Ashes to Ashes, Season 3 Episode 4

“Thank you for gracing us with your presence, for coming down from your ivory tower to poke and prod us mere mortals…” – Gene Hunt.

This episode of Ashes to Ashes sees us arrive at the half way point in this last season of Ashes to Ashes and it does seem that, finally, things are moving along – but will Alex ever return home?

The team are chasing a van, following a drugs tip off, but this time the tip off is from an undercover officer that Gene didn’t know about. This is Gene’s patch and he’s not at all happy about other police teams running operations on it.

The undercover officer soon has her cover blown, thanks to Gene, which gives the team a few problems and we strip away another layer of Chris’s character – fortunately Chris may have found a friend in Jim. We also get to see another side to Jim Keats as he comforts the undercover officer as she passes away.

Later Alex attempts to get Gene to thank Jim for saving Chris’s career – but can a leopard ever change its spots?

In my opinion this could have been the moment when Jim received the confirmation he needs from Gene (in the same way Shaz and Ray previously received it) but instead Alex is faced with the shadowy figure in the doorway, perhaps Jim has more to do to get the approval and recognition he clearly needs from Gene.

In this episode we see a little more about the shadowy figure, a police constable, who seems to have received a shot to the head … a young Gene Hunt perhaps?