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ASHES TO ASHES |
Alex Drake - Keeley Hawes Gene Hunt - Philip Glenister Ray Carling - Dean Andrews Chris Skelton - Marshall Lancaster Sharon 'Shaz' Granger - Montserrat Lombard Jim Keats - Daniel Mays 
OTHER ASHES TO ASHES SERIES Series 2 PARENT SERIES Life on Mars Series 1 Life on Mars Series 2 OTHER TIME TRAVEL SHOWS Doctor Who Journeyman Goodnight Sweetheart Timecop Daybreak 
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Episode 1 - first transmitted April 2nd 2010Alex Drake has escaped from the imaginary world in which she was trapped, but she can't help feeling that there was more to it than just her mind playing tricks. Recurring visions convince her that there was something that she needed to do in that world, and not just clear the name of her boss Gene Hunt who is being hunted for her attempted murder. When she finds herself back in that world, she throws herself into the case of a young girl who has been kidnapped. Hunt, now under investigation by the combative Jim Keats of Discipline and Complaints, is supposed to stay out of it. How likely is that? It's surprising how quickly Alex moves back into the world of Gene Hunt. It's true that Philip Glenister's character is the driving force behind the success of this and its parent show, but considering that she has spent the last two series trying to get back to her daughter, it seems strange that Alex should just parcel the kid out of the door and jump straight back into the Quattro. Still, that's what she does and she finds herself with more cryptic hints about what her purpose is there, from a police officer with half his face shot off to complete files on one Sam Tyler. Meanwhile, there's a fairly bog standard kidnapping story to plough through and it's only thanks to the writing of the characters and the playing of the actors that this is so damned entertaining because on the investigation front it's nothing that we haven't seen before in dozens of cop shows. That said, Philip Glenister is on top form and has all the best lines, Keeley Hawes is far more comfortable in the role of Alex than we can remember seeing her and the supporting cast are all on song. Then there's the introduction of Daniel Mays as Jim Keats, a man out to nail Gene Hunt to the wall. He certainly doesn't look capable of it, but there are hints at steel within him and does he know more than he is saying about Alex's situation. The coppers are back and the set up has been laid out. Now let's see where this last series takes us and what explanations it offers. TopEpisode 2 - first transmitted April 9th 2010Alex continues to dig into the files surrounding the death of Sam Tyler in this reality without much success. In the meantime, Shaz is questioning her place in the police force and the team take on the case of a serial killer who is targeting divorcees through a dating agency. It might just be us, but it seems that if you have a series of women killed by someone using a dating agency then you check the responses that each of them received and cross-reference to see who made enquiries about all of the victims. This, however, seems to be far too easy for the team who go about inventing speed dating instead. It makes about as much sense as Shaz's sudden about face with regards to leaving the force. She hates the sickness and pain that she is in contact with everyday and then, one near death experience with a sick and painful killer and she's right back in the thick of it again. Up until this point, Montserrat Lombard's performance as the depressed Shaz is pretty good. The episode, though, opens with the most delicious pop video of Hunt and his boys starring in their own version of Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl' which is worth watching for on its own. TopEpisode 3 - first transmitted April 16th 2010It's the eve of Polling Day in the 1983 general election and someone is burning down politically motivated targets. Ray goes into one burning building and has his life saved by a heroic fireman. When suspicion then falls on the hero of the hour, Ray finds it hard to take. Exactly who is carrying out the bombings is no real surprise in this episode, but the reasons why and how they are bound up in the character of Ray Carling are much more dramatic than the plot itself and shows the maturity of this series. Step up and take a bow Dean Andrews. Ray is centre stage in this story and Andrews' performance is well up to the mark needed to carry it. Ray started off as a comedy supporting character, but has matured into a more rounded believeable person and this is certainly his finest hour to date. Less believable are the continued machinations of Jim Keats. The man's clearly a villain, so much so that he might as well be in pantomime twirling a long moustache. Both his purpose and Alex's investigation into precisely what is going on are put on hold for this episode, but the central story is so strong that we don't mind, just this once. TopEpisode 4 - first transmitted April 23rd 2010Gene is furious when he finds out that someone is running an undercover operation on his patch without telling him. When he learns that the policewoman involved is not getting the support that she needs, he decides to take over the investigation, which leads to tragedy anyway. There is very little about Alex's situation in this episode beyond complete strangers telling her that this world is where she belongs, that she's not just a visitor. Her investigation into the death of Sam Tyler also seems to have been forgotten about. The story here is the police procedural around the undercover operation and the betrayals that are taking place on all sides. Nobody seems to be telling the whole truth and you just know that it's going to end in tears. TopEpisode 5 - first transmitted April 30th 2010Two of Gene's old colleagues from Manchester show up in pursuit of a washed-up comedian who is accused of stealing the takings of a charity concert for the police widows' fund. Nobody believes that's the real reason, but they also know about Sam Tyler, so Gene has to tread carefully. The new arrivals, Litton & Bevan, are such unbelievable characters that they might as well be in Pantomime twirling their moustaches. Every scene that they are in undermines the work that the rest of the cast have put in to make their characters rounded and real. Roy Hudd doesn't get enough screen time as Hardwicke, the down on his luck comedian in contrast. Since we don't know the truth about this world, this might be quite in keeping with the overarching plot, but we can't say that right now. Ray is the newest cast member to see the swirling stars that are clearly significant, but still unexplained. And in the background, Jim Keats continues to brood, somewhat ineffectually. This is still solid entertainment, but it needs to sharpen its edge if we're to get the payoff that we've been looking forward to. TopEpisode 6 - first transmitted May 7th 2010There's a riot in Fenchurch prison and uniformed officers are sent in. One of them doesn't come back out. As Gene and his team look for any way to rescue their colleague, it becomes clear that the key to resolving the situation might lie in a man who claims that he is Sam Tyler. Hostage siege storylines are usually tense things if handled properly and this episode of ASHES TO ASHES proves to be no different. It may get a bit silly towards the end with inmates taking their lead from the SAW movies, but there is plenty of action and tension to go around. And Alex is getting closer to the mystery of the bloody police officer who keeps appearing to her. And there's the tantalising idea that Alex is dealing with Sam Tyler even if her looks different. There's some good acting to boot and this is a great episode of a fine show. TopEpisode 7 - first transmitted May 14th 2010A call about a disturbance at an illegal ANC drinking club reveals a murdered police officer and a community of South African refugees who are determined to keep their mouths shut. Jim Keats is bearing down hard on Alex to prove that Gene Hunt killed Sam Tyler and Gene's finally willing to speak on the matter. Shaz, Chris and Ray are now all seeing stars. It's the penultimate episode and the police procedural story about the murdered officer and the ANC activists is merely window dressing for the slow pulling together of the major plotlines for the big finale. What is Jim Keats' purpose? What will the photographs recently unearthed reveal? Is Sam Tyler really dead? Why is everyone seeing stars? There is a very real sense of everything unravelling in Gene Hunt's world and yet the characters continue to evolve. This week it's Marshall Lancaster's Chris Skelton who takes the honours as he finally grows a pair and stands up to the Guv. There are still a lot of loose ends to tie up and only one episode now left to do it in. How could we miss it? TopEpisode 8 - first transmitted May 21st 2010A gangland killing leads to smuggled diamonds, but both senior officers are more interested in a shallow grave near a house up North. There will be answers. It's the last ever episode of ASHES TO ASHES bringing to a close the story that began five series ago in LIFE ON MARS. And a hugely satisfying conclusion it is too. Everything that needs to be explained is explained and is done so in a beautifully dramatic manner that makes sense of pretty much everything that we've seen. Who is Gene Hunt? Explained. What is his world? Explained. How does he get away with his unique style of policing? Explained. What happened to Sam Tyler? Explained. Who is the police officer with no face? Explained. Why is evryone seeing stars? Explained. Who is ?Jim Keats and what does he really want? Explained. But there's more than just explanations. For most of the characters there's closure. Before that comes revelation, surprise, shock, loss, tragedy and understanding, all brilliantly written for maximum impact and superbly acted by the whole ensemble. Philip Glenister has to do more with the character of Gene Hunt than ever before and proves more than up to the job, but every member of the supporting cast gets their moment and proves worthy of it. It is fitting that the last shot is a close up of Gene Hunt, but both these series have been about ensembles right to the bitter end. As well as all that, there is a typically brilliant ASHES TO ASHES moment with Gene and Alex playing IT'S A KNOCKOUT. So good has this journey that we have taken with Gene Hunt been that the ending needed to be something very special. We have only tweo words. Bloody Awesome. Top |
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