Ignore this week's drug story. Ignore Dorian Lough's building site foreman with the greasy hair. Ignore the Polish man in the pit of concrete. Don't, whatever you do, don't ignore the close of this Ashes to Ashes episode.
You can ignore the criminal goings-on outside of CID this week, because what they provide this week is an examination of Gene Hunt's (Philip Glenister) team itself. Their racism and their bigotry, perhaps most of all their humanity. What Lough's Lafferty does help to reveal is the mole within the team – the person that has been leaking information out of Fenchurch CID for some time. The atmosphere of distrust spreads outward from the Manc Lion himself, and infects each of the team. The final – distressing – revelation is the episode's second chance to leave a character standing in tearful shock as the world slowly rearranges around them, former events and possible future ones reorganizing into a whole new pattern. Disconcerting.
The first time that happens is on the return of Martin Summers (Adrian Dunbar) – Mr. 'I Can Help You, Alex'. Having brought the exact nature of Alex's (Keeley Hawes) eighties' world into question, he blows a new hole in any theory yet developed about it – not to mention into his younger self's head. Poor Gwilym Lee (the second man in the pit of concrete), his uncanny resemblance to Dunbar doesn't save his character from itself. Alex is also left reeling, but at least she's still standing.
As of now, Gen
e Hunt is Judge, Jury and Executioner for his team. Anyone steps out of line: he's the solution. Anyone has a problem: he's the solution. Anything at all: he's the solution. His sentence on the team's mole is eye-wateringly good – to say nothing of said mole's reaction (Hunt clearly knows the shame – and his own disappointment – is the worst punishment possible here). While in Life on Mars, Hunt excelled at pithy one-liners and put-downs, this episode demonstrates his silences are infinitely more powerful – layered and complex, as you see the emotional currents under the frozen lake of his face.
e Hunt is Judge, Jury and Executioner for his team. Anyone steps out of line: he's the solution. Anyone has a problem: he's the solution. Anything at all: he's the solution. His sentence on the team's mole is eye-wateringly good – to say nothing of said mole's reaction (Hunt clearly knows the shame – and his own disappointment – is the worst punishment possible here). While in Life on Mars, Hunt excelled at pithy one-liners and put-downs, this episode demonstrates his silences are infinitely more powerful – layered and complex, as you see the emotional currents under the frozen lake of his face.
Being silent has been a theme throughout the series and it has been effective.
ReplyDeleteI've done my own review at: http://ijparnham.blogspot.com/