The sun is shining, the leaves on the trees are bursting forth and I have discovered a few very tiny buds on my vine which had been seriously cut back some weeks ago.  I feared it might have died. But no. Appearances can be deceptive! There are signs of life. I have been deeply involved in an essay this week which I suspect has satiated my desire to write. But having now reached week eighteen of this blog I cannot let my readers down!!  So whilst I wait for the lasagne to cook I will sit here with my glass of red and hope for inspiration.

After months of Brexit and weeks of Covid it is wonderful that one of the main talking points of this  week has been the final episode of  the popular BBC police drama ‘Line of Duty’. For anyone reading from outside the UK, this has been a long running series about corruption in the police force. It began in 2012 and there have been six series. There were an estimated 13 million viewers last Sunday evening. In the days of box sets and streaming on demand it has become increasingly rare for so many people to sit and watch the same thing at the same time. There was something rather cathartic about sharing an experience of something which really did not matter!

The writer, Jed Mercurio, tantalised viewers with cliff hangers and various red herrings as we tried to fathom out for ourselves the ring leaders in this underworld of corruption. Along the way three of these characters have been uncovered and the final episode would  reveal the fourth.  We sat with bated breath as the camera panned onto each of our heroes as they looked on at the mystery fourth man. Finally he was revealed. Oh!  It was him? What a disappointment.

 There has been much discussion about this ending!  I have to admit to feeling let down at the final revelation as I wanted it to be someone higher up the pecking order or someone I had already decided to dislike!  However, I suspect we are not done yet and room is being left for yet further episodes!  I also realised how little I actually could remember of previous series and how little I really understood of what was going on!  I’m sure I am not alone in this. So my opinion is ill informed!  One friend tells me that she watched each episode twice to ensure that she really had understood exactly what was going on.  I heard of another woman who  took notes so that she would not forget.

The story presents us with three main ‘goodies’ although at times we have questioned the motives of each. They are our heroes, fighting for truth and integrity. Then there are a variety of other characters, some are trapped and behave badly out of fear, some are victims and some are just rotten apples.  And we love it!  It would seem that we are somewhat addicted to this genre of drama.  Recently I have become hooked on past episodes of ‘Silent Witness’ which I have to say I enjoy more. It’s equally grim, being set in a forensic pathology lab. but it does not require the recall of a complex story line from previous series. We  are treated to the sight of dead bodies being subjected to  meticulous scrutiny and dissection  by the steely Sam Ryan. It is always ultimately the attempt to work out ‘who did it?’ which brings the satisfaction. I am only on series six and I understand there are twenty four series in total so that should keep me going for a few months, if not years! 

I am going to desist this week from making any philosophical or psychological observations about the nature of corruption in the police or in politics, our liking for detective drama or the cathartic role of such programmes. Instead I will say I am looking forward to the new BBC drama at 9.00pm this Sunday. ‘The Pursuit of Love’ staring the delightful Lily James is an adaptation of a novel by Nancy Mitford and is described as a dark satire on the British ruling class. Roll on Sunday evening!!