Life On Mars Season 1
Here are all the posts published in the series Life On Mars Season 1. You can also browse the list of all available series.
By fred | October 10, 2008
(S01E01) This is yet another British-based new series, and once again I had not watch the original series, meaning that I don’t have anything to compare it with. That being said and while my impressions of the show will obviously be different than for anyone who had seen the original, I did know few things about this show before I stared watching, other than the main idea of the show — a cop who gets hit by a car and wakes up in the 70’s.
And what I knew didn’t really made me had any hopes about the show, more lire fears actually. Because I knew David E. Kelley bought the rights of the show and wrote a first pilot, which was shot in Los Angeles. Later on, Kelley exited the show and the pilot as scrapped, and everyone except for the main character, Sam (Jason O’Mara), was replaced.
A new episode was then written and shot in New-York, where the show had been moved, and still wasn’t completed a month ago. Now all those are signs of trouble, and indications that more often than once, it will suck. Of course, there’s always exceptions to the rule…
Read the review of “Life On Mars: Out Here In The Fields [series premiere]” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | October 17, 2008
(S01E02) Last week I said both how I really liked the pilot of this new series, as well as how uncertain I was about whether or not I would like the show, because I wasn’t sure what to expect, really. My biggest concern was to find out what the show would eventually be like, what every episode following that pilot would look like, because if there was one thing for sure it’s that they wouldn’t look like the pilot.
I feared it would turn into just another procedural cop-drama, only set in the 1970’s. Because it seemed it could that way, as the whole “time travel” or whatever happened to Sam clearly was the main focus of the pilot, because it was happening to him. Now that this is done, it could take a backseat while crimes from the past needs to be resolved.
Also, it seemed pretty obvious to me that Sam was in a coma, so not much mystery there. He was in a coma, all evidences or clues were heading that way, right?
Read the review of “Life On Mars: The Real Adventures Of The Unreal Sam Tyler” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | October 24, 2008
(S01E03) The pilot episode was a really good one, a great episode that did a wonderful job at creating a very entertaining hour of television and getting us excited about this new show — at least it did for me, who never watched a single second of the original UK series. Now after that really good pilot came the time of the rest of the life of the series, and all the episodes that would follow.
My fear was that it would turn into nothing but a traditional procedural cop-drama, only set in the 1970’s, of course. Not that this automatically means something bad, or is synonym of bad television or that this couldn’t happen and still be a good show, but the thing is, that’s not a show I would be really interested in. Because the thing that got me excited and draw me to this show in the first place, wasn’t really the seventies.
Read the review of “Life On Mars: My Maharishi’s Bigger Than Your Maharishi” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | October 31, 2008
(S01E04) My biggest fear with this show, was that after a very exciting pilot it would slowly turn into a quite common, if not boring, cop-drama procedural, only set in the seventies. Last week while the episode was good, and while they kept throwing in little and not so little details and hints about the time issues that are going on, unless that is the mind issues Sam is experiencing.
And as the show progresses, I find myself quite conflicted to be honest, because while there’s obviously a great deal of quality on the show and I am very much intrigued about what the Hell is happening to Sam, I still can’t get myself to be excited about the show. I’m never really looking forward for the next episode, somehow.
Read the review of “Life On Mars: Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | November 7, 2008
(S01E05) Last week I said how while I like this show, and recognize that there’s great quality in there, I fail to get excited about it. Simply because of what the show is, which really is not just a procedural set in the seventies, because there’s the whole “what the Hell is happening to Sam” card, and yet at heart it’s mostly nothing more than that, a cop drama procedural set in 1973.
Of course, I’m there questioning whether or not I want to continue watching the show, and here comes this episode, probably the best one of the series so far. Just to screw with me, I’m sure. But if this episode was good, obviously, it was also yet another illustration of what it really is, which again, for the most part, is your usual cop drama from the seventies.
Read the review of “Life On Mars: Things To Do In New York When You Think You’re Dead” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | November 14, 2008
(S01E06) I’ve been struggling to know if I liked this show or not, because while there’s an undeniable quality to it and it can be a lot of fun to watch, it remains a cop-procedural which is just something I don’t care for. I don’t know how long they intend to have this show running, but I think it shouldn’t be too long, and one or two seasons might be enough, because planning for more than that ensures that it will have to be really nothing but a cop-procedural.
But if it’s not meant to last forever, we can have episodes that one way or another are linked to Sam’s condition, just like this one was. I thought this was definitely a pretty great episode, but that’s only because while there was, obviously, a new case to work on for Sam, in 1973, it was – at least to me – entirely about his conditions, in 2008.
Read the review of “Life On Mars: Tuesday’s Dead” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | November 21, 2008
(S01E07) Remember what I said last week ? About how this show looked very much like nothing but a cop-drama procedural, but that the real interesting part of it was in a completely different place, aka the time traveling — or whatever it is that’s happening to Sam. Well, last week was a very strong episode, and while I think it was better than this one (or, I liked it more), but this episode was also without a doubt quite good.
Because just as last week, if you take it as a procedural cop show, and only look at what is, it’s pretty boring. There’s a new case to be solved, good guys, bad guys, honestly I don’t care much about any of that. But if you have a “deeper” look at things, if you have that “second reading” on events that occur on the show, taking into account Sam’s unusual condition/situation, then things start to get interesting.
Read the review of “Life On Mars: The Man Who Sold The World” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | January 29, 2009
(S01E08) After a little break Life On Mars was finally back on TV, and that in its new slot right after Lost. And if you were one of those who happen to have watched the show last year, I believe you were in for some major disappointment. This is exactly the kind of thing that makes one hates TV, or the (main) network at least.
Because if you remember last episode, we left Sam obsessing over numbers of different files he had been working on, we left him entering some old house in the middle of nowhere, answering a phone probably not even plugged in, where a strange voice told him he was doing a good job, and now needed to go to the basement.
And I am sure the writers came up with a follow-up on that one, and if we didn’t get all the answers at least we got some of them, some clues, something, as ambiguous as it may be. But the thing is, we don’t know yet. Nope, because that episode this week, the one ABC decided to air as eighth episode of the season, that’s actually not it. From what I could find, the “real” episode 8 is actually The Dark Side Of The Mook and might be airing next week…
Read the review of “Life On Mars: Take A Look At The Lawmen” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | February 5, 2009
(S01E09) Alright, so this was the episode we should have been getting last week, but that for some reason we did not. And quite frankly, the excuse of not confusing new viewers doesn’t make much sense to me, because the way this one was done didn’t require you to have watched the cliffhanger we left on, and I think this episode might be less confusing to new viewers than one with little flying objects coming out of people’s eyes…
Anyways, we did get back to Sam walking in that old house and answering the phone, we did get some answers we were looking for, even though – shocker – we actually got a lot more questions that we did answers, and we have now even more questions that we did before watching this episode, I would say. But this episode provided some brand new revelations when it comes down to the big question : what’s going on ?
Read the review of “Life On Mars: The Dark Side Of The Mook” »
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In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
By fred | February 19, 2009
(S01E11) There’s something with this show, I just can’t decide whether or not I like it and wish to keep tuning in week after week, or if I should stop. Which in the end gets me back indeed each time, but always hoping that finally I’ll be able to make up my mind and see if the show has to potential to grow into something I hope it will be, or not.
As I’ve said before, if it is going to be just a cop procedural set in 1973 then, despite the quality that goes on, I’m not sure I feel like tuning in week after week. But if there’s more to it, if we dive back into what’s going in, what’s happening to Sam, and why, then I’m on board! And this episode, this episode felt like it should have brought the answer I’ve been looking for, and yet I’m still confused.
Read the review of “Life On Mars: Home Is Where You Hang Your Holster” »
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Shows: Life On Mars
In Series: Life On Mars Season 1
