Why is Luther in prison? A swift recap of Luther season 5 ahead of Luther: The Fallen Sun

Netflix has commissioned a new film for the Luther TV series which is set to be released on streaming platforms on March 10.

When the Luther Netflix movie trailer was released a few weeks ago, fans were ecstatic and couldn't wait to see more from this beloved franchise. However, as the release date for the movie looms, some of us are struggling to remember exactly how season five of Luther ended, and where we left the cast. Here's a speedy recap of season five, and the answer to why the main character, John Luther, is in prison at the start of this upcoming movie...

How did season 5 of Luther end?

Season five of Luther ended with the serial killer from that series, heart surgeon Jeremy Lake finally being arrested for his crimes, and his wife, psychiatrist Vivien Lake, also being culpable for his crimes as an accomplice. Luther and DS Halliday found Jeremy in a home filled with his victims, and the episode finished with the serial killer being handcuffed to a radiator by Luther, who then left the property for the police to find the murderer, wrapping up that case introduced in season 5.

While this was neatly resolved, the finale was filled with twists and turns as Alice Morgan (Luther's part-time enemy and lover) appeared and killed Halliday out of jealousy and frames Luther for her murder. 

Alice then non-fatally shoots Luther and admits that she loves him, but just as she is about to shoot him again he pushes her off some scaffolding. Although he tries to save her, she slices his hand and he is forced to let her go. She then plummets to her death and moments later, Luther is then arrested.

Why is Luther in prison?

So how do the events of season five, lead to Luther being imprisoned? Schenk arrests Luther in the last few minutes of the show of season five and it is thought that this arrest is what leads him to be imprisoned in the movie (which takes place a few years after the events of the series).

In the final season of the show, Luther is involved in a feud with George Cornelius (Patrick Malahide). George is a gangster who employed a hitman, Mr. Palmer, to kill Luther after becoming frustrated with Luther thwarting his plans. 

The hitman, Mr. Palmer, holds Alice and Benny Silver (Michael Smiley) Luther's friend and colleague, as bait in a hostage situation. Benny is shot after he tries to describe the hitman's appearance to Luther to help him track down and save him and Alice.

Although Luther finds the hitman and holds a gun to him, he ultimately does not shoot him, George, the man who hired him, ends up shooting the hitman. However, George shows Schenk a photo of Luther pointing a gun at the hitman (who is now dead) and suggests that it was Luther who killed both Mr Palmer and Benny during a hostage situation. It is at this point that Schenk tells Halliday to bring Luther into the station. 

This means that by the time Luther is arrested, he is seemingly suspected of murdering Halliday, Alice Morgan, Benny Silver, and the hitman Mr. Palmer. While he didn't actually commit any of these crimes, he's not exactly been abiding by the law during his time as a detective and it seems as though his life in the grey area has finally caught up with him.