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Bernard Walsh
# the tube
Love/Hate is being replayed from the beginning - so we've been taking a look back at some iconic scenes
If you love Love/Hate, join us. If you haven’t – and hate spoilers – don’t.
LOVE/HATE IS coming back to RTÉ.
While there may not be new episodes in the offing, all five seasons will be shown on TV again.
Ahead of the first episode of the crime drama airing on RTÉ One this Friday night, we’ve decided to look back at some iconic moments from its five season run to whet your appetite.
***MASSIVE SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD***
Season One
Welcome to gangland Dublin. Nidge is flat out on his Bebo page, everyone is using old Nokia phones and the internet is just rubbish.
That’s not going to stop Nidge using some form of YouTube hybrid to find out how to safely load and unload a Beretta handgun.
There’s murder and mayhem from the get-go here but according to this writer – an avowed fan of the show – you can’t beat Nidge and Trish’s wedding for its cringe value.
I’m not going to give much away.
Season Two
The doe-eyed Darren, whose appearance during the show always jarred with the real-life gruffness of gangland Dublin, is recovering from being shot in the last season’s finale as we are introduced to Fran – the cigarette smuggler and dogfighting aficionado whose penchant for sadistic violence and off-the-cuff smart remarks made him a fan favourite of the show.
As with real-life gangland, the power dynamic within the main gang is constantly shifting. In this season trust is fractured between the criminal faction, meaning members are going to have to decide to which side they belong to – never a good thing when the gang’s members are armed to the teeth and holds grudges easily.
Fran is on the warpath after he feels he was double-crossed by gang boss John Boy (Aidan Gillen) when a drug shipment gets seized.
Fran, not known for his soft-touch approach to being ripped off, sets off a chain reaction which will see one of the show’s biggest stars shot by the end of the season.
Season Three
This is where things get even more interesting. The IRA – or some dissident version of it - is introduced to the series. We meet Git Loughman and his son Daniel.
We get to see the inner machinations of the republican splinter group, as well as its control and power over areas of Dublin.
Siobhán, Nidge’s niece and the partner of Tommy, is raped at the hands of a senior IRA figure, leading to the rapist’s death. But now Nidge et al need to play dumb and attempt to convince the republicans that the man just disappeared.
This is made all the more difficult by Siobhan’s friend and confidante, Donna, who goes to the gardaí to tell them about a threat made to her by Nidge, ordering her to keep quiet about the rape.
The IRA funeral scene is a brilliant moment – capturing how those responsible for the death are the same ones paying their respects.
Season Four
This is the season where we’re introduced to the gardaí working to take down the Nidge gang. We’re introduced to Andrew – dentist by day, cocaine addict by night – who Nidge is using to import drugs.
Fran and some members of the gang are also involved in tiger kidnappings and there are fears for Tommy’s health after he suffers a vicious beating at the hands of Nidge.
Fran wants Tommy dead as he’s a liability and has been arrested by gardaí but Nidge’s guilt for giving Tommy brain damage means that the gang leader needs to find a balance between hardened criminal and guilt-ridden friend.
With the walls closing in, Nidge finds himself inside a jail cell as he releases all his frustration on himself.
Season Five
The last season of the series – and boy is it a great one.
We get to see Patrick the pipe bomb maker, played by John Connors, a lot more in this one (“He’s the most peaceful pipe bomb maker I know”).
We also get introduced to Terence ‘Big Balls’ – a Spain-based cartel leader (that sounds familiar). Nidge has to go to him as he has run out of money and needs drugs on credit to rebuild an empire which had crashed to the ground.
Terence’s nephew Paulie, played by Johnny Ward, is also introduced this season and makes quite an impact.
We get to see every strata of gangland Dublin here – including the teenage runners who will kill for small cash, and we continue to keep up with the progress of gardaí as they attempt to bring down the drugs gang.
All of this wraps neatly together in a final instalment which left most viewers screaming at their tellies, including this writer (even the second time around) as the final few frames played out.
The Tube is a weekly article looking at the good, bad and the ugly of Ireland’s TV past. Have a suggestion for a show you’d like us to revisit? Get in touch at daragh@thejournal.ie
