Reilly2040's Blog

So, last night saw the finale of season 2 of Ashes to Ashes.  And a damn fine finale it was too.  Spoilers for season 2 ahead if you’ve not seen it all.

I’ve always had a mixed reaction to Ashes to Ashes.  Season 1 was a disappointment for me, largely due to the character of Alex Drake who, unlike Sam Tyler, came across as smug and unlikable for the most part, which made it hard for me to empathise with her condition.  The whole thing just left me thinking they might’ve been better letting things lie after Life on Mars.

However season 2 showed a lot of improvement.  Through the conceit that Alex was slowly becoming more disconnected from her 2008 life as she spent more time in the 1980s, her character was softened a lot.   No longer wandering into a scene and declaring it all pointless and everyone there “constructs”.  That helped a lot.  Occassionally she was still written more like her season 1 self which grated, but overall the character was improved a lot.  And given some of the other stuff said onine, I should be clear that that I’m talking about Alex Drake the character.  I’ve liked Keeley Hawes as an actress since Spooks and I thought she took a lot of unfair criticism for her character after season 1.

The season arc was much stronger than the one with Alex’s parents as well.  Although I can’t help but think they could’ve done more with it, and it fizzled out slightly in the last episode.   It really peaked when Summers met his younger self and promptly shot him.  As shocking as this was, there wasn’t really any kind of payoff for it, although with (presumably) Summers’ body seen in 2008, maybe this will be revisited in season 3.

The rest of the regulars were all on fine form as you’d expect, but special mention must surely go to Philip Glenister.  While he’s always reliable as Gene Hunt, this season gave him a lot more to do, from the hysterical Jackanory in the final episode, to the scenes earlier on with Chris’ betrayal in episode 7 and his reactions to the beating he gets in episode 6.  The finale also promises to give Gene some good stuff next year, with the revelation that he’s looking at being charged with Alex’s shooting if she doesn’t wake up and exonnerate him.  The final scenes of Alex in 2008 with Gene shouting at her through all the monitors in the hospital were chillingly effective.

Overall, I’d still say this series is still struggling to live up to Life on Mars, but with this second season its found its footing a lot more, has improved greatly, and the shadow of LoM isn’t looming nearly as large.  I still found myself itching for a surprise appearance by Sam in the finale, but the softening of Alex’s character has worked a treat, and giving Gene more to do was incredibly effective and definitely something they need to build on in the third (and final) season.   When season 1 finished I really wasn’t that fussed about season 2, but I now find myself keen for the third season, and the final reveal for what’s been going on.

I finally got around to watching the trailer for the Life on Mars US remake today.

Can’t say I think it looks that good to be honest.  On one hand, the 70s US cop show feel actually works well, but other than that, I think it looks pretty awful.

A pity, as I thought Colm Meaney could be a good choice for the US Gene Hunt, but from this trailer I’m not convinced at all.

I’ve resisted weighing in on the Life on Mars finale for a while, as I wanted time to digest it fully.

Its certainly sparked a lot of debate, with people either loving or hating it. For myself, I like its vague nature. Yes, I know that Matthew Grahame’s given an interview where he explains his take on it, but like all things, people can take what they want from the shows themselves. For myself, I like leaving it open to interpretation. Did he Time Travel? Is he dead? Was he mental? I don’t know. I’d like to think there’s an element of time travel involved, although there’s enough evidence to the contrary, I think some episodes lose their power if he’s just in a coma, or a nutter. I do like the theory that Sam never woke up in 2006, and those sequences were just a deeper aspect of his coma.

I especially like the idea of leaving things vague with Ashes to Ashes coming up. If you accept Life on Mars has a definitive answer, then Ashes to Ashes becomes a harder sell. Why should we care about her attempts to change the future for the better, if we know she’s just in a coma? (Assuming that’s the tact they’ll take again, of course).

Gridlock was another cracking episode of New Who. I loved the twist halfway through, and while the Face of Boe’s message wasn’t a surprise for anyone who’s read the 2005 annual, David Tennant nicely opened things up in Dr Who Confidential with his “Boe’s right, but the Doctor’s not wrong” statement. I just hope this season can keep this quality up throughout, as we’re off to a flying start again.

And finally, I’ve been gorging myself on Prison Break. I’d been meaning to watch it for months now, and I finally got round to using some time off to start working through the season 1 DVDs. Little did I know I’d get sucked in 24-style and blitz the lot over4 days. Yes, there’s some inherent daftness in the escape plan, and Michael is frequently the luckiest man alive, but the storylines remain gripping nonetheless, and there’s some really good acting. Of course, there’s not been much discussion about the morality of Michael helping various convicted and guilty convicts escape, and I’m sure that’s going to cause him some serious grief in season 2. Its great TV though. Now I just need to get my hands on season 2…