Weeksy
Hi all, Weeksy here again to continue with “10 Years of Moviehole”, switching this time to the world of television, and a show that has become a favourite of mine not just over the last few years, but of all time:
“Life On Mars” – 2006-2007
“My name is Sam Tyler. I had an accident, and I woke up in 1973. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whatever’s happened, it’s like I’ve landed on a different planet. Now, maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home.”
Starring: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster
“Take a look at the lawman
Beating up the wrong guy
Oh man!
Wonder if he’ll ever know
He’s in the best selling show
Is there life on Mars?”
David Bowie – “Life On Mars?”
VIDEO CLIP 1
Back in 1998, “Life On Mars” creators Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah pitched an idea to the BBC about a modern day cop who travels back in time to the 1970’s to be the main protagonist in what was basically conceived as a modern day version of “The Sweeney”. Not surprisingly, the team, and the ideas long with them was booted rather quickly from the Beeb, and the three went searching for a new home – and with a purpose of retooling their idea.
After several major rewrites, and a temporary championing at Channel 4 – the gang eventually found themselves back on solid ground at the BBC, and the newly designed cop show was set to begin broadcast in January of 2006.
The story of “Life On Mars”, or more specifically the concept of time travel has had a lot of hit & miss success on TV over the years, whether it be the sci-fi slant of “Doctor Who”, the jumping “Quantum Leap” or even more recent attempts like “Sliders” & “Journeyman” – where “Life On Mars” cleverly avoids any confusion is by simply dumping it’s main player back in the early 70’s – and from there it becomes a cop show.
The introduction to the 70’s (happening via a car accident) is treated very “matter of fact” – he simply is in 1973 – his car has changed, his iPod which had earlier been playing the titular track by David Bowie is now playing on an 8 track – but generally, the show avoids the wink-wink moments which have undone many like it before – and I’m sure will continue to do so in the future. If you ever find yourself in a car accident, which leaves you short of cash, you may wish to read this blog post on car finance. It offers some great tips and tricks to help you get back on the road.
Tyler is conveniently still a Mancunian cop (demoted however to DC), and when he’s first found by a local Officer by his “new” car, Sam is identified as being apparently on transfer from the Hyde branch. His introduction to the other series regulars still stands as one of the highlights of the show – the chauvinistic Ray Carling (Dean Andrews), rookie Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster), WPC Annie Cartwright (Liz White) & of course, the “Gene Genie”, DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister):
Gene: “They reckon you’ve got concussion. But I couldn’t give a tart’s furry cup if half your brains are falling out. Don’t ever waltz into my kingdom acting King of the Jungle!”
Sam: “Who the hell are you?”
Gene: “Gene Hunt, your DCI, and it’s 1973. Almost dinner time.”
During their first case together, which involves a serial killer Sam had been hunting down before his accident, the true mysteries of “Life” begin to play out – faint sounds of a hospital in the background, sometimes referenced by Sam, other times only apparently heard by the audience play out, but at the same time, the world that Sam finds himself in is so complete & realistic, that how could he not have found himself back in time? Or is he just really dead somewhere in the ground? The fact that the little girl from the BBC test card continually appears in his room at night to talk to him suggests that may be the case….
The fact that the show manages to prolong this mystery over the course of two 8 episode seasons is a testament to the writers – obviously so – but the chemistry between Simm & Glenister, and in fact between all of the main cast members is so brilliant, that you find yourself rooting for a particular outcome, whether it be that Sam has actually died, and this is his own personal “afterlife”, is he actually lying in a hospital bed in the future in a coma – or that he has really just gone back in time all play out extremely well over the course of the series.
Although the show wisely avoids making the show all about the how & why of Sam, when it is addressed directly by the main story – it fires brilliantly. Episode 6 of the first series has Sam convinced that unless he stops a hostage taker by 2:0opm, his life will end, which he finds out via a disembodied call to his Mother in 2006:
Ruth: “You’re breathing, but it’s an illusion of life. I know you’ve already gone somewhere else now.”
Sam: “Oh god. Don’t say it.”
Ruth: “I’ve given my consent to turn off your… to turn it off.”
Sam: “No, Mum, no! No!”
Ruth: “It’ll be this afternoon. Two o’clock. Sleep tight, darling.”
Phyllis: “Some loony’s taken hostages at the Manchester Gazette. Reports are that he’s armed and very dangerous. He’s saying that at two o’clock today, someone is going to die.”
Sam: “Two o’clock?”
Phyllis: “He’s serious. Someone dies at two. So are you going to throw chairs around or do you fancy doing something about it?”
Other occasions throughout the series include Sam suffering the apparent effects of a drug overdose in the “future” and having to keep moving a’la “Crank” in order to solve a case before his medication slips him further into a catatonic state, and in a semi-recurring storyline, Sam has to investigate crimes which may or may not involve his parents, leading to close encounters with his Mother, and in one exchange that showcases Simms acting ability to it’s fullest, a brief encounter with himself as a young boy.
But with the first season drawing to a close, Sam was no closer to figuring out his situation, and as a second series had already been commissioned due to enormous ratings in the UK, “Life On Mars” closed up shop for the year, but not before claiming an International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series.
VIDEO CLIP 2
When the second series returned to the small screen in February of 2007, three things had already been widely reported, and confirmed to be true:
1). John Simm would be leaving the show, some papers reported that he was to take up a permanent slot as the Doctor on “Doctor Who” (he wound up playing The Master)
2). This would be the last season of “Life On Mars”
3). A spin-off show featuring Gene, Ray & Chris would be made, titled “Ashes To Ashes” (in keeping with the Bowie theme)
“Life On Mars” successfully balanced the theory it opened every show with over the course of the first 15 episodes, that phrase which began every show – “Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?” – you were never solidly locked into one theory, but as the second season progressed, and the character of Superintendent Frank Morgan, who himself was on temporary transfer from Hyde branch, and knew Sam well indicated that perhaps Sam was suffering from some from of memory loss, and was actually from that time all along (the fact that the Wizard in “The Wizard of Oz” was also played by an actor named Frank Morgan is telling, along with several “Oz” references over the course of the series). Morgan candidly tells Sam that if he can help him rid the department of the “Tumour” that is Gene Hunt, he will send Sam home.
But the genuine surprises were all held until the last episode, at which time there are no less than three separate reveals – all of which have you utterly convinced that “That” is the true nature of Sam’s situation. I wouldn’t lay it out here for those who have yet to watch the series, but suffice to say that even after everything you witness – you can still hold on to your favourite theory – so be warned the that the below video contains insanely major spoilers:
VIDEO CLIP 3
“Life On Mars”, very simply, is / was one of the best TV shows of not only the last decade, but for me personally, it is one of the best TV shows ever. I never managed to catch it during its original run (and given the year gap between the seasons, I’m kind of glad) – but I happily paid for the DVD’s after catching a repeat, and watched them all over the course of a week. I’ve since watched the first season of the spin-off show “Ashes To Ashes” as well, which I’m happy to report is not a case of “Joanie Loves Chachi” – it too is an excellent show, with the period changed to the early 1980’s.
So there you have it – hopefully the idea has piqued enough of your interest that if you haven’t yet seen it, you’ll go and grab the first and second season on DVD – I can’t say enough about it – I’ve watched the entire show several times at this point, and have found new clues and tidbits each time that make it all the more layered and clever – I love it, and if you don’t as well, there’s something incredibly wrong with you……
