ASHES TO ASHES Series 3E1 Entertainment
As I type this it’s been 15 minutes since I saw the end of this show. I watched both seasons of Life On Mars as soon as they came out on DVD in the UK. I’ve gotten each season of Ashes To Ashes as soon as they were available as well. It’s safe to call me a big fan.
Ashes to Ashes didn’t start as strong as Life On Mars. The first season was good, but more because of characters I loved and I have to admit, I love the setting in 1983. So, Season 1, good but not great. Season 2 was much better, partly due to some behind the scenes squabble about the strength of season 1. Season 3 is something I’ve looked forward to with much anticipation, especially after hearing the people loved the ending.
Three opens with Gene Hunt on the run after shooting main character Alex. As she come out of her coma Gene is there and they go back to work. Waiting for Gene is a man named Jim Keats who is investigating the squad with the hope of shutting them down.
While they continue to work cases Alex looks into the fate of Sam Tyler, our hero from Life on Mars. She also starts to see a ghost, a young man who has been shot. Her investigations work as a nice subplot through out leading towards a big finish. Along the way each of the characters has a moment, almost a revelation, where we see them at there best and we get to know some more about them.The thing we come to realize is that this show is really about Gene Hunt, and by the time you finish you’ll see what I mean.
Strange happenings and weird coincidences abound, which is par for the course. It makes for a wonderful cop show with traces of horror, humor and ScFi throughout. By the time the last episode is on I think I’ve got it figured out. Ruth was close, and I had some pieces of it. I will say that fans of both Mars and Ashes will be happy. It makes sense, it made me happy and it impressed me. I was even surprised.
Now I need to watch it all again, which I may do once a year for quite a while. This was pure brilliance.
Jon Jordan
