BBC’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’

omahaid · 07-05-2010 10:01pm

Another cracking episode. I think that Gene is the policeman with half a face, Jim is in fact someone there to help people to transition to the after life and Ray, Shaz, Gene and Alex are hanging onto life.

Great series though!

Lord TSC · 07-05-2010 10:04pm

Amazing episode.

My problem with the LoM and first two series of A2A was I watched on DVD and kind of knew what was happening. This time though....it's great not knowing where it's going.

The whole Keats thing at the end was amazing, and twice in a row, direction in the final scenes have been some of the best I've ever seen. Keats is being built up as a death character I guess (Not only this week but with the girl a few episodes ago), but I still fear that's too obvious.

Or maybe the "They are all Time Lords" theory holds through; Gene did say he had two hearts <_<

tony1kenobi · 07-05-2010 10:23pm

ViiiIIIIIIiiiiiiiivvvvvvvv.........wwwwwwhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

mike65 · 07-05-2010 10:57pm

What was that tune Jim whistled? I know it but I can't place it.

Aussie Sean · 07-05-2010 11:42pm

mike65 wrote: »

What was that tune Jim whistled? I know it but I can't place it.

Ah Mike concentrate dear boy concentrate.;) He even told you himself,its the West Ham Anthem I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles.

Great episode yet again though. As someone mentioned here before Jim seems to recognise what Alex is talking about when she mentions something that only she could know. She compared Gene to Braveheart tonight and he laughed knowingly.

Sean

Sidney77 · 08-05-2010 1:10am

i think were being led to believe Hunt killed Tyler but knowing those writers for twists that might not be the case, young constable is def one of hunt/tyler (or possibly keats) imo,

im now thinking back to the clown in series 1 who turned out to be her dad,

tony1kenobi · 08-05-2010 2:50am

Sidney77 wrote: »

i think were being led to believe Hunt killed Tyler but knowing those writers for twists that might not be the case, young constable is def one of hunt/tyler (or possibly keats) imo,

im now thinking back to the clown in series 1 who turned out to be her dad,

Yup...pretty sure that cop isn't gonna be her dad.

I think it'll be Gene......thinking at this point it's Hunt in the coma and nobody else is real.........

Mr E · 08-05-2010 9:29am

Good theory, Tony. I could very well imagine a grey haired Gene Hunt in a coma in the present day. Sam found out the truth, and Alex is close.

mike65 · 08-05-2010 10:14am

Anyway Jim takes life its fair to say and he suddenly looked rather clown faced as he stared down at Viv

Sidney77 · 08-05-2010 10:23am

tony1kenobi wrote: »

Yup...pretty sure that cop isn't gonna be her dad.

just meant we may have a similar twist at the very end, so if we meet a present day gene hunt will he be in prison,

also, who was they guy pretending to be tyler

Motley Crue · 08-05-2010 10:46am

A few comments on last night's episode, from my point of view

1. When Viv died Jim seemed to be there suddenly, and either he is an angel who was helping Viv die, or his link with the prison system meant he was involved with the raid and was present when Viv was shot the second time or he shot Viv himself and it was made to look like Sac's had

2. I think that Sam Tyler was present in last night's episode, and I'm surprised his death didn't occur before the end of the episode - normally these characters show up, pretend to be someone, and then before you discover the truth they die. Obviously it is incredibly strange that Hunt wanted to kill the man who claimed to be Tyler so much, sneaking into the cell etc....as well as that, Tyler (for argument's sake) said the answer was in the tin. When Alex opened the first tin, it contained what looked like a constellation (stars, Ray and Chaz etc) and when she opened the second tin we saw what happened, therefore I think if he is not Tyler then he knows something more then he said

3. The stars thing with Ray and Chaz leads me to believe they're trapped in some kind of coma fantasy with Gene, who is unwilling to allow them to "cross over" into the afterlife and Keats is the angel sent to "break up the team" and allow everyone to be "free"

4. Why hasn't Annie Cartwright been contacted, mentioned or indeed anything said about her - except one vague reference - since the beginning of A2A? Surely if she and Sam were still in a relationship, and presumably married, she would have demanded more from Gene about the nature of his death or she would have kept Sam's jacket?

5. The policeman is either Keats, Gene, Gene's son (who has never been mentioned but could exist), Sam Tyler or perhaps Molly's father - again, someone we have never seen. I'd be very surprised if it's someone outside these people and I'd be very surprised if Alex is able to get any clear answers from the roll of film. The two are perhaps connected but from the outset will look unconnected.

Finally, I don't expect to see anything happen in the first part of the episode next week other then a massive cliffhanger, leading to the very final episode. Something similar to how Life On Mars dealt with their last two episodes.

Hobbes · 08-05-2010 6:21pm

Here is what I think.

With the comment of stars and darkness it looks like they are going with the plot twist of the US LoM. I hope not.

If they do go that route then Gene Hunt though is more likely the AI. There is a lot of foreshadowing in conversations for example someone saying to hunt "I know what you really are".

08-05-2010 7:10pm

anyone know is that a met or gmp uniform the cop had on? might break it down who it is. it said M over the 6620

omahaid · 08-05-2010 7:46pm

Apparently the 'M' is Trafford division, Manchester.

Motley Crue · 08-05-2010 8:15pm

omahaid wrote: »

Apparently the 'M' is Trafford division, Manchester.

That could signify Gene or Sam

And looking back at old Life On Mars episodes (Series 2, Episode 1), Gene started on the beat in Manchester, with a guy who used to serve in the war and took backhanders. Gene exposed him, felt terrible, and then ended up taking his first backhander a month after that.

Perhaps Gene didn't actually make it past exposing that guy and got beaten up and left in a coma instead

08-05-2010 8:20pm

omahaid wrote: »

Apparently the 'M' is Trafford division, Manchester.

Hmm interesting! where did you find that out?

My theory all along was that sam/alex had travelled back in time. Two significant things which gave me a clue.

A criminal which Sam had sectioned in LOM had attempted to turn off Sam's life support in the modern day despite never being collared by the police before sam went back to 1973. there was a mention he has escaped from mental home in 2006 to try kill Sam
Alex remembers Fenchurch East police station from 1981, the day her parents died and Gene supposedly was there for her the day her parents were killed. Big surprise Evan hasn't featured more in series 2 and 3. i thought he would be integral

But i am having to rethink this theory. Is this an illusion or an afterlife i dunno.

Good theory from Motley Crue there too.

cjmcork · 09-05-2010 10:46am

ok, this may be a stupid question, but after prisoner guy was found with the bag over his head, Gene said 'Jesus wanted him for a sunbeam'...........I know that was a Nirvana lyric, but was it in popular culture for some other reason in the early eighties??

omahaid · 09-05-2010 10:55am

Deleted User wrote: »

Hmm interesting! where did you find that out?

http://domeofstars.com/forum/index.php?topic=9064.msg428568#msg428568

I can't verify its accuracy I'm afraid...

Mr E · 09-05-2010 11:06am

cjmcork wrote: »

ok, this may be a stupid question, but after prisoner guy was found with the bag over his head, Gene said 'Jesus wanted him for a sunbeam'...........I know that was a Nirvana lyric, but was it in popular culture for some other reason in the early eighties??

It was in a children's hymn from 1900 (also known as I'll Be A Sunbeam)

mike65 · 09-05-2010 11:15am

Some reckon its the lyrics to I'm forever blowing bubbles we should be paying attention to

I'm dreaming dreams,
I'm scheming schemes,
I'm building castles high.
They're born anew,
Their days are few,
Just like a sweet butterfly.
And as the daylight is dawning,
They come again in the morning.

Chorus

I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.
They fly so high,
Nearly reach the sky,
Then like my dreams,
They fade and die.
Fortune's always hiding,
I've looked everywhere,
I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.

Verse 2

When cattle creep,
When I'm asleep,
To lands of hope I stray.
Then at daybreak,
When I awake,
My bluebird flutters away.
Happiness new seemed so near me,
Happiness come forth and heal me.

Chorus

I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.
They fly so high,
Nearly reach the sky,
Then like my dreams,
They fade and die.
Fortune's always hiding,
I've looked everywhere,
I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.

grenache · 10-05-2010 2:10am

Guys, i'm new to ATA, seen a couple of Season 1 episodes late night on RTE and loved them (the soundtrack is the best ever too!). I usually work week night so never get to see any tv, what nights is it on the BBC, is it Monday? And how far into Season 3 is it?

Thanks.

Mr E · 10-05-2010 8:15am

Its on BBC1 at 9pm on Friday. There are 2 episodes left in Season 3 (a 2 part finale over the next 2 Fridays).

Motley Crue · 10-05-2010 11:03am

Mr E wrote: »

Its on BBC1 at 9pm on Friday. There are 2 episodes left in Season 3 (a 2 part finale over the next 2 Fridays).

Can I just recommend that if anyone starts watching it now for the first time it will A. Spoil the ending of 2 massively good shows before you've even started watching it properly and 2. Confuse the life out of you

Sidney77 · 10-05-2010 12:01pm

i think i was said recently but i really hope the dont do like the american LOm ending, i hope they make it somewhat real (as opposed to nothing) and there is a reason for her going back,

the first time we saw the numbers it was written 6-6-20, possibly June 6th 1920 tho i cant imagine why that date would be significant

roll of film will be significant

10-05-2010 8:37pm

If they emulate the American version i can honestly say ill never watch anything Pharaoh and Graham put their name to again.
I hope the writers give Ashes to Ashes and i suppose you could say Life On Mars the ending it deserves.

Like Motley Crue i would recommend you watch it from the very beginning and i don't mean Ashes to Ashes but Life on Mars. I consider Ashes a sequel rather then a spin off.

omahaid · 12-05-2010 9:34pm

Big spoiler from BBC4 Program "Front Row"

BBC played the audio of the following scene

Alex asks Gene about Sam Tyler and what happened, because he was happy and had a girlfriend, Annie
Gene tells her Sam was acting strange for weeks He told Gene he wanted to leave and asked Gene to help him fake his own death

14-05-2010 2:25pm

Dean Andrews was interviewed by digital spy recently and stated that the ending of ashes will tie up all the loose ends so im starting to look at the bigger picture on that note.

Who drove the car that knocked down Sam Tyler? Gene?, Keats? someone else?
Who did Arthur Layton call on his mobile before he shot Alex? He said Alex was someone from their past? Gene? It couldn't be Evan as she knew him up to the day she was shot as he took care of her when her parents died.
Who was DCI Frank Morgan from Hyde 2612? Is he a Jim keats type adversary?
is Jim Keats the surgeon back in the present where alex is in a coma similar to Frank Morgan?

Arthur Daley · 14-05-2010 7:23pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Who drove the car that knocked down Sam Tyler? Gene?, Keats? someone else?

Yes, that E reg vauxhall cavalier is unaccounted for. I keep thinking it'll figure somewhere. A bit like the scene in snatch where the jag has the accident and we see it from a couple of different angles. The same kind of approach for telling the story by showing it from the perspective of different charachters was used in pulp fiction.

Motley Crue · 14-05-2010 10:08pm

OK, great episode tonight, but here's my theory after it all

1. That was 100% John Simm knocking on the glass in the preview for next week, go back and look on BBC IPlayer
2. Sam Tyler is living in the farmhouse with Annie, in hiding because of something, and Gene knows the truth but is trying to keep Sam's secret...so tries to stop Alex going there....but then Sam confronts her
3. Jim Keats knows something more then he is saying, that much is obvious, but I cannot figure him out
4. EVERYONE in "Ashes to Ashes land" is in a coma, most of the pivotal characters anyway, and they all have different levels of memory of the outside world
5. Nelson is a bigger character, much much bigger character, then we have EVER given him credit for

Oh, and what was that Hunt said about Viv being the best Skipper...don't we remember Philys?

RichTea · 14-05-2010 10:15pm

Motley Crue wrote: »

OK, great episode tonight, but here's my theory after it all

1. That was 100% John Simm knocking on the glass in the preview for next week, go back and look on BBC IPlayer
2. Sam Tyler is living in the farmhouse with Annie, in hiding because of something, and Gene knows the truth but is trying to keep Sam's secret...so tries to stop Alex going there....but then Sam confronts her
3. Jim Keats knows something more then he is saying, that much is obvious, but I cannot figure him out
4. EVERYONE in "Ashes to Ashes land" is in a coma, most of the pivotal characters anyway, and they all have different levels of memory of the outside world
5. Nelson is a bigger character, much much bigger character, then we have EVER given him credit for

Oh, and what was that Hunt said about Viv being the best Skipper...don't we remember Philys?

Great episode alright. I'm going to miss it when it's done.
My first instinct when I saw the preview of next week was that the guy knocking on the glass was Sam Tyler.

Can I just voice my utter frustration with the character of Jim Keats? I hate him. That's probably a credit to the writers for making him so bloody dastardly.

BBC’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’

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