Defend Us in Battle - Gene Hunt and his Kingdom in Life on Mars
There's been a lot of talk in fandom about Gene Hunt and his possible 'true identity', with most speculation leaning towards the idea that he's actually God. And while I'm sure his ego wouldn't disagree, I think there's much better evidence to suggest that Gene Hunt is someone quite different in the Judeo-Christian pantheon.
To begin with, let's look at an interesting bit of costuming: Gene's saint medal.
The fact that we can't see what's on it only adds to the intrigue...although I suspect it was less a matter of the writers being cryptic and more that the costuming department couldn't find the right medal at short notice. Or that it was just turned the wrong way round in the shot. Anyway, I think most people assume Gene's medal is a St. Christopher's, just like Sam's. Personally I think there's a likelier candidate (more on that in a bit), but I do like this idea, just because of the possibilities it presents: one, that Gene actually is St. Christopher, helping and guiding Sam on his journey through 1973...or that Gene, like Sam, is a man out of his own time, and has been through exactly the same sort of weirdness that Sam's dealing with now.
There's a bit more evidence to support this latter idea, mainly in throwaway lines like when the Guv tells Sam of a suspect in Episode 2, "I'm gonna nick him for every outstanding murder in the division, including the Maple Lane poisonings of 1883." Also, whenever Sam starts going off on one of his futuristic 'this is all in my head' tirades, Gene never calls him crazy or tells him to start making sense. He just sits back and lets Sam rant, giving him that Almighty Unreadable Look:
That is not a confused Look, or a puzzled Look, or a Look that's wondering why the hell its DI's train of thought has suddenly veered wildly into Looneyville Central Station. That is a patient Look. It is a Look that knows things. It is a Look that says, "Are you done yet? Because like it or not, you're here now, and we've both got better things to be doing than standing here listening to you wibble like a sissy."
If Gene's just a man, though, and not God or St. Christopher, it still doesn't explain all the mythic elements surrounding him and his 'kingdom'. For that, I think we need to look to a saint of a different stripe.
Catholic.org offers the following information on St. Michael the Archangel:
Holy Scripture describes St. Michael as...leader of the forces of Heaven in their triumph over the powers of Hell. The name Michael signifies "Who is like to God?" and was the warcry of the good angels in the battle fought in Heaven against Satan and his followers.
So, St. Michael was the leader of law enforcement in Heaven, who booted Satan and his gang of scum and villainy out of the Kingdom...an arse-kicking angel. Sounds about right. This website from the Dallas archdiocese elaborates a bit on St. Michael's duties beyond just kicking ass for the Lord:
The great Archangel is not only protector of the Christians on earth but of those in purgatory as well. He assists the dying, accompanies the souls to their private judgment, brings them to purgatory, and afterward presents them to God at their entrance into Heaven.
I've always looked upon Sam's experience in 1973 as a sort of purgatory...a kind of 'limbo' that's neither quite the land of the living or the dead. He's clearly got a foot in both worlds: he can sometimes hear the 'living' world of 2006, and occasionally interact with it, but is powerless to return to it without outside assistance (much like Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes). Purgatory is also widely regarded as a place of suffering where sins are cleansed before a soul's final admittance into heaven. Sam clearly suffers a great deal during his stay in the 'copper's limbo': it's only when he lets go of his life in 2006 and decides to return 'home' that his former purgatory becomes his Heaven.
So, we've got Gene Hunt as the leader of law enforcement in a 'copper's limbo', guiding dying souls to their final destiny. And not just any souls...those who wear a badge. Those who protect and serve. Which I believe is anything but a coincidence: apart from his devil-bashing duties, St. Michael is most famous in Catholic doctrine for being the patron saint of police officers.
And if all that weren't enough, the Dallas archdiocese website offers up this fascinating little tidbit:
As Satan is "ruler" in hell so Michael is the "governor" in heaven...according to ancient books.
...So, Saint Michael is literally "the Guv" in Heaven. :D
Taking all of this together, I'd say that in the world of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, Gene Hunt is St. Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of police officers. He guides dying souls through their own private 'purgatory' until they've let go of whatever was binding them to their lives in the present, and are finally ready to move on to whatever comes next. I do like the idea that the office of St. Michael is more of a title or job description, though, and that Gene is actually a copper from the past who fell in the line of duty - just like Sam and Alex. I like to think he was given the job as "Governor" of the copper's limbo from the superior officer before him, and will hand it over to someone else in turn when he decides he's had enough. It's also why he wears a St. Michael medal (not a St. Christopher, as mentioned earlier): as a mark of his office.
blaidddrwgcorp posted this wonderful composite picture on the a2ashes comm. It's the scene where Gene shields little Alex after the explosion of her parents' car, and is a very iconic image (especially of the police):
For me, this picture perfectly sums up Gene Hunt. As he says in Life on Mars: "The orphans take whoever they can get to look after 'em: that's me." He may occasionally be hard and ruthless, but this photo shows exactly why he's hard and ruthless: to protect those who can't protect themselves. And the only thing I'd add to this image would be a great big pair of angel's wings emerging from the back of his coat.
Probably with a few lager spills and nicotine stains on them.
Q
actually started writing this entry on the 16th, incidentally, but then realised I could wait two weeks and post it on our man's actual feast day. Sad, I know, but I'm a sucker for appropriate timing like that.