Ashes to Ashes: The Royal Wedding

It has been a long time since I reviewed this series, but the randomizer picked Ashes to Ashes Episode 2. So I am going to look into this episode and give a slight overview of the series. Ashes to Ashes is the sequel series to Life On Mars. Both shows dealt with a cop being sent back through time trying to make it back to their own time. Life on Mars was the adventures of Sam Tyler and Ashes to Ashes is the adventure of Alex Drake, but what separates the two shows besides the main characters. It is obviously the feel of the show. Life on Mars seems to be a remake of the Sweeney in many ways. While obviously Ashes to Ashes seems to be a remake of Dempsey and Makepeace. A2A deals with Alex Drake being shot and sent back in time to 1981. Alex thinks that she is dreaming and everything going on around her is a part of her fantasy. The only thing that doesn't make sense is why is she fantasizing about the same men as Sam Tyler. Gene Hunt who is obviously meant to be Jack Regan from the Sweeney. Chris and Ray who act very similar to Bodie and Doyle from the Professionals just more screwed up. To make matters worse she has visions and her crew thinks she is crazy. Ashes to Ashes also features hit music from the era. I love this show so much that when the episode Doctor Who: The Water of Mars aired I wished that when Adelaide Brooke took her gun out to kill herself that she would of shot the Doctor first sending him to the 1990's to where he would team up with Gene Hunt in a special called Dead Man Walking, but enough of my fanboy wishes. For the purpose of the overview I am going to leave out most flashbacks Alex has.

Episode Overview: We open up to Alex in her apartment watching the morning news reporting on the upcoming Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The news reports of police beefing up security before the wedding. A few minutes later we find ourselves in the quattro while Alex and Gene head to a place where a man has barricaded himself in his apartment and posed threats to the public. Alex works her magic and they get in and see the Bond Family. Mr. Bond hates the commercial development of the company in this area and wants to stop them anyway possible Gene tries to get hi to calm down while Alex thinking she is in a fantasy tells him that this place will be gone. Mr Bond tells her to piss off. Back at the station Gene comes out with some info that a dog was blown up at a site with a note found there. It threatens the life of a Mr Moore who Chris thinks its Booby Moore the futbal player, but Chaz tells everybody she thinks its Daniel Moore. Gene tells her to shutup because he doesn't like getting upstaged by birds. They visit Daniel who refuses police protection, but later visits the police station to get Alex to ride in his new car with him a Deloreon. Outside the police station Alex hears a ticking sound and thinks its a bomb has flashbacks of her parents death and goes beserk. The timer on the bomb goes off and no explosion. Back in the station Daniel asks for Alex to be his bodyguard Gene agrees and they leave for a night out. Alex and Daniel go to a techno night club where all the patrons are dressed in gothic 80's fashion. In the bar she runs into Chris and Shaz. Alex also sees the lettering on a flyer in which she remembers from the note and George Bond's shirt. Alex asks Gene to arrest George Bond he says no, but Alex says you can stamp my bottom if you agree. Gene agrees brings him and conducts a search of the Bond's residence. Gene also appoints Alex to find George council. Alex hires her mother Carolyn Price. In interrogation room they try to force a confession out of George, but he won't budge. A few moments later in the office Gene pulls out the stamp and gets ready to stamp Alex's butt when Carolyn Price walks in. Carolyn is disgusted by Alex's actions and asks her to take him to George. A few moments later dynamite is brought in from the search and Alex charges George with conspiracy to commit murder. Something doesn't add up to Gene so he goes back to the bar and investigates some more he sees Mr Bond in WW2 photos with boxes of dynamite so he has Mr Bond arrested as well. Back at the station he tries to get Mr Bond to confess, but his son won't let him and says he did it. When the two men leave the room Gene pulls out a bag and asks Mrs. Bond to catch it. In the commotion Mr Bond tells everyone to hit the ground its a bomb. Mr Bond revels himself as the culprit. The next day the street the Bond's were from have a party and everyone is invited. At the party Alex thinks there is something strange about George she tells everyone to get to the street and then focuses her attention on George. A bomb blows up in the building he enters. A few moments later Carolyn Price shows up at Alex's door and consoles her for a few moments and then we hear honking. It Hunt and the boys from the station they return Alex the favor and show her their bottom. Credits roll.

Episode Review: This is a great followup to the previous episode. Were introduced to secondary characters for the first series like Carolyn Price and some other ideas. We also see that Alex can be vulnerable and she doesn't always have the right answer and Gene can sometimes be right. What is great about this episode is that Alex is still in denial of what happened to her before and that she thinks everything is fine. The one thing A2A does really well is the progression throughout the series of how Alex deals with the thought of death and knowing she is dying. First stage denial and everything is fine. The other great thing about this episode it really sets the stage for the rest of the first series and its purpose. Alex Drake must stop her parent's death at all costs. One other thing to notice is that the show incorporated the Royal Wedding into it to make it feel like it really happened. You can't miss this episode if you expect to follow series 1 so it is an essential episode in my book. Only bad thing about this episode is not enough car chases with the Quattro.

Tonight's Show: Keeping Mum. Maggie Smith and Rowan Atkinson can't wait.