Ashes To Ashes 2008 - 2010

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

After nearly five years and five series (if you count Life on Mars) Ashes to Ashes came to a conclusion and the riddle of Gene Hunt was finally solved. It was sad to see one of best British TV characters of the last ten years leave our screens. Having said this, it left a slightly bitter taste.

So what was the answer? The station, the criminals and the Quattro, what were they? As it turned out, this was police purgatory. What about Alex Drake? Well, it turns out she was actually already dead. We had three series of waiting, waiting to see if Drake would wake from her coma and be reunited with her daughter. She wasn’t. She was dead and she had been all along. Considering she had been shot in the head it may have been slightly foolish of us to assume that she would wake up.

What about Chris, Shaz and Ray (who for my money has been the star of all three series). They were all dead too. Ray in the seventies, Chris in the eighties and Shaz in the nineties. 

To the big question then. Who was Gene Hunt? Well, he was an angel. A big, burly police angel. He himself was shot dead whilst on duty. Since arriving in purgatory he assumed the position of Chief Superintendant and acted as a guardian for those who have ended up in his station. Hunt was only a teenager when he was killed. He wanted to be the tough guy but never got the chance. Gary Cooper was his hero, hence the references. In this world he is given the opportunity to prove himself. 

As for Jim Keats, Gene’s nemesis throughout the series, what is he all about? Just what is his problem? He’s a demon. Yes, a demon whose main interest was to take Gene’s team down to Hell. Fortunately they fought against it, his identity was soon uncovered and Gene was able to usher the guys off to Heaven or in this case The Railway Arms. For those of you who don’t know, this pub was frequented by the officers of Life on Mars. However in Life on Mars, it was just a place to purchase cheap ale not the afterlife. 

The one genuinely poignant moment was the realisation that Gene was now alone in the world. He had lost his family and it was time to start a new one. The final scene of Ashes echoed the first scene of Mars with the arrival of a male police officer (presumably from the future) demanding to know what the hell was going on. Gene’s adventure was about to start again. 

Now from reading this it sounds as though I was not a fan of either series. This is not true. Life on Mars was one of the best British dramas of the past ten years. It had great stories, well rounded characters and a perfect ending. Ashes to Ashes, whilst not as good, still worked, series two being the strongest of the three. 

However the third series, whilst not ignoring the story of the week format, it felt as though this came second place to the writers trying to resolve what this world is really about. This was an impossible task. Also the suggestion that John Simm could return as Sam Tyler was a red herring we could have all done without.

Some might say the final episode was satisfying because all loose ends appeared to be tied. However having all the answers does not necessarily make a great ending. The conclusion of Life on Mars strayed away from trying to resolve the puzzle, instead choosing to focus on character and story. It worked. Ashes to Ashes was trying to create something much more complex, original and meaningful. It got lost along the way.

By Mike Gregory