If you thought last week’s Line of Duty cliffhanger was dramatic, then you’ll have been left gripping the edge of the sofa when the credits for tonight’s (April 18th, 2021) episode rolled.
“Drop the f**king gun!” Kate (Vicky McClure) screamed at the villainous Ryan (Gregory Piper) as the two found themselves in a standoff, following a setup by the corrupt Jo (Kelly Macdonald).
The shouting between the pair continued and then… we cut to black. Two gunshots were heard and that famous Line of Duty theme music kicked in before we were left bellowing ourselves at the names of the stars who had made the episode happen.
So, who got shot at the end of this week’s episode? We can't say for sure, but here are some of the most likely outcomes…
Kate got shot twice
Could it be that Ryan shot Kate and then took another shot just to make sure he got the job done? It’s very possible. It could also be the case that Ryan has shot her once, before Jo also sent a bullet flying towards who we thought could be her potential love interest, making sure that she would no longer be under the clutches of the organised crime group (OCG) by ending Kate’s life.
Our least favourite theory, because it would likely mean that there’s only a slim chance of Kate coming out of this encounter alive! Possible, but not what we want to see happen.
Ryan got shot twice
What we hope happened is that Ryan got shot twice - either by Kate who plugged two bullets into him, or by both Kate and Jo.
It’s not unfeasible to think that Jo would be carrying a concealed weapon with her at all times; she’s got the OCG constantly on her back and has one of the most extensive locking schemes on her front door, so she’s got to be strapped up in case of a sneak attack.
Though this could have happened, it’s not what we think is most likely. That instead goes to…
Kate and Ryan both shot one another
The most obvious outcome is that both Kate and Ryan shot one another at pretty much the same time. Their guns were both pointing towards the other, so it would’ve taken some time for them to point elsewhere and fire off a round. Still, in saying that, there was a short delay between the first gunshot and the second, so perhaps…
Kate shot Ryan, then Ryan shot Jo
What if Kate took a shot at Ryan, he stumbled and fell and turned his gun on Jo so that she couldn’t give any information she may have on the OCG to the authorities? It would make sense; if Ryan thinks he’s on his way out and is about to meet his maker, then his loyalty to the OCG would have been at the front of his mind.
Ryan shot Kate before Jo shot Ryan
If Ryan didn’t heed Kate’s advice to “drop the f**king gun”, it’s likely that he shot her. If that did indeed happen and Kate instantly slumped to the ground, could Jo have taken out a concealed weapon to put Ryan down? It would give her the perfect opportunity to try and cover up the whole situation, saying that she arrived on the scene just as Ryan took his shot at Kate, so she had to put him down. With no surveillance on the pair, it might just see her escape the clutches of justice once more…
Ryan shot Kate, then shot Jo
The most unlikely of the scenarios we’ve explored here, but still not completely out of the realm of possibility. Could creator Jed Mercurio really let Ryan get away with shooting both Kate and Jo, without seeing him take a bullet himself? We wouldn’t put it past him; he’s been known to take the least-expected narrative path in the past!
Whilst there are other scenarios that could have taken place, it’s one of these that we think we’ll see the aftermath of when Line of Duty makes its return next week.
Bring on the next episode; this wait is going to be excruciating!
Line of Duty Series 6 continues on BBC One, Sundays at 9pm. Watch the series so far on BBC iPlayer.
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