Ashes to Ashes BBC One Tonight

[The Squire of Gothos]

I'm sorry I missed the entire run of "Life On Mars" now, and the third episode of this series. Ah well, I'll check the on demand again for it.

Would a sequel set in the 90s work as well as one set in the 70s and 80s? A bit too soon for us to feel nostalgic for it yet perhaps.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I'm sorry I missed the entire run of "Life On Mars" now, and the third episode of this series. Ah well, I'll check the on demand again for it.

Would a sequel set in the 90s work as well as one set in the 70s and 80s? A bit too soon for us to feel nostalgic for it yet perhaps.

My guess is that it would depend on when it happens. If Ashes to Ashes has 2 series, like Life on Mars did, then it would be at least 2010 before a third show happened. So 20 years would have passed since 1990, and around 20 years after the fact is when all the nostalgia stuff pops up.
I'm just thinking, was there anything big happening to the police force in 1990? Reasons the public hated the police? That seems to be the recurring theme for these shows. In the 70s it was police corruption, in the 80s it was police brutality, so what would it be for the 90s?

Oh, and if you're interested, both series of Life on Mars are currently in the 2 boxsets for £30 sale on Play.com

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

I'm just thinking, was there anything big happening to the police force in 1990? Reasons the public hated the police? That seems to be the recurring theme for these shows. In the 70s it was police corruption, in the 80s it was police brutality, so what would it be for the 90s?

Heh, this is where you realise Northern Ireland insulates you from the "real world" somewhat. I've no idea, political correctness?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Heh, this is where you realise Northern Ireland insulates you from the "real world" somewhat. I've no idea, political correctness?

The thing that came to mind was the poll tax protests, etc. But I'm not sure if that was late 80s, rather than early 90s.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Late 80s must be, Thatcher left when I was still in primary school.

Would Gene Hunt vs political correctness be too much of a cliche after so many other cops are shown on TV going against the grain to get results etc

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Late 80s must be, Thatcher left when I was still in primary school.

Would Gene Hunt vs political correctness be too much of a cliche after so many other cops are shown on TV going against the grain to get results etc

I was still in primary school too, I think I was around 8 or 9 but I seem to remember having a conversation with my mam about poll tax and why it was so bad, etc.

I just looked it up on wiki.

The cost of collecting the tax rose steeply while the returns from it fell. Enforcement measures became increasingly draconian, and unrest grew and culminated in a number of Poll Tax Riots. The most serious was in a protest at Trafalgar Square, London, on March 31, 1990, of more than 200,000 protesters. A Labour MP, Terry Fields, was jailed for 60 days for refusing to pay his poll tax.

Who knew the first thing to come to mind was right.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Hmmm, I was at primary school later than I thought

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I thought I'd bump it for reviews and comments afterwards.

Another good episode... Gene Hunt vs Spooks.
It's taking her longer, but she's starting to get just as sucked in as Sam did, albeit for different reasons.

 

[firehawk12]

I'm finding that they are minimizing the mystery stuff much more though. Even the clown seems to have disappeared for the most part...
Still, neat episode. Given that she's a shrink, you'd think that she'd take time to think of why she wants her mother to have an affair with her god father... or what the significance of the Artemis thing is.
That's the other thing that doesn't really make sense... how can her mind invent the stuff that Gene does on his own? Is that just another layer of subconsciousness that she isn't aware of or is afraid to analyze?
Anyhow, I hope they know where they're going with this...

 

[Pindar]

Whilst I really enjoyed last nights episode it could easily have been a straight cop show.

The imagery of young Alex shutting herself in the box was a little disturbing, as is Alex lusting after her mothers lover/god father.

 

[firehawk12]

A pop psychiatrist would say she has some form of Elektra complex.

 

[Starkers]

I'm assuming the Evan/Mum stuff was actually the memory from Alex's childhood resurfacing within her fantasy. ie she knew at the time that it was happening but she shut it out (shut it in a box in fact) until now.

Of course that explains one point but now how she's imagining Gene and Ray when she's not around!!

Last night's was ok I thought- nothing special.

 

[Deckerd]

I really enjoyed it. It must be a chick thing.

 

[Starkers]

I really enjoyed it. It must be a chick thing.

How'd you mean??

 

[WillsBabe]

I really, really enjoyed last night's episodes. At times I found myself wishing that they had ditched the premise and it was a straight cop show. I really enjoyed the good cop-bad cop routine, and Gene and Drake in the vault and the escape from the security installation. Great! I like this so much more than LOM, but I already said that once so I'll try not to say it again.

 

[cubbie]

I thought episode 4 was the best of them all. I'm speculating on some things, but will put in spoilers just in case.

Spoiler: about the clown

so the clown is her father? Andrew Clover is the guy playing the clown and his picture sure looks like the dad.

Spoiler: Molly

the daughter. For a while I thought young Alex and Molly were played by the same actress, but on IMDb they are listed as two different people. They writers went to a lot of trouble putting that birthmark on Molly. I thought it was intentional.

Spoiler: Regarding Alex getting shot

What if Alex is imagining that she got shot. There is the odd bit in the first episode where Molly is captured by the gunman and they go under the docks. Then you hear a gunshot and Molly is released and somehow the gunman is suddenly in Alex's car. What if that didn't really happen? What if Alex's mind is coming up with that explanation? What if Alex is in a coma for a different reason? Okay, I'm stretching...

Spoiler: the godfather Evan

Is he Alex's real father, rather than godfather? Is he really a good man, or is there something else. We are seeing the dream where he is running down the hill and Alex appears to in a trunk of a car. Is this the car that was about to explode with her parents in it? Did Evan put the bomb in the car?

 

[Bob The Skutter]

An Ashes to Ashes soundtrack has been announced. It's to be released on the 17th, here's the track list.

1. Introduction: Dialogue - Alex Drake
2. David Bowie: 'Ashes To Ashes'
3. Visage: 'Fade To Grey'
4. The Human League: 'Love Action'
5. Duran Duran: 'Girls On Film'
6. Dexys Midnight Runners: 'Geno'
7. OMD: 'Souvenir'
8. The Stranglers: 'No More Heroes'
9. The Clash: 'I Fought The Law'
10. Heaven 17: '(We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thing'
11. Interlude: Dialogue - You’re Nicked
12. Edmund Butt: 'Gene Genie' (Gene Hunt’s theme from Ashes To Ashes)
13. The Passions: 'In Love With A German Film Star'
14. Altered Images: 'Happy Birthday'
15. Joe Jackson: 'It’s Different For Girls'
16. Flying Lizards: 'Money'
17. The Beat: 'Doors Of Your Heart'
18. The Ruts: 'Staring At The Rude Boys'
19. The Teardrop Explodes: 'Reward'
20. Tenpole Tudor: 'Swords Of A Thousand Men'
21. Bryan Ferry: 'Let’s Stick Together'
22. Ultravox: 'Vienna'
23. Edmund Butt: Title Music from Ashes To Ashes
24. Epilogue: Dialogue - Fandabydozy

 

[firehawk12]

The only song I know on that list is "I Fought the Law"... which is sad, because at least I recognized four songs on the Life on Mars soundtrack.

 

[wamdue]

what about girls on film?

 

[firehawk12]

Haha, I guess I know that one... although, I only know that one because a podcast took the song and did it with their own lyrics.