can do it in a surprising manner, the kind that takes the audience off guard, well then the story has accomplished something quite special, and to get an idea of how this is done in a masterful fashion, then look no further than last night’s episode of Line of Duty. Since it revealed all the answers we’ve been looking for, after lulling us into a false sense of security, by making it seem as though this case was going to continue to drag along.
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A feat that was accomplished by having DCC Dryden drop by AC-12 to do a formal interview with the branch, one that was supposed to shed some light on his relationship with Denton and how the pickup was leaked. But instead, it ended up becoming nothing more than a cheeky and sarcastic affair. One that made Arnott and Fleming’s work look like an outright joke, something that clearly embarrassed Hastings, despite the fact that he called it a fine interview. But without any information from this top cop, there was really little else for the team to go upon, and that prompted them to keep pouring over a case that was yielding nothing but dead ends at every single turn, and that’s precisely when the surprises started to come into play.

For Akers’ husband was picked up by AC-12’s rivals regarding some suspicious evidence involving a payoff and when confronted with the discovery, he finally admitted that his wife was on the take after all, and that he turned a blind eye to it and also that… Jayne had some flash drives hidden away. Which were filled to the brim with information in case something bad happened and those revealed some pertinent information in regard to the motive of Tommy’s death. For it would seem that his deal with the police was falling to pieces after some ugly statements from Dryden, and he was ready to sing about everyone, including Dot, and that prompted the division to dive a little deeper on Dryden and his dealings and that’s when things got real ugly, thanks to some additional investigation on Kate’s part.

Because Carly Kirk’s name came up in her examination of Dryden’s citation and a quick check on that particular case, revealed a network of crooked cops, and all of them were tied to the DCC in some form or fashion and it was quite horrifying to learn that such a prestigious and decorated officer is directing a group of peace officers to conduct illegal acts all over the city. Even going so far as to kill with impunity. For Carly Kirk was at the fundraiser that seemingly started this mess and there was also a tracking device on Akers’ car on that fateful night, and it was an officer tied to this network that brutally murdered DC Trotman and to make matters worse, it also means that AC-12 put the wrong officer away after all. Since Denton is clearly the patsy in this matter and to top it all off, her life is now in serious danger as well.

For a visit to her ailing and sickly mother, ended with her transport vehicle being damaged by Dryden’s lackeys and it didn’t take long for them to toss her in the truck of a car, and it really doesn’t get more dire than that and that is one hell of a way to end this particular tale. Because in essence, the stakes are now at their highest, since the very soul of the department is now on the line. Plus, it was nice that this episode took to reveal everything to us in rapid fire fashion and while this might be a download story, it’s a damn quality one for certain. Because every single reveal was powerful and stunning and horrifying and by laying it all on the table now, the story can now focus on the hunt for these rotten cops and it is going to be quite incredible and satisfying to see AC-12 bring these crooks down. Until next time.

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