Line of Duty: Questions about Buckells.

What do we know? We know that the OCGs was effectively united by Tommy Hunter, and that the united OCG, fearing Hunter selling them out, had him killed. (A common theme of Jed Mercurio’s, by the way: subordinates turning on their boss).

We know that Hunter had put Dot Cotton and Jo Davidson into Central Police, and that he created a network of corrupt or compromised officers to forward his criminal activities.

We know that there was a group of public officials (Councillors and police) including Fairburn involved in a coverup of sexual abuse in the Sands View children’s home.

We also know that the MIT investigating (badly) the murder of Lawrence Christopher included future Chief Constable Osborne, Thurwell and Buckells, and that Tommy Hunter’s son was a suspect.

We know that Buckells gave instructions to John Corbett and Lisa McQueen and Jo Davidson, and brought Ryan Pilkington into the police and then the Gail Vella MIT.

But here are the questions I still have:

Does Buckells have control over Osborne, and if so, how? Dismantling AC-12 and retiring Hastings are both actions that help Buckells.

Why is the commissioner so weak and paralysed over AC-12’s dismantling?

Is there still a well-resourced operating OCG under Buckells’ control which murdered Thurwell in Spain (assuming it is actually Thurwell’s body), faked Kate’s signature on the Davidson production order, and arranged the attack on the van supposedly carrying her?

Finally, what do we make of the scene when Jimmy Lakewell is strangled in front of Buckells in the prison? Buckells is shaking, possibly from fear, or is he playing the role of a frightened man in front of an assassin he has ordered to kill Lakewell but who doesn’t know he’s actually speaking to his own boss? It all makes the idea of Buckells as a corrupt but incompetent last man standing winner of a criminal tontine difficult to accept.

Unless, of course, Buckells himself has a superior, which is much more credible.

Or have I missed something?

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