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Line Of Duty Theory Suggests Ryan Pilkington Was Meant To Get Killed

Line Of Duty Theory Suggests Ryan Pilkington Was Meant To Get Killed

Could this be the end of the road for killer PC Ryan Pilkington?

Gregory Robinson

Gregory Robinson

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Line of Duty

As we wait for answers after the shooting seen at the end of episode five of Line of Duty on Sunday, fans have already begun sharing their theories about who gets shot and the reasons why.

The episode saw DI Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) lured to a lorry park by the dodgy Joanne Davidson (Kelly Macdonald). Fans were literally left on the edge of their seats as Kate took aim at bent copper and serial killer PC Ryan Pilkington (Gregory Piper), who was also ready to shoot.

A fan theory suggests Kate survives the shooting (
BBC)

And just like any classic cliffhanger, the screen went black as two shots were fired, with fans left in the dark about who survived the shoot-out.

Some fans have speculated the victim might be PC Ryan Pilkington after a clip resurfaced from the original season 6 trailer showing Kate alive and what appears to be Ryan's dead body wearing the same clothes as seen in last Sunday's episode.

Watch the clip below:

Another fan has taken to Reddit to share their theory about who was shot and why. They believe the intention was for Ryan to be killed and not Kate. They suggest H knows that Jo won't have the nerve to kill Kate, and therefore will ask Ryan to the job.

"H intended for Ryan to be killed by Kate, Jo or AC-12 in a shoot out because he is a liability/knows far too much/was getting cocky," user HappyAsCanBe89 explains.

They add: "H knows Kate is firearms trained and colluding with AC-12 so [is] possibly armed/being protected.

"Without Ryan, AC-12 are missing a vital link".

The theory has some support from fellow Line of Duty fans. One person responded with: "Interesting theory. Throw Ryan into Kate to provoke chaos and, one way or another, derail Kate."

A second Reddit user added: "Oh so H set Ryan up and [killed] him off because he knows too much."

Although some viewers were on the fence, with one claiming: "Doubt it I think it's just Jo setting it up badly as she's hesitating. Ryan sneaked up on Jo as a warning earlier but decided to have a shootout with a better trained officer for some reason instead of a proper set up."

Is Kate alive? Some fans think so (
BBC)

Fans will have to wait until Sunday to find out Kate and Ryan's fate however, Adrian Dunbar aka Ted Hastings gave fans a shocking clue about the outcome of the shooting on Monday.

During an interview with Good Morning Britain, hosts Adil Ray and Susanna Reid pleaded for spoilers. Adrian said in response to who survives the shooting: "I know and a lot of Line of Duty fans know."

After Adil asked if a lot of Line of Duty fans have worked out what happens, Adrian nodded.

"There's been a very big clue. This is the scoop. As the first guest back on this show I'm giving you a massive scoop. There is a clue out there about what happens next. And the Line of Duty fans know."

Line of Duty airs Sundays at 9pm on BBC One.

Featured Image Credit: BBC

Topics: Drama, TV and Film, BBC, TV News, Line of Duty