Why You Should Watch: Ashes To Ashes
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- So after talking about Life On Mars, let's talk about it's sequel series!
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Outro Music: Ship Wrek & Zookeepers - Ark
• Ship Wrek & Zookeepers...
They were both fantastic series but I preferred Life on Mars.
That being said, Ashes to Ashes was a worthy sequel and both shows compliment each other perfectly.
Did you know that Matthew Graham approached the BBC before RTD with a proposed revival for Doctor Who?
Just imagine what could've been...
Let's hope he gets the chance once Chinballs buggers off!
Non White-Knight you do know Matthew graham wrote fear her & the rebel flesh/the almost people? 2 of the worst doctor who stories. Sure life on Mars is great but he should stay away from Doctor who
@@BH-98 uhh incorrect. have you seen chibnall's stuff recently? he NEEDS to go
I think LOM was a little more raw, and to me that’s what made it better
@@BH-98 haha true
The quicker Chinballs goes the better, and I think Matthew Graham would be fantastic
I love the Blue Peter Garden incident... I had to look it up - which made it even funnier.
Wait... That didn't actually happen...?!
I enjoyed life on mars but ashes to ashes is where I really fell in love with the universe. I absolutely loved it.. and that ending man. It really hits you hard
Commenting in 2020, where they’re now making a sequel series, with a working title of “The Final Chapter”.
JamsplatXD yes. Ashley pharaoh and Matthew Graham are writing it as we speak
Davey Ryuzaki Has it been confirmed? I looked it up after reading this, but some seem to think it was an April fools joke, with the announcement being on April 1st. Having just finished LOM and A2A, it would be great if it has been confirmed but I remain sceptical.
CNRX it has indeed been confirmed by the writers themselves.
I saw somewhere that there is another Bowie song as the title but it hasn’t been revealed which one
@@salem_meow7137 Lazarus
Literally one of the best series I've watched. Great plot, characters, narrative and acting.
Well said. I love the final line from Gene, "A moment with your shell-like" Not a well known phrase here in the USA so it took some work to figure it out. Great ending to a beautiful 5 series!!!
Yeah, I had to ask a friend what it meant. 😆
Man, I forgot to thank you, I haven't watched Ashes to Ashes yet (I've just started season 2 of Life on Mars), I needed to thank you for introducing me to it. I and my dad have been watching ever since and it's my second favourite tv show which might change when I watch Ashes to Ashes, what I'm saying is thank you.
I agree, I think Ashes to Ashes was better, though I love both. Can you do an in depth review of each series of either life on Mars or Ashes to Ashes, or both. Love your stuff Wingy. God bless
Fire up the Quattro Wingy 😉
Watched Life on Mars twice before watching Ashes to Ashes where i am at episode 3 serries 2.
Loved LOM and wasnt keen to watch ATA after the first episode but POW!.. thorougly enjoying so far.
I relate more to LOM cos of the 70s nostalgia, but both are excellent.
Proud of this British production.
Excellent stuff!!
I agree the video tapes are gut wrenching, but Id, say Alex’s realisation at the end of the last episode is the most heartbreaking scene of the whole series.
DCI Jim Keats appearing from the shadows is just delicious!
What can I say about thee two series: Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes? Well, basically one thing - just the best TV cop/ fantasy that we have ever seen ... without question. It is brilliant drama with characters that are fully rounded and leave you thinking.
I had to watch all three series of Ashes to Ashes through twice, and it is like going to another world once you understand it.
One of the cleverest concepts ever to be made for TV.
All good dramas need to show character development, without it things get blurred. This show demonstrates this in a way as good as anything I have ever seen.
The last episode of Ashes to Ashes is the final episode of a 40 episode saga of Life on Mars and the sequel, Ashes to Ashes. It doesn't let you down. i had tears in my eyes when I watched the finale ... so much did it resonate with me once I understood it..
So, now here is the big question; Of the two series, which is the best?
Well, Life on Mars sets out the stall, and Sam Tyler's interactions with the over-arching lead character - Gene Hunt, are the best.
But, I think Ashes to Ashe surpasses its a series because the 'build and wrap' is so good.
We learn more, we see glimpses of more and we are tempted to the edge our seats more often....in the end we are not let down.
You need to watch Life on Mars, but Ashes to Ashes even on it's own is compelling TV and in all honesty is one of the greatest series ever made in my opinion. I watched it for the first time 10 years after its original airing. It is far more compelling than many contemporary police dramas of 2019 - 20 (and there have been many ... Line of Duty, killing Eve, Deadwater Fall, to name a few.) This is better ... not on realism ... but actually, yes ... for realism .... because think about that and what it really means . Watch it ... and you will see what I mean.
Life on mars - Ashes to Ashes - five series set that you should watch. Forget The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Peaky Blinders ... all great period and/or fantasy dramas, but I'm not sure that they take you where this one does.
WATCH IT.
Does it have the line: "You're surrounded by armed bastards!"
Ashes to ashes, funk to funky, we know major Tom's a junkie...
They got a message from the action man, “I’m happy, hope your happy too”
Coming to this way late. But anyway.
For myself, I consider it a single series. It takes both halves to get the full story. LOM is Sam's story, A2A is Alex's story, and the 5 seasons is Gene's. The advantage A2A's has it's the part with the conclusion that fully answers Sam's question. And provides full context to what was happening in LOM. For example
- The final episode of LOM season 1 watched through the lens of A2A series finale makes it makes an already excellent episode even better, explains it fully, and gives real context around Annie's and Sam's dad's place in regards to what we are seeing.
I prefer A2A thought. Well the last two seasons. It's first season is a retread of ground covered in LOM, getting the story back on track.
Nice to see both of these shows get some love. I absolutely adore them both.
Rewatching Ashes to Ashes in the last couple years is the reason why Keeley Hawes was my #1 pick for a female doctor and why I think Daniel Mays would make an absolutely stupendous Master. Shame they already both had pretty minor roles in Doctor Who.
And I agree about the ending, it’s flawed, but I think its bloody beautiful. Especially that scene between Alex and Gene in a darkened room talking about his death.
I’d love Keeley as The Doctor, Both her and Mays have had minor roles, but hey, that didn’t stop Colin Baker and Peter Capaldi!
Oh wow, this is the first place where I've seen that the final series will be called Lazarus. Oh god, oh god oh god oh god. This is going to be INCREDIBLE, and rip my heart RIGHT OUT. It is *PERFECTION*.
I've just finished A2A, watched LOM while furloughed two years ago. I love it and can't get it out of my head.
I think there's a couple of reasons why some prefer LOM. For some folks, their loyalty tends to fall to whatever comes 'first', and they can't bring themselves to love a 'copy'. But for others, I think what it may be is a preference for a "buddy" show, for that male/male bonding, fighting, banter, whatever you want to call it. And what A2A did was introduce the female element more directly, so while you still had banter, it had a different sort of edge, some might see it as a blunted edge. (And I get that - just looking back at clips of LOM, the banter was INSANE, so in-your-face and politically-incorrect. A2A had to walk a finer line - still adding politically-incorrect misogynistic elements, while 'softening' Gene just enough that their connection in spite of the banter wouldn't be unbelievable.) For my own personal preference, I enjoy the sexual spark of the m/f banter a bit more than the buddy-banter, though that was indeed amazing, and not a thing wrong with it.
I'm going to need to watch LOM again now, in light of A2A s3, which explains a lot. From the vantage point of a couple of years and fuzzy memory, it almost feels like *mayyyybe* the world as a whole was not fully-formed from the start, and like where A2A took things may have 'retconned' just a bit...like perhaps they were making it up as they went along. If my memory serves and that sort of is the case, I can also see some fans being upset about it. I usually fall into that sort of category, except that I just love where they took it so much, that I think it's an improvement, even if there may have been some missteps along the way. I love the amplified sense of the supernatural, which was almost unexpected, but works so well, in my opinion.
What I love most about A2A is that it is a genuine, coherent continuation of character development (and with part 3 named Lazarus, it gives me SO MUCH HOPE that this character development is their driving force, and they won't let me down). You see, in LOM, Gene Hunt was supposed to be a 'dinosaur', as Phil Glenister has said. He was *intended* to be a bit of a 2-dimensional character. You get the impression that he, and the other characters, really might exist only in Sam's (and then Alex's) mind, that they are an invention of pain, injury and confusion, and therefore they sort of 'cease to exist' when they are not interacting with the main character. You see Gene practically 'living at the office' (which is highlighted with both actions, and words from minor characters), and you wonder if he sort of only actually exists in that part of the world, that once Sam (or Alex) shuts the door, the lights go out, the pages close, only to open again when Sam (or Alex) is actually looking at him. Gene's *supposed* to be this flat, uncouth, blowsy character, with not much else to him, as he is there as an archaic foil to Sam's/Alex's more refined modern views.
And then, the end of A2A. Almost without the viewer noticing, they went and added layers to Gene, fleshing him out bit by bit. Turning him into a 'real boy' of a sort. And it happened so subtly and naturally, that it doesn't feel forced. That was one of the most agonizing parts of the A2A finale - that they'd finally given Gene three dimensions, giving him this very solid-feeling backstory, yet raising so many questions....and then didn't let us explore them.
So now I'm incredibly excited for the conclusion of the tale. With the title Lazarus, it sounds like this will be (and it SHOULD BE) fully Gene's story. How did he come to be in the position he's in? (What a 'Lazarus' situation, indeed.) Why hasn't he gone with the others? These are questions that few would have asked about the LOM Gene, so A2A does that beautiful job of beginning to connect the threads.
Oh, and I was going to say - just look up the lyrics of Bowie's Lazarus, and see how perfectly they apply to Gene. Not only the lyrics themselves, but I believe the 'bluebird' in the lyrics refers to Bukowski's poem, which ALSO can be so beautifully applied to a fully three-dimensional Gene Hunt. 💗
Life on Mars will always appeal to me more; the clothes, the music, everything about the seventies is just so good. Ashes to Ashes is actually quite dark, especially towards the end, and the music and fashion don't appeal to me as much. I do like that there's more character development, especially of the supporting characters, but I feel like both shows are the same thing and you need to watch both of them to really get it. Having said that, you can watch Life On Mars on its own and not miss a thing, but if you watch Ashes to Ashes on its own you miss out on so much.
Looking forward to Lazarus. And your “Why You Should Watch..” on that when it is screened. I agree that these two shows Life On Mars and Ashes to Ashes are the best shows ever.
I have only just watched both these series and I thought I wouldn’t like Ashes after LoM but by the third episode series one I actually agree, it is the better of the two. Broke my heart at the end and would rather it had been different. Now they are apparently making Lazarus and hopefully it will end better.
Man "Ashes to Ashes' is DA BOMB! Life on Mars can't compare, especially when watched in this day and age. But Ashes is a masterpiece!!
I think Ashes To Ashes feels more complete than Life On Mars because the creators have fleshed out the wold and concept more. Plus the soundtrack is great,and the whole feel of the show captures the 80s so well.
Just seen life on Mars on netflix your a cool RUclipsr keep it up bud
Being a fellow mancunian (live in hyde of all places)
I actually feel that the show did benefit from the change of location. LOM was very gritty very northern, working class. Very clear that was the angle they were going for. A bit of a back street police department londaon has forgotten about.
A2A though was like everything in the 80's bigger, flasher, brighter. Clearly had a bigger budget. 80s is famous for all that lavishness. Excess spending, cheaply made expensive modern stuff. Alot of that didn't really hit the north. Not until much later in the century anyway. Even then we just didn't have that yuppieness London had. Back then London and Manchester 2 very different cities. Plus that what alot of it was about about thatcherism and political movements, and protests. Much bigger in London. The royal wedding ect.
Plus they wouldn't have been able to make the boyband joke with East 17.
I'm shocked my brother prefers A2A hes usually very "Ray" in some of his views. Hes also a big fan of John simm. I honestly expected him to prefer LOM hes normally like "why do they always have to bring in a woman version. Supergirl/sherha ect. Hes very much a mans man. He loves the dynamic with gene and Alex though.
Totally get ya man, I watched both at the time and I still watch the dvds, maybe it's cos' I grew up in the 80s but I get what your saying with all of it, including the sound tracks (which I also bought). I personally think anyone should watch 'Mars first so you can familiarise yourself with the time-travel aspect, DCI Gene Hunt and team and the fact that there're a number of references to DCI/DI Sam Tyler by DCI/DI Alex Drake to Gene and Co throughout the series especially series3. I also agree that Daniel Mayes as the rubber-stamping, smarmy DCI Jim Keats was an excellent choice, great actor and did a good job. The fact that you instantly know you don't like him from his first scene till his last as a D&C Officer. Most certainly because he's so opposite to Gene & I think everytime Gene looks at him with contempt is because Gene can see the future of policing in coppers like Jim. Excellent show total recommend it to anyone my age or over and anyone who wants a great cop show with a twist and great soundtrack.
I just binged watched both series in the last 2 weeks. I liked both equally, but I really loved Alex Drake's reaction to being in 1981, it was very entertaining and her appearance change was astounding. I downloaded both series from a Czech website.
The best!
The majority of episodes of Series 1 are actually a bit meh upon re-watch but the rest are all amazing. Series 2 is my favourite of the three!
Have always preferred life on Mars. I just love the 70's, the look of everything even the office and his apartment. But I did like ashes to ashes. A second watch is definitely needed.
Just finished watching Ashes to Ashes again and the rumoured “Lazarus” hasn’t happened which I think is a real shame. I don’t think it’s going to happen unfortunately. Might be the fault of Covid.
About time a police officer had an accident and ended up in the 90's
Tom Williams Productions definitely
Would be nice to see Hunt having to calm down a bit since more people are able to record police interactions with newer cameras
I did hear they were doing a third one alledgedy called Lazarus named after a song from David Bowie's Black Star album buf heard nothing since.
Thanks for this video, Wingy.
I watched all of 'Life On Mars' and loved it.
Saw the first episode of 'Ashes To Ashes' and didnt like it - so I never watched any more.
Seeing your video has made me think I ought to give it another go... I will let you know what I think when I've seen it.
Good to see Ashes get some proper love after playing second fiddle/baby sister for so long. But I can't agree that Simm and Glenister's banter and chemistry was better. Hawes and Glenister had some of the best onscreen chemistry I've ever seen in my life.
I would watch Keeley and Phil in anything. AN.Y.THING. Modern, period, realism, fantasy - hell, unrecognizably costumed, I don't even care. Because you're bang-on...they really do have some of the best onscreen chemistry I've ever seen, as well. Gene Hunt is larger than life, no one but Phil could play him, and Keeley was able to play Alex going toe-to-toe with him without a speck of weakness, yet without losing a bit of her femininity. The combination of equality and sizzle was unreal.
Great 3 series. Loved the 80s. Keeley Hawes is fit.
I personally think both shows have their strengths. Life on Mars is much more consistent in tone and I loved John Simm as Sam Tyler. I feel the first series of Ashes was weaker, Alex's character in the first few episodes wasn't very likeable (fortunately this was corrected) and at times, the first series of Ashes slips into self parody. However Alex integrates much better into the team than Sam and the show is develops the secondary characters (Ray, Chris, Shaz) much better. The second series of Ashes is the most like Life on Mars in tone. The third series is brilliant with an incredible ending and Daniel Mays is wonderful. Gene Hunt is such a memorable character and Philip Glenister gives such an incredible performance.
series 2 and the martin summers character is the killer season ....perfect ,life on mars i love for the gritty sepia tinted nostalgia but i was a child of the 80s and A2A hits the spot more if i had to choose ,its more tongue in cheek because alex knows its not real ,there are more episodes to get through ,like you say everyone has a bigger part to play and overall its just more fun ....life on mars can be a bit slow at times and can feel very bleak
Just finished ashes to ashes. That last episode, man, hit me hard...
I was wary of A2A mainly because I loved Sam Tyler and I didn't want him to be missing, but it is really really good
I think LoM is more consistently at a high level, but the highs of A2A are so good, s2 and 3 are such quality.
I also think the ending of A2A made LoM stronger in hindsight.
Both shows are top tier
Love both LoM and AtA... have you heard that their making another sequel called Lazarus?
What are your thoughts on another sequel?
life on mars was good and i love sam, but i prefer ashes to ashes too honestly. life on mars definitely is required viewing though i feel bc not only is it a good show in its own right but it also gives ashes to ashes more context and emotional impact, and especially season 3 doesn't really work if you don't know who sam is and don't care about him. i basically agree with almost everything you say here, save for a few little things. i love the ending too and yeah, it's fucking heartbreaking, shocking and haunting. one of the best shows ever, truly.
I loved both series.
I've just finished Ashes to Ashes. I feel a bit mixed on it to be honest. I definitely much prefer Life on Mars.
I loved the ending of ashes but in away it ruins both life on mars and ashes because none of the things that happened in both shows was actually real. You will never be able to watch an episode in the same away again
The character development in both life on Mars and Ashes to ashes is brilliant the only other show that i would argue does it better would be Being Erica
I to compleatly enjoyed both series but I think after season 1 ashes to ashes finally's were just not up to scratch. The second season finally at least to me, cheepend the ending to life on mars. Then you add the final episode and it gets as yet cheeper. It's honistly a good way to end ashes to ashes if I watched it first I whould be happy with it. But I diddent. To me at least it means that Sam's choices were meaningless. Not to mention all the subtle details in the finally such as the gravestone with 1981 written as tge day of death. Its just unsatisfactory now as a result of ashes to ashes.
Lom and ashes were excellent. But the ending in Ashes spoils it for me. It was too bizarre and could have had a better thought out ending. They would have been better off just leaving us guessing.
I remember someone telling me they didn't like the ending to Ashes To Ashes. To which I replied, "At least it was better than the ending to the American version of Life On Mars where it was all a computer simulation!"
once you watch A2A you rewatch LOM again to appreciate it again
Yeah, that's what I'm doing 😅 Rewatching LOM after Ashes to Ashes. 🕵️♀️
And of course the Visage cameo...
Loved. Life. On mars. You. Do need to watch this. First. But the. Final. O. Ashes to. Ashes is great.
That sex scene between Thor and Captain Marvel was really something
Eh it was alright
I prefer the scene when Iron Man and captain America go to 1980s Columbia and snort mountains of cocaine
I think Life on Mars is better, but series 3 of Ashes to Ashes is definitely worth watching, it's excellent.
Both on the Iplayer now
Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes are both incredible, although I think I prefer A2A (partly to do with my love of 80s music). The ending of A2A had me in tears the whole way through. Both series are on BBC iPlayer and Netflix and I 100% recommend watching them if you haven't all ready.
I spent the £80 and got 'Life on Mars' series 1 & 2 for a family friend, because of your video on it, and we are now on series 2 and it has become one of my favourite shows of all time (maybe next to 'Kill la Kill' in my ranking). So if you say that 'ashes to ashes' is even better then I must watch it... but then again series 1-3 is £112 so I may wait a bit.
I got both series of Life on Mars for 11 quid in a charity shop up in Scotland. Ouch
I watched them in iPlayer so
What the hell? The DVDs were never that expensive. Not even on Amazon lol
@@GLBizzie the DVDs were £40 each when I was trying to buy them.
I wouldn’t necessarily say Ashes to Ashes does what Life in Mars did better I would just say it did it differently which hits the mark for me personally a bit better such as police corruption and meeting their parents/partner when they are younger.
Personally I’d say oh the whole life on Mars is more consistent but the second series of ashes to ashes is my personal favourite series out of all five. Life on Mars very much stuck to a formula which definitely worked but didn’t take many risks whereas ashes to ashes experimented frequently.
As for the finale I wouldn’t say I hate it by any means I actually think it fits into everything really well. My only issue is that it kind of undermines the ending of life on Mars. By which I mean Sam killing hundred meant he just died and went to the afterlife rather than the beautiful sacrifice where he jumped because he was going back to the life he knew he belonged in.
Also what’s your favourite series of ashes to ashes? I think they’re all starkly different in tone but my favourite e is series 2. It has amazing cast interactions and storylines as well as pitch perfect series and character arcs. There’s also a brilliant balance between experimental stories and a format that has been working for three years.
James Fraser I like series 2 for how interesting the story is but I also like series 3, I like how it gets darker and I think the episode with the prison riot is one of the best. I liked the ending too, it is satisfying.
Salem _Meow series 3 episode 6 is an absolute classic. One of the best pieces of TV drama I’ve ever seen. What’s brilliant is that when a character dies it’s not just sad because they are dead but because they are now suffering eternally in hell. The writers built up different aspects of Viv’s character for us to get attached to and then have him the most gut wrenching fate. I cry every time.
James Fraser Exactly it is a very touching episode and it makes me love it even more, I can never hold back the tears
It terms of conclusion it's up there with The Prisoner and Sapphire & Steel.
I feel like they really knew what they were doing by the time they did A2A.
Ashes is the better of the two, imo, it gives you way more to think about in regards to the whole story and the ending stays with you.
Can’t have one without the other, both amazing. Although for me, A2A should’ve only been 2 seasons long, they milked it. Hearing a new one is coming out
The 3rd series felt far fetched with this new enemie. I didn’t even liked the twist at the end coz it kinda was shitting on LOM
Watched both shows and "Ashes to Ashes" is far superior than "Life on Mars", which I personally found good of course, but still a bit boring. Ashes offers exceptional character development to every character, while still maintaining the focus on the main duo, Alex and Gene, and also has some strong female officers, elements which LoM was lacking at. It also offers more consistent season arcs and more impactful endings. Obviously Alex's story was designed to parallel Sam's, to a degree, but the resolutions were much more impactful and far better explained and layered, like that incredible s1 finale that revealed the truth about Alex's parents, which is TV at its finest, in my opinion.
Also, acting wise, I feel performances were far better in Ashes. Of course when you add an actress like Keeley Hawes you know you'll only get the finest quality and then some, but Ashes highlighted the entire cast's skills beautifully. Not to mention the amazing team Alex and Gene were, not only between them as a duo (that chemistry man!!) but also with Ray, Chris and Shaz. Alex brought out everyone's best self.
Some say Ashes to Ashes was not as good as Life on Mars. I agree. It was far far better.
When will you fight ace creeper
If i am not mistaken, in Forza Horizon 4 they make a reference to Ashes to Ashes in relation to a Audi Quattro you find in a barn.
ruclips.net/video/dgA8EjzhZd4/видео.html
Right. Let's fire up the quattro
Instead of John Simm as Sam Tiler we have Keeley Hawes as fit as fuck
I also prefer Ashes to Ashes to Life on Mars.
Series 1 and 2 were great. Didn't like the third because of the ending.
I'm still not watching Lucy
Not a single dislike!
Fire up the Qutro...
Don't go back to 2020!
I preferred A2A. I felt like Sam Tyler was a bit annoying at times
But I would be too if I was in a coma and had to deal with the fucking 70‘s and corrupt police officers lol I loved him
When you reviewing endgame
It was a completely awful sequel to LoM - the first series just about works but is just a retread of the premise of LoM first series with a liberal dash of 12 Monkeys thrown in.
The last series was obviously made up as they went along and interviews with the writers have admitted this in part. And not only does it ruin the show it ruins LoM and makes no sense.