The journey of Jo Davidson in Season 5 of Line of Duty has been intriguing. Flash back to the first episode: her front door had more locks on it than Fort Knox. Later she throws a glass of wine at a family photograph. What secrets is she hiding? As AC-12's investigation into the goings-on at the Hill have ratcheted up, we routinely see Davidson in private moments of distress. Alone in the front seat of her car smashing the steering wheel, crying in a toilet cubicle, at home slamming a laptop shut.
We know that Jo badly wants out of whatever plot OCG have cooked up. Her online correspondence makes it pretty clear that she thinks this is her last rodeo. From a surface reading, she's merely every stock character in a mob programme who's made a deal with the devil: you badly want out, but there is no way out. The programme's producers have also made not-so-subtle suggestion that she has a strong bond with Kate and is massively torn on endangering her. Those same feelings have clearly blinded Kate's perceptions of Jo's bentness - but that's another story.
But what if there's something more disturbing at play with Jo? This week we learned DNA tests have connected her to Tommy Hunter, a terrible character in Season 1 of the show. But this in and of itself isn't shocking. Rather, it's something scrawled on a post-it note beside a photo of Tommy Hunter that eagle-eyed viewers picked up on from Sunday's episode that is truly disturbing. Focus your eyes closely at the screen grab below.
Jo Davidson is Tommy Hunters Niece AND Daughter?!? #LineOfDuty pic.twitter.com/TOvAxVgRRL
— Ste Norris (@spn245) April 18, 2021
If you squint, you'll see the paper reads 'Jo Davidson's DNA has been identified at Farida Jatri's house. A match has been made to TOMMY HUNTER stating she is both his niece and daughter.'
This would suggest that Hunter impregnated his sister and Jo is their offspring. The prevailing internet theory is that this happened when Hunter was a teenager, as young as 14-years-old.
As Ted would say, 'Mother of God'. Systemic racism, police corruption and child abuse have all been lurking beneath the underbelly of Season 5: for good measure, showrunner Jed Mercurio has now thrown incest into the mix. In trying to tease at Hunter's incestuous link to Jo, Line of Duty also introduced the word 'homozygosity' to TV parlance last night. This word refers to genetic similarities between parents and children.
Had to watch LOD again tonight this time with subtitles, especially for this scene. “Alexa what’s homozygosity” pic.twitter.com/qT5ETdsEsh
— Sir Simon W (@SWarrilow) April 19, 2021
Suddenly, that glass of wine that Jo flung at a family makes more sense. That woman - presumably her mother - was also the sister of her uncle, paedophile Tommy Hunter. Jo's carried this shameful secret with her for her whole life. What if her panic isn't about being outed as OCG but rather that she fears everything from her relationship to Kate to the heightened tension between AC-12, the Hill and OCG is all leading to her being outed as the offspring of an incestuous relationship?
Pretty grim stuff.
SEE ALSO: Many People Are Drawing The Same Conclusion From The Line Of Duty Cliffhanger Last Night
