ASHES TO ASHES 3.6

WRITER: James Payne
DIRECTOR: Jamie Payne
GUEST CAST: Joseph Long, Stanley Townsend & Steven Robertson

[SPOILERS] Ashes To Ashes thankfully pulls off a very good episode, if one that didn't strike me as wholly realistic -- what with Gene (Philip Glenister) refusing to wear riot gear in the middle of a prison uprising, yet somehow avoiding being hit by projectiles raining down on everyone else from angry inmates. And would such an occurrence really be tackled by the a six-man team from Fenchurch CID? Forgiving the relaxed grasp of realism with the premise, everything else was solid and flirted with greatness occasionally, if never quite managing to seal the deal...

As mentioned, this week's episode revolved around a prison riot, orchestrated by burly criminal Sacks (Stanley Townsend), who managed to capture Viv (Geff Francis) during the response team's attempt to restore order, prompting a tense hostage negotiation over the copper's life. As usual, Gene's tactics resorted to tough-talking, threats of violence and misguided plan of action, whereas modernist Alex (Keeley Hawes) tried to calm the situation and find a way to bring things to an amicable end. But with Viv's life hanging in the balance, because cop-killer Sacks intends to break his record, time was of the essence. For Alex, matters were also complicated by the arrival at Fenchurch of prison escapee Thordy (Steven Robertson), a con man who tries to convince her that he's actually "dead" Sam Tyler (with an altered appearance and erased fingerprints) who wants to tell her "the answers" to the mysteries of her being in the 1980s. But can she trust Thordy's tall stories, or is he just a fantasist manipulating the situation using her diacritic beliefs?

Episode 6 certainly had some very good moments and keen developments to this series' arc: the reveal that Viv was complicit in the riot and had passed Sacks a handgun, intending spring his cousin out of C Wing during the melee as "payment"; seeing Gene's bullheaded approach bite him in the arse once Chris (Marshall Lancaster) and Ray (Dean Andrews) went in undercover as reporters, only to be exposed and connected to a metal fence that would electrify them if Keats' (Daniel Mays) armed squad stormed the prison; and the general ambiguity about how far Alex can trust Thordy's claim that he's Sam with a new face, given that he doesn't know his pop-trivia circa 1994. Or, as he claims in his defense, do your memories melt away the longer you stay in this "otherworld".

My problems with episode 6 stemmed from a few things: specifics of the situation didn't feel very plausible to me, it would have been nice to have been given more insight into the criminal's intentions and the media storm going on, and most crucially I felt no real connection to Viv as a person. Up until this point, Viv's been little more than a glorified extra, so genuinely fearing for his safety was never an option. Why couldn't Ray have been the one taken hostage? Also, while it was a mild surprise to see Viv killed in the end, it would have been more memorable if the script hadn't lost its courage and had killed Ray or Chris, as threatened. That would have really upset the apple cart as we approach the last two episodes. Regardless, it was fascinating to see Keats was the one at Viv's side as he died from his injuries in the darkened corridor, although it seemed like he was actually draining Viv's life-force from his body, rather than ease his passing as he did Louise in episode 4. The first clear sign that Keats is the villain of the piece, for me, given Viv's expression.

Overall, there was still enough intrigue and gripping moments to keep episode 6 on-track for the duration. It was particularly unexpected to have Alex encounter someone claiming he actually is Sam Tyler, mainly because I can't fathom another explanation about how Thordy (fantasist or not) would know exactly how to push Alex's buttons. And some of Thordy's information did bear fruit, as Alex unlocked Gene's desk drawer and discovered a tin containing a roll of camera film and a photo of the young policeman who's been haunting her, before whatever caused his facial disfigurement. That wasn't totally unexpected (neither was confirmation that the numbers 6-6-20 correspond to the cop's epaulette), but how does he tie-in to Sam Tyler's story...?

Asides

• Since when did people ever call Viv "Skip"? Maybe they have done and I've never picked up on it, but it felt like this episode went to great pains to convince us how important and beloved Viv was, when the truth is he was a very underwritten desk sergeant character of no real importance.
• Some choice dialogue to ruminate on: "I want to float amongst the stars. I want to die. Let me go" says Thordy. "Dots of light, like just before you blackout" says Ray. The latter perhaps a suggestion that everyone seeing stars are, like Alex, experiencing a collective "dream"? Is the fact Chris hasn't seen stars significant? Or will he see them soon?
• The song "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" was also sung by Keats throughout this episode, so peruse the lyrics for any significance.
• The scarred policeman. I still think it must be a young Gene Hunt, meaning the Gene we've been following in Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes is a willing "dreamer" like Sam and Alex, but one who doesn't want to wake up and has found a way not to. I guess we'll find out how close that is to the truth in a few week's time.

7 MAY 2010: BBC1/HD, 9PM