Life on Mars: "Life is a Rock" 4/1 - SERIES FINALE

[Roberto]

Okay, now please, can we dispense with this April Fools crap?

No April Fools' joke intended......I have no idea why you would say that!

Well, for one thing, it *is* April 1.

I apologize if I sounded harsh, but come on. The episode is only just airing right now. How could you possibly have seen it already?

I live on the West coast of Canada and watched it at 4pm Pacific on a cable time shift feed from New Brunswick where it was 8pm Atlantic time.
We get 6 Canadian time zones to choose from and 3 from USA.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I already erased my DVR to make me buy the series.

You would still buy the series on DVD even after an ending like that?

UK viewers are gonna have a field day with this shit. They already think American TV sucks, this is not going to help matters any. They're probably already laughing their asses off.

 

[rramarr]

I already erased my DVR to make me buy the series.

You would still buy the series on DVD even after an ending like that?

I can't compare since I have not seen the UK version. It's not a competition. If you have never seen the original maybe you would not be so judgmental. I guess I could have a similar impact if I seen the UK version.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I already erased my DVR to make me buy the series.

You would still buy the series on DVD even after an ending like that?

I can't compare since I have not seen the UK version. It's not a competition. If you have never seen the original maybe you would not be so judgmental. I guess I could have a similar impact if I seen the UK version.

I didn't mean to imply that the ending was bad simply because it wasn't like the UK's. I didn't like it because it was bad *on its own*.

And in fact I *haven't* seen the UK version - I've read spoilers about it, though.

Spoiler: UK

Sam returns to the present, but finds that he doesn't like it there anymore - and commits SUICIDE by jumping off his police station roof, thereby returning to 1973 which is his *afterlife*.

I don't think I would have liked that either. I would have preferred Sam to make it back to 2008 and leave it at that. Either that, or the possible alternative which is suggested by one of the characters in the final UK episode:

Spoiler: UK again

suggesting that 1973 *is* Sam's home time, and he only briefly hallucinated being from 2008 because of his car accident. Sam's actual name is Williams and he is on an undercover mission to bring Gene down. Of course none of this is true.

Although, who am I to judge - I bought all four seasons of ST:Enterprise, and look what kind of ending *it* had.

 

[rramarr]

Cool beans. I thouht we had another "let's laugh at the Americans thing" going on.
I heard some of that with our getting hooked to the upcoming Primeval on the BBC-America Channel.

Same here with Enterprise, but I still love it.

I will try not to go there about my soon-to-be-up-for-sale BSG DVDs since so many people were fanactics.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd actually like to see how a US version of Ashes to Ashes would work, assuming it took this ending into account...

And I admit I am concerned over what UK viewers would think of this. I mean, of course they'll all prefer their version anyway. I mean (heavy sarcasm) "how DARE we attempt to remake their show?" So naturally UK viewers would be predisposed to hate this version even BEFORE the finale. Now that we've got it, what possible reaction could they have but hysterical laughter?

 

[rramarr]

Somebody loves David Bowie over there.

That's interesting to try at a sequel when you take the UK ending into account.

OK... I don't know how to tell you what I think about Ashes to Ashes without giving up a lot to the endings to both versions of Life on Mars.

As I stated in my first post, humans eventually either cope or quit - that's life on Earth.

 

[rramarr]

It just occurred to me... As to the UK version, why call it Life on Mars if Mars never comes into play?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

It just occurred to me... As to the UK version, why call it Life on Mars if Mars never comes into play?

It's just a David Bowie reference. The same one as in the first US episode - Sam has "Life on Mars?" playing on his iPod in 2008, then after the crash, it's on his 8track in 1973.

 

[rramarr]

It just occurred to me... As to the UK version, why call it Life on Mars if Mars never comes into play?

It's just a David Bowie reference. The same one as in the first US episode - Sam has "Life on Mars?" playing on his iPod in 2008, then after the crash, it's on his 8track in 1973.

Yeah I knew that but still... isn't kinda of crafty that the US version made an ending that would complement the title?

 

[Aragorn]

The ending was completely unexpected and it feels like it undercut everything Sam had gone through. If at the very least he made a move on Norris at the end, it would've been some sort of payoff.

On a side note, does Dean Winters have any other recurring characters that can be killed off this spring?

 

[firehawk12]

They managed to wrap up the father storyline anyway. I was kind of hoping that they would have went with him being insane in 1973 though... this mission to Mars thing is... well, silly. But hey, at least it ended I suppose.

 

[rramarr]

On a side note, does Dean Winters have any other recurring characters that can be killed off this spring?

Terminator: SCC still has him alive well I think.

The man is working!

 

[Aragorn]

^ Uhh... if you saw last week's Terminator, you know why I made the comment I did.

 

[rramarr]

^ Uhh... if you saw last week's Terminator, you know why I made the comment I did.

I thought you were referring to 30 Rock.

 

[IndyJones]

The Obama reference was really lame, IMHO.

(Note that I have nothing against any of the members of that family. It's just that the way this episode mentioned them was about 100 kinds of hokey. Although if either of the Obama daughters saw this episode I bet they'll be good naturedly jabbering amongst themselves over which one of them was president in 2035. )

Barring any changs in the law, it would have to be Malia (who would turn 37 on July 4th, 2035). Sasha is 3 years younger.

Interestingly, there will be a Presidential election in 2032, and Malia will be to young to be either President or Vice President at that time (again assuming no change in the requirement that those who fill those offices not be younger than 35, and also that our electoral cycle does not change). I wonder what would happen to make her President in that scenario.

The ending was completely unexpected and it feels like it undercut everything Sam had gone through. If at the very least he made a move on Norris at the end, it would've been some sort of payoff.

I agree. There was never any danger for the characters, and any relationships that they developed never happened. It a strange (and for me disappointing) direction to go...And (again for me) kills the rewatchabilty.

 

[Mistral]

I never saw the Brit version-so forgive me if I say, while it could have used more time-not too bad of an ending, and Windy(Wendy?) was a real cool answer. The Obama ref was "cutesy" but, looking at American politics over the last 25-35 years, not necessarily unrealistic. I think they should have spent more of the episode time on their end resolution of Sam's condition, though. Personally, I would have gone with the Twilight Zone ending, where he returns to 2008 and sees photos on the precinct walls...

 

[IcecreamLtDan]

It just occurred to me... As to the UK version, why call it Life on Mars if Mars never comes into play?

It's just a David Bowie reference. The same one as in the first US episode - Sam has "Life on Mars?" playing on his iPod in 2008, then after the crash, it's on his 8track in 1973.

Actually, there is a bit more to it than that in the UK version, spoilers to follow.

Spoiler: UK version

In the UK version, Sam is involved in Project M.A.R.S back in 1973.

 

[Roshi]

I read the transcript of last night's US Life on Mars. And I only have one word to say:

LOLROTFLMAOWTFBBQTEHSUXXOR!!!11!!!

A field day indeed!

 

[rac76]

I was surprised by the ending. A bit cheesy, but still was an interesting way to end a show. I thought that it made sense, that it was all in his head. I think that it does make the show rewatchable in the future. I'm looking forward to getting the dvds just so I can find the clues that lead up to this episode (I read in an EW article that the producers having been giving clues to some type of ending like this).

We don't get the third mission since Sam decides that he is enjoying his time and company in 1973. Remember he hangs up the phone? I laughed when I heard Ray's dream about being on a desert island. Overall, it was a good ending for a good show, I would say that this ending was creative and entertaining. Something that scripted television is supposed to be.