TV episode review
UK airdate 14 May 2010 (BBC One)

A raid on an ANC cell may give Gene a chance to get Keats off his back...

In the first half of the two-part finale, everything seems to be falling apart. Chris Skelton directly disobeys an order from Gene Hunt and pays the penalty. Ray and Shaz continue to have weird experiences. Jim Keats thinks he's finally got the evidence he needs to nail Gene Hunt, while Alex gets a chance to ask the question we've all been wondering – did Gene kill Sam Tyler?

And what of the Gene Genie himself? It seems at times as if he's a broken man, desperately fighting a rearguard action, and describing what's going on as "The Final Chapter."

It's sometimes been easy to forget this season that Ashes to Ashes is a genre show, and that it was apparently established at the end of Life on Mars that Gene and co. only existed in Sam's subconscious. One or two elements of this episode therefore come as quite a shock as other times and places start to impinge on the 1983 reality.

With some comic book touches in the direction and lighting, particularly in the scenes featuring Jim Keats, this episode sets the stage for the final confrontation. But who will that be between? Paul Simpson

VERDICT: 7/10