It's only to be expected. The finale of Ashes to Ashes was always going to be controversial, but without wanting to give away spoilers for whoever hasn't seen it yet (which would account for very very few fans of the series), I would have to say that there was absolutely nothing more nonsensical or contrived about the ending.
I mean, come on! Lets face it! Ashes, and Life on Mars already involved a bit of metaphysics, surrealism, time travel and paradoxes that bordered on, but didn't quite descend, to Lynchian realms. People enjoyed the characters, the witty dialogue, the relationships, the action and even the retro nods to 80's nostalgia, but unlike Dempsey & Makepeace, there was an underlying story arc that needed resolution, and that arc was not your standard cop drama fayre.
The clues were already there, not just in the final episode, but throughout the third series...even before the third series! The way Ray would grasp his throat, the shared visions of stars, Chris' increased agitation around whistles & the interesting ways that Jim Keats dealt with dying officers...if the final episode turned out to be a wet blanket, with Alex returning to the present day, Chris & Shaz marrying, Ray heading CID & Gene getting a knighthood, I would have chucked my remote at the TV. The ending was well-written, bittersweet, tied up the loose ends, and rewarded the vast majority of fans. - There would always be a minority who want happily ever afters, or something more straight- laced, but the resolution did work well & made sense to most.
The acting was really noteworthy. Phil Glenister played a great role as Gene, both as the usual swaggering DCI we've all come to love, but also as a transformed, shattered, distraught Gene who finally sees the truth. Everyone, from Keeley Hawes to Monserrat Lombard did amazingly well, no hamming up, just great acting, (especially as Ray, Chris & Shaz all view the videos that Jim has left for them) but the real treat was finally seeing Jim Keats go from being the nerdy pencil pusher to something incredibly sinister, malevolent & mad! Absolutely superb!
To those who still are not convinced, I will ask two simple questions. "How did you expect it to end?", and "Do you think your ending would have really made the series better?".
All in all, great final, great series, and I'm really sorry to see it go.
I mean, come on! Lets face it! Ashes, and Life on Mars already involved a bit of metaphysics, surrealism, time travel and paradoxes that bordered on, but didn't quite descend, to Lynchian realms. People enjoyed the characters, the witty dialogue, the relationships, the action and even the retro nods to 80's nostalgia, but unlike Dempsey & Makepeace, there was an underlying story arc that needed resolution, and that arc was not your standard cop drama fayre.
The clues were already there, not just in the final episode, but throughout the third series...even before the third series! The way Ray would grasp his throat, the shared visions of stars, Chris' increased agitation around whistles & the interesting ways that Jim Keats dealt with dying officers...if the final episode turned out to be a wet blanket, with Alex returning to the present day, Chris & Shaz marrying, Ray heading CID & Gene getting a knighthood, I would have chucked my remote at the TV. The ending was well-written, bittersweet, tied up the loose ends, and rewarded the vast majority of fans. - There would always be a minority who want happily ever afters, or something more straight- laced, but the resolution did work well & made sense to most.
The acting was really noteworthy. Phil Glenister played a great role as Gene, both as the usual swaggering DCI we've all come to love, but also as a transformed, shattered, distraught Gene who finally sees the truth. Everyone, from Keeley Hawes to Monserrat Lombard did amazingly well, no hamming up, just great acting, (especially as Ray, Chris & Shaz all view the videos that Jim has left for them) but the real treat was finally seeing Jim Keats go from being the nerdy pencil pusher to something incredibly sinister, malevolent & mad! Absolutely superb!
To those who still are not convinced, I will ask two simple questions. "How did you expect it to end?", and "Do you think your ending would have really made the series better?".
All in all, great final, great series, and I'm really sorry to see it go.