TV Review: Life On Mars Finale
Monday, April 6th, 2009
So a few weeks ago I wrote an article prompting you guys to give ABC’s reincarnation of the BBC’s smash hit Life on Mars a chance. And to those of you who listened, I’m sorry.
I’m sure by now most of you have figured out I tend to like most shows that I’m watching. That is why I, er, watch them. And while the original is always best, I was really enjoying this American update of Life on Mars. Was it the original? No. But Jason O’Mara brought a certain charm to Sam Tyler that kept me coming back each week.
The addition of Dean Winters (or as I heard him referred to by an Entertainment Weekly reviewer, Cute, Cute Dean Winters) as Vic Tyler, Sam’s deadbeat dad, added even more panache to the show. But Cute Cute Dean Winters always brings his A game, so there’s not much of a
surprise there.
The second to last episode, “Everyone Knows It’s Windy” had me starting to doubt the ending a bit. When Agent Morgan tried to convince Sam that the tiny robots were real, I started to think, “They’re really not going to do some whacked out ending like that, are they?’ But it’s later revealed that the Agent had seen Sam’s psych evaluation and had tried playing into Sam’s delusions to cover his own illegal dealings. So I moved forward with the crazy notion that the ending would still be a pretty terrific one.
And then I watched the series finale, “Life is a Rock.”
And similar to the BBC original, Sam seems to be spiraling deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole. A mysterious caller tells him he has to complete three tasks to get home. He has to save himself (as a child) and confront his father (who somehow knows that adult Sam is his son). In the meantime, he admits his feelings for Annie, who finally gets her due and is promoted to Detective, or as Ray must now begrudgingly call her, “No Longer No Nuts Norris.”
And then the phone rings to give Sam his final instructions so he can go home, and Sam succinctly tells the voice to shove it and that he’s happy right where he is, in 1973.
And that is when Colonel Sam Tyler, the astronaut in capsule 2B awakens from his cryo-sleep. As do the rest of the crew members of the 125: Chris, Ray, and Annie. They all tell of the programmed “dreams” they had for the journey, and Sam admits his had a glitch. Their computerized guide, Windy, helps them receive word from ground control, who is Agent Morgan from the previous episode. It is revealed that it is 2036, and they discuss that their mission to Mars is a “gene hunt” to show signs of life (Yep, Life on Mars). Oh yeah, and that’s when they wake up the final team member: Major Tom (a.k.a. Harvey Keitel. And no, I’m not kidding). Sam goes to talk to him privately when Major Tom places a snake-tattooed hand on Tyler’s shoulder, and calls him son.
For the promise the show had, it felt like such a cheap ending. Sam’s whole journey was to resolve daddy issues? I understand they had loose ends to tie up quickly, but this ending is so far from what I had imagined, it is a huge let down. That being said, no I didn’t expect the amazing ending the BBC series offered. But I surely expected more than this.
And according to an interview with TVGuide.com, this was the ending they’d always envisioned for the series. And if that is the case, I am glad it was canceled. Because this Dallas-style “It was all a dream” crap is hard to swallow after 17 episodes. Imagine what it would have been like after several seasons.
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WOW, im happy i didnt bother with this show after the first episode now…….just wow, what a crapshoot.
I am simply in shock that they went this route. I’m with you WonderJenn- if this was always the endgame I think I’m glad I gave up after the pilot. The thing I liked about the original BBC ending was the ambiguity of it all- the open ended-ness and the fact that what happened in all the episodes wasn’t a waste of time.
And that is why I hate the “it was all really a dream” ending. It just makes the whole show worthless, Sam obviously didn’t learn anything and in fact shrugs the whole show off in the end… ugh, so stupid. Maybe this is payback for all the times fans moan that our favorite shows were cancelled without an ending…
I still think Life on Mars would make a fantastic movie. It really would.
I meant “I’m with you Prettz” D’oh.
Yeah, by chance did you watch the semi-sequel of the original. Its called ashes to ashes, it’s almost a sequel in name alone, but it uses the same idea and a character mentioned in life on mars. You do find out that and spoilers ahead:
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*********************************SPOILERS***********************************
In the 70’s world Sam lived for 6 more years before dying in a car crash, his body was never found.
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I’ve been hesitant to watch Ashes to Ashes. I’m surprised they gave a definitive answer though, I’ve always liked the ambiguity of the ending of LOM.
well the directors commentary on the last episode basically said the oposite… so its still pretty ambiguious.
I actually liked the end of the series. I appreciated that they took it to a place I had never dreamed it would go. And it did answer what was happening fairly well.
As far a “it was all a dream” explaination making everything we saw worthless, I have to disagree. What I wanted from the show was to find out the answer to what was going on with sam. Now I know.
anyways, an enjoyable show but should of only been scheduled for a year to begin with.
I agree and enjoyed the show and finale.
Of course I hadn’t seen the UK version yet, so that probably had a lot to do with it. I’ve now seen 2 episodes of the UK version and am really enjoying it.
Another reason I really enjoyed the US version is the cast — Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol — it’s quite the cast. I don’t know anyone from the UK version (and that has it’s own advantage I guess). I’ve also noticed, at least through 2 episodes, that the character of DC Carling is much less than he is on the US version. Of course, you have to give more lines to Michael Imperioli. He was on the Sopranos for goodness sake:)
I also agree that 17 episodes (1 more than the Brit version btw) was plenty, and I think they did a great job.
Can’t wait to see how the Brit version ends (trying to avoid spoilers).