Re: Life on Mars (US) season 1
I have to disagree with what seems to be the majority opinion here. I actually liked the ending a lot and was surprised, and not disappointed that it ended the way that it did. In fact, the more I think about it, the more sense that it makes given the premise and the context of the whole show.
The fact that we are supposed to accept the fact that the main character and several others along the way have suddenly time travelled back 35 years in some strange time warp or similar has us all guessing what's going on and probably expecting some weird type of explanation. The actual ending provides an answer in a way that could be a reasonable explanation given the circumstances. In fact, it brings into focus the fact that the clue was staring us in the face all the time - the title of the show! To me it was brilliant and not a cop out at all (no pun intended.)
Having now watched this whole series to its conclusion I'm glad that I didn't watch the BBC version first - especially if it ends the same way for that would have spoiled it for me. Can someone out there who is familiar with the British version tell me if it ends in similar fashion? I'll definitely be getting the original BBC version when released on DVD later this year in any event.
True, the series had to rush to judgement thanks to ABC's decision to cut it short but the conclusion was anything but a patchwork ending to me. It was logical, true to the clues throughout the series (in addition to the title there were all those mini-bots, etc. suggesting future technology, etc.) and was very satisfying to this viewer.
I seem to recall a similar outcry when
The Sopranos ended in a rather "disappointing" fashion. Now that some time has passed more and more people are beginning to realize that the fade to black was probably one of the better ways to make a statement about Tony's lifestyle and where everything was going. Not that I'm trying to place
Life on Mars on the same level of programming as
The Sopranos. In my opinion the former was a very good series and the latter is one of the finest series in the history of television.
And in similar fashion I will note that for me,
Life on Mars was the more entertaining event on ABC tonight.
Lost was great (as it usually is) but
Life on Mars was my favorite for the evening. There's no contradiction here as I still consider
Lost to be the more memorable series and right up there in the same lofty position as
The Sopranos in the hierarchy of all time greats. But in the very strong 9-11 time slot for ABC TV on this particular Wednesday
Life on Mars was the highlight in a very good TV evening.
I can't think of a better way for this series to reach a conclusion now that I have the benefit of hindsight. And the fact that it totally came out of left field for me makes it even more satisfying. I loved it.
