OK, time to revive the thread. I've been watching series 3, and tonight's ep was effing fantastic. I also loved the way the writers took the piss out of the ending in the US's LoM, with Chris's "like we were all bloody astronauts or something" line 😀
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The Ashes To Ashes Thread
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xUKHCx
Administrator emeritus
As evident from above I rarely have a clue whats going on anyway. 😀
I have enough TV (Chinese Grand Prix*, Political debates, and a few MOTD's) to catch up so I won't have time for a program that I consider good but in the "watch if I catch it" category.
*Yes I am that far behind but was I away.
Scepticalscribe
macrumors Haswell
Fantastic series (and I watched all of LoM, too). Brilliant, imaginative, gripping, well-written, intelligent and clever TV; very funny in parts, too for anyone who remembers the 70s and 80s.
Actually, I'm delighted to see this thread resurrected. I caught all of Ashes to Ashes series one, and was in the Caucasus for series two, so missed it. I was home on leave when the thrid series started, and Iceland's revenge meant that due to flight cancellations I was stranded in western Europe and managed to catch the first four episodes; exiled as I am where iPlayer does not work, means waiting for the DVD to come out, and sneaking a peek (perhaps) at reviews which contain spoilers. I truly envy those who can watch it when it is first broadcast - brilliant, compelling drama.
Cheers
Actually, I'm delighted to see this thread resurrected. I caught all of Ashes to Ashes series one, and was in the Caucasus for series two, so missed it. I was home on leave when the thrid series started, and Iceland's revenge meant that due to flight cancellations I was stranded in western Europe and managed to catch the first four episodes; exiled as I am where iPlayer does not work, means waiting for the DVD to come out, and sneaking a peek (perhaps) at reviews which contain spoilers. I truly envy those who can watch it when it is first broadcast - brilliant, compelling drama.
Cheers
Friday's episode is part one of the two-part finale. It's really hotting up, dropping clues all over the place as to what may be going on. I'm just trying to avoid any spoilers, which are dotting up all over the Web 🙂
Scepticalscribe
macrumors Haswell
In a previous life (I was a third level lecturer), I blush to admit that I moved my teaching schedule to accomodate season one of Ashes to Ashes. Now, of course, that means that I never actually mastered the intricacies of taping movies/TV shows (I tell myself that we don't have to master every tech advance - just those that interest us, and/or suit us, even though we are all Apple fans on this forum), and it seemed easier to move my teaching from that night to another rather than learn to use a video recording device, or ask someone else to tape it - always a bit of a hassle; (not, of course, that any of this was what was said to either colleagues or students when I coolly demanded a re-scheduling of the hours in question....and, joy to relate, was accomodated.)
So, while my actions may have seemed excessive in the past, the option of flying all the way from the Black Sea to watch the concluding two-parter is a non-runner. Unfortunately. I repeat what I said earlier; I'm envious of those who can watch it when it is first broadcast. Watch and enjoy, while I have to make to with short accounts online of one of the best and most imaginative TV programmes to have been broadcast in the past few decades.
Cheers
So, while my actions may have seemed excessive in the past, the option of flying all the way from the Black Sea to watch the concluding two-parter is a non-runner. Unfortunately. I repeat what I said earlier; I'm envious of those who can watch it when it is first broadcast. Watch and enjoy, while I have to make to with short accounts online of one of the best and most imaginative TV programmes to have been broadcast in the past few decades.
Cheers
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
I've avoided going on any forums which have people talking in depth about Ashes to Ashes but it's starting to get really really interesting now. I've got some theories myself but I cannot wait for the final episode to blow my socks off.
ntg
macrumors regular
I don't read spoilers...
I don't want to know before-hand - that really defeats the object of watching such a fantastic program with bated breath!!
My wife and I have popcorn and wine lined up ready (but if she makes any noise - she's out!! 😉 )
I still reckon Gene has helped Sam change his identity so he can stay, but I'm not sure why that would be needed, so I guess I'm going to have to wait and see.
Those 7 days in-between are going to be really hard, 'though....
Nig.
I don't want to know before-hand - that really defeats the object of watching such a fantastic program with bated breath!!
My wife and I have popcorn and wine lined up ready (but if she makes any noise - she's out!! 😉 )
I still reckon Gene has helped Sam change his identity so he can stay, but I'm not sure why that would be needed, so I guess I'm going to have to wait and see.
Those 7 days in-between are going to be really hard, 'though....
Nig.
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
Literally on the edge of my seat the whole of the penultimate episode. If the closing episode of Life on Mars is anything to go by, the next episode will be mind-bogglingly good.
It's great television. Like you, the suspense is really getting to me. I can't wait for next Friday, but at the same time it's going to be a real shame that this show has ended.
Best line of any TV show in all time... Gene Hunt..
"Watch it sunshine, or I'll paint your balls like hazelnuts and tell the squirrels winter's come early"
"Watch it sunshine, or I'll paint your balls like hazelnuts and tell the squirrels winter's come early"
Ubuntu
macrumors 68020
®îçhå®?
macrumors 68000
From what i could piece together, they all resumed their normal lives when they went back into the pub? And Keats was the devil? Past that, i have no clue!
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
It all makes sense if you read between the lines. Spoiler alerts for those who haven't watched it yet! Highlight to read 🙂
- Gene Hunt is dead and that whole world is his creation. Tyler left because he knew he couldn't stay there.
- Keats is some kind of devil-like figure. Remember the two officers who died during the series? They both died in his arms. The noises when the lift came was a big giveaway if you hadn't snagged on by then 😉
- Drake died at 9:06, Hunt knew all along she'd never make it back to Molly.
- I'm guessing the barman from Life on Mars is some kind of messenger-type person, although I'm not sure of that myself.
Just in case anyone hasn't seen it yet I'll do this in white-text. Here's my take:-
The fantasy world was created by the real Gene Hunt as he died, in the first week of his police career in 1952. Because he died so full of ego and bravado his consciousness simply didn't accept his life was over, so it created a little bubble of purgatory. Although it's a delusion it has a power to it that means others can reach it. Dead police officers with unfinished issues are attracted to it, and those close to death also fall into it and give it more power. The setting is completely populated from the memories of those who live within, but the memories are flawed. Hence Ben Elton dying, the huge numbers of guns on the streets of London, the way events don't quite fall into line with the real world.
It looked like the real Ray died in the late 70s, and real Shaz in the mid 90s from the Oasis soundtrack. Combined with the memories of Sam and Alex that's plenty to give the 1973 and 1982 settings a depth that Hunt himself would never have been able to supply. Not sure about Chris's timeline, although it would be ironic if it turned out that he's older than everyone except Gene.
Keats appeared this series because Alex died in the real world at the end of Series 2. I think that without a connection to a living consciousness the fantasy world gets weaker. This not only means that Keats can get in and start influencing events, but the inhabitants can also break through the walls themselves. Notice how they frequently saw or heard things following a row with Gene Hunt. Possibly when the link between them and Hunt was weak they became more aware that they weren't in a true reality.
Hunt forgets that he's really dead unless he's reminded of it, such as when Sam Tyler's jacket appeared. Although he instinctively wants to guide his dead colleagues away from the "Dark Side" he also wants them to stay with him. He's both a hero and a tragic lonely young policeman simultaneously. The young Gene part of him is afraid of what comes next, but also does not want his short real life to have meant nothing. I liked that fact that the writers didn't expose Hunt as an angel or anything that rubbish. His created purpose was to keep the bad guy away from those in his care, not to be the forces of good. He was the Town Sheriff, the Blue Line. He just had to protect people until they found their own way.
So why were Alex and Sam different from Ray, Chris et al? Sam is obvious, he wasn't dead at all, and Alex started off in the world alive. It's significant that her outside influences changed in this series. Instead of hearing Molly or the voices of hospital staff her visions were far more associated with death. If another "live soul" had entered the world during that time she possibly would have forgotten the real world as the others did. Instead Keats was able to guide her into discovering the truth before her link with reality disappeared, leading Hunt to full realisation of not just his own death but the way he had prevented Chris, Ray and Shaz from moving on. In the end though, this act and knowledge gave him sufficient power to drive Keats out (again?).
Anyways, I thought it was very moving 🙂
The fantasy world was created by the real Gene Hunt as he died, in the first week of his police career in 1952. Because he died so full of ego and bravado his consciousness simply didn't accept his life was over, so it created a little bubble of purgatory. Although it's a delusion it has a power to it that means others can reach it. Dead police officers with unfinished issues are attracted to it, and those close to death also fall into it and give it more power. The setting is completely populated from the memories of those who live within, but the memories are flawed. Hence Ben Elton dying, the huge numbers of guns on the streets of London, the way events don't quite fall into line with the real world.
It looked like the real Ray died in the late 70s, and real Shaz in the mid 90s from the Oasis soundtrack. Combined with the memories of Sam and Alex that's plenty to give the 1973 and 1982 settings a depth that Hunt himself would never have been able to supply. Not sure about Chris's timeline, although it would be ironic if it turned out that he's older than everyone except Gene.
Keats appeared this series because Alex died in the real world at the end of Series 2. I think that without a connection to a living consciousness the fantasy world gets weaker. This not only means that Keats can get in and start influencing events, but the inhabitants can also break through the walls themselves. Notice how they frequently saw or heard things following a row with Gene Hunt. Possibly when the link between them and Hunt was weak they became more aware that they weren't in a true reality.
Hunt forgets that he's really dead unless he's reminded of it, such as when Sam Tyler's jacket appeared. Although he instinctively wants to guide his dead colleagues away from the "Dark Side" he also wants them to stay with him. He's both a hero and a tragic lonely young policeman simultaneously. The young Gene part of him is afraid of what comes next, but also does not want his short real life to have meant nothing. I liked that fact that the writers didn't expose Hunt as an angel or anything that rubbish. His created purpose was to keep the bad guy away from those in his care, not to be the forces of good. He was the Town Sheriff, the Blue Line. He just had to protect people until they found their own way.
So why were Alex and Sam different from Ray, Chris et al? Sam is obvious, he wasn't dead at all, and Alex started off in the world alive. It's significant that her outside influences changed in this series. Instead of hearing Molly or the voices of hospital staff her visions were far more associated with death. If another "live soul" had entered the world during that time she possibly would have forgotten the real world as the others did. Instead Keats was able to guide her into discovering the truth before her link with reality disappeared, leading Hunt to full realisation of not just his own death but the way he had prevented Chris, Ray and Shaz from moving on. In the end though, this act and knowledge gave him sufficient power to drive Keats out (again?).
Anyways, I thought it was very moving 🙂
0098386
Suspended
I've been purposely avoiding this thread for fear of spoilers 😛. I thought that ending was fantastic though. It had me gripped from start to finish - shows don't normally do that to me but the last few Ashes have been absolutely stellar.
From what I gather-
Gene is God of that world he created. He's dead but runs a *forces straight face* rehabilitation clinic for down and out coppers who are on the very precipice of death.
Each of them had "almost died" in their own decade.
Ray almost died in the 70's (the decor)
Chris almost died in the 80's (uniform)
Shaz almost died in the 90's (Oasis on the radio)
Keats was the devil. He was tempting them into going with him. The red room, the lift ascending from below, the quiet screams in the background.
Gene, as he is immature as he died young, wanted to keep them there with him. He realised he could no longer do this and the way out was to enter the Railway pub.
Edit: ok I'm wrong 😛
The end to a superb show (life+ashes). I wasn't happy with Ashes at first and it took until this series to really get me hooked. But it's all good.
From what I gather-
Gene is God of that world he created. He's dead but runs a *forces straight face* rehabilitation clinic for down and out coppers who are on the very precipice of death.
Each of them had "almost died" in their own decade.
Ray almost died in the 70's (the decor)
Chris almost died in the 80's (uniform)
Shaz almost died in the 90's (Oasis on the radio)
Keats was the devil. He was tempting them into going with him. The red room, the lift ascending from below, the quiet screams in the background.
Gene, as he is immature as he died young, wanted to keep them there with him. He realised he could no longer do this and the way out was to enter the Railway pub.
Edit: ok I'm wrong 😛
The end to a superb show (life+ashes). I wasn't happy with Ashes at first and it took until this series to really get me hooked. But it's all good.
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
^ Complicated storyline so I don't blame you, I was confused at first too. Queso's explanation is really good.
I didn't think it was that simplistic. Nelson and Keats represented agents of good and evil, not God and the Devil.
0098386
Suspended
I guess it could work out like that too. I just think the whole devil thing was very emphasised towards the end. As I said the lift, the screams, his destructive behaviour tearing the room apart, the inhuman cries of pain and the very fast healing (he had no damage as he walked away).
I didn't equate Nelson with any 'figure' though. Though thinking back the pub was brightly lit and appeared to have a welcoming/good atmosphere.
BlizzardBomb
macrumors 68030
I think you're spot on there.
It broke my heart when I realised that Hunt would be all on his own and everyone realised that the life they'd been living wasn't reality. So happy for Chris and Shaz getting together at the end though (well as happy as I can be for two fictional characters).
I had a feeling Nelson would be back as I remember in one of the behind-the-scenes documentaries for Life on Mars, the creators said they'd always wanted to do more with the bartender.
®îçhå®?
macrumors 68000
Definitely. Maybe i should watch the series all again and pay more attention. Not only will it be understood better, but it's a good way to avoid studying for uni exams
combatcolin
macrumors 68020
Right up to the end i though we would see Sam Tyler again, the "Railway Arms" representing the next step - maybe to heaven and Sam would be drinking in there with Annie.
Looking back, takes balls from a writers standpoint not to bring back a favourite character.
"BASTARDS KILL THE QUATTRO!"
All hail the Quattro!
Looking back, takes balls from a writers standpoint not to bring back a favourite character.
"BASTARDS KILL THE QUATTRO!"
All hail the Quattro!