MovieChat Forums > Line of Duty (2012) Discussion > Dot getting away with it (SPOILERS)

Dot getting away with it (SPOILERS)

posted 9 years ago by HarveyManfredSinJohn
16 replies | jump to latest

Am I the only one who kind of wanted to see Dot get away with it yet again?

Admittedly, the fact he was covering for particularly heinous child abusers rather than any other type of (still evil but not as evil) criminal does render his 'naughty' exploits somewhat less loveable. But I loved how cocky he was during Steve's interview. I like and empathise with Steve's decency and relate to his character (certainly a lot more than I do Dot...otherwise I'd be a sociopath) but there was something so entertaining and even perversely satisfying about the way Dot kept evading his closest colleagues with his perpetual BS and sleazy faux-innocence.

In real-life one wants to see such scumbags brought to justice; but in a show like this it's kind of fun to see how far and for how long they can keep getting away with things.

RIP:
David Bowie (1947-2016)
Alan Rickman (1946-2016)
Prince (Rogers Nelson) (1958-2016)

[–] Prismark10 9 years ago

I just did not know how Dot thinks he was going to get away with it after that daring escape.

He was going to be the most wanted cop in Britain and his handlers would just kill him.

It's that man again!!

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 9 years ago

He was going to be the most wanted cop in Britain and his handlers would just kill him.

I as surprised when his handlers didn't bump him off instead of trying to whisk him away to freedom and presumably a fake passport/exit out of the country.

He was no longer useful to them, and was in fact a liability since he could only blow their cover now that he was himself exposed. And this being scumbag criminals I wouldn't expect them to be loyal. It's not as if they'd have a pension plan for police plants.

RIP:
David Bowie (1947-2016)
Alan Rickman (1946-2016)
Prince (Rogers Nelson) (1958-2016)

[–] sluggr-2 9 years ago

Yeah, I expected the Rover to peel away from Kate, and as she regained her senses, to have it stop 50 yards down the street and see the door open and Dot's body come tumbling out. There literally is no upside to him staying alive at this point, unless he has made it clear there is info which will be released in the event of an untimely death.

As is, the most unbelievable part of the series was her hitting the Rover with a single shot from a G36. I was amazed the one cop even hit the other one close quarters. They are pretty much the last thing you'd want in a gunfight. Every agency in the US who had them went back to AR's within a year, and I guess the UK got them cheap

I think my percentage of Chimp DNA is higher than others. Cleaver Greene

[–] benjamin-twist 9 years ago

It's a shame Cottan's dead as he was a good character. I was hoping that he would still be alive and they would spend series four trying to unravel all that he had covered up.

[–] oakcourt 9 years ago

I honestly thought his escape looked really amateur - he looked silly. Good finale though.

Don't be late, don't hesitate, this dream can pass just as fast as lightning.

[–] omumaomuma5-960-923485 9 years ago

He was not fully prepared for how it played out.

'For His mercies endures forever ' - Psalms

[–] sokeyt 9 years ago

Dot is a very satisfying villain. There's so much fun to be had out of his cunning and slyness.

Forget it Jake. It's Chinatown.

[–] HarveyManfredSinJohn 9 years ago

Dot is a very satisfying villain. There's so much fun to be had out of his cunning and slyness.

Exactly.

The sad thing is, with his sharpness, tenacity and ability to suss people out, he might have made a great clean cop. I kind of wanted to see him get away for a while playing at being straight seeing as he had quit his handlers.

RIP:
David Bowie (1947-2016)
Alan Rickman (1946-2016)
Prince (Rogers Nelson) (1958-2016)

[–] cb-114 9 years ago

The brilliance of Dot and DC Nigel Morton was they both initially came across as complete planks and typical "old school" cops.

However, as each season progressed, their sheer cunning and deviousness was slowly revealed.

Craig Parkinson (Dot) and Neil Morrissey (Nige) really did an excellent job of portraying some of the best "bent coppers" in British history.

[–] omumaomuma5-960-923485 9 years ago

Agreed about Nige. Disability my foot.

'For His mercies endures forever ' - Psalms

[–] Prismark10 9 years ago

'Agreed about Nige. Disability my foot. '

I think in series 2 we see Nigel run away from Dot without his walking stick.

It's that man again!!

[–] nowhereman1-1 9 years ago

We know that since season 2 ; but seeing him in season 3 getting full pension WITH disability and he mowing hiw lawn without his cane is just his "*beep* you all" gesture for the world, i would say. Also clever from Nige to come clean. Nige knew that Dots wouldn't come through with all this *beep* going around him. I guess the hug from Dots made Nige realise how close Dots was to break, so he made his own exit plans. Just wanted to mention that. :)

"The end is not the end, but for the beginning an end is always near."

[–] oakcourt 9 years ago

Nige was probably a bigger tw.t that Dot - wonder if he's the head of the operation - I know he retired but....

Don't be late, don't hesitate, this dream can pass just as fast as lightning.

[–] cb-114 9 years ago

Nige was probably a bigger tw.t that Dot - wonder if he's the head of the operation - I know he retired but....

Very unlikely. Remember Dot took a handgun to his meeting with Nige - the one where Nige (apparently) handed over the phone & SIM card he was using as leverage over Dot.

There was definitely an implication Dot intended to shoot Nige if the phone was not handed over.

In this season, Dot moved from being someone who basically hid evidence to a "hands on" killer. If he could have shot the head of the operation and been able to safely walk away, I'm sure he would have done that.

[–] nowhereman1-1 9 years ago

Yes. From being the middle man to taking direct action. He was the unseen party always, till he needed to take falsify evidence and make himself visible to the other AC-12 staff.

Also (other posts) about the part: Why didn't the boss of Dots just shoot him when he lost his value in AC-12 > blackmail material ; if you are on the bad side of the law you make a habit of collecting evidence and writing stuff down, so if the bad guys decide you have no value you can screw them over or stop them that way. At least i expected from Dots something of this value to be safe. Even Nige had dirt on Dots and so on and on. Also if other corrupt cops see or hear about how an escapee gets handled by the boss they would think twice to help the bad guy. So in a sense it makes sense to help Dots out.

"The end is not the end, but for the beginning an end is always near."

[–] redban (6318) 2 months ago

They could have done a story or spin-off where he tries to go straight, but his criminal associates decide otherwise . He was a good character. But he likely went too far to get redemption in this show, and the show was always going to be about Arnott, Fleming, and Hastings