Operation Pear Tree

"Line of Duty" is a work of fiction. Consequently undercover police officers are not primarily targeting trade unions, peace and environmental campaigns. Instead they are involved in the rather more hazardous activity of infiltrating OCG. That is one of many acronyms in the series and stands for "Organised Crime Gang."

The series is full of unexpected twists and turns which, as in previous series, keep the viewers on the edge of their seats.

It addresses the issue of how far an undercover officer has to act like a criminal in order to infiltrate a gang. They would be spotted and probably killed if they failed to join in with robberies but what about killing other police officers to gain credibility?

A year ago I watched 4 seasons and liked it though on rewatch the above headline occurred to me. Top tier guest stars along with the narrative momentum takes you pass the preposterous plot contrivances. The self righteous tone is almost intolerable on re-viewing. It occurs to me now the story momentum cannot accommodate humor or any sort of distraction into true humanity. I wasn't a '24' fan and this feels like a that. Once U know what happens rewatching is pointless. Ridiculous amounts of tech emphasize the inhumanity. Mark Crispin Miller wrote that our dominant culture most admires robots. I think it's a valid observation.

I feared that the success of Bodyguard may have turned Mercurio's attention away from Line of Duty, fortunately not the case, as the fifth series opens with a barnstorming episode.

They of course present a terrific, gritty story, we're already lost in a layered complex plot, we of course have great characters, and top performances, but it's the show's ability to shock that once again wins through.

Stephen Graham was awesome as always. This is going to be another awesome series. 9/10

Weaker than previous series openers. Less dramatic and engaging.

Lots of familiar faces which is off putting making you wonder which shows they have been in before and the actors are wearing much more make up than previously.

With its track record, it is worth continuing. A good job this isn't the pilot episode of a series of I might switch off.

AC12 attempt to investigate the deaths of three police officers but are obstructed by an undercover operation.

This is a strong start to series 5 that hooks the audience well.

It sets the scene with solid introductions to new faces and updates to the lives of the main characters. I find the investigation to be intriguing from the opening scene and as certain scenes link to the overarching series narrative it gets even better.

There are some key aspects of the story, particularly regarding the identity of a certain individual, that I personally find very predictable. This is not necessarily a negative, as it can be fun to guess what's coming in a plot.

All the main actors are on great form as always and Stephen Graham is a great addition to the cast.