Jo Davidson's story might bring us closer than ever to the heart of the OCG in Line of Duty.
Line of Duty season 6 continued last night, and it revealed some more key info about DCI Jo Davidson (Kelly McDonald), this season's bent copper. So far, she's been put forward as a truly shady character, and last night's episode definitely gave viewers even more reasons not to trust her!
In the latest episode of Obsessed with… Line of Duty, Craig Parkinson (Dot Cottan)’s companion podcast, much of Craig’s conversation with actress Jessie Cave focussed on Jo’s motivations. Cave theorised that Jo Davidson is actually far more vulnerable than this episode makes her seem. She believes Jo is “in too deep”, and the high-security locks we’ve seen installed wants to “feel secure” in her own home.
As many of us feared, DCI Davidson is definitely connected to organised crime. What connects Jo to the OCG? Are they manipulating her? We have an idea!
How do we know Jo is connected to the OCG? - Spoilers ahead!
Episode two of Line of Duty's latest season gave us clear evidence of Jo’s working relationship with the OCG. Ryan Pilkington, who used to work for the OCG as a child and who is now their police insider at Hillside Lane station, picked Jo up after she was released from custody.
She then drove her out to a shady-looking underpass, where she picked up a package containing a phone identical to other burner phones from the show. A stash of these phones was also uncovered at PS Farida Jatri’s home after Jo told AC-12 to search the homes of other MIT officers.
As Jo is picked up, the two reference Farida's fate. Ryan asks “I don’t know if they told you about PS Jatri”, and she responded coldly with: “that’s what happens to a rat.” This proves the two must have some previous history together!
Despite her DNA being found on the phones, Farida maintains her innocence. Clearly, we're meant to believe Jo was the one who planted the stash of mobiles at PS Jatri's home. Why would she do that?
So, what motivates Jo Davidson?
The OCG has previously used Jackie Laverty’s corpse to manipulate DCI Tony Gates into aiding them in their operation, and their operatives have not shied away from killing diligent officers like Georgia Trotman in the past.
With Jo exhibiting such a strong personality in the workplace, what could the OCG possibly have to blackmail her? The only thing Jo has reacted so emotionally to has been her family.
Farida asking why she’d never met Jo’s family was one of the tensest moments of their fight in episode one. After she told Farida she didn’t have a family, Jo then returned home. There, she threw a wine glass at a photo frame on her dresser in a shocking moment of weakness last week.
Many believe that this is a photo of Jo with her mother. The only other time Jo has revealed her vulnerable side was at the end of last night's episode. She burst into tears behind the wheel of her car, after picking up the burner phone. Could Jo be worried about her family's whereabouts?
We believe that the OCG either have Jo’s mother, or info about her family and are withholding it to ensure Jo Davidson complies with their instructions. Will we get more info about Jo’s relationship with her family? Or is this just one of Jed Mercurio’s red herrings? Only time will tell…
Line of Duty continues Sundays at 9pm on BBC One. If you need to catch up, you can watch every episode of Line of Duty on BBC iPlayer right now.
