History Series / Luther

* BigBad: Baba of Series 2 and DSU George Stark of Series 3 [[spoiler: with Tom Marwood as the BaitAndSwitchBoss.]]

* KnifeNut: Alice leans towards this. She uses sharp objects to threaten Zoe, and has a favorite knife in her kitchen she uses for activities such as threatening to gut someone or when she needs to kidnap someone. Somewhat averted in that of the people she has killed so far, none have been killed with a knife.
** Although she does use a nail (as in a hammer and a...) in a similar manner at the end of Series 3.

* EvilRedhead: Alice. [[FoeYay May overlap with]] HeroesWantRedheads.

* FirstNameBasis: John and Alice start calling each other by their first names [[FoeYay a lot earlier than they should]]. All other villains use Luther's last name.

* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: In episode one, [[spoiler: after Alice realizes this, she drops the facade of the distraught daughter and exchanges word games with Luther. Creepily, she likes that he knows and can't prove it. She knows he knows she murdered her parents and her dog. He knows she knows. But they both know he's got no proof. Also marks the beginning of their FoeYay.]]

* UnresolvedSexualTension: They may live on opposite sides of the law and at opposite ends of the moral spectrum, but Luther and Alice spend an uncomfortable amount of time taunting \ confiding \ flirting with each other. Also joking with each other and going into fits of rage over the others actions and comments. Many are waiting for inevitable [[FoeYay hate sex]] to follow.

Not to be confused with Disney's ''Series/ZekeAndLuther'', nor with the 2003 film ''Film/{{Luther}}'' (about Martin Luther.)

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Series/TheWire Stringer Bell]] becomes a [[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers bobby]], or Creator/IdrisElba actually plays a character from the same city as he is]]

* AbsurdlyHighStakesGame: Luther challenges Millberry to a roll of the dice. [[spoiler: Nicholas Millberry has a DeadManSwitch and an explosive vest. Luther pours petrol over himself and hands Millberry a lighter. If Luther can guess the number, Millberry deactivates the switch. But Millberry has to deactivate the switch anyway to roll the dice, as he has Luther's lighter in his other hand. Luther (who is wired for sound) then tells the snipers where to shoot.]]

* AnyoneCanDie: Luther unfortunately has only a fifty percent success rate in saving the victim. And that's on a good day. Women get bled dry or gutted. Men get shot and wrapped in plastic. Towards the end of the first series, it's shown not even main characters are safe, as [[spoiler: Zoe Luther and Ian Reed]] get KilledOffForReal.

* NotSoDifferent: Alice likes playing this card. Also put to good use by Luther in Series One, episode two.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Series/TheWire Stringer Bell]] becomes a [[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers bobby]], or [[Creator/IdrisElba Idris]] actually plays a character from the same city as he is]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Series/TheWire Stringer Bell]] becomes a [[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers bobby]]. Well, [[Creator/IdrisElba Idris]] ''is'' from London...]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Series/TheWire Stringer Bell]] becomes a [[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers bobby]].]]

* AllThereInTheManual: The novelisation -- ''Luther: The Calling'' by series creator Neil Cross -- serves as a prequel to the first series; the main focus is on the Madsen case (of which the climax is the first scene of the first episode) but it also sheds light on the breakdown of Luther's marriage and [[spoiler: Ian Reed]]'s corruption. Plus, we get to hear Luther's theory on who UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper was.

* RealityEnsues: Being a sociopath does not magically give one insight into the thought processes of another, as mentioned in ConsultingAConvictedKiller above.

* AbsurdlyHighStakesGame: Luther challenges Millberry to a roll of the dice. [[spoiler:Nicholas Millberry has a DeadManSwitch and an explosive vest. Luther pours petrol over himself and hands Milberry a lighter. If Luther can guess the number, Millberry deactivates the switch. But Millbery has to deactivate the switch anyway to roll the dice, as he has Luther's lighter in his other hand. Luther (who is wired for sound) then tells the snipers where to shoot.]]

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Alice Morgan to a tee. After episode one she thinks she and Luther are friends. Of course, in episode one she murdered her parents and dog and threatened to shove a hat pin in Zoe's ear, traumatizing her. But in episode two she gives Luther advice about his wife and goes for a coffee with him.]] Crosses over into StalkerWithACrush when she starts "helping" Luther by [[spoiler:threatening his friends/family and smothering a bed-ridden man who could cause him trouble]].
* AlwaysMurder: [[spoiler:Being kidnapped tends not to end well.]]
* AnyoneCanDie: Luther unfortunately has only a fifty percent success rate in saving the victim. And that's on a good day. Women get bled dry or gutted. Men get shot and wrapped in plastic. Towards the end of the first series, it's shown not even main characters are safe, as [[spoiler:Zoe Luther and Ian Reed]] get KilledOffForReal.
** Continues the trend in series 3 when [[spoiler:Justin Ripley gets shot]]
** And in series 5 when [[spoiler:Benny gets shot]]
* AxCrazy: many of the killers come across as this, but the standout examples must be [[spoiler: [[CreepyTwins Robert and Nicholas Millberry.]] They view life as a videogame, where they gain more points the more people they murder.]]

** [[spoiler:Schenk becomes this of S2 and S3 when Teller gets PutOnABus between the first and second series.]]
* BerserkButton: Luther, anytime someone threatens Zoe. [[spoiler:When Zoe is murdered by Reed, Alice warns Luther that his temper is a weakness and Reed will use this to provoke Luther into attacking him (so he can be shot by [=CO19=] snipers). Luther says it won't happen, but it nearly does anyway.]]
** [[spoiler: Stark and Erin target Mary as Luther's weakness in series 3, hitting the button in the process.]]

* BigBad: Baba of series 2 and DSU George Stark of series 3 [[spoiler:with Tom Marwood as the BaitAndSwitchBoss.]]
* BigNo: Ian Reed gives one after [[spoiler:he accidentally shoots Zoe during a GunStruggle.]]
* BookEnds: Alice confronts Luther on a bridge at the end of the very first episode. [[spoiler:In the series 3 finale, Luther meets up with Alice on the same bridge so they can run away and start new lives together.]]
** [[spoiler:The first episode of series 1 shows Luther letting serial killer Madsen fall from great height. The ending of series 5 has Luther desperately grabbing Alice to stop her falling. She chooses to stab Luther’s hand and drop, though.]]
* BlackAndGrayMorality: One of the central focuses of the show. In series 2 Luther [[spoiler: intimidates a witness and keeps him from testifying against Toby, to save Jenny]] even though he wasn't left with many choices.
** Becomes a major theme in the third series when Luther comes under investigation by two cops. Both of whom could come under BlackAndGrayMorality.

* TheBookCipher: In the series 2 finale, the numbers in a notebook are revealed to be this. The book they use to decipher is [[spoiler:the Bible that Luther finds at the hotel room of the culprit.]]

* BusFullOfInnocents: Quite literally [[spoiler:Cameron's]] final plan, as he thinks making a bus full of schoolchildren disappear will give him the infamy he craves.
* CelebrityParadox: The shoutout to JustForFun/JohnMunch is one because Munch made an appearance in ''Series/TheWire'', which features Idris Elba as Stringer Bell.
* CliffHanger:

** In Series 2 Episode 1 [[spoiler:Cameron pulls an EnemyRisingBehind by popping up in the backsteat of Ripley's car]].
** In Series 2 Episode 3 [[spoiler:the killer has been captured, only he has an identical twin brother who is about to commence his own killing spree.]]
* {{Cockfight}}: Between Luther and Mark, over Zoe. In episode two of series one, Mark lampshades it and says he's secure enough in his masculinity to not let Luther bait him like that, but he's actually somewhat mistaken in his assessment of the situation.
* CoDragons: Baba from series two has two main lieutenants: her psychopathic grandson Toby and former DirtyCop Frank Hodge.
* CommutingOnABus: Alice's appearances in series 2 are greatly reduced and scarce.
** Same again with series 3. Justified in both cases, as she was [[spoiler: incarcerated for the second series and travelling during much of the third series.]]

** In episode five of series one, Ripley is shown to still have the mugshots of the villains from episodes three and four on the walls of his cubicle.
** In the first episode, Luther fakes a yawn during an interview with a bereaved relative, the idea being that yawning is only contagious to those with a capacity for empathy. [[spoiler:Alice Morgan didn't yawn in response, thus telling Luther that her distress at her parents' murders was an act.]] While in conversation with [[spoiler:Toby]] midway through series two, he again fakes a yawn and gets no reaction. This second test is never explicitly mentioned, but is a neat little bonus for viewers.

** In series 3 one of the postcards from Alice in Luther's flat has the Roadrunner on it.

* CowboyCop: Luther
* CrazyPrepared: In episode six Alice [[spoiler:helps Luther retrieve the Gun that Reed is going to use to set him up.]] We cut to a montage of her getting the necessary tools from her closet, as well as disguises. Also for a physics genius she knows more then [[spoiler:Luther]] on how to properly clean a gun of evidence.
** Hell, at the climax of Season 3, [[spoiler:Alice doesn't even ''need'' a gun to fire a 9mm bullet - [[MacGyvering not while there's a nail and the mechanism from a door's crash bar handy]].]]

* CreepyTwins: Series two has [[spoiler:Robert and Nicholas Milberry, the very eerie twin killers in the third and fourth episodes]].

* DeadpanSnarker: DSU Rose Teller
** Erin has her moments
* DeathSeeker: A possible interpretation of Luther's behavior. Becomes much more apparent in series 2, [[spoiler:when he starts his day with a round of RussianRoulette, loses Alice and already lost Zoe.]]
* DefectiveDetective: Luther himself, who has anger problems and a seriously messed up personal life. Especially in series 2, where we see just how bad things have got when we see him sitting alone in his flat playing RussianRoulette early on.

** [[spoiler:DCI Ian Reed]] is revealed as one in the fifth episode of the first series.

* DistressedDude: In the second series, [[spoiler:Justin Ripley]] gets kidnapped and tortured by Cameron Pell.
* TheDogBitesBack: [[spoiler:Graham Shand]] ends up getting killed by [[spoiler:the wife he neglected for years]] after the full extent of his depravity is revealed.

** Averted in episode two. [[spoiler:Owen Lynch]] goes for this but a well-timed intervention from Luther stops him in time.
** [[spoiler:Ian Reed]] also considers this when he risks being exposed, but decides to go for SuicideByCop instead. [[spoiler:Luther sees through it, but Alice is more than willing to give him his wish.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: Series two ends with Luther tying up most of the loose ends and eating ice cream with his MoralityPet, having gone through a whole lot of pain to get there. Series three ends with [[spoiler: Luther running away with Alice - after the rest of his life has pretty much fallen apart.]]
* EngineeredPublicConfession: In episode 6, [[spoiler:Reed finally admits to killing Zoe when he believes Luther is about to kill him. Turns out Luther had a tape recorder in his pocket.]] Subverted on an earlier occasion when Luther uses an edited recording to make a kidnapper's girlfriend think her lover has refused to exchange her for a hostage.
* EvilCounterpart: Series three's vigilante killer Tom Marwood is this for Luther. He represents the man Luther would be if he tossed aside all laws in the pursuit of justice, and he shows the innate problems of doing this, such as [[spoiler: being forced into a confrontation with DS Ripley that leads to Ripley's death.]]

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:As of episode five, Reed has set in motion events that ended with multiple people dead and a woman gutted for diamonds. Then his attempt to cover it up led to the death of Luther's wife and Luther himself on the run as the prime suspect, set up by Reed.]]
* FalseReassurance: At the start of Season 2, Inspector Schenk becomes Luther's guvner, and insists there must be trust between them despite their past history. "No secrets, agendas, or Alice Morgan." Luther agrees. "No secrets or agendas." That same episode he visits Alice in the asylum and exchanges secret messages with her [[ForbiddenFruit via an apple]]. (He ends up breaking the other two as well).

* FireForgedFriends: Luther and Mark in series two.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In episode three Reed makes a call to murdering Satanist Lucian Burgess offering to help him get away with murder, doing an excellent impression of [[spoiler:a corrupt cop.]] It was all part of a sting. [[spoiler:Turns out that Reed really is a corrupt cop...]]
* FriendlyEnemy: [[spoiler:Alice]] and Luther again. Although Luther [[FriendshipDenial insists that one coffee does not make them friends]].
** In episode five, he calls her and she comes running to meet him in a church. Where she renews his faith in humanity....[[spoiler: [[ItMakesSenseInContext with a murder she committed.]]]] Oh, Alice!
** As of episode six, she's the only one he can turn to. [[spoiler:Luther, on the run for the murder of his wife, enlists her aid in exacting revenge against Reed.]]
* FreudianExcuse: The sniper in episode two believes he's got one. So does Alice..
* GeniusBruiser: Luther is large, can take a beating, and throw a good punch. He can also exchange ideas on logic and philosophy with a genius sociopath.

* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: [[spoiler:Ian Reed goes to tell the fence he's in cahoots with that his nephew has been tortured and murdered. He then asks the fence if he told anyone else about working with a CorruptCop. The fence is too distraught to suspect his motives, but it's no surprise when Reed strangles him with his tie.]]

* HighAltitudeInterrogation: Luther pulls this in the first episode of series three - it's unclear if he deliberately shoved the guy in the first place, but he takes advantage of the moment. It makes things ''very'' awkward for Justin, [[spoiler: who's wearing a wire.]]
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: The normally perceptive Luther assumes [[spoiler:that his long-time friend Ian Reed is turning VigilanteMan. He's actually a CorruptCop trying desperately to cover his tracks.]]

* IdiotBall: In series 3, episodes 1 and 2, [[spoiler:the husband in the second victim's house after hearing the cat in the attic, and then the girl from the nursing home who goes to investigate the mysterious banging upstairs.]]

* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: In episode one, [[spoiler:after Alice realizes this, she drops the facade of the distraught daughter and exchanges word games with Luther. Creepily, she likes that he knows and can't prove it. She knows he knows she murdered her parents and her dog. He knows she knows. But they both know he's got no proof. Also marks the beginning of their FoeYay.]]
* ILetGwenStacyDie: The death of [[spoiler:his wife, Zoe,]] is responsible for much of Luther's angst in the second series.
* InternalAffairs: Schenk tags along with SCU to keep an eye on Luther. He's a subverted case, since while he'll sack Luther without batting an eye, he also acknowledges him as a good man and brilliant cop. [[spoiler:After Zoe gets killed, he's willing to accept that there are holes in the assumption of Luther's guilt.]]
** Erin gets promoted to this between series 2 and 3.
* InsaneTrollLogic: George Stark seems to operate on this. When Luther asks a suspect to come into the police station to have his fingerprints taken, and said suspect [[spoiler: ''puts his hand in a blender'']] to destroy the evidence, Stark accuses Luther of putting him up to it because... Luther likes to help murderers escape justice, apparently, even though this is something he's never shown any sign of doing before. Later on he's accused of being in league with Tom Marwood because he didn't stop him getting away even though Tom had him at gunpoint and John had no weapons or backup. He even accuses Luther of using Tom to [[spoiler: kill Ripley (John's best friend) and try to kill Mary (John's girlfriend)]] because.... reasons??

* KickTheDog: We know that Alice is not a very nice person when she puts a round in both her parents heads. Shooting her dog in the head four times seems like overkill. [[spoiler:Turns out she knows that normal procedure is to cremate the remains. And she hid the gun in the dog so she could collect the ashes and take it home as some sort of trophy of the crime.]]

** Although she does use a nail (as in a hammer and a...) in a similar manner at the end of series 3.

* MalevolentMaskedMan: Cameron Pell, the killer in the first two episodes of series 2, commits all his crimes while wearing a Mr. Punch mask.
** Jeremy Lake from series 5 uses an illuminated clown mask as a disguise.

* MurderByInaction: The biggest source of blackmail against Luther comes from the opening scene in the pilot, when a child molestor nearly falls to his death while fleeing capture. Instead of helping the molestor back on his feet, Luther lets the man fall to his death.
* NotSoDifferent: Alice likes playing this card. Also put to good use by Luther in series one, episode two.
* OddFriendship: He's a hot tempered cop who solves murders. She's a genius physicist who got away with murder. She gives him supportive encouragement regarding his wife. He takes her out for coffee. In episode three of series one he goes to her as a sounding board regarding the case of the week and in episode six of the same series she gives Luther shelter and aid [[spoiler:while he is on the run for the (framed) murder of Zoe]].

** The last episode of series 2 is the only episode ending without any added montage.

* PaperThinDisguise: Luther has to disguise himself to [[spoiler:steal the gun Reed planted at the crime scene.]] Alice points out that as a huge ScaryBlackMan, he's difficult to disguise. Luther replies that it's all about plausible deniability in court. Seen earlier when Luther dresses up in shades and an earwarmer beanie to assault Lucian Burgess. [[spoiler:The idea is that Burgess should know exactly who assaulted him, so he'll panic and think Luther is setting him up when the latter carefully wipes blood off Burgess' nose.]]

** Luther seems to have done this in episode four, when he finds himself under investigation for the aforesaid attempted murder of serial child killer Henry Madsen. When Madsen wakes up from his coma his accusations place Luther's career in jeopardy. [[spoiler:Luther visits Alice Morgan and informs her point blank he can never speak to her again due to this investigation. Her cries of 'No' at this news don't seem to surprise him. He's pretty much unleashing one killer on another -- she murders Madsen to save Luther.]] A case of [[ManipulativeBastard Luther pretty much pushing]] Alice's {{Berserk Button}} for his own benefit.

** [[spoiler:At least up until the last two episodes of series 1.]]
* PostRapeTaunt: [[spoiler:Part of Reed's taunting speech to Luther and Mark in episode six, in which he claims that not only was Zoe a slut but she enjoyed fucking him the most because he was her revenge on Luther.]]
* PostScriptSeason: Series 3 was suppose to be the final season, but the BBC decided to commison a two part special in 2015 to properly send the show off.
* PromotedFanboy: Invoked with DS Ripley, who has shades of this. He read all of Luther's files and his loyalty helps Luther multiple times.
* PutOnABus: Rose Teller. Even though it had some shades of foreshadowing, still a bit surprising when she's just not there in series 2.
** Also Jenny Jones and Mark North after series 2. Mark makes some sense, as he was always sort of on the peripheral, but Jenny is very surprising, given that she was living with John, and the end of series 2 gave no indication she wouldn't be returning.
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Luther, Alice, and Mark are this by the end of series 1.

* RetiredMonster: In the first half of season three [[spoiler: Luther meets former serial killer William Carney, now elderly and living in a nursing home. He has been mentoring younger serial killer, Paul Ellis,(the son of one of Carney's victims) into continuing his crimes.]]

** Inspector Schenk is investigating Luther for corruption. He knows that Luther is a good cop who gets results, but he will bring him down for the unethical way he conducts investigations, and will live with the consequences of putting an effective and basically good cop behind bars. An attitude that Luther respects. [[spoiler:He's also willing to accept that there are holes in the theory that Luther killed Zoe.]]

* RomanticFalseLead: Mark North is originally set up as this, but it's ultimately a subversion as [[spoiler:the LoveTriangle is rendered irrelevant after Zoe's death]]. By the start of series two, he and Luther end up as firm friends.
* RussianRoulette:
** Luther forces a VillainousBreakdown from Owen Lynch, but then has an OhCrap moment when Owen empties all but one bullet from his snubnose revolver and starts putting it to their heads and pulling the trigger. [[spoiler:Eventually Owen is down to the last chamber and it's his turn -- Luther decks him when he puts the gun to his head to commit suicide.]]
** Luther is also seen doing this in the first episode of series two, to show exactly how bad his life has become now that [[spoiler:Zoe is dead]].
* SawedOffShotgun: [[spoiler:Used to murder Ian Reed.]]
* UsefulNotes/ScotlandYard

** Another standout example would be serial killer Cameron Pell. [[spoiler: He receives one of the most satisfying takedowns on the show, with Luther thwarting him by proving that he's really just a DirtyCoward, and stopping him from "escaping into history" like he intended. Quite an entertaining HumiliationConga.]]
* SonOfAWhore: [[spoiler: serial killer Paul Ellis, of season three.]]

** Creator/RuthWilson returns to the opening credits for the final episode of series 3, before Alice has reappeared onscreen.
** Subverted in series 5, when [[spoiler: Ruth Wilson]] is ommitted from the opening credits for episode 1 despite [[spoiler: Alice reappearing at the end of the episode.]]

* StalkerWithACrush: Alice Morgan. She only wants to help Luther ... [[spoiler:by having his wife's lover beaten by street thugs and killing a man who could cause problems for Luther]].
* SuicideByCop: [[spoiler:Reed]] at the climax of episode six. Of course this may have been a result of Alice [[{{MindRape}} cheerfully informing him of his other options with a bright cheery smile on her face.]] A true SuicideByCop is Tom Marwood's eventual exit plan. [[spoiler: For a minute he thinks it will work.]]

-->'''Alice''' ''(holding a hatpin to Zoe's ear)'': Your husband assaulted me. He touched me. Intimately. He made me do things. He hurt me because of you. And as he touched me he talked about you. He said you were dead. And you'd been very badly burned, your face was cut and your skin was gone. You'd been abducted off the street by a man. A very sick man. He kept you alive for days. He used knives. A blowtorch. He kept pieces of you for seven years. I'm worried...that someone might want to hurt you like that.
** Also Alice vs. [[spoiler:Ian Reed.]]
-->'''Alice:''' He thought the [[CruelMercy humiliation of prison would be worse]] -- the beatings, [[PrisonRape the rapes]], the incessant fear for your life but I told him "No John, you're wrong." Dying would be worse. Because well, honestly -- it is, isn't it?

* TheUnfettered: Luther has a whatever-it-takes attitude to beating the criminals. He threatens serial killer Henry Madsen with the prospect of death unless he reveals where his latest victim is, and still lets him drop a couple stories to the ground after Madsen tells him. [[spoiler:To keep Alice away from his wife he threatens to frame someone for the murder of her parents, denying her the narcissistic pleasure of being the center of their murder mystery. He also casually mentions that he will kill her if she persists in stalking his wife. The fact that he means it may be one of the reasons Alice likes him so much.]]
** In episode three Luther finds himself up against a SmugSnake of a man named Lucian Burgess, who enjoys [[{{MindRape}} psychological torture]] and bleeding his victims dry. What does Luther do? [[spoiler:He goes and visits another villain he knows, and over a friendly conversation Alice gives him the idea to change the playing field. So he beats Lucian bloody and uses the blood from the assault to trick Lucian into running to the crime scene.]]

* UnholyMatrimony: One is at the center of [[spoiler:season 5]].
* UnresolvedSexualTension: They may live on opposite sides of the law and at opposite ends of the moral spectrum, but Luther and Alice spend an uncomfortable amount of time taunting\confiding\flirting with each other. Also joking with each other and going into fits of rage over the others actions and comments. Many are waiting for inevitable [[FoeYay hate sex]] to follow.
** [[spoiler: Ultimately resolved. John finally decides to leave London with Alice in the series 3 finale, but whether they remain frenemies or become lovers is initially left up to the viewer's interpretation. Series 5 flashbacks confirm that they were lovers, at least briefly]]
* VillainousBreakdown: Happens once an episode. Notably subverted [[spoiler:when Reed pretends to be suffering this to lure Luther into a trap (fortunately Luther knows what he's up to).]] Probably the best example is when (on the advice of Alice) Luther deliberately engineers this in Lucian Burgess.
-->'''Burgess:''' Well, DCI ''Luther''. First you umm...you assault me. YOU PUBLICLY-ASSAULT-'''ME!''' WHY CAN'T YOU SHOW ME SOME RESPECT?!
* WellDoneSonGuy: The perpetrator in the second episode of series one.

** In episode four Alice pays Henry Madsen a visit after he wakes up. [[spoiler:Madsen, who Luther let fall in episode one, is a threat to Luther because he keeps repeating his name, possibly accusing him of attempted murder. While Luther is not happy about what Alice does, he still covers up for her. Making one think it may have been his plan to set her off on Madsen all along.]]
** In episode five, [[spoiler:Reed]] of all people.

* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: [[spoiler:After Luther refuses to let him commit SuicideByCop, Reed pulls a knife and stabs Luther]] then kicks him along the ground screaming, "NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'RE MAKING ME DO!"
** This is how Marwood [[spoiler:rationalizes his murder of Justin Ripley]] to Luther. In fact, he has a noticeable habit of avoiding responsibility - [[InsaneTrollLogic while still trying to claim credit]].
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: The third episode of series two seems to resolve its main plot entirely, with Luther having captured the murderer before he can strike again. but in the episode's final moments, it's revealed that [[spoiler:the killings were the work of a pair of CreepyTwins -- and the other one's still out there]].
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* BiTheWay: Alice casually mentions that she wouldn't mind female "companionship" since she's in a woman's mental hospital but all of her options are psychotic.

-->'''George Cornelius''' Sorry, mate, who are you again?
-->'''DCI John Luther''' Police.
-->'''George Cornelius''' Which police?
-->'''DCI John Luther''' ''The'' police.

* ShoutOut: A sociopathic killer with the last name Morgan? [[Series/{{Dexter}} Where have I heard that before?]]
** It's a bit of a stretch; but even [[Film/TheRing before that one]]...

* SpoilerOpening: Creator/RuthWilson returns to the opening credits for the final episode of series 3, before Alice has reappeared onscreen.

* [[{{SuicideByCop}} Suicide by sociopathic redhead]]: [[spoiler:Reed]] at the climax of episode six. Of course this may have been a result of Alice [[{{MindRape}} cheerfully informing him of his other options with a bright cheery smile on her face.]]
** A true SuicideByCop is Tom Marwood's eventual exit plan. [[spoiler: For a minute he thinks it will work.]]
* TheyFightCrime: He's a CowboyCop with rage issues. She's a psychopathic killer.
** The other he is a hapless, sensitive lawyer who distrusts both of the above.
** And later, a teenage sex worker with a crappy mom.

** It's a bit of a stretch; but even [[TheRing before that one]]...

* OnTheNext: A very specific one. Each episode interweaves the closing credits with a thrilling montage of the next episode, usually emphasized by a well-known pop song.

-->'''Alice''' ''(holding an icepick to Zoe's ear)'': Your husband assaulted me. He touched me. Intimately. He made me do things. He hurt me because of you. And as he touched me he talked about you. He said you were dead. And you'd been very badly burned, your face was cut and your skin was gone. You'd been abducted off the street by a man. A very sick man. He kept you alive for days. He used knives. A blowtorch. He kept pieces of you for seven years. I'm worried...that someone might want to hurt you like that.

A South Korean version is scheduled to be broadcasted by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation.

* AffablyEvil: [[spoiler:Alice Morgan to a tee. After episode one she thinks she and Luther are friends. Of course, in episode one she murdered her parents and dog and threatened to shove an icepick in Zoe's ear, traumatizing her. But in episode two she gives Luther advice about his wife and goes for a coffee with him.]] Crosses over into StalkerWithACrush when she starts "helping" Luther by [[spoiler:threatening his friends/family and smothering a bed-ridden man who could cause him trouble]].

** Subverted in series 5, when [[spoiler: Ruth Wilson is ommitted from the opening credits for episode 1 despite Alice reappearing at the end of the episode.]]

A Creator/{{BBC}} crime drama starring Creator/IdrisElba, about DCI John Luther, a police officer working for London's Serious Crime Unit, who's often at odds with others because of his unstable personality and ease with going outside the law to get the job done. The show ran over three seasons from May 2010 to July 2013 and returned with a two-part special in December 2015. A four-part fifth season is set to film in early 2018.

* BookEnds: Alice confronts Luther on a bridge at the end of the very first episode. [[spoiler:In the series 3/show's finale, Luther meets up with Alice on the same bridge so they can run away and start new lives together.]]