Look at what’s trending for Twitter users in Ireland and you’ll see #LoveHate at the top of the pile, marking the return of the gritty RTÉ series for a fourth season.
As well as the series hashtag, ‘Tommy’ is also trending today on the social network as Killian Scott’s character’s struggle to return to a life of crime following a cruel beating in the last season entertained the audience.
But it was a new face joining the lads that has truly stolen the spotlight – and spawned a few parody Twitter accounts. #LoveHateCat is also trending in tribute to the fallen feline that was gunned down in the episode’s opening scene.
A few accounts have sprung up claiming to be the one true cat, the best of which is @CatLoveHate – who claims he’s not dead, and still has eight lives left.
Though Love/Hate creators Octagon Films say no animals were harmed during the making of the season premiere, Animal Rights Action Network claims the bloody scene has done “irreparable damage to their work of curbing violent crimes towards animals” and has called for a boycott of the series.
But there was more to last night’s episode than a murdered cat, and RTÉ reports that an average of 971,000 viewers tuned in to follow up on the exploits of Nidge and Co. With this many people watching, there was plenty of chatter on Twitter about the TV show of the moment, that continues on as others catch up using on-demand services.
