Ashes 2 Ashes

[Gerontophile]

Started last night. I enjoyed it. Storylines a bit tighter, and a good deal darker overall, without so many glib one-liners.

I still have a few problems with the 'talking heads' and it did get a little confusing at one point, but I will surely be watching again next week.

I suspect however, that if you didnt like the first series of ATA, and many of you hated it, there is little chance of your liking this.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Ashes 2 Ashes

Fuck, I forgot this was on. Must try and call it up on Replay. (I wasn't overly impressed by Ashes To Ashes, certainly not when compared to Life On Mars, but I'm kind of committed to it now...)

[Gangster Octopus]

Ashes 2 Ashes

No interest in watching this, but the oft-repeated trailer did remind me just how wonderful Chant No. 1 is.

[Toby Gymshorts]

Ashes 2 Ashes

It was certainly better than the first series, and a lot darker as you said.

High hopes for this.

[Auntie Beryl]

Ashes 2 Ashes

The first episode was pretty enjoyable, apart from the research errors.

"I was at Stamford Bridge. With 30,000 other people." This is set in 1982.

The music continues to be great, although it needs more Japan.

[Gerontophile]

Ashes 2 Ashes

EVERYTHING needs more Japan.

Anyway, a BUMP for this as Episode 2 is on tonight at 9pm on Beeb 1.

[Gerontophile]

Ashes 2 Ashes

Great episode I thought. And the music:

The Back of Love (Echo and the Bunnymen)
Stool Pigeon (Kid Creole & the Coconuts)
Tempted (Squeeze)
I Second That Emotion (JAPAN Yay)
In The Air Tonight (Ph*l C*llins)
A Town Called Malice (The Jam)
Come on Eileen (Dexys Midnight Runners)
Messages (I think) (OMD)
Wishing (A Flock of Seagulls)

[Hot Orange]

Ashes 2 Ashes

This really is much much better than the first series. They seem to have toned down the 80s kitsch and persuaded Keeley Hawes to do some acting.

[Hot Orange]

Ashes 2 Ashes

The first episode was pretty enjoyable, apart from the research errors.

"I was at Stamford Bridge. With 30,000 other people." This is set in 1982.


On the other hand, Kevin Hales did indeed play for Chelsea in 1982.

[Gerontophile]

Ashes 2 Ashes

Hot Orange wrote:

This really is much much better than the first series. They seem to have toned down the 80s kitsch and persuaded Keeley Hawes to do some acting.

Yes. She is doing the 'tortured soul' thing, really rather well. (Incidentally, I recently saw her in a Diana Dors biopic, and she was either stunningly good, or appallingly bad, and I cant work out which)

[Max Payne]

Ashes 2 Ashes

There's no chance of this appearing in OZ any time soon, however for those overseas OTFers wanting to catch up I can reveal it's pretty well seeded on the old dodgy interweb torrent thingy.

[Spearmint Rhino]

Ashes 2 Ashes

Polish and Czech workers on 80s building sites?! Who the fuck waved that one through?

[Commodore]

Ashes 2 Ashes

Better than the first series, which was rushed to cash in on the popularity of Life on Mars. It seems they had a go at writing a proper storyline this time round, and for me it worked as there were a few more twists and turns (the first series merely hung on whether Drake could save her folks, which was just tedious). The ending was particularly impressive, with shades of Big Brother perhaps hinting at a return to 1984 (nice choice of music to finish too).

In the end, it's the Gene Hunt show. No matter how good bad or indifferent he gets all the good lines (and they are good); it's a surprising bonus that this series gave Life on Mars more of a run for its money.

[Taylor]

Ashes 2 Ashes

I thought the ending finally crossed the line on which they've been teetering all series, between slightly daft fantasy drama and all-out camp.

Personally, if I'd just

***SPOILERS***

woken up from a headshot-induced coma in which I was living in the early Eighties with Gene Hunt, I wouldn't be too surprised if three minutes after coming round I was still getting some mental disturbance, including hallucinatory bleed-through. I doubt that shouting "I'm in a coma in 1982!", as though for slow-witted onlookers, is something that I'd do, but hey, who knows?