Luther recap: What happened in season 5?

Well, never fear - we at RadioTimes.com have put together a recap of all the major plot points you may need to remember before watching the upcoming film.

Read on for a full recap of the major events from Luther season 5 which may play a part heading into Luther: The Fallen Sun.

What was the central case for season 5?

The central case for season 5 saw serial killer and heart surgeon Jeremy Lake on a murderous spree, mutilating his victims in horrific fashion. Luther and the team were sent off course at that start of the season by Jeremy's wife, psychiatrist Vivien Lake, who helped him cover up his crimes and gave them a lead, setting up one of her unstable patients to take the fall.

It turned out that Jeremy had a brain tumour, and while the couple had previously had an agreement that he would always commit "safe" murders, the tumour was affecting his inhibitions and causing him to go off-piste. Luther and DS Halliday caught up with Vivien first, arresting her while Jeremy went awol.

Luther and his partner DS Halliday finally caught up with Jeremy towards the end of the final episode, with Luther cuffing him to a radiator to be picked up later by the rest of the team.

What happened to George Cornelius and Benny Silver?

London gangster George Cornelius, who first appeared in season 4, was back for season 5 and looking for his missing son. After interrogating Luther, it later became clear George's son had been kidnapped by Alice Morgan, who was looking for vengeance after a botched diamond sale in which George robbed her.

He declined the offer to get his son back by paying up and instead attempted to shoot her, at which point she sought refuge with Luther.

As George and his men searched for Alice and Luther, Benny Silver got caught up in the madness, being kidnapped by George. Alice then killed George's son, meaning all bets were off.

George hired hitman Mr Palmer, who tracked down Alice and an escaped Benny. Luther had harboured them with Mark (remember him? Paul McGann's character from seasons 1 and 2?), but Palmer found them, and told Luther to meet them there. When Benny started describing Palmer to Luther down the phone in an act of self-sacrifice, he was shot dead.

In the final episode, Luther tracked down George and did a deal with him. The pair tricked Palmer and, in a stand-off, Luther shot him in the shoulder, before George killed him. However, George then took a picture of Luther with the gun standing above Palmer's body, making sure he had the means to take him down if necessary.

Luther left Benny's body in the back of a van, despite Mark's protestations, and lied to Alice, telling her that George was dead. Alice, of course, quickly found out this wasn't true.

George's house was later raided by Schenk and an armed squad of police, just at the moment Alice attempted to assassinate him with a machine gun. The police managed to get to him first, and George did a deal with them for protection, showing Schenk the picture of Luther stood over Palmer's dead body.

What happened to DS Halliday?

Throughout season 5 Luther was working with a new DS, Catherine Halliday, a by-the-book officer who had been appointed from the private sector as part of a fast-track scheme. It's fair to say she and Luther didn't see eye to eye at first, but they became closer across the season.

In the final episode, Schenk told Halliday to bring Luther in. She was about to go against this order and let Luther go, but she had just one further question. They had just been on a mission to catch Jeremy Lake and she believed Luther had used her as bait to capture the killer. Luther said he hadn't, but she didn't believe him.

Then, BAM! Halliday was shot in the head by Alice, killing her instantly.

What happened to Alice Morgan?

After the ordeal with Mark, Benny and Palmer, Alice was insistent that Luther tell her the truth - was George dead? He said that he was, but Alice immediately found out this wasn't true, calling George and becoming irate when he picked up. Having attempted to assassinate George, Alice came to find Luther, whereupon she killed DS Halliday in cold blood.

She did this to get back at Luther, furious at his betrayal for not killing George and for lying to her about it. With the police closing in, Luther and Alice have a final stand-off in a construction site. Following a scuffle, Alice is about to fall from the rafters but Luther grabs hold of her. She cuts his hand and plummets to her (apparent) death.

Where did we leave Luther?

Schenk had been suspicious of Luther's actions all season, and early on found evidence that he was harbouring Alice. Getting ever closer to his web of lies and illicit activity, he was eventually duped by George into believing Luther had killed Palmer and Benny.

When he finds the bodies of Halliday and Alice as well, Schenk arrests Luther, presumably on suspicion of murdering all four of them.

We now know that Luther: The Fallen Sun picks up with Luther in prison. As for where it goes from there, only time will tell...

Luther: The Fallen Sun will be in select cinemas from Friday 24th February and on Netflix from Friday 10th March. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

You can stream Luther on BBC iPlayer now. Check out more of our Film and Drama coverage, or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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