Line of Duty fans have been sharing dozens of theories on everything ranging from who Jo Davidson thinks her father was to the identify of the final H.
And now some attentive viewers have suggested that DS Chris Lomax might have dropped a huge clue that he’s working for the OCG during Sunday night’s episode.
At the end of the latest instalment of series six, Lomax [Perry Fitzpatrick] was seen talking to a crime scene investigator- with some fans saying they recognised the very familiar pub name, The Red Lion, he wanted to head too.
Could it be? Line of Duty fans have suggested that DS Chris Lomax (middle) dropped a huge clue that he’s a bent officer during Sunday night’s episode
In the scene, Kate Fleming [Vicky McClure] and Steve Arnott [Martin Compston] are shown walking towards the unit on an industrial estate where Lomax is standing.
As they approach Lomax can be heard telling his colleague, who is wearing a full white crime scene suit, they could ‘be in the Red Lion by 8pm’.
He then updates Fleming and Arnott, who gives him a funny look, on what’s been discovered, saying: ‘There’s strong evidence of workshopping a firearms…
‘A preliminary report of matches between machinery here and markings on the firearms used in the Jimmy Lakewell ambush.’
Theory: Lomax [Perry Fitzpatrick] was seen talking to a crime scene investigator- with some fans saying they recognised the very familiar pub name, The Red Lion, he wanted to head too
Fleming and Arnott then order Lomax to arrange for the floor to be dug up, which he doesn’t seem very happy about sorting out.
Although a passing comment, many fans have suggested that Lomax’s mention of the Red Lion was actually a big clue placed to tip viewers off that he’s bent.
Sharing the theory on Reddit, user u/ross-stew wrote: ‘During the telephone call Chris Lomax was on before Steve and Kate approached him at the industrial unit, Chris finished the called by saying “meet you at the red lion at 8pm”.
‘Isn’t this the same pub Carl Banks boasted about the murder of Gail Vella before he was killed? Might be a OCG meeting ground.’
Considering the theory, one person replied: ‘Oooh I didn’t catch that. He seemed reluctant to get the floors dug up too.’
Trying to avoid? Fleming and Arnott then order Lomax to arrange for the floor to be dug up, which he doesn’t seem very happy about sorting out
Theory: Reddit user u/ross-stew pointed out that the Red Lion is the ‘same pub Carl Banks boasted about the murder of Gail Vella’ in before he was killed earlier in the series
Avid fans on Twitter also clocked the ‘Red Lion’ reference, with many saying something shady seemed to be happening with Lomax’s character.
One viewer penned: ’52:07 Lomax: “be in the red lion by 8″… So he’s a regular at the pub the CHIS was last seen alive in, and the same pub that they found the “witness” who was incriminating Terry Boyle… Definitely bent! #LineofDuty
Another wrote: ‘Lomax said “Meet you at the Red Lion”…..is that the same pub someone was boasting about killing Gail Vella at? An OCG haunt? #LineOfDuty’
While a third penned: ‘Also Chris Lomax is a bad ‘un. Drinking in the Red Lion where he found that dodgy Devereux to falsely ID Terry.
Jumping on the bandwagon: Dozens of other avid viewers agreed that it was strange for Lomax to be mentioning the pub that was already part of the murder investigation
‘Also also, Ryan’s mum was the one who dropped the charges against Devereux. Also also also, season 7 will be these 3 legends leading the new AC team’.
Adding to the debate, someone else tweeted: ‘Do we think Chris Lomax is a dodgy cop? Cause Kate and Steve left him to dig up what under the concrete in the ocg lockup!! Idk I just think he’s not as straight as we think #LineofDuty’
Others on Reddit weren’t 100 per cent convinced, with one person penning: ‘On the one hand, “The Red Lion” is the most common pub name in the UK.
‘On the other hand, Jed could’ve picked any other name for this line. Personally, I think Lomax isn’t bent and this line is just to get the hardcore sleuths discussing amongst themselves.’
Is it just a Jed Herring? Other viewers thought the Red Lion theory was too easy a giveaway and didn’t 100 per cent buy that Lomax is bent
And some viewers also gave Lomax the benefit of the doubt, suggesting he might just have been looking forward to an evening off work.
One person replied: ‘It’s more work isn’t it, he thought he was done for the evening and suddenly someone wants to dig the floor up.’
‘He says ‘could be in the Red Lion by eight, nice work’. To me this indicates they were expecting to finish up forensics and be off to the pub before 20:00,’ added another.
In episode three, Lomax discovered that CHIS Alastair Oldroyd was last seen in the Red Lion pub which lead him to ‘witness’ Deborah Devereux (Kerri McLean).
In character: In episode three, Lomax discovered that CHIS Alastair Oldroyd was last seen in the Red Lion pub which lead him to ‘witness’ Deborah Devereux
Part of the team: Lomax has been heavily involved in the Gail Vella investigation (pictured second left with Kate Fleming, DCI Ian Buckells and DCI Jo Davidson)
Lomax was then told to interview Devereux, with her telling the officer Oldroyd was involved in a confrontation and pointing them towards Terry Boyle (Tommy Jessop), who has Down’s Syndrome.
Terry, who has been used by the OCG and bent officer Ryan Pilkington [Gregory Piper] for years, is bought in for questioning about allegedly being at the pub.
Fleming later becomes suspicious about Devereux as a witness and discovers that DCI Ian Buckells, who is also potentially bent, managed to get charges against her dropped years earlier, meaning she would have owed him and is not reliable.
The new theory comes after a trailer released on Monday teased a very action-packed final episode this weekend.
Interview: Lomax’s investigations lead to Terry Boyle (Tommy Jessop) being interviewed
The trailer starts off with Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), who is facing imminent retirement, state: ‘All of these suspicious deaths were orchestrated by one officer in particular, H. The fourth man.’
Hastings’ powerful words went alongside flashbacks of the deaths of solicitor Jimmy Lakewell, police officer Lisa Patel, journalist Gail Vella and former Detective Inspector Marcus Thurwell- whom fans believe is still alive.
The trailer then shows acting Superintendent Jo Davidson (Kelly MacDonald) leaving the high-security prison in handcuffs, only to end up alone in a van with a corrupt prison officer who previously injured Lindsay Denton in series three.
Jo says: ‘What’s going on?’, before the camera flashes a sinister look from the prison officer.
A handwritten note is also teased in the trailer, with the word definite misspelt to mirror what viewers have seen previously.
Bring it on: Line Of Duty will be back on Sunday night and fans are eager to find out whether AC-12 will finally crack the case on the elusive H
Shock: And in a teaser released on Monday, viewers can be certain of an action-packed finale episode with a police standoff, the return of balaclava men and that ‘definately’ misspelling
AC-12: The trailer starts off with Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), state: ‘All of these suspicious deaths were orchestrated by one officer in particular, H. The fourth man’
A huge clue of the identity of H began to emerge in series five, when the OCG communicated with ‘H’ through a computer.
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to notice H spelling definitely as ‘definately’, and this misspelling has been repeated in subsequent episodes. Will this handwritten report be the breakthrough AC-12 need to close in on ‘the fourth man’?
It certainly seems Hastings and his team are on to something as police cars sped down the road, with armed officers closing in on a residential area during the trailer.
The Superintendent briefs DI Kate Fleming, DI Steve Arnott and DC Chloe Bishop as they arrive at the scene.
Hastings says: ‘AFO’s will secure the suspect down’, while the words ‘Every investigation has led to this… H’.
And it only gets more dramatic as balaclava men jump out of vehicles armed with guns themselves. Kate opens the police van, brandishes her gun and shouts: ‘armed police’ before the screen fades to black.
Fall from grace: The trailer then shows acting Superintendent Jo Davidson (Kelly MacDonald) leaving the high-security prison in handcuffs