Ashes to Ashes – Season 1

Archived review:

The spinoff to time-travelling cop drama Life on Mars had a lot to live up to, and given the class act that that show turned out to be, it was clear Ashes to Ashes would be judged not on its own merits but on its differences to its parent show. Which is a bit of a shame, because looking at them both makes me sometimes think that this new version doesn't quite cut the mustard, when in truth the first series (it's British, so I can finally say series, not season!) was constantly entertaining and fun to watch throughout.

The premise of Ashes to Ashes is much the same as the original – modern day police officer finds themselves on the brink of death and suddenly wakes up in the past, where they must tackle the cultural prejudices of the time, get a new perspective on the people from their childhoods, and work begrudgingly with the infamous Gene Hunt, already one of police dramas' greatest creations. While some of the differences are quite superficial (70's Manchester might now be '80s London but that doesn't really change the procedural format of the show), the most major change is obviously the replacement of Sam Tyler (XY) with Alex Drake (XX). I thought I'd specify their genders both to avoid confusion with their rather androgynous names and also to make a point; Whilst I enjoyed the slowly developing buddy buddy friendship with Sam and Gene in the original series, Alex's relationship with the Gene Genie is a lot more interesting; Their affection for and attraction to each other (try as hard as they might to deny it and squabble with each other) is a good draw to the show, particularly since (and no offense to John Simm and his drab 70s costumes) Keeley Hawes in 80s gear is easy on the eye. However, in other ways the show has gotten lazier, using the device that Alex knows exactly what is happening from the outset after reading what happened to Sam as an excuse for her to talk about the world being fake and no-one batting an eyelid. It gets irritating when she demeans another character's existence or says something worthy of ten years' counselling and they just carry on with their business.

However, on the whole, I'd mark this show as a worthy successor. It doesn't always quite do weekly stories as perfectly as Life on Mars did, but it adds some fresh dynamics to the mix and in some areas actually improves (Alex's family background is further explored than Sam's ever was, making the final episode that much more resonant). Some may be disappointed with the show, but I would argue that if roles were reversed and Ashes to Ashes came first, wouldn't people be just as critical of Life on Mars? And to conclude, because I'm that shallow, Keeley Hawes is hot. For a posh bird.

Breaking Bad – Season 1

Archived review

"F**k me." When I watch a moment in a TV episode that puts me in sheer awe of that moment's 100% pure shock/touchingness/coolness, those are usually the two words I arrive at. If the moment was especially shocking/touching/cool and the episode ends I may repeat those words over and over again in disbelief (I don't usually pronounce the asterisks however, as I don't know what they're meant to sound like). Recent "F**k me" moments have been few and far between but include the perfect pacing of Lost's first time-travel episode The Constant, the sudden sight of Britney Spears shotgunning her head off in South Park (well, most of it), and the gutwrenching death of Wesley in the series finale of Angel (Yes, it's been five years. I finally caught up!). Some shows are lucky enough to have one or two "F**k me" moments each year. Breaking Bad has had three such moments already. And after just seven episodes – I would blame the writers' strike but only nine were planned anyway.

The second original drama series from up-and-coming cable channel AMC (and considering the first is critical darling Mad Men, they've had a good track record so far!), Breaking Bad stars Malcolm in the Middle's Bryan Cranston, who proves to be as amazingly adept a serious actor as he is a comic foil, as Walt Whitman, a previously good-natured Chemistry teacher who discovers he has terminal lung cancer and turns to cooking crystal meth to provide for his family after he dies. As ridiculous as it sounds (and the opening money shot of Walt in his underpants with a gun in the desert doesn't help to subvert this), the show is deeply serious and gets to some very dark places. Fast. For instance (and keeping a show such as this spoiler-free is imperative), Walt has to make a hard decision in the third episode as a result of his escapades in the premiere. The episode is a bit of a slow burner, and I predicted the outcome rather quickly. What I did not imagine, however, would be just how it would make me squirm, not for gory sensationalism (there was none) but for just how intense the scene was, and how it made me wish I wasn't there watching it. That, by the way is "F**k me" moment #1.

The show is additionally rather heartfelt. FM #2 illustrates this perfectly, as in episode 5 Walt explains to his family why he's declining chemo. It makes perfect sense coming from this character why he, having lived such a closeted life up until now, would want to choose to go sooner but with some dignity because it's just about the only choice he can make any more (well, aside from the illegal stuff, but they don't know that!). Not only that, but the show can throw up moments of sheer unadulterated coolness, such as the FM #3 that ends the sixth episode.

I'm not saying this is a perfect show. It isn't. The fleshing out of other characters, particularly Walt's family, has only come out in occasional uninvolving storylines that so far have lacked any kind of punch. Also, despite things progressing quite quickly in terms of 'big-deal' events, the stuff inbetween is rather slow-paced and probably not to the enjoyment of those used to the action of Heroes or the rapid banter of Pushing Daisies. But Bryan Cranston is amazing to watch and Walt Whitman's mind is fascinating to study. F**k me.