Life on Mars: Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina: (IPA: [ˈdeɪʌs ɛks ˈmakʰɪna], literally "god from the machine") is a plot device in which a surprising or unexpected event occurs in a story's plot, often to resolve flaws or tie up loose ends in the narrative.^{[1] (definition: wikipedia).}

I think the cast looks pissed in this shot because they know the ending.

There was "Deus Ex Machina" in every nook and cranny of the last five minutes of last night's season finale of Life On Mars. It's either that, or my remote changed the channel to Battlestar Gallactica. A strange contrivance here, a bizarre "lets wrap this damn thing up" vibe there. There was plenty of "Machina" working the creative wheels and not enough "Deus", because I think even God would be pretty confused about those final moments.

The conceit of the U.S. version of Life On Mars is that Sam Tyler, a New York detective in 2008, gets knocked out by a speeding car and wakes up in 1973. What follows throughout the next seventeen episodes is a heart stopping, mind blowing and emotional journey through Sam's mind as he comes to terms with being an "alien" in this foreign world that existed back when he was a child. His childhood issues are faced with brutal force. His father was a killer, a criminal with violence searing through his blood. His mother was loving, and struggled to keep young Sam safe. Throughout his fever dreamed journey, we are lead through his constant brush with death, with love, with loss. Watching his old world in 2008 go on without him (a television showed Barack Obama as president, and he teared up, missing the progress "back home"), we felt Sam's longing, his feeling of being "the spaceman", the crazy cop with psychological issues that Annie would study and try to comprehend.

There was always the sense that Sam was in a coma, and his travel back in time was part of his fevered dream. I suppose that would be too easy. However, switching channels on the flow of the show by making him an astronaut on a space mission to Mars, suspended in animation, living out a time stopping hallucination only to throw the audience a totally different view of what we've seen all season, was confusing.

I've only seen a few episodes of the original British series. I'm going to go back on YouTube and see if I can catch up. It's my understanding that ending (which I've saved to view after the US series had its reveal) had more emotional impact, and did not throw in a contrived device to tie up loose ends and cover up flaws.

Michael Imperioli, a fabulous actor, has now been in two series with finales that were so weird I thought my cable went out: The Sopranos and now Life on Mars. I wish Mars had the same end result. I'm left feeling bereft. I cared about these characters. And Elton John's "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" was a featured song too. It brought me back. But everything I've watched up until last night seems to be a lie.

Perhaps I need to have another look at this episode. I don't want it riding off into the sunset without finding the good in that ending.

Update: Could it be that another viewing would allow the ending to make more sense than upon first sight? After re-watching the series finale, I won't say I'm totally buying into the spaceship theory; however, I will say, the ending worked a bit more for me now that I expected it. Time to re-watch this entire series with all the secrets humming in mind so I can connect the dots.

I'm so saddened that this show is finished. In my fevered space animated dreams, Life On Mars exists in another dimension, where Sam and Annie are married and fighting crime on the streets of 1970's New York.

Life on Mars Comes to An End

Life on Mars comes to its final conclusion tonight. We find out why Sam is in 1973, and whether or not he'll return to 2009. I'm going to miss seeing new episodes of this show. I've belly ached about the cancelation, but I have also come to terms with it. Perhaps American television should follow Britain's lead in television programming and allow episodic shows to end after a dozen or more episodes, allowing a story to begin, unfold and end without stretching the quality thin. Life on Mars will always be filed under the "Brilliant But Cancelled" category of television shows cataloged for all time. Although I have not seen every single episode of the original U.K. version, I do know it enough to proclaim that Jason O'Mara's portrayal of Sam Tyler felt more juicier than John Simm's. It pains me to admit it, but there is something to be said about sexy, and with that McQueen/Newman vibe, O'Mara tapped into that 70's plain clothed cop persona I loved as a kid. Not only did he capture the grit of the NYC detective on the beat, he could crumble with emotional intensity. One moment of tears filling his eyes out of fright, confusion, despair - and he could wrap your heart around his finger.

When ABC produced a less than an impressive pilot early last year, complete with a different cast (with the exception of O'Mara) they took it apart and started all over again with a new line up of noteworthy talent who stopped the show each week. Michael Imperioli was made for the role of the New York snarky detective Ray Carling. Jonathan Murphy was eye catching as the sweet young Chris Skelton. Gretchen Mol was a tough yet lovely Annie Cartwright, and Harvey Keitel was riveting as Gene Hunt. We won't see another great cast like this on television for a while. Long may they live on DVD.

Can't wait to see how this all ends tonight - on ABC at 10:00pm et/ct.

Later than Night...

Well, that was interesting. Fabulous episode, but what's with the ending? Sounds like they didn't write same conclusion as the original UK version. American Sam wasn't in a coma. He was on a mission to...Mars? 2008 never existed? Oh dear, I was hoping for the coma.

Can We Keep a Good Show from Dieing?

Back on March 16th, the New York Daily News had article about why Life on Mars couldn't survive on network television. It appears that no matter how critically acclaimed it may be, or how many millions of people watch the show, the demographics weren't enough. Mars appeals to 40 somethings, and despite the fact the standard demo target for prime time is 18-49 year old males, the show still doesn't satisfy advertiser's need to appeal to the youngest in the age group. It also appears viewers aren't drawn to a show if the title doesn't make sense. Life on Mars is an innocuous title. It's not easy like Chuck, or Big BANG Theory..or even The Office. After all, wouldn't a show with a subtextual David Bowie lyrical title be about the planet Mars? Do American audiences think beyond American Idol and shows about two men and a kid called Two and a Half Men? There. Simple. I don't have to wrap my brain around that title. I know immediately what it's about.

Please. We are be better than this. There is an audience that wants to think while enjoying a show such as Mars or Breaking Bad or The Office - shows that provide escapism, fantasy, with a slap of reality. Why? Because watching people struggle with their own short comings, their own failures and their own challenges, whether funny or light hearted, allows us to connect to humanity. It gives us a cushion to fall back on emotionally, where we can relate to characters who are existing in a world that tests their meddle, morals and ethics. Just like us! Give me good writing and the perfect cast, and you have magic. Breaking Bad is magic. Mad Men is magic . The Office is magic. Flight of the Conchords was magic. Life on Mars was magic.

I wonder why producers aren't shopping Mars to cable? HBO may not bring on new programming from other networks, but what about TNT or AMC? How about STARZ, a premium channel that is joining the ranks of specialty cable entities starting their own line up of original programming, trying to get on the creative map with comedies like Party Down, Head Case and dramas such as Crash? Perhaps the ratings aren't there, but these shows, if good enough, will survive as fans flock back to the show they loved and lost on the big network. With the right PR campaign, perhaps it will pick up more viewers who are off the demo charts? Why not allow the show to cultivate a cult following?

It's a shame a unique television show, successfully adapted from an UK series (although some die hards would beg to differ) such as Mars has to fold without getting another chance. Two more episodes to go, and then Sam's story ends. No Ashes to Ashes type of sequel, nothing. Instead we are fed more boring, seen-it-before television such as Castle, which sounds like a remake of the 80's detectives-in-love series Moonlighting. Hopefully, the return of the delightful Samantha Who will deaden the mediocrity for the ABC network and brighten the network landscape this spring, letting in some fresh air.

Life On Mars: All The Young Dudes

"Do you believe in heaven and hell?" asked Detective Crhis Skelton. "What do you think hell is like?" he continued, much to the annoyance of the stubborn Detective Ray Carling. This ongoing discussion between the two cops appears ominous in hindsight. The final scene of last night's Life on Mars came out of nowhere. Ray and Chris possibly slain at the hands of the evil Jimmy McManus, who slithered his way out of a shakedown at his bar. Are they at death's door, waiting to find out what heaven or hell is like? Or is this another surreal twist in the odd dimension of Sam Tyler's time traveling world?

Sam went undercover to crack a case as an Irish drifter, looking for work on the ship docks through mob boss Jimmy McManus, a man of Gaelic origins himself. While trying to crack the case with fists, thick Irish accents and bruised eyes, Sam met up with his past again. His former babysitter Colleen , once a major crush, and sister to Jimmy, seduces him, only to betray him. His mother returns, distraught about how her little boy Sam has been withdrawn and punchy with other kids since his father disappeared. She pleads with the Detective to talk to him, a frightening prospect for Sam. It would mean he'd have to face his younger self. He initially declines. Sam's avoided this. Whenever his childhood self comes into the picture at any time during this series, Sam cannot look at him. At least, not until last night. By speaking to himself and comforting his worries, it may have unlocked a layer of self observation that could get our hero back home.

This was a riveting episode, filled with suspense, twists and turns that could stop a heartbeat on a dime. Jason O'Mara's real wife, actress Paige Turco portrayed Colleen with the right combination of playful yet sinister intensity. Peter Greene was scary as the creepy McManus. O'Mara, an actual Irishman who supressed his brogue for a New York accent while portraying Sam, did a nice turn in switching on his Emerald Isles lilt, even exaggerating it to show that Sam is not a perfect linguistic impressionist.

The episode is building the tension for the April 1st series finale. Will Sam get home? We'll find out in two more weeks.

Thursday Night Comedy

The Office "New Boss" is on tonight. Guest starring Idris Elba. Corporate gets a new boss, Michael gets a new nemesis, Jim gets a tux and Pam smiles maniacally. (NBC 9:00pm EST)

...and on 30 Rock, Jon Hamm, I mean, Dr. Baird, gets on a motorcycle and plays tennis. (NBC 9:31pm EST). I'd tell you more if I only had the strength to click on nbc.com, which never gives you the synopsis of 30 Rock's episode of the week until AFTER it airs. Meanwhile NBC Media Village is hard to navigate. Hey, so I'm not the most informative TV blogger out there. Watch the show and find out what happens!

Life On Mars Takes Flight

Life on Mars may have been canceled, but in last night's episode "Annie, Tea or Me", one of the remaining episodes to air until the conclusion of the storyline, we witnessed a prime example of why the inevitable end is such a disappointment. It was a fabulous 70's romp, filled with strange swingers, flush with all the glamor of air hostesses flirting with handsome moustacheoed pilots. It mixed in the strength of Annie's character, and her burgeoning, realistic love for Sam. We also get more of an idea that Sam is quite smitten with the cute Annie himself.

Being an ambitious female cop in a precinct filled with Archie Bunkers of all ages, shapes and sizes is not easy - especially for "No Nuts - Donuts" Annie. She's been breaking leads in many a case now - one being the recent caper with the Weather Underground. Now, she's filling in for a dead flight attendant, found in garbage pile, who has a very striking resemblence to Annie. So striking - she's a dead ringer for our favorite female cop. Using this coincidence to her benefit, she leads the undercover investigation by donning a wig, rocking a stewardess uniform and boarding a plane to crack the case. Shadowing her is a very dashing Sam, also incognito, dressed as a pilot with stripes and a porn mustache only Jason O'Mara could pull off. The low key Gene and Ray are pretend passagers, hanging back to protect their partner, setting their sights to nab a known pervert who may lead them in the direction of the murderer. They ultimately arrest the pervy guy in-flight, and the case does indeed begin to unravel, leading them to a key swapping party with swingers, eventually nailing the case thanks to Annie's bravery and tenacity. Sam's protective yet liberated views of her ambitions were touching. Quotations of David Cassidy songs aside, you can see she's getting a little soft for the handsome spaceman detective from the land of 2008. It was also nice to see cameos by Gina Gershon and Mark Lin Baker.

I loved seeing a depiction of what female police officers must have gone through during that era. Although a show such as Police Woman was hitting the airwaves at the time, and woman's liberation was undergoing a cultural explosion, some male dominated areas of expertise were still in the dark ages. Unless you filled the role of parking meter maid, women in law enforcement had a very steep uphill climb. Annie was a pioneer, and last night's show championed this element to perfection.

Thanks to the magic of YouTube, I am finally catching up on the original UK series. Better late than never.

Office and 30 Rock Thursday: All New...

After what seems like the longest stretch of reruns since the summer hiatus, a brand new Office is finally....finally upon us tonight. Behold the new episode,"Blood Drive". It's Valentine's Day! (Yes it is March 5th...just go with it since NBC doesn't seem to think so). Jim and Pam are banished for too much PDA (Public Displays of Affection - for my dad who may be reading this) in the office. They end up having lunch with Bob and Phyllis. What will they say to the young couple in love? I shutter to think...

I also wonder what too much PDA would be for Jim and Pam? Jim looking longingly at Miss Beesly from his desk? Miss Beesly blowing a little kiss from reception?

Come on future Mr. and Mrs. Halpert! If major snogging is allowed on prime time, why not give the people what they want and rent out the supply closet for an afternoon romp? Now that's what I call PDA.

Also on the show: There is a blood drive going on. People give blood. Michael is there. Dwight's weird and very annoying. Angela's a humorless cat lady, and I don't care about the rest of this episode synopsis because I only care about Jim and Pam since I haven't seen any interaction between them for ages.

The Office, Blood Drive airs tonight on NBC at 9:30pm EST/8:30pm CST.

30 Rock is spanking new too!

30 Rock is all new tonight with an episode entitled "Goodbye, My Friend". Liz befriends a lady who works in a doughnut shop and tries to adopt her kid. Jenna is freaking out over her birthday, and Frank tries to be more like Jack after bonding during an evening of hanging out. Now, this part is very odd. It took me several viewings of the promo (the screen shot is above) to figure out who the pony tailed man in the suit could possibly be. At first, I thought it was Steve, the guy I used to have a crush on when I worked at NBC back in the 80's. But no, it's a clean shaven Frank. Looks like Judah Friedlander had to shave down for this one.

30 Rock airs on NBC at 9:30pm-ish EST.


A moment to ponder last night's Life on Mars...

Oh, how I will miss this show. This photo above is a shot from the scene that hooked me to Jason O'Mara's encarnation of Sam Tyler, originally created in the BBC series of the same name. This was the moment in the first episode where Sam knew he wasn't in Kansas anymore. In fact, he wasn't in 2008, nor in the same century. He was in 1973. The towers marked it. This moment hit me in the gut.

With Elton John's "Rocket Man" fueling up the episode "Revenge of Broken Jaw", last night's installment saw Sam continuing the struggle to deal with his new home - the land of NYC 1973. It's easy to feel heartbroken for the man. Whether this is a coma dream or an actual travel through time, we will have to wait and see. However, Sam is consulting with an actual therapist, as hope in returning to the 21st century, and the land of the iPhone, is growing dim. The strange twist is - could he be falling in love with the pretty lady cop Annie? Will he begin to want to stay in the past to be with her?

This was a great episode, with a terrific blend of historical nods (albeit incorrect in terms of radical groups and terrorist back then - for the Weatherman apparently never killed anyone but themselves - accidentally.) Sam is falling for Annie, and she remains amused by his confusion over his whereabouts - seeing him as the Spaceman trying to adjust to what he feels is not really his home.

Perhaps this show should only have one season. After all, the original BBC series had roughly sixteen episodes that stretched over two series. Completing the US Life on Mars in about twenty installments with a satisfying conclusion at season's end might be the right thing to do, rather than stretch it out beyond a point where plot credibility is diluted.

Still, I'll miss Jason O'Mara and Michael Imperioli. Despite all the UK die hards who naysayed their way throught his (if they even got this far), this was a wonderful cast and fine production.

Fallon Debuts/Life on Mars Cancelled

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon debuted last night with guests Robert DeNiro, Justin Timberlake and Van Morrison. Heavy hitters for a maiden episode made it feel as if Jimmy may have reached far above his head. The monologue was rather stiff, with cue card reading more obvious than on any random SNL sketch, but given that he was rightfully nervous, I'd give him some time to ease into this aspect of the talk show. Personally, I wouldn't be upset if the opening jokes were dropped. The only person who could give good monologue was Johnny Carson. Second best is David Letterman - when he's dishing out three jokes for one monologue per show. I get bored easily.

DeNiro was definitely a good sport in joining Jimmy for the first show, being this low key self, and playing along with a sketch called "Space Train", which was more amusing than hilarious.

The Slow Jam News showcased Fallon's new house band The Roots, singing the headlines of the day, Flight of the Conchords style, with jazzy, sexy smoothness. This band is tight, funky and nasty - a nice departure from Max Weinberg's Seven - and those guys were good.

Here's some Slow Jam News:


Justin Timberlake was a perfect guest for Jimmy's first show. They already have a solid comedy history together, having done SNL's famous Barry Gibb Show, singing in the Bee Gee Falsetto with remarkable accuracy. Timberlake is always a great talent to see. He could do a muffler commercial, and I'd be happy.

I know there are naysayers, but I think that Fallon should be given a chance. Last night's debut was decent, if a bit shaky; yet, the guy is only human and wants to succeed in bringing the funny to late night television. Yes, he has large shoes to fill, but so did Conan. Time will tell if Jimmy can live up to the expectations of those who had faith in giving him this gig. I'm happy to give him that chance.

Life on Mars - Canceled by ABC

It's not like this is unexpected, but it's disappointing nonetheless. Life on Mars was officially canceled by the ABC network. It joins Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money into the dustbin of broken ABC network dreams. Could it be that ABC is ditching drama, possibly for the low cost hack of reality shows?

The good news is production will continue to play out the storyline in order to reveal the mystery of Sam Tyler. The bad news is we will not continue to view this fabulous 70's police style drama beyond the conclusion, which could have resulted in episodes that touch upon the original UK sequel Ashes to Ashes, currently airing on BBC America. No more Jason O'Mara's wonderful Paul Newman/Steve McQueen vibe, that retro, yellowish feel of the past, the TV cop funkadelic music, the intensity of Michael Imperioli, the sparkle of Harvey Keitel. Goodbye to all that.

Unfortunately, another great British television show has been ruined at the hands of American programming development, an entity that has a need to pound out more episodes than necessary. Oh, and there was that two month hiatus, after a very solid Fall season, which interrupted the story flow and viewer interest.

It's also sad to see yet another New York production fall to the ratings. Mars joins NBC's Lipstick Jungle as the second NYC production to be officially axed within the past week.

Wednesday Night: Three Way Clash with a DVR

They'll be a hot time at the old DVR tonight. Many noteworthy programs are airing. Of course there is Lost on ABC at 9pm EST. I've never watched it, and my disinterest has rendered it too late to start now. But Wednesdays are a little brighter thanks to other shows that may not have the same buzz as those sweaty, desperate looking people on that weird universe. Dharma Inititative...whatever. I'm a girl that rolls in the direction of retro-TV, music and some laughs.

That's why I'm watching....

Life on Mars - 10pm ET on ABC. After last week's strange episode where Sam digs up a body in Hastings and Ray's dealings with his shady brother send him on the precipice of wrong doing, it will be interesting to see where they pick up where they left off. I'd like to see Maria, Gene's daughter carry on with Det. Tyler a bit longer. Not sure what this show is trying to be - a SciFi feature, time travel fantasy, 70's cop show or just borrowing from all, but I love this cast and the action. It's my hope that ABC gives it a chance.






Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...on Sundance Channel at 9pm EST is going to be a fabulous blast. Jenny Lewis, one of my most favorite singer/songwriters today, will be joining Jakob Dylan and the music duo She & Him (made up of Zoey Deschannel and M Ward) for an evening of chat and song. I cannot wait to see this incredible line up of alternative talent sing and chew the fat with the lovable Costello - who has been an amazing host throughout the series.






Important Things with Demitri Martin on Comedy Central at 9:00 pm EST will further prove that Martin is a new voice in the world of humor invention. The New York Times calls him adorable. I still think of him as the keytair playing member of The Dirty Doggzz, Flight of the Conchords nemesis band, who climbed over them to find success with the hit song "Doggy Bounce". However, his comedy is sweet, observational, childlike and refreshing.




Good night for television. Then comes Thursday night, when The Office and 30 Rock look to heat up a good hour of laughs. Be still my heart. Too much good stuff to write about in one day.

Life On Mars: Must See Stuff

My heart will always be with Mad Men when it comes to current drama, but it now has a little competition. ABC-TV's Life on Mars returns from a two month hiatus next Wednesday at 10pm ET/9pm CT. It's an American adaptation from the highly acclaimed BBC Series, and it's a tour de force in network television drama.

The premise: A New York City detective, out to find a serial killer in 2008 gets hits by a car and falls into a coma . He is plunged into another era as himself, in the same precinct ... in 1973. Jason O'Mara stars as detective Sam Tyler, and is a composite of Paul Newman and Steve McQueen in a 70's portrait. Harvey Keitel plays Lt. Gene Hunt, the hard bitten, crooked 70's dick (and I do mean dick) who welcomed detective Tyler upon his arrival with a swift pummeling for shooting off his mouth. Gretchen Moll plays Policewoman Annie Harris (aka No Nuts), who still lingers in the outskirts of acceptance as a woman smack dab in the middle of a police boys club. Michael Imperioli sheds his Sopranos skin, enlivening the cocky detective Ray Carling.

Life on Mars gives you that television cop drama feel with a gritty, funky musical soundtrack. The stories are set up with David Bowie songs and AM transitor radio buzz as metaphors, while Detective Tyler tries to solve the mystery of his own past. Is he in another dimension? Or is he languishing in a deep dream within his coma? This ethereal twist is woven with retro time lines of old television prime time. It brings you back to Mannix or Cannon, Hawaii 5-0 or Kojak. The streets are mean, the polyester is fierce, cops don't live by the rules, and New York is a bankrupted dump. Oh, 70's. Such memories. This superb cast makes this show a stunning, heart stomping trip down memory lane - if you're old enough to remember.

Last we left off, Sam was being summoned to the basement... (musical sting...yet spoiler free for the uninitiated).

Please watch this show. Again - Wednesdays at 10pm ET/9pm CT starting next week.