GUYS!!!!! *flail*
aka, my Ashes to Ashes finale reaction. Wasn't going to do this, but seeing as isweedan is offline and unable to watch until Tuesday, I have no one to discuss this with and must release my squee-sobbing somewhere!!
First of all, funny story, but I completely MISSED the big reveal at the farmhouse because I was watching on YouTube and the picture quality was not stellar, so I couldn't read the ID card and was going MAD trying to figure out who they were talking about!! Seriously thought it was Gene's brother for a couple of minutes before I twigged it.
Regarding that big reveal - OMG Gene. :`( The acting throughout this episode was incredible, but Phil Glenister in that whole scene just took it to another level.
My primary reaction to the "what is this place" reveal continues to be, "Those wackoes were right?!?!" I seriously thought all those crazy theories were fun but completely silly. I couldn't believe they were true. But on further reflection, it really does make sense (well, in-universe sense) and I can't really imagine it being any other way.
While I definitely preferred the ambiguity of the LoM ending and some parts of this felt a bit cheesy and shoehorned, overall I am impressed with how well it actually worked. Although part of this may be simply ENORMOUS relief that after all the ominous star stuff in the last few episodes, they did NOT end up going the American route after all. Whatever faults it has, it is vastly superior to THAT.
I am sad that Alex (and even the rest of the gang, really, but especially Alex) didn't get to stay. Again, on further reflection, it really is the only way it works. Gene is a lone ranger. And - perhaps somewhat ironically - I am glad he stayed behind. Someone's got to do the job, and Gene is perfect for it. The ending scene was just perfect. Gene continues on, and it's awfully comforting.
Random, less-coherent thoughts:
- Not being familiar with police uniforms or popular music, it took me some looking on the internet to find out when Ray, Chris, and Shaz are really from. But it explains SO MUCH!! Ray is from around the same time as Gene, which is why he fits in with his worldview so much and is generally the most "backward" of the three. Chris is from a little later, so is more open to Sam and Alex's methods. Shaz is from way later, so even though she doesn't remember, she's retained most of her modernity.
- Another theory I saw online that I really like: Chris, Ray, Shaz, and presumably most of the people that end up in Gene's Place died right out and so didn't realize they were in a different time (Ray may not have even *been* in a different time, since he died so close to Gene). Whereas Alex and Sam and a couple of others were in a coma for a while, maintaining some contact with their present, and so were really weirded out by ending up in 1973/1980/whenever.
- Someone pointed out that Alex's contact with 2008 ended at the beginning of s3, when, as we now know, she died. BRILLIANCE.
- Keats is really freaking creepy in this ep. Even more so than his previous creepiness up to this point. When he started touching Alex, I about freaked out. When he went all batcrap in the office and started trashing it, I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. And when he hissed and walked all weird at the end when he was taunting Gene, I seriously thought he was going to morph into something really really awful. As it was, it was creepier with him not.
- "My real name's Nigel Perkins...No, I'm joking, it's Gene Hunt." Best line ever. Kind of weird mood dissonance, but also a nice little comic relief in an over very dark and morbid ep.
- So they say they had this all planned from the beginning...of Life on Mars. I'm not entirely sure I believe that, as there was pretty much NO indication of it before series 3. But it's a nice thought.
- I was almost as upset as Gene when the Quattro got killed. Though his reaction was perfect - funny, and completely Gene. Really brought back the feel of the show in those final minutes.
- A lot of people seem to be confused about the weird timestream in Gene's Place, as well as the Railway Arms and Nelson and all that. I don't think the Railway Arms and Nelson are supposed to be direct analogues to heaven or Peter or whatever, more like that's what their idea of heaven is so that's what it appears like to them. If that makes sense. (On a side note, obviously the theology of the show is really wacked out, but it's not a show about theology so who cares?) As far as the timestream goes...well, it's just one of those things, I suppose. Like Narnia. Time doesn't run faster or slower or a few years off, it just runs differently.
- The LoM refs throughout this were fantastic. I especially loved the "Pub." "Pub." "Pub." part.
- Overall, I am *satisfied* with the ending and I think that's remarkable.
Well, I think that's it. It says a lot that I'm still processing over twelve hours later. I hope they release A2A on region 1 dvd like they did with LoM...I want to own them all and watch them over and over!!
First of all, funny story, but I completely MISSED the big reveal at the farmhouse because I was watching on YouTube and the picture quality was not stellar, so I couldn't read the ID card and was going MAD trying to figure out who they were talking about!! Seriously thought it was Gene's brother for a couple of minutes before I twigged it.
Regarding that big reveal - OMG Gene. :`( The acting throughout this episode was incredible, but Phil Glenister in that whole scene just took it to another level.
My primary reaction to the "what is this place" reveal continues to be, "Those wackoes were right?!?!" I seriously thought all those crazy theories were fun but completely silly. I couldn't believe they were true. But on further reflection, it really does make sense (well, in-universe sense) and I can't really imagine it being any other way.
While I definitely preferred the ambiguity of the LoM ending and some parts of this felt a bit cheesy and shoehorned, overall I am impressed with how well it actually worked. Although part of this may be simply ENORMOUS relief that after all the ominous star stuff in the last few episodes, they did NOT end up going the American route after all. Whatever faults it has, it is vastly superior to THAT.
I am sad that Alex (and even the rest of the gang, really, but especially Alex) didn't get to stay. Again, on further reflection, it really is the only way it works. Gene is a lone ranger. And - perhaps somewhat ironically - I am glad he stayed behind. Someone's got to do the job, and Gene is perfect for it. The ending scene was just perfect. Gene continues on, and it's awfully comforting.
Random, less-coherent thoughts:
- Not being familiar with police uniforms or popular music, it took me some looking on the internet to find out when Ray, Chris, and Shaz are really from. But it explains SO MUCH!! Ray is from around the same time as Gene, which is why he fits in with his worldview so much and is generally the most "backward" of the three. Chris is from a little later, so is more open to Sam and Alex's methods. Shaz is from way later, so even though she doesn't remember, she's retained most of her modernity.
- Another theory I saw online that I really like: Chris, Ray, Shaz, and presumably most of the people that end up in Gene's Place died right out and so didn't realize they were in a different time (Ray may not have even *been* in a different time, since he died so close to Gene). Whereas Alex and Sam and a couple of others were in a coma for a while, maintaining some contact with their present, and so were really weirded out by ending up in 1973/1980/whenever.
- Someone pointed out that Alex's contact with 2008 ended at the beginning of s3, when, as we now know, she died. BRILLIANCE.
- Keats is really freaking creepy in this ep. Even more so than his previous creepiness up to this point. When he started touching Alex, I about freaked out. When he went all batcrap in the office and started trashing it, I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. And when he hissed and walked all weird at the end when he was taunting Gene, I seriously thought he was going to morph into something really really awful. As it was, it was creepier with him not.
- "My real name's Nigel Perkins...No, I'm joking, it's Gene Hunt." Best line ever. Kind of weird mood dissonance, but also a nice little comic relief in an over very dark and morbid ep.
- So they say they had this all planned from the beginning...of Life on Mars. I'm not entirely sure I believe that, as there was pretty much NO indication of it before series 3. But it's a nice thought.
- I was almost as upset as Gene when the Quattro got killed. Though his reaction was perfect - funny, and completely Gene. Really brought back the feel of the show in those final minutes.
- A lot of people seem to be confused about the weird timestream in Gene's Place, as well as the Railway Arms and Nelson and all that. I don't think the Railway Arms and Nelson are supposed to be direct analogues to heaven or Peter or whatever, more like that's what their idea of heaven is so that's what it appears like to them. If that makes sense. (On a side note, obviously the theology of the show is really wacked out, but it's not a show about theology so who cares?) As far as the timestream goes...well, it's just one of those things, I suppose. Like Narnia. Time doesn't run faster or slower or a few years off, it just runs differently.
- The LoM refs throughout this were fantastic. I especially loved the "Pub." "Pub." "Pub." part.
- Overall, I am *satisfied* with the ending and I think that's remarkable.
Well, I think that's it. It says a lot that I'm still processing over twelve hours later. I hope they release A2A on region 1 dvd like they did with LoM...I want to own them all and watch them over and over!!