Life on Mars (U.S.)
Started on facebook but got too long.
So, thanks to Netflix Instant, I finished the whole thing in 36 hours, and the UK version is #1 on the queue right now, but that doesn't give me any standards for comparison right now. So, without comparing it to anything else:
I liked the premise. Period pieces are cool. Time travel is cool. A modern protagonist makes a much better stand-in for a modern audience than a 70s native, who's used to all this weird, primitive crap.
The series had a very different feel from procedurals set in modern NYC. There was lots of warm, yellowy lighting and locations with actual plant life and the clothes were (to my eye) pretty consistent. (Also, Annie's uniform is so adorable, I want one for every day of the week.)
The ending absolutely did not hold together. At all.
The little rovers and the rocketships were foreshadowing all over the place, but only for Tyler. Why did the entire supporting cast turn out to be cylons marsonauts? Does that mean that Christopher Walken's gravelly-voiced uncle and the obnoxious Italian caricature were that brutal, lawbreaking, sexist, and homophobic in real life? In 2035?
Why did Sam see glitches in the Matrix and not them? Why does Sam think he's from 2008 and dating Maya (who just kind of politely wrote herself out of the plot at the end of the first quarter)? Why do all the others fall into their roles so naturally? Would a high-ranking military officer really use a VR program to relax by sending her into a place and time where she's on the bottom of the totem pole?
What was with the FBI guy/cryptic phone voice/guy on the screen at the end? Why did Sam have to do specific things? What kind of 70's police detective quest would prepare him for walking around in a spacesuit on Mars? Did anyone else get sidequests from this guy? Why did he have to do specific things in order to wake up?
What was with the whole story arc being "metaphorically killing his father by beating the crap out of him and replacing him as the family protector?" What does an Edible Complex have to do with a)killing time on a long space trip or b)being trained/tested/analyzed for moral fiber or whatever? And wouldn't they do (b) before they put you on the spacecraft?
I was most interested in the differences in police procedure and general attitude with the 1973 cops, with their casual violence, blatant disregard for procedure and due process, and gang-like moral code (loyalty and solidarity > law). Those elements dropped off sharply after the first few episodes, which I thought was a pity.
Looking forward to checking out the original.
So, thanks to Netflix Instant, I finished the whole thing in 36 hours, and the UK version is #1 on the queue right now, but that doesn't give me any standards for comparison right now. So, without comparing it to anything else:
I liked the premise. Period pieces are cool. Time travel is cool. A modern protagonist makes a much better stand-in for a modern audience than a 70s native, who's used to all this weird, primitive crap.
The series had a very different feel from procedurals set in modern NYC. There was lots of warm, yellowy lighting and locations with actual plant life and the clothes were (to my eye) pretty consistent. (Also, Annie's uniform is so adorable, I want one for every day of the week.)
The ending absolutely did not hold together. At all.
The little rovers and the rocketships were foreshadowing all over the place, but only for Tyler. Why did the entire supporting cast turn out to be cylons marsonauts? Does that mean that Christopher Walken's gravelly-voiced uncle and the obnoxious Italian caricature were that brutal, lawbreaking, sexist, and homophobic in real life? In 2035?
Why did Sam see glitches in the Matrix and not them? Why does Sam think he's from 2008 and dating Maya (who just kind of politely wrote herself out of the plot at the end of the first quarter)? Why do all the others fall into their roles so naturally? Would a high-ranking military officer really use a VR program to relax by sending her into a place and time where she's on the bottom of the totem pole?
What was with the FBI guy/cryptic phone voice/guy on the screen at the end? Why did Sam have to do specific things? What kind of 70's police detective quest would prepare him for walking around in a spacesuit on Mars? Did anyone else get sidequests from this guy? Why did he have to do specific things in order to wake up?
What was with the whole story arc being "metaphorically killing his father by beating the crap out of him and replacing him as the family protector?" What does an Edible Complex have to do with a)killing time on a long space trip or b)being trained/tested/analyzed for moral fiber or whatever? And wouldn't they do (b) before they put you on the spacecraft?
I was most interested in the differences in police procedure and general attitude with the 1973 cops, with their casual violence, blatant disregard for procedure and due process, and gang-like moral code (loyalty and solidarity > law). Those elements dropped off sharply after the first few episodes, which I thought was a pity.
Looking forward to checking out the original.