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Topic:
[Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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Spike2002
Title: FF-UK RSA
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Registered:
Feb '02
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Date Posted:
1/29 7:19am
Subject:
[Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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www.bbc.co.uk/drama/ashestoashes
BBC posted:
It's 1981 and DCI Gene Hunt is back and he's swapped his Ford Cortina for an Audi Quattro, but is the 'The Manc Lion' we met in Life on Mars turning soft?
Gene turns his attentions to taking on the "southern nancy" criminal scum and flanked by his faithful sidekicks DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton, he transfers down South to the London Met.
But Gene gets a surprise when he is thrown together with a sexy, ambitious and intelligent officer in the shape of single mother DI Alex Drake.
Alex has risen rapidly through the ranks of the Met and in the modern world of 2008 is renowned for using her skills as a psychological profiler to capture suspects.
But Alex is ripped from her current world of equality and respect when she and her daughter are kidnapped. She is shot while making a bid for freedom and wakes up in a brothel in 1981, surrounded by men who look like something out of Miami Vice and is confused, to say the least.
Here Alex comes face to face with some familiar characters, not just from her own life-time, but also from the reports logged by none other than Sam Tyler, which Alex has spent months pouring over.
In Eighties London, with a soundtrack of Bucks Fizz and The Human League ringing in her ears, Alex finds herself working with the brash and politically incorrect Gene Hunt and his Stone-Age opinions on women.
Frustrated by each other's stubbornness, the friction builds and it soon becomes clear there is more than just a professional relationship blossoming.
Jane Featherstone, executive producer for Kudos explains: "Gene has never come across a woman like Alex before and she rocks his world. How is it possible to work with someone so incredibly confident and attractive, not to mention posh and from London and a woman? We see a different side to Gene – a more complex, gentler side, a man with dreams, hopes and fears."
Ashes to Ashes is a Kudos Film and Television production in association with Monastic Productions for the BBC.
Cast
Philip Glenister - DCI Gene Hunt
Keeley Hawes - DI Alex Drake
Dean Andrews - DS Ray Carling
Marshall Lancaster - DC Chris Skelton
Montserrat Lombard - WPC Sharon 'Shaz' Granger
Crew
Matthew Graham - Creator/Writer/Executive Producer
Ashley Pharaoh - Creator/Writer
Mark Greig - Writer
Mick Ford - Writer
Julie Rutterford - Writer
Jonny Campbell - Director
Bille Eltringham - Director
Catherine Morshead - Director
Beth Willis - Producer
Jane Featherstone - Executive producer
Simon Crawford - Executive producer
Julie Gardner - Executive producer
First episode next Thursday on BBC1, 9 pm.
Schweet!!!
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Mustafar_66
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
1/29 9:00am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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Nooooo! They're gonna make Gene a softy! I knew they'd try this by bringing in a woman!
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Why no, I won't get in your car. You can pass me the candy through the window. Pink Floyd are the Greatest! Proud Jacen, NJO and LOTF fan. One of few.    
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Twinky_Stryder
Registered:
Nov '03
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Date Posted:
1/29 9:41am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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Gene Hunt? Softy? I think if that happened the universe would implode.
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Ranger of FFUK
I don't care, I'm still free, you can't take the sky from me
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Everton
Title: RICHARDSON
Forum Feud Champion
Registered:
Jul '03
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Date Posted:
2/7 2:12pm
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
- Date Edited:
2/7 2:41pm (4 edits total)
Edited By:
Everton
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Gene Hunt I love thee with all thine heart.
The potential trouble with Ashes to Ashes is that it has to try hard to not repeat the same tricks that Life on Mars pulled. They did a decent job of that - flipping the scenario on its head with Drake knowing she's in an imagined situation.
They're playing Gene up enormously in this. The 'what' of Gene is intriguing. When Drake talked about people needing his help, Gene replied that... "everyone does". I found that fascinating.
I don't think the show has undermined Life on Mars, and I was pleased with the fact that Sam wasn't entirely disregarded; hs image even popped up a couple of times (much to my delight).
Instead of the grit of the 1970's, they've gone to the flash of the 1980's - and the boats and guns at the end did that well I thought.
The extended mystery of how Hunt & Co. pop up in Drake's psyche after the last episode of Life on Mars seemed to establish Sam was in a coma seems to have legs. And the trick of creating a fantasy world that is, to all intents and purposes, 'real' is still a very satisfying trick.
Love the clown.
Problems? The woman playing Alex will never be as good as John Simm was. I don't know why Annie isn't in it. The introduction of Gene was too quick.
An encouraging start, a little bit exposition heavy at times (Alex had a lot of work to do in the second act), but if they can gather a momentum and establish a more compelling central mystery (it seems to be more of 'how' than a 'what' for Alex Drake) the it could work.
EDIT: The show was very much focusing on Hunt. Every shot he was in seemed designed to 'big him up'.
They've thrown the spotlight on Hunt, and so the series must demonstrate why. I very much enjoyed Hunt in this first episode, but will be disappointed if we come to the conclusion of the show (in two series time presumably) and Hunt is still a mystery. In the same way that Sam and his mystery were the focus of Life on Mars and Hunt skirted around the edges all enigmatic like, in 'A New Hope' Darth Vader was the focus and the Emperor was only a passing thought. As Star Wars progressed to Empire and Jedi, it became clear than the Emperor was the kingpin of the whole universe. Ashes to Ashes has, perhaps, moved on from Life on Mars in the same way. Gene Hunt is the key (I presume) and so as we spend more time in this universe then Gene Hunt rears into perspetive.
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Spike2002
Title: FF-UK RSA
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Feb '02
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Date Posted:
2/7 2:50pm
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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As much as I enjoyed the show I found that they were bigging Hunt up a lot too. Some of the scenes, especially the bit where they all turned to the office door and Gene came out saying, "Fire up the Quattro!" and the machine gun scene on the Thames, it was almost like watching a spoof of Life on Mars.
That saying, I liked it, and I'm going to watch every other episode.
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Everton
Title: RICHARDSON
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Registered:
Jul '03
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Date Posted:
2/7 2:56pm
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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Spike2002 posted:
As much as I enjoyed the show I found that they were bigging Hunt up a lot too. Some of the scenes, especially the bit where they all turned to the office door and Gene came out saying, "Fire up the Quattro!" and the machine gun scene on the Thames, it was almost like watching a spoof of Life on Mars.
And it will descend into that if they keep going without any good reason. They're on a tightrope. It'll either turn into a poor parody, or a fantastic and enlightening compliment to Life on Mars.
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Twinky_Stryder
Registered:
Nov '03
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Date Posted:
2/8 3:23am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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I did like it, except I may develop caulrophobia due to that ruddy clown.
I like the little touches, like the references to Sam. It shows that he's still a presence in the show without being there physically. And his body was never found? Interesting.
Also with the clown in the table, he was standing behind Alex's sholder. And as the clown is this shows Test Card Girl he probably represents death, could his presence behind her sholder be representing how death is right behind her due to the severity of her head wound.
Ultimately however I think that if Alex is able to leave 1981 she will stay in her present with her daughter, she won't make the same decision as Sam.
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I don't care, I'm still free, you can't take the sky from me
FFUK awards 2006 Best Female Poster
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Everton
Title: RICHARDSON
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Registered:
Jul '03
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Date Posted:
2/8 6:12am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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Life on Mars was, to a large extent, about Sam's base frustrations with modern day policing. Sure, he was steeped in the rules and regulation of it, and when he arrived in '1973' he found the whole place abominable - but when he regained consciousness in 2006 he suddenly realised how he longed for the raw face of policing as he found it in '1973'. He loved his methods did Sam Tyler, but he also felt tied up in red tape and so on. Sam's 'imaginings' taught him something about himself.
I'm a little buit unsure what lesson Ashes to Ashes is going to teach Alex Drake. Even though there's only nine years difference, the 1980's are much closer to today than the the 1970's... far more than the a gap of only nine years would suggest. Even Hunt seems more in check. No longer can he act as self-appointed judge, jury and executioner. There doesn't seem to be anything quite so revolting to her in the 1980's as there was to Sam in the 1970's. If Gene Hunt taught Sam a thing or two, what can he teach Alex?
And to be honest, the penultimate scene of last nights episode, when Gene cuts a lonely figure and the newspaper cutting of Sam Tyler comes into focus on the wall - Gene looks at it - makes me wonder if we've seen the last of Sam himself.
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Twinky_Stryder
Registered:
Nov '03
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Date Posted:
2/8 9:31am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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I think maybe Gene blames himself for Sam's death.
And as far as I can see for Alex, a main arch about this series will be Alex discovering what happened with her parent's death.
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Ranger of FFUK
I don't care, I'm still free, you can't take the sky from me
FFUK awards 2006 Best Female Poster
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Blackout
Registered:
Oct '00
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Date Posted:
2/11 12:01pm
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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I'm inclined to agree with the review in Metro, which said something along the lines of 'In LoM, we took the journey with Sam; the mystery unfolded for him as it did for us. This time round, we basically know why Alex is there, and that everything that occurrs is a psychodrama in her head with no 'real-world' repercussions, other than Alex waking up'.
I enjoyed the first episode, and I'll definitely watch the rest; although watching it makes me want to go back and watch LoM, not watch the rest of this series. I think I just don't identify with Alex as much as I did with Sam.
+ + +
A couple of smaller interesting points for those looking into the symbolism, though;
Scene: Alex, drunk, collapses on the sofa after being sick.
Alex: I don't need your help.
Gene: Everybody does.
Scene: After the riverside shootout, Alex berates Gene for spoiling the arrest that could have sent her back home.
Alex: I had a plan. I wanted to go home!
Gene: Your presence is required just a little bit longer round here. By me.
Gene-ius Loci, eh? Looks like there may be more of a God-complex to Mr Hunt than we thought 
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Spike2002
Title: FF-UK RSA
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Registered:
Feb '02
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Date Posted:
2/18 7:21pm
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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Only just watched the second episode (missed it on Thurs 'cos of Valentine's)
Was a good one. Interesting dynamic introducing Alex's mother to the plot, and the suicide bomb related stuff was poignantly done.  at her for introducing the kid to the idea in the first place.
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"It may be that our role on this planet is not to worship God, but to create him." - Arthur C. Clarke I agree with halibut Master to Louis_Skywalker Proud Recipient of the Golden Elegos™
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DISCIPLE-OF-TYTHON
Registered:
Sep '06
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Date Posted:
2/19 12:13pm
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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I think like lost everything has a meaning 
I think Gene is an Angel or a gate keeper to the afterlife
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(FF-UK:NORTH, proud to be a Northerner!)
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morrison85
Registered:
May '05
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Date Posted:
2/20 7:05am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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I prefer the other actor, unfortunately i missed the seasons final.
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DarthArsenal6
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
2/22 7:17am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
- Date Edited:
2/22 7:22am (1 edits total)
Edited By:
DarthArsenal6
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morrison85 posted:
I prefer the other actor, unfortunately i missed the seasons final.
yes the season finale was something - if you ever get the chance watch it its worth your time.
JUust beautifully done.
Gene Hunt should remain a mystry - i think this one of the work horse of the entire show unless they want to end on season 4.
I thought i saw Miss Hawes (alex in the series) somewhere she was in Spooks
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Spike2002
Title: FF-UK RSA
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Date Posted:
2/22 8:17am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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Last night's wasn't too bad. Just goes to show how nuts religious nutters are
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DarthArsenal6
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
2/22 8:55am
Subject:
RE: [Ashes to Ashes] Gene Hunt is BACK!!!
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Didn't Alex drop a few hints to the boy before he blew himslef up ?
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