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talkingtothesky) wrote2010-05-08 01:38 pm
Ashes to Ashes S3 Ep 6 Reaction Post (Part Three)
I have to say, this show just keeps getting better and better. That episode was FUCKING EPIC. It’s gone a lot darker, I think maybe it’s gone a bit too much like Torchwood in some respects, but it’s good. I thought Sax was a very worthy adversary, maybe not up there with Warren and Crane but very close. You truly felt he meant business.
Now, this business with Thordy/Sam. There was a lot of hate for this in Disposable last night and I can see why because weeks back I remember us all saying that if they brought Sam back with a different actor we’d all be outraged. And in the ep I did kinda hate it at first, yes. BUT. At the same time, I actually think it’s FASCINATING. Rather than a state of revulsed depression (as Lucy put it last night, she feels they’ve “fucked over LoM and LoM fans” :P), it’s made me squee in a ‘woah that’s dark I love it’ kind of way. When Alex let Thordy go and before Gene caught up with him I loved the idea of a Sam who’s completely lost his marbles just bouncing around on London’s streets in 1983. There’s something really funny about that, for me. I also love the way the writers are really warning us off what’s coming, because if Thordy/Sam’s as cracked as that after knowing the truth, are we all gonna turn mad if we carry on watching? XD I kinda hope someone does a table with all the clues from this ep and a for and against of whether Thordy is Sam or not. At the moment I’m sitting a little on the fence. There are a lot of reasons I really don’t think it’s him, even more why I don’t WANT it to be him, but if it turns out that it really is, I’ll still love it because ‘ooh, rug-pulling, yay!’ :D I certainly never expected this to happen. But if you ask me to pick a side, I will go with it not being him. In either case, we still haven’t learnt the circumstances of Sam’s death/disappearance, or, how he came to be in a new body. We’ve still got all that to come, if they bother to explain it, that is, and that excites me hugely. Either way, I do not see this ep as sinking the Sam/Gene ship, far from it. Yes, we’ve got an extremely angsty set-up whether you believe Thordy or not. But. There is no proof either way so you can’t just go and say Gene hates Sam and Sam is quite happy for Chris and Ray to die. Also, where does Sam = Thordy leave the Sam = Alex theory? Because I’m quite happy for the Galex to happen next week if it turns out the reason Gene can’t tell her what happened to Sam is because she IS Sam. XDDDD
Which leads me nicely onto the 3x07 preview and the almost Galex kiss. Now. Let me first say that whatever happens we get to SEE GENE IN A TUX OMG. *faints* The second thing I want to say is that THE TRAILER MIGHT BE LYING. Yes, we have Gene and Alex going out for a dinner date. This is incontrovertible. But. How many times have we seen them that close to kissing and then something happening to wrench them apart again? Who’s to say that won’t happen again? It’s much sexier if they don’t actually kiss. When it comes to Gene/Alex, I ship it for the UST. As soon as it becomes official I’ll get bored. I remember the trailer for Torchwood 2x09 Something Borrowed and me going to bed really happy because I thought we were finally gonna get to see Jack and Gwen kiss and then look what happened! It was completely different! In context that split second clip will probably turn out to be something very different. The third thing I want to say is all the things I was saying to myself while pacing round my kitchen trying to make soup last night. Gene and Sam. Not Gene and Alex. Alex can’t choose Gene because that means she’s abandoning Molly. One of the first things that made me fall in love with Alex way back in S1 was that she was a mother and so determined to get back to Molly to blow out those candles with her. Have we forgotten that? Has Alex forgotten her little girl’s birthday party? Also, it doesn’t make sense with the rest of S3 for them to suddenly turn round and turn on the Galex full speed ahead. Obviously behind the scenes Gene and Alex have come to some sort of agreement partway through 2x06, with the ‘good coppers stick together’ line acting as a signpost for that, but…Sam! Sam will continue to be a wedge between them whatever happens. And I don’t just mean Alex thinking Gene’s a killer. I am perfectly happy with accepting that at some point Gene has to move on and mend after losing Sam, who, if you’re like me and believe in Sam/Gene with all your heart, was the love of his life. I can accept Gene/Alex as filling a little of the Sam-shaped hole in his heart. I don’t want Gene to be lonely forever. Phil said before S3 began that they would not be doing the Galex. Either he lied or the trailer is deliberately misleading and meant to get ratings or both. Keeley said more recently that the finale would contain more Galex than the fans are expecting. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Now that I’ve got those two big topics out of the way, I can talk a little about the other stuff. Ray/Chris was epic and basically text in this episode, bloody hell. <3 There were a couple of tiny moments of Alex/Shaz which I loved but not as much as earlier in the series. I love Ray so very much, even when he causes Viv much unnecessary pain. I’m sad about Viv but it didn’t come as a surprise. I even predicted it to Lucy the ep aired. I’m very glad I read those spoilers because they helped prepare me for someone dying. I fucking LOVE Keats as this deliciously creepy villain. I think this ep finally sets him down as evil for me, I’m no longer holding out any hope that he’ll turn out to be a good bloke just doing his job on the Super’s orders, you know? He’s definitely not from Discipline and Complaints and he’s got another agenda which we have yet to find out. And I may just check out some other things Danny Mays has done once Ashes finishes because he’s rocking his acting out of the park. So is the rest of the cast for that matter. I’m so, so proud of this show. It’s changed so much – it has become properly mind-blowingly epic and while there are things I miss like the more light-hearted atmosphere of LoM, they have done such an amazing job with it. Instead of 8 unconnected episodes it really does feel like an 8 part single story – they’ve finally achieved the cohesion with series arcs that they couldn’t quite pull off in S1 and 2. I love Gene more than ever, even with his dark secrets and pain and anger. I’m not wincing as they handle him clumsily like they did in S1 and 2.
Basically, I love this show. I’m very sad that there are only 2 hours left, but whether they give us the answers or not, I’m very glad we’ve come this far and am looking forward to what’s left of this series of magnificent, heart-stopping, mind-blowing television.
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I read through all of that and it was nowhere near as painful as I thought it would be. :p
I'll probably discuss details of this with you on MSN because there is far, far too much to say and then the posts breakdown... it's just easier on MSN, even though we've discussed it to death on there.
And by the way, the full comment I said was "Are they so desperate to go out with a bang that they have to completely fuck over LOM and the LOM fans?" ;)
Every day I don't think it's possible for me to admire you any more than I already do but each day I find a whole new reason to.
I don't agree with you on the Sci Fi being amped to max being a good thing. For me it always worked better as a side dish, rather than the main course. I also don't agree at all with Thordy being Sam being a good thing because that would completely break me and I know you understand why. I won't get into how deeply I disagree about the whole Sam/Gene, helping him commit suicide, different kind of love thing that is actually doing my head in to think about but I'll be glad to elaborate on MSN.
I do want to say that I totally and 100% agree with you on Keats and on many of your other points, even if I didn't specifically point then out. Keats is a magnificently creepy bastard though, he gives me the chills he's so awesome. If you took out the entire Sam angle I would have fucking adored this episode like nobody's business.
What I love about you is that you have an ability I lack apparently. I usually see everything in colour but when it comes to fandom I can be so black and white. While I don't agree and probably never will with certain things I love that you're able to see what I can't. I need you to keep me sane and debating with you on these things is actually rather fun.
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Well, that's a start, LOL. I do worry about myself just a bit. Can you imagine what I'm gonna be like with Ep 8?! :O
Thank you for the full quote. I had so much to remember to write here that things got lost.
it always worked better as a side dish
I know what you mean, I always enjoyed it like that as well, but that doesn't mean I am averse to them bringing it to the fore a bit more.
the whole Sam/Gene, helping him commit suicide, different kind of love thing
I know I didn't explain that well. I guess I'm always trying to see Sam/Gene in everything, even if it means exploring the darker sides of it. But that comment Gene made "I was helping him!" actually made my jaw drop. Obviously it can be interpreted several ways. And it's all hypothetical anyway, because I really am not convinced that it is Sam. I just like to explore as many avenues as possible.
I need you to keep me sane and debating with you on these things is actually rather fun.
Likewise. I adore talking to you about this.
THANK YOU SO FUCKING MUCH FOR READING THIS, YOU GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS WOMAN. :D ♥
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I don't want to imagine, I'll find out in two weeks when we're both total basket cases.
Thank you for the full quote. I had so much to remember to write here that things got lost.
Well, if anyone was actually going to get that far in your re
action post to see I was a raving lunatic, I at least wanted to get my quote right for them. :P
the whole Sam/Gene, helping him commit suicide, different kind of love thing
I tried commenting on this angle of your post because you know me, that was actually my main concern but it was completely doing my head in. You know how I am with Sam/Gene and I'm afraid I have a rather naive view of them as you usually remind me.
I love you. <33333