Life on Mars (US) season 1 (1 Viewer)

[ScottH]

Anyone notice the Verizon building in the background when Sam was talking to Hunt? Oops!

I'm digging the show, and I never saw the UK version so it seems like that's helping the matter for me. I still wish Sam would "predict" more specific stuff, particularly to the Gretchen Mol character, just to prove he's not crazy.

 

[NeilO]

At what point in the show did you see the Verizon building?

Of course there were intentional things out of time such as the Nirvana t-shirt and George Bush popping up in the episode.

I think what most people here who are complaining about the lifts from the UK version need to remember is that the large majority of viewers in the US have not seen the UK version. If there is good material there, I don't see any reason not to use it. There were only 16 BBC episodes. Personally, I prefer the execution of the BBC version, but I am still enjoying what is going on here.

 

[ScottH]

It was toward the end, when Sam & Hunt were standing there talking outside (and drinking). It was the scene where Hunt told Sam the story about the crooked cop. I would say this definitely wasn't intentional...probably just not worth the cost of editing it out. It's not very obvious at all, and you can't even actually read 'Verizon'.

 

[Marty M]

Another great use of period music in last night's episode. I loved the Beach Boys song at the end from Surf's Up. The only time I have heard songs from this album used was in Almost Famous.

 

[JustinCleveland]

I saw it; it was very distracting. I had to re-watch that scene because I was fixated on the bright red V right behind Tyler's head. You probably couldn't see it on standard definition since it would have been out of a 4:3 frame.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Which Verizon building? The art deco tower at 140 West or the concrete monstrosity on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge?
If it's the former, it would have been easy enough to airbrush out any Verizon paraphernalia, since it was still occupied (IIRC) by the New York RBOC in 1973. If it's the later, I wonder if they couldn't CG scaffolding onto it, since it probably was in the middle of construction in 1973?

 

[mattCR]

Why would they do either? And why is it even an issue?

I understand they are trying to break from the UK shows, but one of the things that was fairly clear in it was that most of this was a mental creation on his part, or at bare minimum was not "reality".. there were always things that were off.. and we've seen that so far, like the mini-robot in the US version.

So, why is the existence of the Verizon tower an issue at all? In fact, doesn't it just add to the list of anachronisms designed to keep the audience wondering what's real and what isn't?

Or is the US audience so literal that those little things that are off (which creep up a lot in the UK version) throw them?

 

[ScottH]

Not really an issue for me. Just something I noticed that didn't seem right. I could be wrong, but I don't think it was one of those intentional things like the Nirvana shirt. I think it was just a laziness/time/cost issue. Or perhaps a "who's gonna notice that?" issue.

 

[George_W_K]

Just watched this online and noticed the Verizon logo too. I really like this show and I can't wait til I'm off nights in a couple of weeks and can watch this on a real tv as opposed to my computer monitor.

I'm glad I haven't seen the UK version as I'm sure I'd have the same complaints as the guys who have. I wouldn't want to see a show I liked remade as a cliff notes version either. Be that as it may, I'm enjoying this version a lot and hope the ratings are good enough to move well past the 16 episode mark of the UK series.

 

[EricW]

one way this series could distinguish itself from the UK series is
Tyler could look into the 'station' he came from. in the UK series, Tyler only went to Hyde in the last episode, which really bothered me, as someone as smart as him would have gone there far earlier. this does, of course, pose a problem for the writing as it bring things to a head far sooner than it does in the UK series. but that's just a challenge for the writers to overcome, as well as an entirely new direction for them to go

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Speaking of your UK spoiler (which I only read the first sentence of and, having only just begun the second series, am now slapping myself for):What Hyde is the show talking about, anyway? Hyde Park in Dutchess County is the only Hyde in New York as far as I know -- and I've never heard anybody call it just "Hyde". How hard would it have been to insert that extra word? It's the birthplace of FDR and home to the Culinary Institute of America, and they couldn't have thrown in some more specific local references?

 

[NeilO]

In last night's episode it appeared to explore the "Am I Dead" theory with Sam thinking that he is dead at places during the episode. There were a few elements from BBC Series 2 Episode 2 in which Sam met his mentor. It could be that while he was only in one BBC episode he may recur a few times in the US series if it has a healthy life. Things are a bit more confusing for Sam with "angels" helping Sam see the funeral of his mentor.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I haven't gotten to Season Two yet, so I thought this was an original concept finally; can't say I'm all that terribly surprised that it wasn't.

I didn't buy that everything between the black detective and the all-white 125th precinct would be that rosy. And as dramatic as the girl's death was (and the subsequent pipe-bomb), I didn't really get the feeling of a city in chaos -- not even like I did in the aftermath of the Amadou Diallo shooting in the 1990's.

I did like the homeless man who appears to walk between the planes of existence. He seems sort of angelic in the same way that the BBC test pattern girl in the UK version seemed sort of demonic.

I'm not terribly excited about next week's episode, though, which is quite obviously the newspaper hostage episode from the UK show translanted with minimal changes to a New York hospital.

 

[Robert Crawford]

God, I'm so glad I never watched the UK show because it seems to negatively affect those that have seen it, their enjoyment level of the American show.






Crawdaddy

 

[George_W_K]

I have to say that I really liked this past episode and this is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows. I hope that when they do actually get into "original" writing territory, they can keep the quality at least on the level it's already on.

 

[NeilO]

In January (probably, since that is when Lost returns) the show will be changing days according to ABC doctors its schedule

 

[NeilO]

I just listened to the new podcast that covers the most recent two episodes. There is some good information there such as some characters that we have just met will be returning (one of the benefits of a longer season). One thing to know is that the next episode is the last of 2008. After that it will return in January with new episodes, presumably in the timeslot after Lost on January 28? (It would seem to be strange to take a break and return to Thursday for a few weeks and then move to Wednesday.)

This past week's episode appeared to explore the "insane" theory while the one before explored the "heaven/hell/purgatory" theory. This episode was similar to the S1 Episode 6 episode of the BBC series, though the hostage situation was taking place in a different location.

From the previews of the next episode it appears that his has elements from the BBC first season finale. This is a big surprise as I thought they might not have this situation come up until end of the this first season.
Anyway, this upcoming episode should be a big one.

 

[NeilO]

I just got a bad feeling from Breaking News - ABC Adds "Unusuals," "Goode Family" to Wednesdays | TheFutonCritic.com
That has this new show - the Unusuals - coming in Wednesdays after Lost, which is where ABC was moving Life on Mars. Now it could be that ABC is just going with 13 episodes this season of Life on Mars and then will go to The Unusuals, or it could be that this next episode will be all we get.

 

[Henry Gale]

This music choices have been excellent and this week's show included a discussion on Tom Waits!

 

[Joe_H]

Agreed, I'm finding this is great, which probably means its getting cancelled