I’ll admit, this is the first year in which I haven’t bothered watching the Life On Mars/Ashes To Ashes franchise on a weekly basis. The end of the second series of Ashes To Ashes – as well as the start of the third, which ensures a quick return to the status quo – left me a little cold.
I am, however, keen to know how it all ends. Although I don’t think any subsequent seasons in the franchise have been nearly as strong as Life On Mars’s first, the writers have done a fantastic job of asking whether the adventures of Alex Drake and Sam Tyler are the result of a coma, time travel, hallucination or a mixture of all three.
In a few weeks, we’ll have resolution to this five-year mystery. In a way, it’s as intriguing as the island mysteries on Lost – like the ABC drama, however, I have the same trepidation as to whether it’ll resolve in a way that I deem satisfactory. It probably won’t. Expectation is rarely beaten by the truth of such matters, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be interesting in itself.
Both shows have been inconsistent, but there are a lot of great episodes and character moments that have cropped up over its run. I think both shows are still a positive representation of what UK drama can achieve, so let’s hope Ashes To Ashes can go out with a bang.
