Luigis

OK, so I know there has been TONS of speculation on this topic, but I've had this theory ticking over for a while now.

When Layton is on the phone in 1.1, what if, instead of it being Evan, it is Gene?

Evidence.
Layton says "Piece of your past" Gene knew little Alex in 1981 - but he also knew adult Alex.
He says "Why her parents died." Gene ordered them to be released from their cells. There is never any indication of how Tim found out about Caroline and Evan's affair, so it is likely.
He also says "I knew you when you were a little girl." He saw Alex in the car with Tim and Caroline, but he also knew adult Alex back in 81.

What exactly would Layton want from Evan anyway? Evan got him released from prison, so he can't expect anything more off him... but Gene got him sent TO jail, so Layton could be after revenge, a friend being released... anything.

Ideas?

So far there is no right or wrong answer to this but I have always believed it was indeed Evan on the phone because of how Alex explains it at the end of 1.8 - "I am the piece of his past, or I will be". That is bringing that story to a close.

I have never seen any issue with the "piece of your past" line as Alex is very much a peice of his past, especially as Evan affair with Caroline (in the past) is what caused little Alex to be orphaned.

Yes she is also a piece of his present, but all this mess basically comes from the past.

As for what Layton wanted...I had always assumed the phonecall was to blackmail Evan. Along the lines of 'gimmie ten grand or I tell her the truth'.

As to why he suddenly decided to shoot Alex? Well, who knows....Layton's a druggie, maybe that had something to do with it? Or maybe Alex just prattled on too much

I'm fairly certain it's Gene.

Could be wrong...

PS this has been discussed at length in series one threads

Maybe he thought she looked a lot like DI Alex '1981' Drake, now she really did wind him up. Called him a loser and told him she knew his future!
....or maybe Layton was on to the phone to Alex, who never made it back home. She would be a piece of her own own past, obviously she knows about the bomb, and would know to refuse the blackmail.

That's a very interesting idea!!

So how old would Alex be in 2008 if she never made it back and simply lived through the 80's, 90's and eventually up to 2008?

(Assuming Alex and Keeley are the same age)

Alex Drake was described as being "mid-thirties" - at the time of filming the first series Keeley was 31, I believe. (Ashes was filmed in 2007, airing in 2008)

so that puts Drakey at slightly older if she was 36, say, when she landed in 1981, she'd be, er, 63?

I think your right with her being 63... was Little Alex born in 1973? Maybe Sam made a trip down from Mancester and Tyler is her dad (I'm joking, although... It could work ).
23 years old when she had Molly. Big Alex would have been 35 when she ended up in 1981. I might be wrong with my little time line, but do we actually know when Alex is born?

I'm guessing Alex would have changed her name at some point, because if she hadn't retired from the force she would be well known and i think as a name Alex Drake would stand out to her former self and she might have changed it incase....Alexandra Hunt?

Well I think he shot her because of the last line during the phone call where he goes "fine suit yourself" so who ever it is refused /dismissed him and so he decided to shoot her.
I always thought somehow he knew what he did was sending her back ie showing her how her parents died literally.

I've just watched 1.8 and have ONLY JUST realised that at the end Alex says to Gene (about Evan)
''I'm the piece of his past. Or I will be. He'll be blackmailed by Layton for not telling the truth.''
Is this supposed to sum up the whole phone call thing? I can't believe it's only just really sunk in what Alex says! I had subtitles on this time so I could definately see what she said.

That's exactly how I interpret it Jazz yes.

Oh god I've only just realised you said that further up! Hahaha ah sorry but yeah I agree
Still can't believe I've only just noticed Alex says that though; I guess I'm normally in floods of tears by that point!

About 62 or 63, yeah.

Little Alex is around 8 or 9 when her parents die, so she'd have been born in 1972/73 (the latter being the year Sam went back to).

Anyhoo, topic. I don't think it's an older Alex, Gene, or Evan.

Alex in her sixties = For this to be true, the Eighties would have to be real, and she would've had to have time-traveled...and, of course, stay put and age as she would.

Gene = Again, for this to be true, the Eighties would have to be real, meaning Gene and co. would be real, too.

Evan = He's still very much a piece of her present day life (presuming what we see between the stray gunshot and Alex's being shot actually happened -- personally, I think Alex's constructed world started after the stray gunshot, but I digress). I also like to think Layton kept tabs (if you will) on Alex after being put away or whathaveyou, so he would know Evan is still a part of her life. Plus, he cared very much for Alex. Why would he allow someone to, quite possibly, put her in harm's way? Put it this way: if he was present when Molly was taken hostage by Layton, and he knows Layton is with Alex, why wouldn't he presume Alex isn't in a similar situation to her daughter?

Lastly, just because Alex assumes it's Evan on the phone to Layton, and we the audience are lead to believe the same, doesn't mean it really is him. I've never been convinced.

My thoughts on who it could be...

The man pictured on the 25ml poster (see 2x08) = The police are looking for him in regards to what happened to Alex in 2008, as he was seen running from her car. Could this bloke be an accomplice of Layton's? Could it be someone we'll meet this series?

No one = Remember earlier in 1x08 where Alex takes a pretend phone call regarding the upcoming car bombing of her parents? Maybe Layton simply pretended to call someone just to rile her up even more than she already was?

Hmmm...

I don't think Evan was there when Molly was taken hostage. So Evan was probably just told that 'this gunman took Molly'.

Plus, layton never specifically said on the phone that Alex was in danger.
If you bare in mind that the person being phoned couldn't actually see what was going on - due to it being a phone call - then the only information Layton gave was that Alex was infront of him.

He never actually said he had taken her hostage, that he had a gun, or that he was going to harm her.

Hence that's why Evan, especially if he was driving at the time of the call, might not have realised the situation was so serious and may have said "Sorry I'm driving, can't talk now" and hung up. Or...then crashed the car, if like me you think something happened to Molly after she left with Evan?

I'm among those who think Molly was killed after Layton took her (stray gunshot, Evan = Heaven, that sort of thing) and Alex went into her head after that.

I've gone from Evan, to an older Alex, then I was convinced it was Gene. 99.9% sure.
However, I'm in the middle of 1.1 right now (having watching Mars for the past two days) and, what if its Sam Tyler on the phone? Alex is a piece of his past becausehe gave her his files.
They never found Sams body - maybe Gene had something to do with that and that's why he moved to London - he couldn't face it and wanted the team away from Tyler. Maybe he found layton in 08 after maybe talking with Gene and he found a way back to the present and made sure he shot Alex to prove he wasn't crazy.

That make sense?