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TV|Shark 013: Life on Mars

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    TV|Shark 013: Life on Mars




    Life on Mars
    Ran: 2 Series (2006 till 2007)
    Episodes: 16 Episodes
    The tale of Sam Tyler who is investigating a crime when he is hit by a passing car. Waking up in 1973 he finds himself increasingly unsure of whether his '73 life is real or whether his '06 one is the true life he left behind. Faced with knowledge of what will come and the political incorrectness of the time and the police force he tries to find a way back. Though a third series was toyed with Simms wasn't too keen on the idea and in the end it was decided that a brief two series run would be enough to serve the story well enough. Everything was wrapped up at the end having left clues and red herrings before ending with a sense of finality only undermined by...

    Ashes to Ashes
    Ran: 3 Series (2008 till 2010)
    Episodes: 24 Episodes
    Picking up not long after the events of Life on Mars, Alex Drake is shot in the head and finds herself in 1981 working for the same team Sam Tyler did but this time with a London setting and 80's glam. Familiar with Tyler's case notes she sets out to find a way back to her life and to work out what the others are keeping from her. Running a season longer than the original show, this sequel series gave viewers definitive explanations for each character and what was going on.

    Share your thoughts on Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes!


    #2
    I didn't watch Life on Mars, but did watch Ashes to Ashes.
    Funnily enough, there were plot parallels with Driver: San Francisco!

    I really enjoyed it and although the payoff was a little sad, it was a great journey getting there.

    Interesting TV like this definitely need to be lauded.

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      #3
      Such a shame you saw it that way round, Life on Mars was the better of the two shows and its ending worked really well until Ashes spoiled it with its angel shenanigans

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        #4
        I have the first series on DVD, but never got around to it.

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          #5
          Much of the charm came from everything being unknown though I've enjoyed rewatching it since. It never needed to twist like Ashes did as Ashes had to worm itself around the awkward fact it even existed whereas LOM could run with the concept however it wanted to. The result was a simpler show with a bit more of an emotional tug to it.

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            #6
            Didn't watch LOM but did watch Ashes during its original run and enjoyed it.

            At the time, I would've liked a third serial chronicling Gene Hunt in the 1990s, if only just to round off a trilogy, but I don't feel that way now - too much time has clearly passed and I'd imagine that the viewing figures for Ashes and/or maybe Philip Glenister feeling that he couldn't take Gene Hunt further probably didn't warrant it.
            Last edited by Nu-Eclipse; 24-04-2018, 14:36.

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              #7
              It would have been interesting to be able to judge Ashes without the large shadow Life cast over it. Coming off that show it always felt like Ashes struggled to justify itself because of how much Life closed the storyline. Life's explanation was so neat and self-contained it made Ashes feel stretched from the get go with more Gene being the main draw

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                #8
                Ha! Not for those of us who only saw Ashes!

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                  #9
                  How did you find the ending?

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                    #10
                    Actually, I found it melancholy but satisfactory.

                    I'll talk in spoilers, just in case:

                    The whole show was geared towards Alex trying to get back to her daughter. As the show progressed, we learned more about her and her old life and I got attached to this pretty, but assertive police officer and really wanted her to solve the riddle and escape.
                    Each episode had a bit of weirdness going on, but the last two went all-in and revealed the truth of her predicament.

                    I was sad that the return to her daughter didn't go as I wished, but at least it brought closure.



                    I have to point out how great the cast was, though.
                    Yeah, Gene Hunt was a massive draw, but I thought Dawes' Drake was a brilliant foil as she used brains and modern policing techniques to counter his old school methods.
                    The supporting cast were also great. I thought the realisation of Ray and Shaz of what was happening as they looked at the stars was really stirring as they admit defeat.

                    You can't have a hero without a good baddie though and Daniel Mays' portrayal of Jim Keats was brilliant. He was this Mephistopheles character always chipping away at Drake's resolve and question Hunt's line of morality and if he ever crossed it. Keats was slimy, scary and a genuine threat.
                    Mays been in loads of stuff and is always brilliant: Line of Duty; Hustle; Mrs. Biggs; Doctor Who and Outcasts amongst many.

                    It's a great show.

                    I thought I'd loaned LoM to somebody, but I saw it on the shelf last night, so I may watch it!

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                      #11
                      It'd be interesting to see how Life plays out for you given how Ashes works from the assumption the viewer knows about Life's reveals.

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                        #12
                        Clue for the next thread:

                        Clue - Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

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