Weren't bad though, were we?

[the_royal_anna]

Yesterday morning I woke up to my radio playing The Jean Genie, which made me feel slightly like I was having an Alex moment and had woken up in Ashes to Ashes. In a lot of ways, I'm still there.

As I've said once before, this comes with a lack of restraint warning. :)

Comments

[cal_turner]

Goodbye, great show.

It really, really was.

Wonderful post, Anna. You made me cry all over again. It was such a fantastic ending to the show, and I simply couldn't have asked for more. The perfect ending to the Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes story.

[the_royal_anna]

It was such a fantastic ending to the show, and I simply couldn't have asked for more. The perfect ending to the Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes story.

It really was, wasn't it? And thank you. :)

[sea_thoughts]

Alex. Alex who lost her little girl, but became a mother to her team, Gene's other half in helping them grow up enough to let go, and helping him let them go. There's a sweet, sad parallel: they each have to help the other let their children go, this episode.

OMG, I hadn't thought of it like that, but you're so right! Alex helped Gene to let go of his team and Gene helped Alex to accept she was dead and couldn't go back to Molly (still could have done with a longer scene, though).

And somewhere out in the future I want to think there will be a DCI Drake, a little girl who grew up not, like her mother before her, wanting to prove something because she wondered if her mother loved her, but because she knew how much her mother did.

Yeah, I hope so. I don't see how Molly could doubt Alex's love for her. I wonder if Molly meets Gene, when he's on the verge of retirement, and SHE'S the replacement. That's for fanfiction, I suppose.

[the_royal_anna]

I wonder if Molly meets Gene, when he's on the verge of retirement, and SHE'S the replacement. That's for fanfiction, I suppose.

Hee, it's funny you should say that, because I've just been fanficcing that exact scenario in my head. :)

I know what you mean about wanting a longer scene. The first time I saw it I was just left gasping for air, but I think their parting would have hurt however long they'd had to say goodbye. And I felt that last week we definitely got to indulge in the scenes between them, so I knew this time round we weren't going to have that luxury. There is so much in the time that they do have though, that second time round it feels enough.

[sea_thoughts]

WRITE IT. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!

I know the parting would have hurt no matter how long the scene was, but I was thinking more that it seemed like Alex gave in too quickly to the idea that she was dead and she would never see Molly again. And I know they were under time constraints, but still... :/

[the_royal_anna]

Yes, I felt that too. But I think, deep down, she'd known already.

I don't know if I can resist the capital letter encouragement. :)

[hereswith]

Found this via a2ashes. Lovely post! Reading this made me all tear-eyed again, I just saw the episode so I'm still processing the events, but I was nodding along and agreeing with pretty much everything you said.

To carry my North and South analogy through to its end, I love that as Gene's empire fell apart around him, it was she who picked it up, who picked him up, and gave them both back to him. "North and South" with Richard Armitage? I liked that so much in NaS and it was wonderful to see Alex doing it here.

And somewhere out in the future I want to think there will be a DCI Drake, a little girl who grew up not, like her mother before her, wanting to prove something because she wondered if her mother loved her, but because she knew how much her mother did. Oh. I want to think that too.

And that last, gorgeous scene between them that broke me in about forty ways. Yes. I wish there had been a little more time, though, both for Alex to deal with the realisation that she couldn't go back and the goodbye. On first viewing, at least, it

[the_royal_anna]

Thank you!

"North and South" with Richard Armitage? I liked that so much in NaS and it was wonderful to see Alex doing it here.

The very same. :) It struck me only recently that there are a lot of parallels between N&S and Gene and Alex's story - I wrote a bit more about it here.

I wish there had been a little more time, though, both for Alex to deal with the realisation that she couldn't go back and the goodbye. On first viewing, at least, it felt like it happened so quickly and then she was gone.

It was quick. In a way though, I think Alex had known, deep down, that she wasn't going back. Once upon a time her motivation for everything was about getting back, but there's no doubt that's changed over the course of this series. And the two of them play it so beautifully in the little time that they do have, that I found on rewatching it seemed just right.

[hereswith]

In a way though, I think Alex had known, deep down, that she wasn't going back. That's probably true, and hopefully when I have time to watch the scene again, I will feel differently about it!

Also, I saw the comments above and just wanted to say that I hope you do write that fic about Molly being Gene's replacement :-)

*off to read more about the N&S parallels*

[the_royal_anna]

I'm still mourning and at same time happy with all the feelings this finale gave me

Yes, I know exactly what you mean. And believe me, I wrote this with tears running down my face. :)

[magglenagall]

I found this entry while perusing the friends page for a2ashes, and I just wanted to say this I think this is the best analysis of the finale I've found. Thank you for posting it in public.

[_lethe_]

Seconded.

[the_royal_anna]

Thank you! I'm very glad to know it was worth sharing.

[the_royal_anna]

Thank you! I'm very flattered. I'm so glad to know you enjoyed this and thank you very much for your kind words.