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Contains spoilers up to and including the episode discussed, but is spoiler free for subsequent episodes of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.
“Time of death, tea, one sugar, bourbons. See, I’m multi-tasking.”
I realised something when I was watching this episode: the unsung hero of Life on Mars is Marshall Lancaster. People rarely mention it when they talk about the programme, but DC Chris Skelton is consistently charming and absolutely hilarious. If I keep going on and on about it though, it’s going to get a bit boring, so I’m introducing a new category at the end of each post: Loveliest Chris moment. There are so many to choose from here, but the best has to be Sam’s attempt at recording the interview. “The precise time?” asks Sam. “Just after four,” replies Chris. The relationship between the two characters is very sweet here, and it’s expertly by Lancaster and John Simm.
This is probably the funniest episode of Life on Mars so far, and a lot of that is down to the presence of DCI Litton. Lee Ross is almost upstaged by that revolting carpet jacket he wears at the end, but his comic moments do extend beyond his wardrobe. A lot of the comedy doesn’t seem like much when it’s written down, but it’s all expertly played and made me laugh no end: Gene's dismissal of the union as "commie bastards" and his sarcastic smile and wave at Sam in the factory were particular favourites of mine.
There’s real emotional depth here, too. The factory mystery plot is nicely played out, one generation’s fight for tradition juxtaposed with the next generation seeking the easy way out. The shoot-out in the factory is a bit dull, but it allows for one of the iconic Life on Mars Gene Hunt lines: “You are surrounded by armed bastards!” The fact that the factory would later become the block of flats where Sam would live hangs over the whole thing: Ted’s fight is futile. But then maybe the point of the episode is to show that that doesn’t really matter; what matters is that he fights at all.
And Sam realises here that he has to fight. With a tenner and a tin of Watney's Party Seven at stake, his more methodical approach to policing is once again contrasted with Gene’s reliance on gut instinct: once again, a balance between the two outlooks is shown to be ideal. Gene might be starting to accept him, and Chris certainly sees him as a sort of mentor figure, but he’s yet to really integrate into the team. Interestingly, the brief moments where he does seem to fit in all come when they’re up against Litton (the brilliant convoluted nonsense speech and the brawl at the end): at the end of the day, the fight’s the thing.
Next time: a dodgy night club promises glitterballs and seriously horrendous dancing.
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