...dust to dust.
Well, that was truly incredible. A perfect ending to five amazing seasons of wonderful television, an ending up there with Babylon 5's Sleeping in Light. Some of the best acting I've seen all year, especially from Daniel Mays who somehow managed to steal the entire franchise in its last season. Gorgeous acting from Keeley Hawes and Philip Glenister too, especially in the scene where All Is Revealed. Getting to see the deaths of Chris, Ray and Shaz was absolutely heartbreaking. And Nelson is god!
Basically, I've got no complaints at all with any of it.
Anyway. I discussed it with my mum afterwards and we came to the surprise realisation that the entire Gene Hunt Saga is an awful lot like The Chronicles of Narnia. Behold:
- Characters go there when they're still alive (barely alive in Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes, admittedly!), but also when they die as in The Last Battle.
- The ultimate "moving on" is an awful lot like the final journey to Aslan's Country.
- The decaying of Gene's World with the black, starry void is very similar to the destruction of Narnia in The Last Battle.
- The characters achieve a kind of personal validation, making up for past mistakes and even becoming better people in the process. Like in Narnia. Ray and Eustace, especially. Both start out as unlikeable but go through events that render them considerably more sympathetic.
- Gene is pretty much Aslan. Admittedly a racist, misogynist, overly-macho, stubborn bastard Aslan, but ultimately he's still a benevolent protector. Gene Hunt itself is also a kind of projected form; Aslan didn't look like a lion all the time either.
- The Last Battle has a demonic figure, like Keats. Keats could also be seen as an evil figure of temptation, like Jadis/The White Witch in The Magician's Nephew.
- A bit more tenuous, but Narnia and Gene's World have a kind of familiarity to them. Gene's World is like an ever-so-slightly bizarre version of the past that sees Sam and Alex finding themselves in the years of their childhood, whilst Narnia is like the ultimate childhood fantasy world.
Admittedly both are covered in mystical/religious allegory, but the similarities!
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Honestly, I'm not even going to elaborate on this. If you read my LJ you know full well how much I love Doctor Who and have done so since 1996 and how perfect and lovely and special it is; from all 31 TV seasons to the books to the audios to the various spin-offs (apart from Torchwood season 1)... the Whoniverse is The Best Thing Ever. The Doctor is the greatest TV character of all time. The end.
Basically, I've got no complaints at all with any of it.
Anyway. I discussed it with my mum afterwards and we came to the surprise realisation that the entire Gene Hunt Saga is an awful lot like The Chronicles of Narnia. Behold:
- Characters go there when they're still alive (barely alive in Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes, admittedly!), but also when they die as in The Last Battle.
- The ultimate "moving on" is an awful lot like the final journey to Aslan's Country.
- The decaying of Gene's World with the black, starry void is very similar to the destruction of Narnia in The Last Battle.
- The characters achieve a kind of personal validation, making up for past mistakes and even becoming better people in the process. Like in Narnia. Ray and Eustace, especially. Both start out as unlikeable but go through events that render them considerably more sympathetic.
- Gene is pretty much Aslan. Admittedly a racist, misogynist, overly-macho, stubborn bastard Aslan, but ultimately he's still a benevolent protector. Gene Hunt itself is also a kind of projected form; Aslan didn't look like a lion all the time either.
- The Last Battle has a demonic figure, like Keats. Keats could also be seen as an evil figure of temptation, like Jadis/The White Witch in The Magician's Nephew.
- A bit more tenuous, but Narnia and Gene's World have a kind of familiarity to them. Gene's World is like an ever-so-slightly bizarre version of the past that sees Sam and Alex finding themselves in the years of their childhood, whilst Narnia is like the ultimate childhood fantasy world.
Admittedly both are covered in mystical/religious allegory, but the similarities!
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Honestly, I'm not even going to elaborate on this. If you read my LJ you know full well how much I love Doctor Who and have done so since 1996 and how perfect and lovely and special it is; from all 31 TV seasons to the books to the audios to the various spin-offs (apart from Torchwood season 1)... the Whoniverse is The Best Thing Ever. The Doctor is the greatest TV character of all time. The end.