It was simply brilliant. The writer's kept us on tenterhooks all the way through and threw in an ample selection of red herrings. The final twist was heart rending. I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet but I didn't see it coming until a few seconds before the actual denouement.
Keeley Hawes is a terrific actress and I've really loved her bubbly DI Drake character - somehow both girlie and professorial at the same time - but I do think she hasn't been stretched nearly enough in her acting abilities. Last night however changed all that. Her screams of despair as she sat in the middle of the road were gut wrenching (and I should know, my guts have been wrenched quite a bit this week). No dialogue was needed. They just faded to black. Perfect. Gene Hunt stepping in at the last moment to take the child's hand was also masterful. It subtlely confounded all our expectations and yet also re-affirmed his inherently paternal role.
In short it was a sad, sad, very tragic story and yet we were left feeling somehow uplifted at the end - mostly I suspect because Drake's relationship with her mother had finally reached a plateau of emotional fulfilment. There was an emotional closure of sorts that mirrored Sam Tyler's at the end of series 1 of Life On Mars. This mirroring is the right way to go I feel (we must bring balance to the Force!) and so I was not at all surprised to learn that the BBC have a second series of Ashes To Ashes already lined up for next year. My feeling is that it'll be the final one and after that we'll have to reconcile ourselves to a life without Gene Hunt.
Can you imagine such a thing? Scary.
Funniest moment for me last night (aside from DI Drake driving a huge pink tank over a car) was DC Chris Skelton finally pointing out the obvious to DS Ray Carling: that he bore an uncanny resemblance to most of the gay rights protestors they were currently holding in the cells.
I'm sure the gay rights people were all absolutely horrified...
Police brutality indeed.
11 comments:
I still would have liked to have seem more Gene Hunt and less of that bloody woman!
I must admit I was quite happy with the Keeley quota but more Gene Hunt wouldn't have gone amiss either. The man is a modern day Shakespeare!
I've deleted your comment OC as I'm sure you don't want your email address to be public! Hope you can understand my brief email synopsis of last night's episode - it in no way measures up to the real thing, I assure you!
I was watching 'Making love to my sister' or somesuch by mistake.
Well not really watching, but obsessively revising a short story on my laptop in front of the telly before today's deadline.
I never managed to follow it properly, but enjoyed what I saw and will definitely get the box set when it's out (of Ashes to Ashes that is, not Making Love to My Sister)
Keeley was sexy as ever of course. But you know what? I think I am in love with Gene Hunt. Don't tell anyone will you?
I shall really miss my Thursday evening dose of both of them.
Hope all is continuing to improve with regard to the poo-flow?
Hi Gina, I think Gene Hunt has a huge female fan base... odd for such a sexist, uncouth, racist character! Is he really the role model us guys should be worshipping?!
Poo-flow much slowed down thank God and Tom seems much back to his old self... we just need to make sure that his wees are occuring as and when they should now... Grief, it's like the reasons for worry never end. Karen and I are still fairly wiped out and are desparately trying to jolly ourselves out of the doldrums that we've currently slipped into...!
Haven't seen the last few episodes yet but have heard rumours that "Ashes to Ashes" may run for three series altogether, though it will probably depend on next year's ratings.
Meanwhile, Joanne Froggatt, Ruth Tyler in episodes four and eight of the first series of "Life on Mars", has been cast in BBC Three's "Spooks" spin-off "Spooks: Code 9" set in 2013, after London has been evacuated following a nuclear attack.
Hi TimeWarden, 3 series? That actually surprises me and blows my theory of 2 series apiece clean out of the water. However, if they can maintain the high standards I'd be happy for them to go the extra mile!
I'll keep an eye out for the Spooks spin-off too...!
Hi Laura, hope your story turned out well and you weren't too distracted by "Making love to my Sister" or whatever it was! What channel was that on, pray tell?
So you're not expecting a Britpop-flavoured 90's version?
Gene Hunt's last stand?
I'd quite like to see him going down in a blaze of glory taking SAW out with him in an '89 shoot out...
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