(S01E16) In our second-to-last episode, we get a few revelations about Sam and the reason behind his trip to 1973. Nothing conclusive, of course, but that's probably been saved for next week. Will Sam get back to 2009? Will he die? Will he get hit by another car and wake up in 1938? The mind boggles.Sam is really adapting to his environment and becoming more brutal in his police work. Being stuck in a 1973 cop show is really rubbing off on him. On the plus side, even a bullet can't keep Michael Imperioli from delivering a great performance while in surgery. I think I'll miss you the most, Ray.
Congratulations to those who figured out in advance that Windy was one of the future figments of Sam's imagination. It was somewhat obvious from her previous appearances. What was she trying to say to Sam at the end? Are they dead? Is she from the future, as well?
Did you catch that the Aries Toy Company and Project Aries both use the word "Aries"? I didn't. And what was with that glow that Agent Morgan took on every time he spoke about the future?
Are they really using miniature robots to generate Sam's fantasy? It makes as much sense as anything else, and the creators did promise a different resolution than the original British version. I did like the quick homage to the ending of the Brit version by having Sam nearly jump off a roof (albeit at gunpoint).
I really hope Annie gets her detective badge before the series ends. She seems to be relegated to bedside/psychology chick and rarely gets to beat anybody up. I am glad that she and Sam are together now.
I know how Scott Adsit (cast member of 30 Rock and co-writer of Moral Orel) ended up on this episode! Both the creators of this show and Adsit were at the New York Comic Con, most likely just before they learned the show would not be renewed. He must have been cast at that time! That's the way these sort of things work. Deals get made at conventions and funerals.
At first, I thought Sam Tyler's father would be the killer. He has Sam's approximate build and could have been wearing a similar outfit. I liked this ending as well, and anybody who saw the montage from next week's show knows that Vic Tyler will be making one more appearance.
Favorite Michael Imperioli line of the episode: "If I knew who killed Jimmy McManus, I'd buy him a creme soda and introduce him to my cousin Millie, who has beautiful breasts."
Here's what we know: Sam is involved in some sort of experiment involving miniature robots in his brain that put him in a dream state. He's resisting this treatment, which is causing hallucinations and whatnot. Alternatively, Sam could be an Active from the Dollhouse.
Tonight's episode was very good, and while I'm sorry this show is going, I wonder if the current and future versions of television would be better served with fewer series and more mini-series. Just a thought.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-26-2009 @ 2:16AM
HD said...
With the end near I realize just how much I enjoy this show and its characters. All the main characters are unique and well acted - and even without the sci-fi element I would watch this show.
It's unfortunate that any quality show has to fight to stay on the air, while cheap reality crap just rolls on and on season after season. I don't now if its the networks giving in to cheap and easy formulas or if its the short attention spans (and possibly sliding IQs) of the American audience as a whole.
Either way - I hope they put "Life on Mars" out on Blu-Ray with some nice extras.
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3-26-2009 @ 3:25AM
David said...
I'm already starting to feel melancholy about this show...I felt it opening up the old Journeyman wounds tonight, and I know I'm going to be twice as sad next week when this show joins that other great series in the hereafter.
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3-26-2009 @ 3:28AM
David said...
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention: great episode tonight. It's nice to see what they're capable of doing when they're not under pressure to string along the mystery of Sam's predicament. I expect next week to be wholly satisfying, if somewhat bittersweet.
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3-26-2009 @ 8:20AM
Mrs.MGA said...
What I don't get is ABC is Replacing one "fish out of water", urban cop show with another, The Unusuals.
We won't notice the difference?
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3-26-2009 @ 9:35AM
stef said...
What is wrong with ABC? This is just a fantastic show - that keeps getting better and better. All the cast is fantastic and just great together. Where has Jason O'Mara been??? He is a fantastic actor. I could not look away during the scene where he was talking with Annie in jail. I felt every bit of his confusion. I've never been a huge Gretchen Mol fan, but she is great as Annie.
I will really miss this show and yes, I hope they have tons of 'extras' on the DVD.
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3-26-2009 @ 9:41AM
michael kraft said...
Nice shout out to Cheap Trick! Reciting to the lyrics to DREAM POLICE on the roof!
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3-26-2009 @ 11:10AM
Karen said...
Wait -- I thought all the stuff that was said to Sam was made up to get him to jump.
Is it supposed to be true?
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3-26-2009 @ 10:46AM
Raked said...
Maybe Sam's Alpha. In Dollhouse. Just kidding.
Anyway, I loved tonight's episode, and yes, I figured Wendy was fake in episode three, I think. Sigh. I'll miss this show.
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3-26-2009 @ 12:40PM
George said...
I've enjoyed Life on Mars all along. I think the show hit its stride shortly before the cancellation announcement, but on the bright side at least we don't have to watch the writers scrape for ideas over the course of three or four seasons.
Ultimately, the economy is to blame. Between the salaries and the period detail, Life on Mars had to pull in some pretty massive ratings to survive.
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3-26-2009 @ 12:54PM
Claudia said...
I love this show! I will never get hooked on any new shows on ABC again. I loved Invasion and they took that off the air too. As other people have commented, the acting is wonderful on this show. I wish the SCI Fi channel could somehow pick it up. I will also be waiting for the DVD to come out and I will consider this show to be a mini-series since ABC is at least giving us an ending to it. Also, I can't believe what they are replacing it with. What a JOKE.
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3-26-2009 @ 1:28PM
Tom said...
Didn't the original British series just have one season? If so, doesn't that at least have some nice synchronicity with this one wrapping up its story in just one season? I myself only caught bits and pieces of this show, maybe a full episode here and there, and I always thought it looked like an interesting show. But I never could get into it. I might be one of those people that thinks the '70s are better left in the past. As for this new show, "The Unusuals," it looks interesting--don't know why anyone wouldn't give it a chance...
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3-26-2009 @ 3:07PM
david said...
What was Wendy's quote at the end of the show?
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3-26-2009 @ 9:30PM
suzanne said...
I am hoping that they take the cast and do another show or someone picks up Life on Mars, perhaps TNT or HBO.( I would even subscribe to HBO again).
How about FX - somebody PLease.
I almost cried when I heard it was canceled.
This is the best show I have watched ever! ever !ever.!
Please bring it back.
Seriously, Where can you find such a talented cast.?
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3-27-2009 @ 5:33PM
Robert Cook said...
Life On Mars is one of the best shows to ever be aired, but as uasual ABC-Disney will kill anything that is done well in order to air a dumb, brainless reality show. Somehow they, in their infinite wisdome think that I would rather dance with the stars. NOT! After next week, April 1st, my ABC viewing will stop; or if you will, be cancelled. Kudos ABC for being the dumbest broadcasting network in the history of mankind.
Kudos for the superior cast of LOM I won't forget you, but most of all I will not forget Gretchen because I fell in love with her Annie Norris, she became the perfect 1970's "everywoman."
I know that she and the others of the cast are looking for new jobs, and I know that they need a paycheck as much as I do, but if they show up on ABC i won't watch them there. I AM DONE WITH ABC-DISNEY. GOOD BYE, AND GOOD RIDANCE ABC.
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3-28-2009 @ 10:51AM
toby said...
I agree that this show was too "intelligent" to continue on a regular network like ABC. ABC should stand for "already been canceled.
Apparently ABC thinks that the American public is only interested in so called reality shows. If that is so, then it shows the "dumbing" down of America.The only reality is
that these shows are far less costly to the network. They avoid paying competent actors and writers decent salaries
for their talents.
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