Ashes To Ashes - Series 3

[Ome]

That's it, it's over, finished, the end !!!

A very fitting end to Ashes to Ashes.

I think the dead copper in the photo is Gene Hunt and his body at the farm house has been hidden since 1953. I thought Shaz, Chris and Ray were in a coma too, possibly in different times and Gene is their "helping hand" to either life or afterlife and Keats is the reaper.

Gene is the Angel
Keats is the devil
Nelson is St Peter
Those two girls in Keat's department are the devil's minions (temptation)

The pub is heaven
Keat's department is hell
Gene's department and the world around it is limbo.

Very disappointed Sam (John Simm) didn't guest appear, but at least we know now what happened.


Leaving it open to start all over again, although in reality, that would be a big mistake.

Anyway it's late and I need to rest my brain......

[Pamela Barnes]

Yep just watched it and I did shed a tear.

It was amazing.

Shaz was killed in the 90's , they were already dead, Chris died in the 80's and Ray in the 70's

Gene was killed in 1953. In my view it was limbo, the place before you pass over. You can create your own reality, this was Gene's reality

Alex was already dead, she was never going home but they all had unfinished business.

Keats was 'the devil'

[Pamela Barnes]

I found this brillient explanation:

She's now dead in 2008 - the operation at the end of series 2 finished her off - we see her death at the beginning of series 3 when the clock ticks over to 9:06 and she wakes up back in 1983 and has to find redemption in herself before she can pass over to the railway arms/ heaven. It is Gene's job to help her do this.

She's not reunited with Molly - Alex is dead, her daughter is very much alive in 2008.

Sam Tyler, like Alex for series 1 and 2, was in a coma throughout life on mars which is why he had various connections with the present day (2006) whilst in the 70s (through the TV speaking to him etc....) - the operation which he knew was going on in 2006 saved him and he woke up and was alive in 2006 - he no longer wanted to be alive in 2006 so killed himself by jumping off the building. He ended back up in 1972, found redemption and passed over, with annie, into heaven. This is why he could not appear in ashes to ashes, he'd already gone into the railway arms/ heaven and could not return to the purgatory world.

Dead police officers go to Gene's world when they die/ are in a coma in the present day. It is Gene's job (which he created for himself when he died, albeit subconsciously) to help these police officers find happiness and redemption before allowing them to pass over. Keats comes in when these police officers are ready to pass over to heaven and tries to lead them into temptation aka hell. He can't physically take them there he has to tempt them. Gene died so young, his first week as an officer, that he felt that he needed to help people still which is why he created this 'world' where he helped dead people pass over into heaven.

When Shaz, Chris and Ray had their life on mars moments this is when they were fully redeemed - ray finally did not feel guilt about him not joining the army, shaz managed to get into CID and overcome her screwdriver fear, chris finally became a 'lion'. This is when the stars started to come in, they no longer needed to be in purgatory, they needed to pass over and they started seeing the geneiverse for what it was seeing stars every now and then etc... This is why alex also saw them, she was slowly coming to terms with where she was etc... helping shaz, chris and ray realise themselves and happiness and their redemption - she was also redeeming herself in the process.

The reason why everyone looks confused when new 'officers' term up in gene's world sprouting things about the future, is that you forget why you're there when you're in the world, you forget you're dead and see it as a reality, you forget where you came from, until you're reminded. Gene was reminded about his death, shaz, chris and ray were too. Although gene had forgotten that he was actually dead and his world was not 'real' he still had this overriding subconscious knowledge that he needed to help people pass over, which is why he knew when to tell Sam to go and 'get a pint' - go to heaven. As time went on, both Alex and Sam forgot things about their 'real lives' - if they'd stayed in that world much longer, they would have totally forgotten that it wasn't real - much like gene (who had been there for 30 years, ray, chris, shaz - all the other officers). The same will happen to the 'new guy' who was talking about his iphone etc. Soon enough, Gene will forget why he is there again and just carry on as if it is reality!

[Ome]

That's a great explanation.


I believe Ashes To Ashes deserves a place in the 'Great endings to a TV serial' category

[Bobby's Angel]

What a fantastic ending.......I watched it again this afternoon and bawled my eyes out! Much more tearjerking the 2nd time around! So I wonder does this mean that Gene will not be able to go into the Railway Arms and cross over until 2010? When his body is discovered? Or maybe he does not want to cross over and is happy where he is? I kind of thought that he is half way there because at the end when he closes his office door the young Gene is in the reflection and he has all of his face intact. I have read that there is another 20 minutes that was not put into the hour long episode......DVD maybe?

[Bobby's Angel]

And Gene wasn't fibbing when he said that he and Sam went to the boozer either!

[Gavin]

had it all worked out episode 2
it was the cat's whiskers that was.