The 1981 party is over for Alex Drake. Well, not really. Since there is a season two on the way for Ashes to Ashes, not everything was cleared up during Saturday night’s season finale. At least the creators didn’t spring a Lost-esque maddening cliffhanger that we have to ponder for 16 months until the new season premieres. For that, I thank them wholeheartedly.

So, what the hell did happen? First, Alex did her very best to ensure her parental units not be blown to kingdom come by a car bomb. She flattened the car in question with a pink tank (don’t ask). Next, she arrested her folks after planting some nose candy in their flat. Then she tossed them in the pokey the night before the scheduled date of their demise. Sounds like she covered all the bases, right? Not so fast my friends.

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Early on in the latest installment of Ashes to Ashes, Alex Drake was warned by the evil clown Pierrot that someone was going to die. Not just anyone, but one of her fellow coppers. Up until this point, Alex has been fighting to seize control of her 1981 alter ego. Her theory has been if she can stop events from occurring, she can prevent her parents’ death. Her task on this night was to ensure none of her police colleagues met an untimely end.

Well, she succeeded. After Shaz was accidentally stabbed by OCD robber Gil Hollis, Alex brought her back from the dead. Then she screamed, “I’m in control!” Her resurrection abilities convinced her that the future is not yet written. In three days, on October 10, 1981, her parents will fall victim to a car bomb. So, if Alex could save Shaz, it makes sense she should be able to save her parents too. Of course, things have a way of falling to pieces in the Ashes to Ashes universe.

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Whenever an episode begins with Soft Cell’s cover of the song “Tainted Love” followed closely by a trippy dream sequence involving red satin sheets and being sucked into a bed, I am in ’80s heaven. That’s how the latest chapter of Ashes to Ashes kicked-off and it got even better from there. After mostly enjoying herself for the last few weeks, Alex Drake finally freaked and let her fear take control.

For the majority of the episode, she was convinced her body temperature was dropping and that she was in fact, dying. The pasty-faced clown Pierrot paid her multiple visits and her confusing flashbacks (or flash-forwards?) about her parents’ death were more frequent. She even went to see her mother one final time to say goodbye. Watching her struggle to find the words made for an emotional scene. Read the rest of this entry »

I think Alex Drake might be dead. Either that or she’s in a coma. Ashes to Ashes isn’t dropping a ton of clues, but that pasty faced clown Pierrot showed up again, and this time he pulled a sheet back to reveal Alex’s corpse with a bullet hole in the head. Pierrot reminds me of the crow in Damien: Omen II; whenever he appears, something bad happens. Alex also keeps hearing her daughter’s voice creepily saying “mommy” over and over. Is she trying to awaken Alex from a comatose state? I just dunno.

The plot last night had the gang of coppers trying to bring down a notorious crime boss named Simon Neary. Drugs, prostitution, murder and guns are some of Neary’s favorite past-times. He’s also gay, or a “pufter” if you prefer the eloquent term used by Gene and Ray. The gruesome killing of a police informant leads Alex and the rest to suspect Neary. In order to trap Neary, Alex gets chummy with his naive boyfriend, Marcus. Once Marcus learns Neary is a lying bastard, he agrees to help squash an impending gun deal. Read the rest of this entry »

We’ve reached the halfway point of the first season of Ashes to Ashes and the reason for Alex Drake’s trip back to 1981 is beginning to take shape. She’s suspected all along that it has something to do with her parents’ tragic death. The latest chapter reveals that mommy and daddy were involved in all kinds of questionable activities which had them butting heads with the British government.

All of this surfaces when Alex and Gene investigate the murder of a socialist handyman named Martin Kennedy. They find among Martin’s belongings a scrambled code card and Alex’s mother’s phone number. Hmm… interesting. Mr. Kennedy also worked at a weapons testing facility. In his spare time, he liked to hang out with the anti-government Revolutionary Workers Front (RWF). Geesh, this guy got around, eh? Oh, one last thing; he enjoyed blackmailing certain people using compromising photos.

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The third installment of Ashes to Ashes was one of the filler variety. The plot involved a serial rapist who preyed on “impure” prostitutes. It was mildly interesting, but I was hoping for a few more clues as to how and why Alex Drake is stuck in 1981. I was denied. Instead, there was a glimpse of her daughter, another freaky appearance by Pierrot, and a quick flashback of her parents right before their car exploded.

Since the episode was so-so, allow me to go off on a bit of a rant. I noticed something that used to irk me when I watched Life on Mars. One word: subtitles. The last time I checked, the British speak the English language. In fact, isn’t the language named after them? Well, that hasn’t stopped someone from subtitling a great portion of Gene Hunt’s dialogue. Is the heavy accent and street slang really that incomprehensible? I watch a good deal of Brit series, so perhaps I’m just accustomed to the dialect.

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Alex Drake seems to be settling into to her 1981 digs nicely, thank you. She does keep seeing visions of the creepy birthday clown Pierott, but you can’t expect complete normalcy when you’ve been transported to a make-believe time and place after being shot. I quite enjoyed Alex’s greeting to her precinct brethren: “Good morning imaginary constructs.” Unlike Life on Mars, this series has a more light-hearted feel to it, which fits the silly ’80s to a tee.

In episode two, Alex, Gene and the rest of the fantastical coppers are after a mad bomber threatening to blow-up the wedding of Lady Diana to Prince Charles. Bundles of dynamite are popping up across London, much to the chagrin of Alex and a poor little pooch. Explosions don’t do much to ease Alex considering her parents were killed by a car bomb. Read the rest of this entry »