WTF - Life On Mars finale...

POSTED BY: WASHnwear
UPDATED: Sunday, April 5, 2009 12:19
VIEWED: 5341
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KWICKO

Saturday, April 4, 2009 1:59 AM

WTF indeed.

I just watched the finale - I had it on my DVR. I've somewhat enjoyed the show - not my favorite, but something different.

That ending kind of made me want to gouge my eyes out. Yes, it tied things up semi-neatly, but still...

Dubya-Tee-Eff.

Mike

Just lying smiling in the dark,
Shooting stars around your heart,
Dreams come bouncing in your head
pure and simple every time.
Now you're crying in your sleep;
I wish you'd never learnt to weep.
Don't sell the dreams you should be keeping
pure and simple every time.
"Pure", by Lightning Seeds

PEACEKEEPER

Saturday, April 4, 2009 4:55 AM

This series was conceived to portray life and police attitudes in 1970's Manchester in the north of England. I dont see how it would have translated to an American audience at all.It was a gritty UK show exploring the dilemma between old school rough tactic policing and modern political correctness. What the hell has being on Mars got to do with it.The Life on Mars title was a reference to the Bowie hit of the same name recorded in the 70's. It lasted two series spanning 16 episodes and was a national tv hit. Im annoyed that it has obviously been ballsed up.

HOPERULES

Saturday, April 4, 2009 5:22 AM

WTF - INDEED. Very disappointing. There is nothing like getting involved in the mysteries and choices characters face only to find out the whole thing is fake. UGH!!!!!!!!!!

May have been on the losing side, still not convinced it was the wrong one.

IMNOTHERE

Saturday, April 4, 2009 10:02 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by peacekeeper:
It was a gritty UK show exploring the dilemma between old school rough tactic policing and modern political correctness.

Also, though, the UK version managed to blend that central theme with humour, 70s nostalgia, a mystery/metaphysical element (nicely tied into Sam's basic good cop/bad cop dilemma) and a gratuitous excuse to make a retro cop show reliving The Sweeny or The Professionals.

Of course, those "cultural references" (Test Card 'F', Watneys Party 7s, Camberwick Green, "I'm 'avin 'oops!") wouldn't travel very well. Does the USA even have the Great White Dog Shit Mystery?

Plus, of course, the UK experienced a major shock in the 80s when a series of major miscarriages of justice came to light (alluded to in the show), which cast the Gene Hunts of this world in a very bad light. While I'm sure the central dilemma translates fine to the USA, perhaps there isn't such a clear watershed between then and now.

Its not that the UK ending didn't have a distinct "WTF?" element to it, either - its just that it was deliberately ambiguous and bittersweet whereas it sounds like the USA version tried to do a happy ending which explained everything - but the audience are still, like, "wuh?".

KWICKO

Saturday, April 4, 2009 11:23 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by peacekeeper:
This series was conceived to portray life and police attitudes in 1970's Manchester in the north of England. I dont see how it would have translated to an American audience at all.It was a gritty UK show exploring the dilemma between old school rough tactic policing and modern political correctness. What the hell has being on Mars got to do with it.The Life on Mars title was a reference to the Bowie hit of the same name recorded in the 70's. It lasted two series spanning 16 episodes and was a national tv hit. Im annoyed that it has obviously been ballsed up.

Actually, all that stuff was in there as well. The period music was one of the highlights of the show. Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli (Christopher from The Sopranos) were the "old guard" cops, bashing heads and breaking hands to get what they wanted.

The Bowie song WAS an integral feature in more ways than one. There were several times when lines from the show would get tossed into dialog. "Hey, it's the freakiest show, huh?" or "Look at those cavemen go...", "look at the lawmen, beating up the wrong guy" and so on.

There was so much potential to the show, yet somehow they managed to really screw it all up in the last ten minutes.

I guess, in their defense, I can say I didn't see THAT coming!

Mike

Just lying smiling in the dark,
Shooting stars around your heart,
Dreams come bouncing in your head
pure and simple every time.
Now you're crying in your sleep;
I wish you'd never learnt to weep.
Don't sell the dreams you should be keeping
pure and simple every time.
"Pure", by Lightning Seeds

RIPWASH

Sunday, April 5, 2009 12:19 PM

I had about 6 episodes to go on my DVR. It was over, so I thought I'd save 'em for later. But after reading this thread I decided to skip to the end. I get a little frustrated because I heard about the ending of the UK version and thought it was kind of neat. That it was a world his mind had created and that he wanted to get back to after waking up from a coma. I get the feeling the way the US writers decided to wrap things up was the "American Way" that the rest of the world gets so frustrated with us about. The same reason the first book of Harry Potter was changed to "The Sorcerer's Stone" instead of "The Philosopher's Stone" because us Americans just wouldn't be able to understand.

I felt that the US ending was a cop-out. An Americanized version that was meant to play to the dumbed down crowd. It was interesting and had it's twists and turns, yes. But really, why allude to Gene Hunt at the very end by showing HIS foot stepping on Mars?

Kind of a disappointment after reading that the UK version's ending was voted as the BEST ending of a sci-fi show. *sigh* Ah well. On to other shows and hope they don't get canceled...

Zoe: "Get it running again."
Mal: "Yeah"
Zoe: "So not running now"
Mal: "Not so much"
- Out of Gas

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