Line of Duty Season 4 Episode 3 Review

This review is slightly late as I’ve been busier than AC-12 this week. (However, instead of crusading against corruption, I’ve merely been moving house.) Fortunately, there’s only one topic that warrants discussion in last week’s episode.

IS STEVE DEAD?!?

After chasing down the apparent weak link in Huntley’s story, her husband Nick, Steve is attacked out of nowhere and thrown down some stairs. The episode ends with him sprawled at the bottom, battered and bloody. His injuries look a hell of a lot worse than Huntley’s bash on the head that she miraculously recovered from.

Even worse for Steve, the writers seemed to have replaced him with the charming Jamie (Royce Pierreson). Line of Duty has never been squeamish about killing important characters off before but this would take it to new heights. If I had to put money on it, I’d say that we’ve probably seen the last of Steve and his pristine waistcoats.

There are a three people in the frame for the attack of Steve. One is Nick who Steve was on the way to see, but that requires him to have made a very quick change of clothes. The second is Jimmy Lakewell, the mysterious criminal attorney whose name has cropped up a few times. The final suspect is the elusive Balaclava Man, who was previously thought to be Tim Ifield. (But knowing writer Jed Mercurio, it could be someone completely different.)

Frustratingly, Steve’s attack came at a time when AC-12 seemed to be closing the loop on Huntley. They’d proved her car was in the vicinity of Ifield’s flat at the time of his death and they’d identified the dodgy blood sample. She’d also proved she was a worthy target to be taken down – charging the blatantly innocent Hana for Tim’s murder reeked of cruelty.

Here’s hoping they get her next episode… With or without Steve.

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