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Drake, just like Tyler is from the 21st century, and comes face to face with Gene Hunt after being brutally shot in the head after being shown studying the suicide of DCI Sam Tyler. We are told by Hunt that after seven years of partnership, Tyler was killed after driving his car into the river in a car chase (Mental note: body never found. Coincidence? We are yet to find out!).
This week the fourth episode is due to be shown on BBC1 and so far we have seen the tension mounting between the figures of Hunt and Drake, which is more than just professional. Their views are completely opposite to each other, and Drake constantly finds herself confronted with the inequality of being a 21st Century woman in a suffocating 80s man’s world. She is also stalked through out the show by a man in a clown costume resembling that of David Bowie’s in the ‘'Ashes to Ashes’' music video - could life really get any better?
I have to admit that I was a massive fan of the first two series of Life on Mars, and although I am a regular viewer of '‘Ashes to Ashes'’ it just is not as good. The programme makers had something really special with John Simm and Philip Glenister, and trying to produce this third series without Simm has been a huge mistake.
I feel it would have made much more sense to have had a third series as just a comedy cop show, with Tyler and Hunt. It was unnecessary to over-complicate it with a death and a character change. All they are doing is taking the format of the first one, where Drake is desperate to get home just like Tyler, and trying to build up the tension once more.
The only problem is, this time round, for me at least, it is not working. The tension just is not there. We have seen it all before and what I want more of is Tyler and Hunt, not riddles to solve. I have to own up and say that I have never been a big fan of Keely Hawes since I first saw her on '‘Spooks’', so maybe this taints my view slightly, but having spoken to other people about it, they seem to feel the same way - the programme just is not the same.
For fans of the first two series, the new show is another chance to see the Gene Genie in action; his witty one liners seriously make the programme. For people who are just tuning in for the first time however, I think disappointment may be in store if they have heard from the press or friends that the other two shows were so great.
Having said all this, it is still probably one of the best things being shown on the BBC at the moment, so tune in any way! I still find myself chuckling along, but to all '‘Life on Mars’' fans out there: be warned! If you love the character of Gene Hunt, watch this! Just know that the loss of DCI Sam Tyler is sorely missed.
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