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Ashes To Ashes - another weak ending - SciFiNow

Ashes To Ashes – another weak ending

Spoilers ahead.

ashes201Spoilers ahead for the Ashes finale!

Is the metaphor steeped in mythology now the de facto ending to a sci-fi TV show? It seems to be and honestly, I wish we were treated to something better as viewers. Ashes To Ashes ended its third series on Friday with a weird closing statement on what that show, as well as the two seasons of Life On Mars, were all about.

Turns out it was purgatory. Aww. And Danny Mays (well, his character) was the devil. Aww again.

While I thought the execution was reasonable enough in terms of acting and directing, the idea itself is hackneyed and rather poor. I don’t buy that the entire period setting is just some kind of purgatory for police officers – actually, the idea gets worse the more I think about it.

That’s not to say the show itself was a waste, however. I got a lot out of watching Life On Mars (particularly the first season) and Ashes To Ashes was, on occasion, very effective (I still think the ending to the first season was a great reveal). I’ll just have to join my colleague in asking why nobody writes good endings any more.