Jasmine Sahu is well suited with this new American drama exclusive to Dave.
Lois Cameron explains why this series is much more than your average cosy period drama.
The last episode of this series sees Sherlock and Moriarty attempt to solve the final problem with devastating consequences.
With major cast changes afoot, Jacob Martin ponders whether Being Human can live up to its own scarily high standard.
Contains spoilers up to and including the episode discussed, but is spoiler free for subsequent episodes of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.
“How does it make you feel?”
“Like there’s an animal eating away at my insides.”
“Fancy doing something about it?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
Here, the conflict between Sam and Gene really comes to a head. By arresting the right-hand man of local nightclub owner and gangster Warren, Sam discovers what Gene calls one of a system of “checks and balances” to keep the streets of Manchester safe: he turns a blind eye to the Warren’s dodgy dealings in return for tip-offs and general bribery. With his life-long hatred of bent coppers, Sam, obviously, can't accept this at all, and tries to change the system.
To be honest, the first 45 minutes of this episode are pretty much standard Life on Mars fare. And by that, of course, I mean “amazing”. I love that this is only the fourth episode of Life on Mars, yet this whole world is proper, real and engrossing - even if it’s possible that it’s all in Sam’s mind.
But really, the very best of this episode (and some of the best material of the series so far) comes in the last fifteen minutes. From the moment Sam sees Joni’s body beside the canal, it changes, ramps up a gear, becomes the Life on Mars we’ve come to expect - but more.
The rest of the episode is just magic: Sam and Gene’s discussion; locking Edwards in a giant fridge to get a confession; and arresting Warren. It doesn’t sound like much written like that, but it’s gloriously played and written. When Gene tells Sam about his past, revealing much of how he’s become the man he is, it’s simple and so very effective: the exchanged quoted at the beginning of this post is masterfully underplayed by John Simm and Philip Glenister. From the moment they then lock Edwards, Warren’s right-hand man, in a giant freezer to get a confession out of him, the whole thing is exhilarating. The fun of seeing Sam become more and more seduced by this world, while retaining his inherent values, is played up and you can practically see Gene warming to him.
And then to top it all off, when they arrest Warren, Gene offers him the chance to go out the back, quietly, which he takes. The cut to them dragging him out through the dancers in the club might be obvious, but I don't care. It showed that Gene is changing, just as much as Sam is.
This is it. The Life on Mars I love.
Next time: Gene, Sam and Annie go undercover in a pub. What could possibly go wrong?
You must log in to submit a comment.
