Ashes to Ashes - Uptown Girl - an analysis

[qthewetsprocket]

There is so much awesome in this video - and so much to ponder over - that I feel it warrants its own meta post.

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[qthewetsprocket]

Awww...*finds it oddly touching that 'Tina might be another dead 'officer' in the copper's limbo*

Re: the yellow car: I've also heard spec that it might be a Talbot Sunbeam (though if it is, I have no idea of its significance to the show). Maybe they were just hitting up owners of cars they'd used previously for sake of ease?

[qthewetsprocket]

I'm just full of admiration for anyone who can recognize cars by make and model; I'm pretty much clueless. "It was that little blue car...you know; the one with the wheels."

[travels_in_time]

I thought for sure that that line was in there. I don't know the song well enough to quote lines from it, and I distinctly remember hearing that line and thinking how applicable it was to Alex's situation.

Maybe it only played later, when Alex walked into the station and that song was on the radio? I'll try to catch it on the re-watch.

[qthewetsprocket]

Yeah, I think it did play later at the station; but in the main video I found its omission really jarring. Then again, I must have seen the original video about eleventy gajillion times on MTV, and always quite enjoy singing along with it. :)

They almost played the line later, just before Alex 'wakes up' from her nightmare ("and when she - and when she - and when she - "). Clever writers, drawing our attention to something by significantly omitting it. :D

[dreamer_easy]

Do my eyes need checked, or did Gene take Sam's St Christopher medal out of the drawer? (I had such a twinge at the sight of his leather jacket!)

[qthewetsprocket]

You mean the scene where he tucks Sam the jacket back into bed the envelope so it won't pinch its sleeve in the big nasty drawer? Nah, I don't think so...Sam never took that medal off, so if they never found his body, I don't think they would have found the medal either. (Though I'm interested to know why he wasn't wearing his jacket; that thing was like a second skin...hot day, maybe?)

I made a very undignified noise when Alex opened that envelope. Even though it's not the REAL real jacket (they auctioned that off to a fan for charity), it's still very clearly a stand-in for our Sammy himself. ♥

EDIT: Ooh! You reckon the noise at the end is the Cortina firing up?? :D

[dreamer_easy]

Ah! I wasn't sure what the hey he was doing with his hand in that drawer, which is why I thought he must have taken something out - but touching the jacket makes sense.

btw, I reckon your spiritual explanation just makes more and more sense. They're in Po-lice Purgatory! And Shaz (the girl with the mousy hair!) is about to graduate.

[qthewetsprocket]

Or not graduate, as the case may be...as Jon mentioned elsewhere, 3x02 might have been her big opportunity to leave the copper's limbo, and Gene just talked her out it. Was he saving her from death, or keeping her trapped in purgatory with him just to soothe his own loneliness (like I'm convinced he did with Sam)? Time and the writers will hopefully tell.

And I am totally in love with that jacket scene. He lingered just that little bit too long in touching it, then closed the drawer uncharacteristically softly, as though he didn't want to disturb its slumber. Could also be read as an extension of his feelings towards Alex prying into Sam's death: don't disturb it, he's at peace now; let it rest.

[milk_today]

That mysterious figure in the background seems to be behaving as and moving like another mechanic. He's wearing overalls too.

[qthewetsprocket]

Probably so; I just wonder what he's doing there. There's no corresponding figure in the original video...and if the showrunners were concerned enough with matching the original that they pulled in one of the extras just so there'd be the right number of backup singers, then I wonder if the mystery guy is there for a reason.

(Blast the writers for saying everything is significant in this show! I bet they did it just to laugh at the thought of us speculating over every little detail, the sadistic fiends!) ;)

[fantasy_bubbles]

I TOTALLY NEVER NOTICED THE CORTINA BEHIND THEM!
*has panic attack*

[qthewetsprocket]

Don't feel bad; it took me quite a few re-watches to spot it too. Was having so much fun watching and singing along..."lalala I'm gonna try for a HOLY SHIT IT'S 'TINA!"

*attempts to calm your panic by using some of the Guv's aftershave as a smelling salt*