My Review of Ashes To Ashes 1x06: "Episode 6"

Written by Mick Ford
Directed by Catherine Morshead

Alex (to Molly): “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s ending here. I’m dying here.”

Death might come to us all but for all Alex; she’s convinced that it’s catching up with her even quicker than she feared. Without a doubt this episode has the best teaser seen on either Life On Mars or Ashes To Ashes as well as being one of the creepiest surreal of them all.

Alex dreams of being attacked by the Bowie Clown, she’s unable to make connections, doesn’t remember who gave her a Rubik cube as a child and instead of falling out of bed; she’s being sucked into hers. That’s all happening on top of the fact that she’s also dreaming of a mystery person in her bed.

So who could the person be? It can’t be Molly because she’s reduced to silent cameos every episode and both Evan and Caroline also seem unlikely given that Alex is constantly in their orbit, even when she’s not stalking one or the other. My theory would’ve been her father, Tim.

In six episodes we know so little of the man. In fact come to think of it, aside from car bomb flashbacks and one moment where Alex’s younger self was spending time with her father, the older Alex stuck in 1981 hasn’t even met her dad at all. I know Tim a busy man but why are they keeping him away from Alex so much?

Getting back to the mystery person in question, I have to admit that Gene being the other bedfellow took me by surprise. Alex spent this entire episode blathering on about connections so in some way Gene must be connected to Alex’s past which makes him more than just the construct that Alex views him to be.

Another apparent thing in this episode is Gene’s lust for Alex. Every episode it’s intensified just that little bit and two weeks ago we got close to seeing them go for each sexually. Here, there’s still the fact that Alex knows how to push Gene’s buttons and wind up him with such deftness.

A series of robberies lead Gene back into accusing a former criminal in Chas Cole of being guilty. Unfortunately for Gene, not only did Chas have evidence but his wife Joan also had very little in the way of a problem in telling Gene that the former criminal is an epileptic.

Surprisingly this is actually enough to convince Gene that Chas is innocent but Alex is adamant that he’s guilty. What’s interesting about this is that she actually uses Gene’s gut instinct against him and even tries massaging his prowess as a police officer. There’s something rather flirty in the way Alex does that.

Gene however still chooses to ignore Alex and she takes her revenge by stealing his Quattro and loading it up with bin bags from Chas’ restaurant. It’s enough to try and get Gene to throw Alex off the case but she even manages to get out of that with such ease. Alex is proving herself capable of outwitting Gene at every turn here.

Of course despite the fact that Alex can convey being right in such an annoying fashion she does have a point about Chris and Ray. Even though the two of them aren’t exceptionally bright, it would be in Gene’s best interest to encourage them every so often. Alex wanted to get rid of them and when she did, they ended up getting a result without having to try.

So arresting a guy who can do good impressions is one thing but how did Billy connect to Chas? It seems that his nephew Donny wasn’t being truthful about Billy’s whereabouts until after the petty thief got himself killed. As child actors go, the one playing Donny did a good job.

Once again Alex was on about connections and it was great that she entrusted Caroline to look after Donny. Of course it took her a while to realise that she wouldn’t be messing her own history but earlier on in the episode Alex had also come dangerously close in revealing her true identity to Caroline.

Caroline connections aside, the constant back and forth fearing for her life really came to a head when Joan had Alex bound and gagged and locked in a freezer. As would be deaths go, that’s definitely up there and having that Bowie Clown menacing you at every turn is definitely gonna give you the creeps.

However while Alex might not approve of Gene, his timing however does rock. Not only does he shoot the windows down of Chas and Joan’s restaurant but upon rescuing Alex, there’s a moment where he’s happy at the chance to give her mouth to mouth. Of course Alex had to wake up and Gene switched to largely insulting her once again.

So the other question remains – will Gene get his wicked with Alex? I can see a lot of fans not liking the idea and I’m still a little divided myself even though I believe that Philip Glenister and Keeley Hawes would sell it for all its worth but perhaps it’s too soon in the series to go there.

That being said, Gene’s attraction to Alex has not been subtle. Ray noticed it in the first episode and Luigi sort of goes overboard in telling Gene that he knows he loves Alex a lot. Plus Gene does seem to be rather tetchy around Evan and even made a clumsy come on of sorts to Alex around the end of the episode.

But would the relationship work? Gene and Alex can barely tolerate each other most of the time so who’s to say their relationship wouldn’t just be physical only? Elsewhere it’s also clear that Chris has trouble on his hands with both Shaz and Ray vying for his attention, albeit in different ways.

Also in “Episode 6”

For a brief scene I got the actresses who play both Molly and the younger Alex confused. They look a little too alike IMO.

Gene: “Oh ye of little faith.”
Chris: “All hail the mighty Quattro.”

Isn’t it funny that it was Ray who mentioned that Alex was at death’s door at one point in the episode?

Chas: “Everyone fancy a bottle of Bolly?”
Alex: “Does it come with knickers?”

Ray (re Chris): “He only likes girls now.”
Shaz: “I’m sure you know how to play with yourself, Ray.”

Why did Shaz balk out of the dinner date with Chris? Is she threatened by Ray or was she trying to keep the peace between him and Chris?

Alex: “There’s no time.”
Caroline: “There’s always time. You don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to. I on the other hand.”

Luigi (re Alex): “Be careful who will catch her.”
Gene: “No-one hopefully.”

Luigi doesn’t seem to be as perceptive as Nelson but there’s a part of me that does think he should be dispensing Alex with advice like Nelson did with Sam.

Joan (re Alex): “Tie her up and gag her too.”
Chas: “What are you gonna do?”

Gene: “I’ve dreamt about doing this. Don’t you dare.”
Alex: “I worked it out. I made the connection. I solved it. You saved me and if you saved me, maybe I can save them.”
Gene: “Yeah, I think it’s called concussion.”

Standout music: There are loads here with “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell, “Same Old Scene” by Roxy Music, “Vienna” by Ultravox and the brilliant “Ghosts” by Japan.

Gene: “I’m about three minutes from my sexual peak. Do you want to celebrate?”
Alex: “Unfortunately I’ve got a headache.”

Chronology: Judging by Alex’s marked calendar pages, it’s nearing the end of September 1981.

As episodes go, this was definitely one for the mystery angle. Alex’s fever dreams were creative and creepy, the ending makes the world she’s trapped more vital than before and the sexual tension between her and Gene continues to go up several notches as well.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Ashes To Ashes 1x05: "Episode 5"

Written by Mark Greig
Directed by Bille Eltringham

Alex (re Simon): “Now can we please concentrate on the crimes he commits and not whose cock he sucks.”
Chris: “Did you just?”
Alex: “Yes, Chris, I did.”

At this point in Life On Mars we had the macho posturing of football when Sam went undercover to catch a football hooligan. With Alex, she’s brought into the glittering world of Simon Neary, London’s most notorious gay gangster.

Okay so we’ve had one of those in Life On Mars as well, but Neary makes a big name for himself just by having a rent boy killed in the opening credits. More interestingly is when Alex and company try to stake out a hotel where Neary is staying; they end up nabbing his boyfriend.

Now in this world all the heterosexual male characters seem to be beaten with the homophobic stick. Gene doesn’t believe in the concept of two men being love with each and seemingly prefers to believe that Marcus’ involvement with Neary has a more sinister motive and Chris and Ray are their usual immature selves on the issue as well.

One of the funniest about the sexual politics in this episode is how Alex tries to bring them into a reality check. Her statement about focusing on Neary’s crimes rather than his sexual prowess is well judged even if the way she conveys this comes across as trying to be shocking on the writer’s part.

Neary’s nastiness is something more successfully thought out though. As well as killing rent boys for no reasonable, he also deals with the biggest scum in London and even seems to have his hands in the gun trade honey pot, which is something that naturally resonates with Alex.

Seeing as she’s still vaguely hopeful that Layton might not have killed her, Alex becomes pretty determined to crack all of Neary’s connections. Given that in the year 2008, there is an epidemic on gun violence, Alex’s desperation to stop Neary may come across as a little preachy but it’s effective nonetheless.

Ray’s even useful in telling Alex the type of gun in a photo ID just by looking at it and as soon as Gene’s snitch Reeks is found, the former becomes more determined to prevent further violence. Of course Gene openly threatening Neary wasn’t the best of ideas that he’s had though.

However with one snitch, the only possible way of getting to Neary lies in using Marcus as an informant and that is obviously something that takes a while for Alex to crack. Marcus is pretty head over heels and seeing as it’s shown earlier on that Marcus is a guy down on his luck, I can understand the reservation he might have had for turning on Neary.

Casting wise though, can I just say that Russell Tovey is definitely one of the best guest stars we’ve had on the series? I know he’s mainly known for The History Boys but in the last year I’ve mainly seen him in the likes of Annually Retentive, Gavin And Stacy, Doctor Who’s “Voyage Of The Damned” and Being Human and his performance in this episode is fantastic.

He’s brilliant at conveying the genuine dumbfounded stance when Alex and Gene first caught him in the hotel and he’s also one of the few rare male guest stars that Gene hasn’t roughed up either. It’s also easy to believe that Marcus is in love with Simon, despite the latter being an evil bastard.

What’s even better about Marcus is that he inadvertently gives Alex a chance to show her compassion with more conviction this time round. Aside from Shaz, she’s the only person accepting of his sexuality but also warns him about Simon’s really like. Unfortunately it takes quite a while for that to sink in with Marcus.

For the most part, he’s trying to get rid of Alex and when Simon catches the two of them together, Alex lies about her and Marcus working the streets a while back. Of course almost to prove Alex’s point, Simon behaves rather venomously towards the woman, even when she goes on a night out with the dysfunctional couple.

The fun part of this episode is the undercover operation. Gene is stupid enough to go to a club after he confronted Neary and Chris and Ray aren’t pleased when they realise the club is a gay one. It’s even harder for Ray when he then has to proposition Neary in order to turn Marcus against the gangster.

Although some of the jokes during these scenes are rather immature, I have to admit that as a gay bloke myself, I did laugh at some of this stuff. Alex trying to tell Ray to be himself and Chris’ childish glee later on all raised a giggle and besides, while this show does depict homophobia, racist and sexism, I’m not once under the impression that the producers are trying to advocate any of those negative characteristics.

Its lucky then for Alex that her big plan ended up working. Although Marcus was furious with her scheming, it was nice to see him realise what a scumbag Simon was. It also later helped that Marcus ended up believing that Simon did have that rent boy and Reeks killed.

The undercover element of the episode was a mixed bag. On one hand maybe we didn’t need to have Alex and Gene eavesdropping on Simon and Marcus getting physical but at the same time, at least the result winded up with Neary being killed and Marcus not having to go to jail.

More importantly Alex also managed to get Marcus to connect with his parents in a beautiful scene and even told him to go to the doctor. Those were legions on the back of his neck, weren’t they? It’s also not a coincidence that Marcus’ fear of rejection from his parents is what compelled Alex to get in contact with Caroline again. Although Caroline is still far from sympathetic, it is nice that she apologised to Alex for using her.

Also in “Episode 5”

Given that we’re getting so many flashbacks to Layton, surely we’re going to see him before the season ends?

Chris (re Simon): “Must have bloody big ears.”
Alex: “Wrong orifice, Chris. It’s a butt plug.”
Gene: “Goes up your arse.”

Chris was the only person who dressed while undercover (as hotel staff) in this episode. I felt a little bad for him when Alex roped him into going through files.

Gene (to Alex): “Your problem is you can’t take a compliment. One of your problems.”

Alex: “Once the genie’s out of the bottle, he can’t go back in.”
Ray (re Gene): “He’d never fit.”

I had to laugh when Shaz said she would do Alex in this episode. I bet that made a lot of slashers very happy.

Alex: “I thought you wanted to take Simon Neary down.”
Gene: “I do and we will after the match.”

Marcus (re Simon): “It’s only because he loves me.”
Alex: “It’s not about love, it’s about possession.”

Gene’s lust for Alex does seem to be going into overdrive here. He even arranged her undercover outfit by removing her earrings. Alex didn’t exactly seem turned off by this either.

Simon (to Marcus): “Wear the other shirt. He looks good in blue.”
Alex: “Bet he does.”

Alex: “Hang on, hang on. Now this is worth getting straight; I’m imagining you, imagining paying for sex with me, in my imaginary role as an imaginary street whore?”
Gene: “You must have a filthy mind.”
Alex: “Absolute sewer, apparently.”

Is Alex always gonna feel woozy whenever there’s a gunshot fired? We also got to see her on the slab this week.

Simon: “Sweetheart suits you better.”
Alex: “Oh, why? Is that because I’m so sweet?”
Simon: “Because that’s what I’m gonna call you.”

Marcus: “That was a shitty thing to do.”
Alex (re Simon): “I think you deserve to know what he’s like. He doesn’t have any loyalty to you. He doesn’t love you.”

Other noteworthy things: Chris’ Mr Humphries impression (a little too good), Shaz’s own theories on sexuality and Alex making her colleagues uncomfortable by calling them “poofters”.

Caroline: “You are after exploiting another human’s weakness for your own ends.”
Alex: “Like you did with me?”

Marcus: “Never knew you were such a nag.”
Alex: “Terrible. Never marry me.”

Standout music: “I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper” by Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip (also used on Torchwood’s “Exit Wounds”) and “Where Did Our Love Go?” by Soft Cell.

Okay so some of the humour in this episode was a bit on the silly side of things but I can it given that overall this episode was laugh out loud funny and had a terrific element of sexual politics and Alex is improving as a character, so hat’s off there.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 1x03: "Ghost Town"

Written by Rachel Anthony
Directed by Alex Pillai

Annie: “Not just parsley sauce, there’s boiled ham as well. I’m going to put it in a casserole dish and I’m going to take it round.”
George: “Right. Well, okay, aside from the fact that’s a mental idea on so many levels, do you think you could possibly do it another night? Only I have a friend coming over for dinner. A female friend.”
Annie: “Oh, okay. So I’m contemplating resolving my death so that I can move on to the next dimension and you’re worrying about getting your leg over?”

Last week, George had the task of learning more about his nature via the destructive influence of Tully and this week Annie got some lessons in Ghost 101 herself. Of course, the only worrier would have been that she would get such lessons through a similarly destructive influence.

Thankfully the writers don’t repeat themselves as Annie’s go to guy, Gilbert is actually adorable. A former student who died in the eighties, Gilbert is a friendly ghost, even if his ideas of fun could be considered questionable. His introduction is certainly one of the more casual we’ve had.

Annie nearly destroyed the house because of her time of the month and Mitchell and George took her clubbing so she could meet Gilbert. Inadvertently Mitchell might have been playing matchmaker because there was a certain spark with Annie but that could also be down to the fact that she was interacting with a fellow ghost.

In the space of three episodes all we’ve known about Annie is that she’s a bit OCD, has some serious self esteem issues and loved the idea of being a wife. This is conveyed even more when Gilbert took her to her own grave. As Mitchell would put it, Gilbert certainly knows how to treat women.

And that’s the thing with Gilbert, even when he sounded incredibly rude, he’s still being compassionate and helpful. To be fair, Annie’s story about how she and Owen met was sort of dull but it opened Gilbert up into getting Annie to address why she hasn’t crossed over.

I thought it was to do solely with the fact that there are gaps surrounding her death but Annie’s desire to be a provider for Owen played into things heavily. I think it’s something to do with Annie’s nature rather than just a gender thing. Annie is a very caring kind of person, arguably too much.

When she started talking to Gilbert about how Owen used to keep losing his keys, I got the impression that Owen took her for granted with things. Plus it did make sense for Annie then to go to Owen and Janey’s place and start taking care of him but it also served as a catalyst for more answers.

First off all, despite the nice guy persona we saw in the first episode, Owen is actually quite a jerk as well as control freak. Janey might be a very annoying person but no-one should be lumbered with someone like Owen. I really did feel for her when Owen started yelling at her.

Then there’s the reveal that Owen killed Annie because he thought she cheated on him. Did Annie cheat on Owen? Perhaps it’s not shocking as a reveal but that’s the thing about this show. It’s immaterial that a lot of the stories aren’t original because up until now the execution has been sublime and that to me has been the show’s biggest selling point.

The reveal about Annie’s abusive relationship with Owen might not be shocking in retrospect but it’s beautifully fleshed out and you’d have to have a heart of stone not to feel for the girl when she’s finally confronted with the truth behind her death. Owen removing her thong from the pipes in the toilet was there to cover his own backside.

And if Gilbert wasn’t endearing beforehand then he certainly deserved a gold star for reassuring Annie about her worth. I knew that when he admitted to falling in love with her that she wouldn’t reciprocate but it was a nice way of exiting the character as falling in love was the thing that made him want to cross over.

Hats off to Alex Price for a spirited performance as Gilbert in this episode. His method of fun might not have been the same as Annie’s but the rapport with the two of them was undeniably brilliant and I liked his commentary on virtually everything in this episode.

As for Annie, knowing that the love of your life killed you is definitely a bad turn for the book. She made no effort in masking her sadness, not that you’d blame her but it was good that she told both George and Mitchell about it. If knowing about your death or being a wife weren’t enough to make Annie cross over, then what will be?

Elsewhere while Annie was dealing with old love, George was trying new love for size. Of course the poor sod would have trouble in trying to sleep with Nina and while she mistook it for premature ejaculation, she certainly got him to get over his initial stage fright. I take it then that Nina will be around for much longer.

Lauren on the other hand found a better way of getting at Mitchell – by trying to go clean. I was unsure of whether or not she was playing Mitchell but in her desperation she did seem very serious. I don’t think it was because she was suddenly feeling bad about killing people.

It was pretty clear that Lauren’s motives for wanting to go clean were designed to snare Mitchell and it nearly worked. Both of them fed off each other in order to combat their bloodlust but Mitchell knew it wasn’t going to last long and even though he knew giving her blood from the hospital wasn’t going to help much he still did it.

It’s good that Mitchell does have to struggle to keep his hunger at need but it’s also good that we don’t see him in anguish for the duration of each other episode. Lauren’s still a bad influence on him and as soon as Seth showed up to collect her, she didn’t waste time running off with him. Whatever plan Herrick is cooking up, can we please have some actual development on it?

Also in “Ghost Town”

This is the first episode not to be written by Toby Whithouse. I wonder how many other episodes aren’t penned by him.

George: “Love should be the opposite of death. It should be the biggest reason for wanting to be here. What else have we got? Football? Shoes?”

It was never really established how Gilbert knew Mitchell and George but he did seem concerned about their killing ways.

George (re Annie): “How can she possibly have PMT? She’s a ghost.”
Mitchell: “I don’t know but it’s not worth the risk. Let’s go to the chippie.”
George: “Mitchell I have two steaks in the fridge. They go off if I don’t eat them today and I’m bloody starving.”
Mitchell: “If you want, I can rush in and grab the steaks.”
George: “No way. I’m not eating raw meat like an animal just because a ghost is ovulating.”

Mitchell: “I never know with you whether it’s Jewish guilt or werewolf guilt.”
George: “They’re pretty much the same thing.”

Nina made a very direct point of mentioning that she used to be attracted to men like Mitchell. I assume she views Mitchell as the aloof type.

Lauren: “You did this to me. You made me what I am.”
Mitchell: “And I take responsibility for that but everything else since then. Everything you done, that was you.”

Annie (re her grave): “I’ve never seen it before.”
Gilbert: “It’s beautiful.”
Annie: “Beautiful? I was 22 years old. I had my whole life to live. I was happy. I was in love.”

Anna Clare Sawyer was born in 1985 and died in 2007, the same year that George was bitten by Tully.

George: “So what needs to be resolved?”
Annie: “Well if I knew that, it wouldn’t need resolving, would it? Keep up!”

Mitchell (re the neighbours): “We’re valued members of the local community.”
George: “Yes, till we inadvertently kill one of them.”

Good continuity from the previous episode with Mitchell’s determination to keep in with the neighbours.

Gilbert: “Well, that was the dullest story I have ever heard. Nobody should make a film out of that. Thank God you met me. It’s time you had some fun girl.”
Annie: “I thought fun was a bourgeois concept.”

Annie (re Owen): “I'd like to be like his guardian angel and stop anything bad from happening to him.”
Gilbert: “Can you stop him from listening to Michael Buble?”

We learned that Annie was into design and that Owen was into computers at college. Annie’s nicknames for Janey included “Tango Face” and “Filthy Orange Pleb”.

Mitchell (re George): “Are you checking me out or him? You know he worries about me getting harassed in the work place.”
Nina: “Don’t worry, you’re not my type.”

Lauren: “Did you really throw up at the DVD?”
Mitchell: “Only the first dozen or so times.”

Lauren talked about being in an abusive relationship with the man she killed in the DVD. More lies or is she as much a victim of Herrick’s than helper?

Nina: “You’re a man. You are a man, aren’t you? You’ve always been a man.”
George: “Oh God, it’s … I have trouble containing myself.”

Annie: “Maybe it’s me. Maybe I am that annoying and pathetic.”
Gilbert: “Of course not. You’re amazing.”
Annie: “But the man I loved killed me. Am I really that hard to love back?”
Gilbert: “Hey, hey come on. You are loved by loads of people, by me.”

Standout music: This episode had genuine delights with “Girlfriend In A Coma” by The Smiths and “Tunnel Of Love” by Fun Boy Three.

Gilbert: “Come with me.”
Annie: “I can’t.”
Gilbert: “I don’t wanna go on my own.”
Annie: “No I mean I can’t. This isn’t for me. This is your death.”
Gilbert: “I just needed to meet you. All this time, I just needed to meet you.”

Mitchell: “It’s stopped now, hasn’t it? Now everything’s normal?”
George: “Well that’s something.”
Annie: “Yeah. I find out that the love of my life killed me. But it’s okay because at least now we can wash up.”

Chronology: It’s a month since “Episode 2”, though we didn’t actually see George wolf out in this episode.

Out of the three episodes we’ve had so far, this is certainly the best one. The show still maintains its humour and drama but this episode only serves as a reason why terrestrial viewers should be enjoying this series along with everyone else.

Rating: 10 out of 10.

My Review of Ashes To Ashes 1x04: "Episode 4"

Written by Mark Greig
Directed by Catherine Morshead

Gene (to Alex): “Money, sex and bloody women – hattrick.”

Halfway through the first season of Life On Mars, we’re getting a feeling of there being more to Sam’s 1973 world than what met the eye and with Alex it’s the same thing. Given how considerably short she’s been here, she’s certainly getting to learn a lot more about her family than usual.

This week’s murder sees an odd job man Martin Kennedy suspiciously killed with Gene, Alex and Ray each coming up with their own theories before it was confirmed that he had been killed. Good points for Ray for actually spotting more than his bosses on this one.

Martin’s death is naturally suspicious because for such an ordinary bloke, his body attracted special attention from a higher power than Gene’s. Of course, Alex has her own theories as to what is possibly going on but Gene seems be rather dismissive of them.

Martin’s significance however does go beyond the boundaries of an ordinary man. Working for an elite company such as Edge Hunt, it’s quite interesting that Martin was also attending RWF (Revolutionary Workers Force) meetings in his spare time. This leads to the assumption that Martin was silenced.

Scooping through a lot of things, it was Ray who ended up finding pictures that Martin had of Caroline and Evan sleeping with each other. I guess when Caroline was talking to Alex earlier on about Martin; I should’ve deduced that she knew more than she was letting on.

That being said, not for one second did I think either her or Evan were responsible for his murder. Given how pivotal both characters are to Alex’s world, there would be no way we’d lose either one of them to something as trivial as a blackmailer like Martin. Still the naughty photos did elicit some strong reactions.

Ray was his usual pervy way (further proof this guy isn’t getting much action) and took delight in hanging up the photos in the office until Alex put a stop to it while Gene was naturally convinced that Caroline could possibly be a killer, though to be fair to Gene, it was easy to see he felt that way.

Alex meanwhile took this to heart and naturally no-one likes the idea of their parent cheating. Her outburst towards Caroline was nicely played out but there was still a part of me that thought Alex was behaving like a crazy person. Then again unlike Sam, Alex doesn’t have anyone she can confide in about being from 2008.

As a mother goes, Caroline isn’t the most nurturing of parents but this episode did give Amelia Bullmore more to do than play an ice queen so points there. In fact when Alex was round talking to Evan and Caroline in the latter’s house, we got to see a softer side to Caroline.

The Caroline we saw here was one who missed her daughter and was eager to spend more time with her. This was also a Caroline who when confronted with her own daughter’s diary refused to read it out of respect for her child’s privacy. Even better parents might not be able to resist the temptation to take a sneak peak.

That being said, Caroline still has her flaws. For all her advocating of people being entitled to having their own secrets and constant chatter about integrity, Caroline is still a person who will use others to get what she wants. We saw that in the second episode when she stupidly tried to get Alex to spy on her colleagues.

Here her actions seemed more geared towards sympathising with the RWF, in particular with Sara Templeton. Templeton seemed the ring leader determined to find out for sure that Edge Hunt were using a neutron bomb and following the realisation behind Martin’s death, she feared she was next.

As per usual, we’re supposed to sympathise with groups like the RWF and to an extent I do but watching this show (and obviously Life On Mars) has made me sympathetic to the Neanderthal. I’m now feeling Ray’s frustration when a group member won’t give her name, Chris’ confusion when another one gives out to him about feminism and even Gene’s frustration when talking to Sara.

Also to add to the fun, this episode actually found a use for Viv as well who managed to crack the code that Alex found with Martin’s possessions. It also gave us a ripe opportunity to lock Gene and Alex in a vault together in order to retrieve the Artimus file and increase the sexual tension between them.

I remember reading a column on SFX during the first couple of weeks when this show was airing that noted the heat between Gene and Alex but this episode literally had it radiating with a bit of flesh from Keeley Hawes and to a lesser extent Philip Glenister. I think there are a lot of fans who might not dig a Gene/Alex pairing but I don’t think I would be entirely bothered. Plus what are the odd that if they hadn’t been rescued by Chris, Shaz and ray that they might not have ended up having sex with each other?

The interesting part of their vault scene is Alex wondering whether or not she can actually die. To be honest, I actually do believe she’s genuinely given that it’s less likely to survive being shot in the head compared to be mowed down by a car. Still it provides a surprisingly tender moment between her and Alex.

Then there’s the parents issue. We know they’re significant to what’s going on in 1981 and Alex believes that by saving them she can get home. It’s quite likely that she might be wrong with that theory. Alex thinks she has the story sussed but it’s more likely that for her, different rules are going to apply.

As for the killer, it’s Ray who once again figures things out. Playing bad cop brilliantly with Sara gave Chris an opportunity to do good cop. However it’s Gene who ended up being told by Sara that she was a killer. Although Sara was obviously wrong to kill Martin, the more that is unveiled about this guy, the less sympathetic a victim he becomes.

Also in “Episode 4”

The factory where Martin was found dead looked like the same place where Ryan was going to kill Sonya from the last episode.

Alex (re Martin’s body): “Why did they take it?”
Gene: “How should I know? Coroners act like judges, they don’t breathe human air and they very rarely explain things.”

I’m surprised that Alex’s room was one that had a chimney in it, although as hiding places went, it was a convenient one for a diary.

Caroline: “Girls do have their secrets.”
Alex: “Have you ever?”
Caroline: “No.”

Sara: “Women have a voice that needs to be heard”.
Gene: “Don’t we get enough of that at home? You carry on love, you’re doing great.”

Alex’s sexual prowess is still providing hot gossip as even Luigi kept annoying her about Evan. Gene was blatantly jealous of Evan as well.

Gene: “Blimey that must be a barrel of laughs.”
Sara: “Socialists do have a sense of humour too.”

Caroline: “I don’t appreciate -”
Alex: “And I don’t appreciate your lies. You are a bloody liar.”

The Bowie Clown appeared in one of Alex’s fevered flashbacks this week. Also Evan appeared after the car bomb.

Shaz: “Do you think I’m handicapped?”
Chris: “No, you’re a woman.”

Gene: “Right, let’s be quick about it.”
Alex: “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
Gene: “Don’t give them a choice.”

I noticed in all of Alex’s flashbacks, her father Tim doesn’t actually say anything. He also comes across as being quite a dark character despite the affection he shows Alex.

Ray (to Sara): “It doesn’t take much to break someone’s skull. You hit them just right and it cracks like an egg. It’s a lot easier to hurt somebody.”

Gene: “Oh dear Lord, if this is a test, I fear I may fail. And I thought it would be the booze or the fags but, oh no! I’m gonna die in an underground vault, in the company of a posh, mouthy tart with a head full of brains and the common sense of a grain weevil.”
Alex: “We’re not going to die. I can’t die, can I? Can I?”

Standout music: “To Cut A Long Story Short” by Spandau Ballet and “Love Reaction” by The Human League.

Easily the strongest episode of the season and with the Kudos influence seeping through, the antics here were something that wouldn’t have felt out of place on Keeley Hawes’ other famous series, Spooks. It also helped that Ray improves as a character and that the humour came thick and fast.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Ashes To Ashes 1x03: "Episode 3"

Written by Julie Rutterford
Directed by Bille Eltringham

Gene (to Ryan): “You’re nicked for the murder and rape of Delphine Parks, the rape and attempted murder of Nina Akiboa. Anything you say will be taken down, ripped up and shoved down your scrawny little throat until you’re choked to death. Gene Hunt, Chapter 1, Verse 2.”

If Ashes To Ashes didn’t wear it’s more feminist roots before, then this episode certainly sees them worn on their sleeve when the issue of prostitution raises many issues among the main characters this week.

For Alex, it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you do. If you’ve been raped then, regardless of profession you’re in, your complaint is valid. That should go without saying but when it’s a prostitute who claims to have been raped by a client; needless to say, there’s a divide in the office.

Trixie seems well able to handle herself and immediately she gains Alex’s sympathy as she talks about her ordeal on a boat with a religious nutter. Gene however doesn’t buy a word of it and even threatens to arrest her for wasting police time if she doesn’t drop the story.

When it comes to Gene, even at his most brutish there’s always the likelihood of him being right. Trixie doesn’t exactly sound all that convincing when she’s making the allegations and Alex is too repulsed by the unsympathetic attitudes of her co-workers to look at things objectively.

However for all of Alex’s self-righteous anger at her colleagues, the woman raises a good point about judging a book by its cover. When she warns the other prostitutes on the street about the rapist, she then engages in a little head trip with Gene. Given how much he’s wound her up about his unyielding attitude towards ladies of the night, Alex just knows where to strike back.

Telling him however that she used to be a prostitute to in order to point out that you should judge others so rashly doesn’t go entirely to plan. Sure Gene momentarily believes and is shocked when he realises that she’s actually kidding but in the end, the only it heightens is his own hostility towards Alex. Alex then countered Gene’s below the belt remark with a vicious slap and an uppercut.

Again if this had been Sam who had tried such a stunt, Gene would’ve given him a good kicking but Alex’s gender (and Gene’s less than subtle attraction towards her) is her get out of jail free card. Alex raised an excellent point and one that comes in very handy as well in regards to Ray.

Now Ray really hasn’t evolved much in this series. He’s still the sexist, homophobic, racist brute that we‘re used to but every now and then, the writers will surprise us. Remember how we could feel for him after he nearly got blown up? Well it seems even Ray has some compassion during his scenes with Nina.

Nina was the young woman Alex found at the start of the episode and while it had been obvious that she was a rape victim, it took Ray of all people to piece that bit of information together. Alex scorned over the idea of Nina being left alone with Ray but for once, the guy came up trumps.

Not only did Ray succeed in getting Nina out of her shell a little but to top it off, Nina felt comfortable enough around Ray to reveal that she was a prostitute. It then became clearer that while Trixie was lying about being raped, it was only because she knew that Nina wouldn’t be taken seriously if she came forward.

Giving Ray the chance to crack this one gave Dean Andrews some worthy material but it also helped draw as to who the rapist could be. The religious nut Ryan Burns was the same guy who murdered Delphine Parks a year prior to his attack on Nina and thanks to Shaz; at least Alex and company had a good moment to snare him.

Using Gene to talk about Alex in a derogatory fashion proved that Ryan could be easily entrapped. Unfortunately it didn’t help that for Gene, the likes of Ryan’s boss Roseberry-Sykes had enough clout to get the religious fanatic a good lawyer and even when he tried to kill another prostitute, there was still the threat of him getting off.

Now Alex might loathe Gene’s unorthodox methods but fitting up Ryan for another crime to nail him generated no complaints from the woman either. Alex and Gene’s cheeky dynamic is still a highlight of each episode, part flirty/part frosty but overall both of them can hold their own.

It’s also nice that we’re getting depth into Alex’s past as well. Brief glimpses of Molly aside and the car bomb that killed her parents, the meeting of Evan was something Alex readily welcomed, especially given that he was less frosty with her than Caroline was in the last episode.

Every time Alex is going to meet someone from her past, you do wonder how cool she’s gonna play things. With Evan she kept coming out with weird statements about how her younger self would react. I’m actually surprised that Evan didn’t find her a little on the weird side of things.

As for her sex life, she might have missed out on the opportunity of shagging Danny but Alex certainly made up for it when she got her claws into another Thatcherite and needles to say, office gossip did spread. While Ray thinks she’s a bit of a goer and Gene acting like she should show more discretion, it’s only Shaz who has the least condemning reaction towards Alex’s sexual prowess.

When it comes to this plot, I’m on Alex’s side all the way. Okay so her taste in men is a little iffy at best but if the woman wants to have a good shag every now and then, then that’s up to her. To be fair on Gene, he wasn’t quite as dogmatic about the issue as I expected him to be and Alex later had no trouble in using him to get out of having a repeat session with the city boy.

Also in “Episode 3”

I’m liking the subtle use of the Bowie Clown in the series. It’s easily usurping the Test Card Girl in terms of creepiness.

Gene (to Alex): “Plenty of women have opened up to me without so much as a Shandy down their neck.”

Costumes we had in this episode were Gene as Clint Eastwood, Alex as Catwoman, Ray as James Bond and Chris as Superman.

Ray: “It’s alright lads, Wonder Woman’s here.”
Alex: “FYI, D.I. Carling.”

Alex: “I’m not a hooker. But if I was, do you know something, Gene? You could never, ever afford me.”
Gene: “You know, you might talk with a plum in your gob, love, but I would rather go with one of those whores than waste my money on some bitter, twisted, messed up, clenched-arse toffee-nose bitch like you.”

Another neat little nickname Gene added for Alex was “Sulkyknickers”. Not quite as effective as the usual moniker he has for her.

Ray: “You look a bit tired. You been up all night?”
Alex: “Nearly and you know what, it was worth it.”

Alex (to Gene): “It’s not like I shagged an entire rugby team.”
Ray (to everyone else): “I bet she has though.”

I noticed that we’re getting a lot of scenes with other characters talking to each when Alex isn’t there. Shouldn’t that kill her constructs theory?

Alex: “It might do it for Monica Lewinsky but it doesn’t for me.”
Gene: “Monica who?”
Alex: “Some girl who’s set to go down well in the White House.”

Gene (re Alex): “Fancy shoving her overboard?”
Ryan: “No amount of water could ever get that woman clean.”

Ray’s mini-plot with the burnt lip reminded me of my own embarrassment over the same thing but I was at least 11 or 12 at the time.

Nina (re being a prostitute): “Don’t believe me?”
Ray: “No, I don’t think I do, love. Why would you want to make something like that up?”

Alex: “Right instinct, wrong outcome.”
Evan: “I’m afraid I can’t comment.”

Standout music: “Staring At The Rude Boys” by The Ruts, “It’s Different For Girls” by Joe Jackson and “Making Your Mind Up” by Bucks Fizz.

It’s a bit better than the second episode and while the sexual politics are very interesting, a lot of this episode is freaking predictable. The best part was giving Ray something to do other than making stupid comment and I have to admit to perhaps enjoying Alex punching Gene a little more than I should have.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 1x02: "Tully"

Written by Toby Whithouse
Directed by Toby Haynes

Tully (to George): “How the hell do you get home? You’ve got no clothes, no transport. God only knows where you keep the change.”

If last week’s episode was about Mitchell and George trying to embrace their natures non destructively, then this week presents something of an interesting challenge for both characters.

Last week we saw that George had a mysterious man stalking him. The first few minutes of this episode, not only is the man identified as Tully but he’s a werewolf too and he wants to help George manage his condition. Well they do say never look a gift horse in the mouth.

Dean Lennox Kelly, formerly of Shameless is a fun choice for the role of Tully. Even though you get the feeling that Tully isn’t being completely honest with George, he’s pretty charming and convincing and doesn’t waste a lot of time in wowing both Mitchell and Annie over, the latter more easily.

Of course George, being somewhat repressed isn’t particularly enthusiastic about accepting Tully’s help. Instead because he once wolfed out in the house, he doesn’t want his home to be associated with him being a werewolf but Tully’s managed to wrangle himself an invite.

Tully is somewhat of a fast worker though. For all George’s protesting about not wanting him there, there is a benefit to having another werewolf around the place. First off all, Tully’s little overnight bag of stuff is a practical solution and his method of ensuring that George doesn’t hurt someone when in wolf mode is clever.

However the problem is that good werewolves are probably not likely to co-exist on this show, so there has to be a problem with Tully’s presence. Thanks to Tully, George makes a tit out of himself when he tries to ask the pithy out on a date and speaking in the same manner as his new pal is met with ridicule from Annie and Mitchell.

The big offence that Tully commits though is trying to drive a wedge between George, Mitchell and Annie. Constantly throughout the episode, Tully tries to paint a bad picture of Mitchell’s influence by making George believe that Mitchell is stunting him in some way.

To be fair, the things that Mitchell isn’t doing are things George himself has to learn. I mean Mitchell can’t make George more confident in his pursuit of women, that’s something George has to do himself. Plus I did get a laugh with George’s poor defence of Tully when Mitchell tried to evict the other werewolf.

Tully’s nastiest move though was trying it on with Annie. As a ghost he couldn’t physically hurt but Tully didn’t need to in order to be effective. Playing on Annie’s insecurities and the flirty banter they earlier shared was certainly enough to frighten her out of the house.

Although Annie’s role isn’t as big in this episode, hats off to Lenora Crichlow during the scenes outside and with Mitchell and Tully. I loved having Mitchell be the one that comforted her and the kiss between the two of them certainly surprised me. George’s apology however was also similarly well conveyed after he sided with Tully over her.

As for the resolution to Tully, it probably wasn’t that much of a shock to realise that Tully was the one who bit George. It certainly went a long way to explain his obsessive behaviour with George. Dean Lennox Kelly and Russell Tovey played a blinder during the last few scenes.

Tully might have been despicable but even I felt a twinge of sympathy when it was revealed that he lost his wife and son. Also I am so not the only person who must have spotted the homoerotic tension between him and George. I thought Arthur and Merlin were obvious but this was just as blatant, despite the heavy angst content.

Having Tully survive the episode was a smart move. He’s a good character and a clear shadow self to George and in a cynical way, he also serves as a good reminder that George is better off with friends like Annie and Mitchell, even if he is baffled by them from time to time.

Also if Tully’s a bad influence on George, then imagine what kind of an influence Lauren could be on Mitchell if the latter continued to give into her charms? He might have resisted here but I have to give Lauren some credit – she is one bloody determined lady.

Her little conversation in the house was one thing but sleeping with a guy to kill him was a good reminder to Mitchell that he can’t escape his darker nature. I should find Lauren massively irritating because according to Herrick, her reckless behaviour is ill advised but so far apart from the fact that she’s nuts, I think she’s a bloody hoot.

Plus it would totally take Lauren to send a DVD copy of the vampire porn directly to Mitchell in order to rub his nose in it. Mitchell certainly had the desire to drink and even purposely held onto the DVD as well. Maybe Lauren might not be that far off from tempting him back into Herrick’s fold.

In other plots, what’s the best way to get over a loss? In Mitchell’s case, it’s to invite all of the neighbours around so they can get to know each other. It’s a hilarious scene that gets George’s goat but Mitchell does raise a point though. They’re better off being seen as two nice neighbours than two strange guys. No-one can see Annie thanks to the events of the previous episode.

Also in “Tully”

The narration in this episode was about George becoming a werewolf. Some interesting facts about the heart and liver/kidney failure that I didn’t know.

George (to Tully, re being a werewolf): “I don’t want to make it easier. I don’t want it to be something that I accept and allow into my life.”

Tully had a thing for Origami. Annie also made the faux pas in referring to him as Owen when he tried it on with her.

George (to Annie, re Mitchell): “We have to put a stop to this. Doesn’t he understand? These people are British. You’re not allowed to talk to your neighbours until you’ve nodded at them for fifteen years. Look at them. This must be absolutely terrifying.”

Mitchell (to George): “You get twenty seven out of twenty eight days. That’s pretty good from where I’m standing.”

I’ve noticed in the past two episodes that Mitchell seems to wear either a lot of purple or those gloves with the holes in them.

Mitchell: “You are not coming in here.”
Lauren: “Yeah, I think I am because you don’t want this conversation on your doorstep.”

Lauren: “Mitchell! Jesus! I can’t breathe. You’re killing me. Oh no, wait, you already did that. I know what this is about. You’re still pissed off about me killing your friend.”
Mitchell: “She was twenty years old.”
Lauren: “So was I.”

Mitchell appeared as an extra in Casablanca and managed to knock over a chair.

Tully (to George, re Maggie): “She can smell the wolf. She’s helpless. It’s primeval. It’s about the confidence. It’s about being a predator.”

George: “George is as George does.”
Mitchell: “Did you really just say that? Did you actually use those words?”
Annie: “Oh my God. You’re Tully’s Mini-Me.”

Paul Kasey, who doubled as the wolf in this episode, also plays a variety of monsters on Doctor Who.

Annie: “Nothing fazes you, does it? You just never get scared.”
Mitchell: “I wish that was true.”

George (to Tully): “This isn’t a gift. This is God stamping on us with his boots.”

Standout music: Some interesting score music and I liked the final track that played with this episode.

George: “My name is George and I’m a werewolf.”
Mitchell: “Hello George.”

Chronology: Exactly a month since the first episode and because George was bitten in 2007, these episodes are based in 2009.

Yeah, it’s official. This series isn’t a fluke; it’s genuinely and utterly engrossing with each new instalment. There was so much to enjoy and with dialogue this brilliant, this series shouldn’t be relegated to BBC3 alone.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Ashes To Ashes 1x02: "Episode 2"

Written by Ashley Pharaoh
Directed by Jonny Campbell

Alex: “Will you just shut up and listen to me! This is my bloody fantasy and I will be listened to!” Gene (to the Bonds family): “Excuse my colleague. Education of a toff, manners of a sewer rat.”

Week two into Alex’s little world of 1981 and there’s enough to be keeping the woman busy. Yes she might want to get back to her daughter for a birthday party but with a new case and other disasters, Alex won’t be going anywhere in a hurry.

The explosion of a dog (yes even I’m a little surprised to be typing that) coupled with the Royal wedding of Charles and Diana has Gene on red alert. He’s determined to make sure the latter’s wedding goes off without a hitch and to ensure that, he’s in desperate need to track down a disgruntled bomber.

The obvious suspect has to be pub owner David Bonds, an embittered former war fighter whose repulsion for economic progress is out and out transparent. Barricading himself with his family in their pub, Alex tried the softly approach to talk to him. Needless to say it was Gene’s “break the door down” routine that proved more effective.

Now the girl may talk with a plum in her mouth and raise some good arguments as to why David’s fight against the establishment is fruitless but she shouldn’t be all that surprised if her posh talk was enough to have the cantankerous git tell her to piss off. I actually can’t stand David and even I chuckled when he said that to Alex.

Of course Alex doesn’t really take them all that seriously as a threat until she winds up meeting smarmy Thatcherite Danny Moore. Rupert Graves seems to be developing a penchant for playing these kinds of blokes on television given that he’s been doing it more frequently but Danny for all his falseness brings out an adventurous side to the controlled (ish) Alex.

She’s openly flirtatious with him to the point that it would be considered sexual harassment if Danny wasn’t so flattered. Still it’s enough to get on Gene’s goat and give Ray something to gossip about. Actually this flirty side to Alex is a hell of a lot to watch because while Keeley Hawes is a good dramatic actress, her comedy skills are somewhat better.

Alex does kind of admit that she’s not usually drawn to men like Danny and for all the fun she can have with him, it’s a bomb threat in his car that scares her into taking a more assertive role in finding the bomber. Once again though, it seems that whenever Alex might get a hunch, Gene is always going to have his doubts. Oh well, at least she’s getting the same treatment as Sam did, then.

Believing it to be George was plausible. You could see even before Alex went rattling on about psychological profiling that George her worshipped his father. It’s natural to feel that way about a parent but when the parent is an embittered dipshit like David, perhaps hero worship is the last thing you should do, especially when that worship turns you into a bomber.

Alex does her best to play good cop while Gene still revels in being bad cop. It’s another similarity between Alex and Sam, although it does seem like Gene is seemingly less hostile with her. Still George isn’t exactly the most co-operative of suspects and the arrival of Caroline Price doesn’t help matters.

Caroline’s arrival in the station saves Alex an embarrassing moment but the two of them naturally don’t see eye to eye. Now that’s a relief because unlike Sam when he met Ruth for the first time, Caroline is a royal bitch and while a part of that might have been necessary, you do feel for Alex a little.

Caroline might be a successful career woman in a male dominated world but wasn’t she being a massive hypocrite for suggesting that Alex gave a bad name to women in high power? I mean she wanted Alex to betray her colleagues and something tells me if Alex had asked her to do the same, Caroline would’ve equally refused.

As for the bomber storyline, Gene’s powers of detection managed to crack that David was the bomber, only for George to later blow himself to smithereens during a party set up by Danny Moore. It’s a pity that Alex’s words to fight for love had such a negative effect on George but within hindsight, I suppose you could see it coming.

Danny on the other hand, made it out of the episode unscathed. Unfortunately for him, his romping with Fiona meant that Alex wasn’t going to do him. Alex had originally envisioned on shagging him to get back at her mother so the minor disappointment she suffered was hardly devastating. Plus Caroline did call round in the end, so maybe a friendship between the two of them is likely.

Other noteworthy elements of the episode were the recurring theme of Alex being distracted. Maybe it might have something to do with saving her parents or something far darker, but either way it’s intriguing. Alex is certainly getting her fair share of flashbacks to the car bomb explosion as well as teasing from that clown to boot and getting back to Molly might be a lot harder than she imagined.

Unlike Sam, it’s not like Alex is hearing signs of her body trying to fight its way back to life. Her fear of being dead in the first episode could be grounded in truth. As for her dynamic with Gene, the flirty stuff aside, I sort of dig that it’s less aggressive than the one he shared with Sam.

Another strong part of the episode is the other characters. While Viv and Luigi could do with some more development, I do like the building up of Chris’ relationship with Shaz (who just like Annie is every bit as competent and sassy when needs be) and even Ray feels less of a twat than on Life On Mars. There’s also a strong hint that him and Gene are lonely given how late they were working at the station.

Also in “Episode 2”

The show got its opening credits and they’re fine. It makes sense to credit Philip Glenister before Keeley Hawes seeing as we know Gene more than Alex.

Alex (to herself): “Note to psyche, less irony and more Dynasty.”

Gene managed to shoot down one of Alex’s assumptions by not ploughing his Quattro in a bunch of cardboard boxes.

Alex: “Some of my friends don’t think I’ve got a sense of humour. An exploding dog from my psyche.”
Gene: “If you’re quite finished.”

Danny: “Hope we meet again.”
Alex: “It’s unlikely. I’m not gonna be here for long.”
Gene: “I’ll be the judge of that.”

Alex had to get her arse stamped in this episode while Gene and company flashed theirs during the end scene.

Shaz (to Ray): “Did he tell you he was wearing eyeliner?”
Chris: “I’ve got work to do.”

Alex (to Gene): “Will you please just stamp my arse. Mum.”
Caroline: “What did you say?”
Alex: “Bum.”

We saw the Bowie clown in the Blitz nightclub as well as Boy George and Alex even attacked a girl dressed as a clown.

Alex (to Caroline): “And you are a rude bitch. Maybe you will get him off and maybe he’ll thank you by putting a bomb in your letterbox.”
Gene: “I don’t think so.”
Alex: “Will you shut up?”

Caroline (to Alex): “Don’t want to get to know you. Thank God the only thing my daughter shares with you is her name. I’d be ashamed if she turned out to be anything like you.”

Ray’s crying during the Royal Wedding was a hoot, though Shaz got a quirky one liner about Chris’ insensitivity.

Gene: “D.I. Bollyknickers, you appear to be drunk in charge of a handbag and dressed like a tart again.”
Alex: “Oh piss off you lardy fascist.”
Gene: “We’ll make a copper out of you yet.”

Gene: “Ladies, ladies can we deal with the matter in hand before the mud wrestling.”
Alex/Caroline: “Shut up!”

Standout music: Ooh, there’s a great selection here with Flying Lizards’ “Money”, Visage’s “Fade To Grey” and Imagination’s “Body Talk”.

It’s not quite a spectacular second episode and while the George/David had some large predictabilities about it, there’s no doubt that Ashes To Ashes is doing it’s best to cultivate its own identity. Alex’s sassy manner does have its plus points, given her overall attitude to her surroundings.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

My Review of Ashes To Ashes 1x01: "Episode 1"

Written by Matthew Graham
Directed by Jonny Campbell

Gene (to Alex): “Blimey. If that skirt was hitched any higher I could see what you had for breakfast.”

Nowadays a successful series can afford to do a spin off. Spooks might have missed the mark a little with Spooks: Code 9 but if Doctor Who can have success with both Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, then who is to say that Life On Mars can’t with Ashes To Ashes?

Trading 2006 in, it’s the year 2008 and this episode opens up with Alex Drake’s precocious kid Molly thinking Sam Tyler was a nutter. Personally I think police officers should leave files away from prying eyes but perhaps Molly did have a little point given that Sam chose to stay in Gene’s world after fighting so long to get out of it.

However the conversation does steer more towards Molly’s birthday until Alex is dragged into a hostage situation all because a nutter named Arthur Layton specified that she should be there. It hits the right level of intrigue and while Alex is making a decent attempt to reason with Arthur, he’s muttering about knowing her parents.

Making matters worse he also takes Molly hostage at one point and for a brief second, Alex nearly thinks her daughter has been killed. Luckily for her, Molly is fine but sadly the locks in her car aren’t much cop when Arthur is able to sneak in and take her captive a couple of minutes later.

With Sam Tyler he had the annoyance of being hit by a car to send him back in 1973. Alex gets a far more violent method of time travel when Arthur tires of her attempts to reason with him and shoots her in the head. As much I do like Alex, there’s a little part of me that doesn’t entirely resent Arthur for shooting her.

Of course because this is supposed to be an entirely different show, it makes sense for Alex to land in a different time and London 1981 is as good as any. Alex on the other hand mightn’t be as appreciative given that her attire resembles a hooker’s and she’s automatically blamed by the sleazy Edward for a brothel being searched by the police.

It’s quite that immediately Alex’s life is in danger upon her arrival. Okay so Edward is far from the scariest bloke you’ll ever encounter but his attack on Alex is enough to usher in the reintroductions of Gene, Chris and Ray effectively. Alex even sounded like a gushing fan girl when she realised who they were.

Gene and company on the other hand just assumed she was a posh prostitute and failed to listen to her rant about being from another time. Alex doesn’t sound quite as ranting as Sam did at first but she soon catches up to him with the constant chatter of constructs.

More importantly it seems that just like Sam; Alex was assigned to the London station that Gene, Chris and Ray have located to. Gene isn’t exactly displeased when he finds out that she’s his new work colleague but Chris and Ray aren’t exactly jumping for joy over the idea of a female superior. New girl Shaz Granger on the other hand seems cool with Alex’s presence.

Before I go anywhere else in this review, let’s get the replacements out of the way. Apart from Alex obviously replacing Sam, Shaz, Viv and Luigi all seem to be there fill the voids left by Annie, Phyllis and Nelson. So far all the characters work really well, although it’s only Shaz that seems vocalised to begin. That coupled with her attraction to Chris and we could have a new ship to back.

Alex however isn’t particularly interested in her new surroundings and naturally wants to go. She has no problem in trying to undermine Gene but unlike Sam, the worst thing she has to experience from everyone’s favourite dinosaur is an inappropriate grope. To say there’s a bit of sexual chemistry between Keeley Hawes and Philip Glenister is premature but I wouldn’t rule it out either.

Alex’s biggest belief of getting back home is taking Arthur Layton down. The Layton in 2008 bragged about having a huge empire in the day and the Layton in 1981 is seen as little more than a minion. Gene’s entirely convinced of his insignificance despite Alex trying to prove the contrary.

Taking Chris along to investigate his place leads to a good confrontation scene, especially given that when she tried to break what was happening to her earlier on in the episode she ended with the result of being dead. Is Alex actually dead? I mean she did get shot in the head so that really should finish you off compared to a car.

In lieu of creepy Test Card Girls, this series hits a huge success with a Bowie clown from the music video of “Ashes To Ashes”. Using the clown several times throughout the episode, especially during the more subtle moments was chilling but then again, I do have a hatred towards clowns so that’s my thing. It’ll be interesting to see how the clown plays into Alex’s ongoing struggle to get home.

As for the drug plot of the episode, it’s fairly hokum. In retrospect you could see that Edward would hand over his contracts and then try to regain control of the situation by taking Shaz hostage. Even then he came across as being incredibly weedy but it offered a glorious moment for Chris who exacted an appropriate revenge on the nasty banker. Looks like Chris isn’t that cowardly after all.

As for catching Layton, it looks like Alex is going to have to suck it up for a little longer. With a rumour intention of this series going to three seasons, Alex’s mystery I definitely going to be a long one. Like with Sam, her parents are going to factor, only this time I think it’s gonna be a bigger level which could be a lot of fun, provided it’s done carefully.

Dynamic wise, I can see Alex taking on a mentor relationship with Shaz like Sam did with Chris and speaking of the latter, he did look a little intimidated by her. As for Ray, despite his unabashed sexism, he does seem a little less hostile towards Alex than he did with Sam and with Gene, there’s the love/hate dynamic.

Also in “Episode 1”

Just like with Life On Mars, this series didn’t open with any credits. I don’t know why some shows do that.

Gene (to Edward, re Alex): “Today my friend, your diary entry will read: took a prossie hostage and got shot by three armed bastards.”

Is it strange that as soon as Alex went into 1981 it was the song “Vienna” and not “Ashes To Ashes” that ushered her in?

Alex: “I can hear the wind in the trees.”
Gene: “Strewth, she’s gonna break into song.”

Gene: “What were you doing in that brothel – undercover or moonlighting?”
Alex: “Let’s assume the former, shall we?”

Alex tried to get the TV to talk to her during the episode. It did towards the end when the Bowie clown addressed her as Molly.

Zippy (to Molly): “That’s right George. Forget your mum, Molly. She’s never coming back.”

Alex (to Chris): “I’d like to get out of red before Chris De Burgh writes a song about me.”

In terms of looks, can I just say that Keeley Hawes rocked the more androgynous look that Alex had for a good chunk of the episode?

Gene (re Alex’s psychology): “Where did you learn this hippy shit?”
Alex: “Langley.”
Chris: “Near Macclesfield?”

Edward: “Time to talk turkey.”
Gene: “Gobble away.”

Getting back to the possible Gene/Alex chemistry angle, even Ray picked up a vibe between the two of them.

Ray (to Alex): “If you’re smart, you’ll know that being with the Guv is the right place to be.”

Alex: “I invented this world.”
Gene: “I invented something once too – bruise free groin slap.”

Ray told Annie that Sam died in an accident a year ago, presumably before they all transferred to London. Unless we see an actual body, I live in Sam is alive and in hiding with Annie for some reason.

Gene: “Luigi, get yourself a drink.”
Luigi: “No, Senior Hunt. I go upstairs to my room and shoot myself.”
Gene: “Good man.”

Alex: “I could kiss you.”
Gene: “Don’t hold back.”

Standout music: David Bowie’s “Ashes To Ashes” naturally, followed by Ultravox’s “Vienna”, Tubeway Army’s “Are Friends Electric?” and Roxy Music’s “Same Old Scene”.

Alex: “I want to go home.”
Gene: “Yeah, well your presence is required for a little bit longer by me.”

Chronology: July 1981, which according to Alex is around the same time her parents were murdered.

Unlike Life On Mars, it’s a shame that Ashes To Ashes hasn’t garnered as much critical acclaim, despite the brilliant ratings it delivers. As an opening episode, everything is set up beautifully with Alex’s situation is both similar and incredibly different to Sam’s. I can’t wait to see how this unravels.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Being Human's 1x01: "Flotsam And Jetsam"

Written by Toby Whithouse
Directed by Toby Haynes

George (to Mitchell): “No, I’m sorry but we have to protect the household.”
Annie: “You’ve just smashed up the household.”

Let’s be honest, back in April 2008 two months after the original pilot for this show aired, was there anyone genuinely surprised that this would end up becoming a series? Out of all of the six would be made shows from pilots, this was the only one that you could actually envision running as an ongoing series.

That’s a good thing because the pilot was utterly brilliant and after the recent disappointment in Demons, it was high time that UK viewers got a decent supernatural drama. Just one other fear – the actors originally playing Annie, Mitchell and Herrick were replaced and the producers decided to opt for a more earthy feel.

This struck some massive alarm bells in my head because, extensive rewrites to any show can be alarming but not only does this first episode work brilliantly, but it’s an excellent starting point for those who missed the original pilot while staying relatively faithful to what has come before.

The first five minutes have Annie giving us the rundown on how everything came to be. Mitchell was in a World War and managed to get sired by Herrick. Mitchell’s dark urges as a result have seen him feeding and siring others, the most notably one being a girl called Lauren who factored big time in this episode.

Annie herself was happily engaged until fate took a nasty turn and she fell down the stairs to her death. Annie’s frustration and terror at not being seen by her loved ones at her own funeral is beautifully played. It also goes some way into explaining her penchant for making so much tea and joy when she is being seen by neighbours (even the one that called her a slag) and a surly pizza delivery guy.

George, who clashes with Annie frequently enough (her OCD drives him nuts, though he’s got control freak tendencies himself) was also happily engaged. Except in his case, a fateful encounter with a werewolf in Scotland turned him into and saw him have a breakdown. In the original pilot, he was forced to confront his fiancé and explain about being a werewolf.

I mention that because in this episode, Annie is confronted with her fiancé Owen coming to inspect George and Mitchell. Seeing as they’re the only people to stay in the house long enough, I suppose it was an inevitably. George’s bumbling through the sequence where he’s trying to get Annie to behave is amusing though.

The temptation for Annie to actually see her fiancé though does see her using a text to get Owen to fix the leaky tap George complained about. Unfortunately for Annie, Owen’s unable to see her and it doesn’t help that he moved on with Janey Harris, a woman that Annie isn’t particularly fond of.

One of the best moments in this episode is the scene where Annie and George discuss their losses. Although I did like Andrea Riseborough in the role, Lenora Crichlow does a brilliant job with Russell Tovey during that scene. You can really feel for Annie and George, especially given that the latter relapses and resumes being agoraphobic towards the end.

It’s not easy for George too having to suppress his werewolf nature. His little place in the hospital where he usually wolves out ends up being part of a new admin office and it’s pretty distressing to see him transform and tear the house apart as well. Then there’s also his friendship with Mitchell.

I think these two are probably good for keeping the other on the straight and narrow but unlike George; Mitchell’s dark urges aren’t only a month only period. Former sire Herrick seems determined to start a revolution and he spends a great deal of this episode trying to get Mitchell on board.

Out of all the persuasive methods going, Seth is arguably the least effective one. It’s clear that Mitchell can’t tolerate him and Seth does lack a certain effect. Nothing to do with the actor but probably more because Seth is pretty impersonal to Mitchell compared to both Herrick and Lauren.

Herrick also does his best to woo Mitchell but at least he plays on Mitchell’s good side. Still it’s nice to see that Mitchell doesn’t bite and there are some nice cat and mouse moments between Aidan Turner and Jason Watkins.

Lauren however is the best one of the bunch. You don’t have to be a genius to know that she had feelings beyond lust for Mitchell prior to him vamping her. She’s affronted that he didn’t turn up to her memorial service and even attacks George twice when she realises that he’s aware of Mitchell being a vampire.

However she really went for the jugular when she killed Becky in a frenzied bid to get Mitchell to turn her. It didn’t work due to Mitchell realising that he’d be dooming Becky if he turned her. That’s something that even George acknowledged to Annie during the end of the episode.

Lauren is certainly something of a key player and Mitchell even expressed desperation to save her. The interesting part of this whole episode is though is that everyone has a plot – what’s keeping Annie from crossing, will George accept being a werewolf and will Mitchell end up joining Lauren and Herrick? All interesting questions to be solved in a six episode first season.

Also in “Flotsam And Jetsam”

The credits aren’t anything fancy but there were more or less the same that we got back in the original pilot.

George (re tea): “You can’t drink it but you keep making it. It drives me insane.”
Annie: “I like my routine. It makes me feel normal.”
George: “But you’re a ghost.”

Bit of a contradiction but Annie met George’s fiancé in the original pilot episode, whereas here she did act like she knew nothing about the woman.

Annie (to George): “You’ve seen me since I’ve died. I think the rules of privacy got a bit muddled.”

George (re Owen): “Why didn’t you put him off?”
Mitchell (re Annie): “I tried to but she kicked me in the shin. The shin, George.”

Annie wanted to know if Owen had been with Janey Harris and if her sister had a baby. Janey is living proof that some people shouldn’t be allowed in tanning salons.

Mitchell (to Owen): “I believe people can leave an echo in a place where they were.”

Mitchell (about not feeding): “I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
Herrick: “Good. I don’t. It’s mental. You’re a shark, be a shark.”

Herrick has taken on the role of a policeman in this pilot. Both George and Mitchell are still porters.

Becky (re hair shampoo): “Do you like it?”
George: “Yes, you smell like a polo. Have you got a hole?”

Lauren (to George): “I’m kind of new to this but aren’t you supposed to weep or scream or wee yourself?”

Who was that mystery bloke in the woods? He was watching the house as well, mainly for George.

Mitchell: “I’m not like you. I don’t have days off. This is who I am.”
George: “Then why are we even trying?”

George (to Annie, about losing a fiancé): “I know how it feels. It feels like losing everything all over again.”

Some comic moments in this episode included George the pigeon killer, Mitchell protecting the TV and Annie goofing about before Owen and Janey arrived.

George (re Mitchell/Becky): “Where did they go?”
Nurse: “Christ knows. I would’ve asked but then it would’ve looked like I gives a shit.”

Becky: “I’ve seen you before.”
Lauren: “I’ve had my face in the papers recently.”

Standout music: The Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up” and Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” stuck out the most for me.

Lauren (to Mitchell): “You did this. You made me, Mitchell. This is all your fault.”

Annie (re Mitchell/Becky): “Do you think he should’ve saved her?”
George: “I think he did.”

Chronology: I think it’s been a few months since the events of the original pilot.

On so many levels this could’ve ended up being a disaster but it’s brilliant that it didn’t. The new cast work effortlessly, the direction is fantastic and its mixture of comedy, heartbreak and creepiness is spot on. This is going to be quite a ride.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Buffy The Vampire Slayer's 8x24: "Safe"

Written by Jim Krueger
Artwork by Cliff Richards

Duncan (to Giles): “Why protect a humanity that now hates and fears you and resents that you ever tried to save them from vampires and demons?”
Faith: “You know, you sound so much like I used to. I’m starting to feel at home … which I left the first chance I got.”

Has it really been sixteen months since our last encounter with Faith? Man, I think the only that might have kept the more serious lovers of the rogue slayer was relentless promotion for Dollhouse but after a seriously long absence, she’s back.

Keeping with the world thinks vampires are the best thing ever; we get a new slayer named Courtney. This blonde bundle of enthusiasm opened the issue up by nearly becoming the victim of a vampire.

The same vampire who gloated happily about his kind being the new in thing. Courtney’s aim with her stake is bad but at least the arrival of Faith and Giles ensured that the girl didn’t end up becoming vamp food and Faith also casually pointed out that vampires do have a tendency to be chatty at times.

Courtney mistaking Faith for Buffy is a funny moment, only because it’s intriguing to see how insulted Faith might be by the mistake. Faith’s clearly maintaining her need to atone and because Courtney ditched her squad, Faith had a decent reason to track the girl down.

Another mistake that Courtney made was keeping her mouth opened when she actually got to slay a vampire without help. We haven’t seen that happen in quite a while and it’s another that Faith is fine with pointing out. Funnily, Courtney’s not the easiest of people to annoy.

In fact her delight in seeing Giles and Faith has little to do with them providing rescue and more to do with them providing training of sorts. Courtney didn’t exactly waste time in trying to reach to Faith and she did let the other slayer know that she was aware of her past in a rather friendly manner.

Of course the most crucial part of Courtney’s presence in this issue is having Faith and Giles learn of a slayer sanctuary. If you’re one out of the 2000 or so young ladies whose destiny it’s become to slay demons, there’s a nice little place in a creepy village (and I don’t mean Royston Valley) where you can evade that responsibility to your heart’s content.

The idea of a slayer sanctuary does arguably make sense, thanks to Harmony’s TV stunt vilifying them but it also seems to be something that’s too good to be true. Even on the train, Faith seemed naturally suspicious of the location.

Giles on the other hand had hoped that seeing Faith would be enough to get the girls out of their shells and back into fighting. I can see where Giles is coming from because while these girls might not want to fight, there’s only so much skulking in the background that they can do either.

Faith herself seemed to believe that the girls should stay hidden if they wanted. I liked that her and Giles could respectfully disagree on something as serious as this without a sensing bitterness emerging from either one of them. I don’t necessarily agree with Faith’s solution but I can also see where she’s coming as well. I just happen to agree with Giles a bit more.

If ever there was a reason to love Giles in this comic, it’s for the simple that he won’t let Faith wallow in her own self-pity. Having her bemoan her former bad ways is good in showing the readers that she genuinely is atoning for past misdeeds but I love that Giles stops her from going too far with it as well.

Courtney’s comment on the two of them acting like her parents was strange. I know there were some rumours that Faith and Giles might have a more than professional relationship but there’s nothing in the rest of this comic that even remotely hints at that. Best not to go there, either. I mean Giles should get a girlfriend, just not Faith or any other slayer for that matter.

Speaking of Giles, it’s nice that we finally see more of the Watcher Council and clearly Duncan Fillworthe was someone who was lucky not to get blown up by Caleb in “Never Leave Me”. Unfortunately he maintains the traditions of a stuffy, oppressive watcher as well.

When he brought Giles, Faith and Courtney back to his own home; he’s quick to point out that he has his own methods of keeping the vampires out of Hanselstadt. However Giles just dismissed his idea as nothing more than a stalemate and seeing as Duncan isn’t written as sympathetic, I automatically had to agree with Giles.

Fillworthe’s motives for the town are very clear – he wants to protect it and he’s using his slayers to keep the vampires out. The thing is that when Giles questioned him further about the slayers, he did point out that there wasn’t a point in protecting a humanity that now shows nothing but contempt for slayers and watchers alike.

I often think this when I’m watching 24. Why does Jack Bauer bother his arse trying to save the government from various terrorists when all they ever do is antagonise him when they’re not trying to arrest or put him down themselves? It’s relevant here but the thing, if the slayers don’t protect civilians from supernatural threats, then who will?

Faith’s instant dismissal of the guy added a pithy moment to a serious issue. Fillworthe might be right to feel embittered by the way humanity has chosen to side with vampires over slayers but the debate ended up getting cut short when that ghastly looking old lady suggested that Faith and Courtney take a trip to the library.

Faith’s not exactly an avid bookworm so the idea of her going to a library with Courtney doesn’t exactly fill her with never ending joy. However she is perceptive enough to realise that there’s a serious lack of children on the streets and she’s savvy enough to figure out that she’s walking into a trap of sorts.

Then again, it did look like Courtney had picked up on the same vibe and even first time readers would’ve figured it out. The fun part however is Faith wondering if the oldies were going to throw something at her that she hasn’t seen, only for her to encounter a familiar vampire.

It seemed back in the days when Faith had just been called as a slayer, she let one vampire get away. Given that she got two out of three and kept with the ‘don’t die’ mentality, she should consider herself proud. Apart from the vampire looking a tad deformed, it was interesting that she saw this particular vampire.

Even before seeing Courtney trying to figure out what was wrong with Faith, I had guessed that the latter was merely seeing things. After all, it’s not like Fillworthe knew Faith was coming and purposely captured that old vampire so she could have another altercation with him in the library.

Playing on Faith’s guilt to kill this vampire is a strength to the issue. Maybe they should’ve gone there with Kakistos but I think that Faith has already exorcised those demons so this vampire worked. That being said, Courtney really should’ve made a bigger effort to get Faith to realise she was hallucinating.

As for the argument with Giles and Duncan, damn the latter knows how to hold a grudge. Not only does he hate the public but he even hates the disillusionment of slayers and used it as a means to justify sending them to their own deaths. Turns out there’s a demon in the library and it’s not Vashta Nerada.

And that’s disappointing because air piranhas/skeletons in space suits would be preferable to Octo-type creature we have to make do with here instead. I loved that Duncan made the foolish error of trying to use Buffy and Jenny Calendar in order to Giles onside.

However I do take issue with the vampire/children regret thing. To me, it did seem a bit far fetched and contradictory to the whole mythology that we’ve gotten in the series from the word go. Plus kids are also pretty good articulating some of their pain like any adult.

As for the beast, when it wasn’t knocking Faith out, it played on Courtney’s parental issues. If Satsu’s ‘gayness’ almost destroyed her parents, then I have a feeling that Courtney’s ‘slayerness’ might have done the same thing. There’s nothing especially original from this segment but I don’t think that’ll bother most viewers.

Fortunately though, Duncan’s stupidity makes him the last meal that the Octo-creature gets to munch on and Giles and Faith manage to be the ones to end the creature once and for all. It’s not exactly the most charismatic defeat (not compared to what Giles did to Roden back in “No Future For You Part 4”) but it works no less.

The ending more or less signalled that vampires would now be able to enter Hanselstadt without having to worry about a demon stopping them. However it’s Faith and Courtney’s little pep talk to the villagers that ends the comic on a more satisfying note. Maybe Courtney will be able to alter some of the attitudes that people have for slayers in this creepy village.

Also in “Safe”

The cover by Cliff Richards is excellent with Faith and a suave looking Giles in the library.

Courtney: “Oh my God. You’re her! You’re Buffy!”
Faith: “She’s calling me names, G.”
Giles: “She’s confused. That’s the point.”

Faith seemed to be rocking her leather pants look in this issue with a blue jacket and a dark shirt. A contradiction to what she looks like on the cover.

Courtney: “My name’s Courtney. Cort’s okay but don’t call me Coco. My sister does – I hate that. So you’re Faith? I’ve heard about you too.”
Faith: “Yay. Let’s bond.”

Courtney: “You’ve never heard of slayer sanctuary? Some of the chosen from a bunch of squads have gone.”
Giles: “We need to find this place.”
Faith: “That makes you guide dog.”
Courtney: “Awesome. Don’t call me dog.”

Unrelated note: UK viewers can watch Dollhouse, Tuesdays at 9pm on Sci-Fi UK from May 19^th.

Giles: “You’re too hard on yourself, Faith.”
Faith: “Right, I’ll tell all the baby slayers about my first time. How I -”
Giles: “Enough, Faith.”
Courtney: “God, you guys are like my parents. Only talking to each other.”

Duncan: “Yes, Rupert but there are alternatives to running scared. Hanselstadt for one. The vampires know if they come in … we have an army of slayers to face them. Who’ll leave them alone if they stay out.”
Giles: “A stalemate’s not exactly a lasting solution.”

My condolences to Angel actor Andy Hallett who recently passed away and congratulations on Alexis Denisof and Alyson Hannigan who also recently became parents.

Faith: “This really obvious trap feels like a trap.”
Courtney: “So what do we do?”

Faith: “I’m tired of beating around the bush. Sides, these hokey old stiffs … they gonna come up with something I ain’t seen?”
Vampire: “No … something you have.”

The third sort of reminded me of the three from the Season One episode “Angel”.

Faith: “Keep away from me.”
Vampire 1: “She’s a slayer. New one. Still got the smell on her.”

Vampire 3 (re nearly being staked): “Doesn’t matter what people say … that ain’t the way to a man’s heart.”
Faith: “Well hell, two out of three ain’t bad.”

I take it the flashback is set in between “Becoming Part 1” and “Faith, Hope And Trick”.

Courtney: “What’s going on, Faith? Who are you screaming at?”
Faith: “I’ll answer all your slayer-in-training questions later. Got a vamp to snuff.”

Duncan (to Giles): “The vampire is regret personified. A hunger for life that’s been damned to never be satisfied.”

We learned the townspeople ran out their own children, which was when Duncan supplied them with slayers. There’s also an episode of Firefly called “Safe” as well.

Duncan (to his men): “Thoughts of Calendar and having let the girls go to the beast on their own … Rupert Giles may die of regret before the demon even gets to feed.”

Giles: “You’re going to regret this, Duncan.”
Duncan: “I regret nothing. That’s why I’m still alive.”

This issue featured no appearances from Buffy, Xander, Willow or Dawn and judging by spoilers, Giles and Faith will (thankfully) factor into the next arc.

Faith (to the demon): “That was your last meal, octobitch. Choke on it.”

Faith: “But we’re slayers and we don’t let people die, not even the crappy ones. You people wanna live? Then you fight.”
Courtney: “Faith, I’m just …I haven’t trained …”
Faith: “There’s only one lesson, kid. Aim for the heart.”

This issue dedicated four parts to discuss the Buffy/Satsu hook up in “Wolves At The Gate Part 1”and the next issue, “Living Doll” comes out on May 6^th.

Okay while it may not have been as good as their first arc together or even gone a big way in advancing the overall arc, “Safe” is still one of the stronger issues from the season and the Faith/Giles dynamic does continue to work so superbly.

Rating: 9 out of 10.

My Review of Doctor Who's: "Doctor Who At The Proms"

Presented by Freema Agyeman
Directed by Rhoudri Huw

Freema Agyeman: “In that last sequence of music from Doctor Who, we’ve heard Doctor Forever, Rose’s Theme and Martha Versus The Master and I’m totally unbiased but the last bit was my favourite.”

Following David Tennant’s presenting back in 2006 with “Music And Monsters”, we’re treated to another concert, only this time it’s part of the Proms, adding a sense of refinery into the mix.

Back in July 2008, if you were lucky to see this, it was money well spent and January 2009, it was worth catching on New Year’s Day along with the repeat of “The Next Doctor” on BBC1.

If you own the soundtracks to the music of the first four seasons, then you’re more or less gonna know what to expect. Every single necessary and infamous theme is played and with the added bonus of having respective clips to back them up, it continues to serve viewers a reminder of how much has happened with this series in four seasons.

Another strength and keeping with the “Music And Monsters” concert, is the addition of monsters on set. Yes, the Royal Albert Hall not had the lovely lady behind Martha Jones presenting but it was also the very venue where the Daleks, Cybermen, Davros, the Ood, Sontarans and Judoon all made noteworthy appearances during specific moments.

As presenters go, Freema Agyeman was game for the audience and certainly entertained. Her introductions for the various segments were handled without any need to go a little OTT in places and on a shallow note, she looked absolutely stunning as well.

For the DVD version of this concert, there’s 57 minutes to enjoy and they do certainly fly by as we sailed through the music that defined and signified The Doctor, his companions as well as his enemies in such style, though there was repetition of certain clips throughout the concert.

My favourite part about this concert however was seeing the audience participation when it came to the mini-adventure, “Music Of The Spheres” as I had originally only seen the eight minute scene on YouTube so seeing it as part of the concert made it all the more satisfying.

This is the second time the series has gone out for a concert and it’s certainly proving the invincibility that this show has on the public consciousness. I can’t imagine many other series being able to have the kind of impact, nation wide. More power to the series.

- Due to starting work on Hamlet, David Tennant’s contribution to the concert was the “Music Of The Spheres” scene. Review can be read here … http://shawnlunn2002.blogspot.com/2008_10_01_archive.html
- Catherine Tate was seen in the DVD version introducing the music segments for Reinette, Astrid and Donna.
- Hats off to the likes of Dan Starkey and Julian Bleach for taking to the stage as Commander Skorr and Davros as well as the other actors in costume.
- Ben Foster made me laugh when he forced by the Dalek to conduct the music of destruction.
- There’s an excellent behind the scenes report on this concert in Issue 399 of DWM.
- This concert can be found on the DVD for “The Next Doctor”.

Quote, Unquote

Daleks (to Ben Foster): “We have travelled back in time and captured Henry Wood. We will alter the history of the Proms. There will be only Dalek music.”

“Doctor Who At The Proms” continues the show’s knack for keeping the franchise more and more invigorated, while also reminding fans of the excellent music from both Ben Foster and Murray Gold as well.

Rating: 9 out of 10.