Ashes to Ashes – Final Theories

Ashes to Ashes – Final Theories

With Ashes to Ashes about to conclude and finally wrap up the story of Gene Hunt, now is the time for the last theories on just what the deal is: who is Gene Hunt, and why did Alex and Sam end up in his world? Most people who have followed the series have developed their own suspicions and theories; these are mine.

Gene:

Gene is dead. He is the ghostly young police man with half a face that has appeared throughout the third series.

Gene was once a young copper looking forward to a bright future in the force: this is why young PC Hunt is all smiles in the photograph that Alex finds in Gene's desk in episode 6. But, it didn't work out for Gene – he was killed, perhaps in the line of duty, before he could make anything of his career. This bitterly disappointed him, and when he crossed over to the 'other side', he could not accept his death. He didn't want to be dead; all he wanted was to be a good copper – he felt robbed of that chance.

So, instead of going on to the afterlife, Gene somehow ends up in a fantasy world, suspiciously similar to a TV police serial. Here, Gene could prove himself, at least in his own mind, to be a great copper. Either he has been made to forget this, or he has become so absorbed in the fantasy he's forgotten, or, and this is less likely in my mind, he is keeping it a secret.

Gene isn't the only police officer to end up in Cop Limbo, of course. Sam and Alex have both ended up there as well – in fact I'd suggest that quite a few of the characters in Cop Limbo are dead or dying police who feel that they still have something to prove. Most of them forget where they have come from, however; possibly this is part of the process of crossing over from Cop Limbo to the afterlife proper. Gene's role in Cop Limbo is to help other dead police prove themselves as cops.

Keats:

Clearly more than he seems – Keats is not really a simple pencil pusher, aggressively investigating Fenchurch East CID. He is in fact some cog in a great ghostly bureaucracy, sent to find Sam Tyler and find out why he has not showed up the in afterlife despite apparently dying in Cop Limbo. He also helps bring dead cops from Cop Limbo to the afterlife; hence his involvement in the two major deaths of the series thus far – both of whom were police. Possibly Keats is something of a rogue – trying to hurry the dead cops out of Cop Limbo before they are ready, hence the sinister aspect of his character. Or maybe he is there to try and put an end to Cop Limbo altogether?

There has been some hellish imagery and connotations associated with Keats. Thordy's cell looked unusually warm and red-lit after Keats was speaking with him in episode 6, for instance, and the picture of Viv at his funeral in episode 7 was overlaid with flames as the shot faded. Further, the two characters whom Keats cradles in his hands as they die, Viv in ep 6 and Louise Gardiner in ep 4, have both done wrong; sinned, if you like. He also can remember a lot of the Bible - in episode 1 he quotes from the holy book and comments that this 'comes with his up bringing.' I'd prefer it if the writers kept the religious angle to a minimum, but the hellish implications around Keats are something to note. Maybe he is an agent of the Devil, or - gulp - the Devil himself?

Alex:

Alex is dead. I'd guess she died at the start of the series, or at the end of the last one - this is the reason she has stopped receiving messages through her television and so on. This is also why she had the coffin-nightmare in episode 3. I don't think she will get back to Molly, sadly.

Ray, Chris, Shaz:

Ray, Chris and Shaz are, of course, dead police, just like Sam and Alex. They have come to Cop Limbo so that they can, at least in their own heads, finish their worldly business and move on. The video tapes that Keats makes in ep 7 will show each of the trio the truth, as well as the circumstances of their real world deaths.

Sam:

Sam figured out the mystery behind Cop Limbo – he realised what was going on. But, he didn't want to move on, so with the help of Gene he faked his death in order to slip through the fingers of the system. But now Keats is on the case, searching for him in an attempt to tie up the loose end, as it were. I'd be thrilled if John Simm made an appearance in the final episode, but I expect he won't.

Thordy:

Thordy is a mystery that I suspect the writers will leave open. It ruins the fun if they answer everything! However, I don't think Thordy was, as he claimed, Sam Tyler. He did have some inkling of the truth, however, most likely from his contact with Sam; Thordy was Sam's last arrest. As a con man, he tried to convince Alex that he was Sam as a way of gaining her trust and finding out more of the mystery, of which he has only bits and pieces of the answer to.

The Stars and the Lancashire Grave:

I don't have any strong ideas about the significance of the stars, possibly the reason that Alex, Chris, Ray and Shaz have seen them is that they have lingered in Cop Limbo for too long? As for the body in the Lancashire grave, I'd guess that it's the body of Gene Hunt.

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That's the broad stroke of what I think the mystery of the show is. I'll be pleased if I turn out to be right, but I'd prefer to be surprised!

Whatever the answers turn out to be, I'm sure the final episode will be great - as long it doesn't turn out that the gang are just living out some virtual reality fantasy on a space ship voyage to Mars.