Comments | amarena: "kiss me like you like me - twist it round again and again"

amarena

"kiss me like you like me - twist it round again and again"

Mar 08, 2008 15:24

This is pretty much my (very) disconnected dotpointy kind of knee-jerk instant response to the first episode of Ashes to Ashes...

What did other people think?

( Roger that. )

ashes to ashes

Comments 4

chocolaterabbit March 8 2008, 08:13:25 UTC

What do I think of Ashes to Ashes? Gods, so hard to answer. There are some moments where I just cackle uncontrollably, others I am bored, others when I worry that by fashioning this new Gene Hunt, who is equal parts brooding to brash, more quiet and controlled, the writers are effectively white washing the character - like it says, oh, everyone loves Gene Hunt! So now we bring him to you free of all that pesky overt racism so you don't have to trouble yourself over it. Ooh, look, isn't his misogyny funny? Alex Drake is laughing at it, so you can too!

But I had my issues with the Gene Hunt character in Life on Mars as well, so I don't know if that is anything new. Mostly I am worried about how they are writing Alex Drake. I've only seen the first episode and a bit of the second, but I am concerned. Although I've heard it gets better. I do love how she refers to everyone as 'constructs' though.

Also, I love Shaz. Love! Why couldn't my parents name me Montserrat? Best. Name. Ever.

::EDIT:: Edited to add a link to a A2A/LoM vid!

amarena March 8 2008, 09:47:41 UTC

I've only seen the one episode, so I can't be entirely sure, but I suspect that Ashes to Ashes is going to be a whole lot more irreverent than Life on Mars (which does rather go with the 80s territory) - the 80s are just too close. The 70s setting let you indulge in a fair amount of cheeky nostalgia, and play around with the whole good ole bad ole days thing - Sam was completely displaced, and so were we (speaking for myself) The 80s though, I mean, Alex is actively going to remember that (along with the majority of viewers?), and I don't know where I'm going with this so I'll stop for now and think about it some more ( ... )

chocolaterabbit March 8 2008, 11:28:42 UTC

I think part of my problem with the Gene Hunt character and both shows in general is that they're obviously trying to evoke the cop shows of their respective times, to let the audience indulge in 'cheeky nostalgia', but the time travel/coma/dead plot gives a whole other layer to them. So if it was just a nostalgic sendup, you can take a character like Gene on the stereotypical level tha he's presented, and laugh, even like him, because obviously it's a send up, and it's all good, you've got Sam there to say that Racism is Bad ( ... )

wrathchild March 15 2008, 04:16:35 UTC

I've seen the first two episodes now, and burning them to DVD to watch on a proper sized telly has improved them no end. I've now decided I like them a lot more than my email suggested, but I miss Sam as much as you do and would like to hear just a dash of East End NWOBHM on the soundtrack. How about some Saxon, Angelwitch or Diamond Head?

W