Meta: "Life on Mars" - Intentional Homoeroticism - a nod to 70s Cop Shows? Or more?
Modded by lozenger8
Cop Shows? Or more?'>
Life on Mars is a British cop show with a difference. It follows
the life of Sam Tyler, a Mancunian DCI in 2006 who has an accident and
wakes up as a DI in 1973. Is he mad, in a coma, or has he travelled in
time? The show posits all three theories and keeps the viewer guessing.
Sam finds himself in a whole new world - a different Manchester to the
one he’s used to - and surrounded by people like DCI Gene Hunt - a
multi-layered character who is not a thug, but appears to be one on
every second Tuesday. Everything Sam knows about policing is turned on
its head as he has to learn to trust instincts and feelings in place of
DNA profiling and quick, hard evidence.
At this moment, we’re halfway through the second and final series of the
show - a wonderfully tight and contained offering that already has cult
status and is only ever going to have 16 episodes. Let joy be unconfined.
The fantastic thing about Life on Mars is that it’s not just
another That 70s Show, there to serve as nostalgic parody. There
are a few obvious throwbacks to 70s cop shows and it is stylistically
inspired by 70s films such as Get Carter and Serpico. It
feels and looks gritty and realistic. You really believe that you are
with Sam. Life on Mars faithfully replicates 1973 - or, at least,
a 1973 in Sam’s head.
The other fantastic thing about Life on Mars is that it is highly
homoerotic. No, really. There is no denying that there is
intentional homoeroticism both in the show and in marketing
surrounding the show.
When asked “Can you give us any hints at what might happen to Sam and
the Gene Genie in series two of Life on Mars?” Ashley Pharoah,
co-creator and writer said ”If I knew I would! We're only just
starting the writing period now. Suffice to say there will be lots of
homo-erotic bonding in grim Manchester pubs.” Link
Here.
The marketing campaign for series two included this Radio Times cover -
which is highly sexually suggestive even to the Life on Mars
uninitiated.
In his 2006 interview with SFX, John Simm, the actor who plays Sam,
found himself having this exchange with the interviewer:
John, speaking about Sam and Gene: They're a really good
partnership. There are times when they're that far apart and times when
they can't really be without each other. Not in that kind of way.
Interviewer: Would be interesting though...
John: Oh yeah, especially on Gene's part. Sam could get away with
it. He calls him gay boy anyway.
The commentary for episode two of the first series had producer Claire
Parker making this comment during the final scene (where Sam goes to
play poker with Gene and the boys):
Claire: There’s just a kind of warmth between him and Gene. Or
maybe a bit more than just warmth.
These are examples of additional material, but how about the canon? As
the series progresses, we see the relationship between Sam and Gene
build to be one of contrasts, conflicts and compromises. We also get
quite a lot of innuendo and sexual symbolism.
There are numerous scenes where Sam and Gene have their hands on each
other - fighting, grappling, pushing. In these moments of high conflict,
they often encroach on each other’s personal space, getting face to face
with only an inch or two between them. These sequences suggest the bond
between the characters as much as they suggest the distance.
Just to give you some specific examples;
In episode two of the first series, Sam stares pointedly at Gene’s
crotch (or swimwear, but I choose crotch), prompting Gene to remark
“There's no badge down there, Sammy-boy. Mind you, does tickle open a
few doors, eh?”
In episode three of the first series, Sam refers to “gay-boy science” -
either echoing something Gene has said to him before, or saying what he
thinks Gene would say.
In episode four of the first series, we have this exchange:
Gene: Right, large whisky for the short-haired man who saved my
bacon.
Chris [to Sam]: You're making bacon?* Well done, boss.
*Making bacon is slang for having sex.
In episode eight of the first series, Sam refers to Gene as having “an
unhealthy obsession with male bonding”.
I could go on and on. I encourage you to do so in the comments.
Whilst I have no doubts that at least some of the examples we would come
up with could be unintentional, I also have no doubts that several of
them would have been very, very deliberate. Canonically, any and all
homoerotic moments will always be subtext. But it’s very loud subtext.
Cheerfully obvious subtext.
But why is this show so obviously homoerotic? Is it a nod to 70s cop
shows such as The Professionals and Starsky and Hutch? I
would say that yes, in some ways it is. The creators - Matthew Graham,
Ashley Pharoah and Tony Jordan, came up with the initial concept of
Life on Mars by asking themselves what cop shows they love.
The Sweeney was their first answer, and whilst I want you to
think about John Thaw/Dennis Waterman for a moment, there’s no denying
that The Sweeney belongs to that oeuvre of high-octane action
shows where male-on-male action is rife. These programs are now fondly
thought of in terms of their depictions of close male friendships laden
with subtext which suggests more than ‘friendship’.
I would argue that the homoeroticism isn’t just a nod, but a necessity
of the genre. Whilst undeniably having more facets than its
predecessors, Life on Mars fits into a canon of programs - it
doesn’t just emulate The Professionals, Starsky and Hutch
and The Sweeney, it belongs alongside them.
It depicts men with guns (phallic symbols) and cars (phallic symbols)
and chases (prey/predator or mating ritual) and sweat (bodily fluids)
and --- ahh. Yes. It really is inherently sexual, isn’t it? All of that
machismo and testosterone is vented through these objects which
unconsciously and consciously suggest sex to the audience.
The police force is a male-dominated world, in a charged atmosphere
where trust and loyalty are paramount - where tight bonds are formed.
And even if you do counteract that with a female presence, it’s still
very difficult to successfully distract from the overarching
homosocial/sexual climate. Might as well embrace it.
We’re moving away from a time where, as obvious as subtext is to
viewers, it’s not acknowledged - instead we get confirmation. Yes! This
show has guns! Yes! Guns are well known to be symbolic of penises! No!
We don’t care! In fact, it amuses us greatly. Instead of denial, we give
you more, much, much more!
When it comes down to it, a large amount of the homoeroticism in the
show comes down to the characters and the way they're performed. Gene
Hunt is "an overweight, over the hill, nicotine-stained, borderline
alcoholic homophobe with a superiority complex and an unhealthy
obsession with male bonding" and Sam Tyler is at least partially a
new age sensitive man with a healthy obsession with male
bonding. Sam is Gene's confidante, with Gene telling him things
he would never tell another man. And Gene gives Sam perspective, makes
him question himself when he needs to, helps him relax from being too
prim and too proper. They're the classic Buddy Cop duo, with the type of
persevering strong friendship we've come to know and love - if not in
our own lives, in fiction.
A/N: Thanks to my beta reader, Nick, who spent the entire time saying
"they're just friends!"
Cop Shows? Or more?'>
Life on Mars is a British cop show with a difference. It follows
the life of Sam Tyler, a Mancunian DCI in 2006 who has an accident and
wakes up as a DI in 1973. Is he mad, in a coma, or has he travelled in
time? The show posits all three theories and keeps the viewer guessing.
Sam finds himself in a whole new world - a different Manchester to the
one he’s used to - and surrounded by people like DCI Gene Hunt - a
multi-layered character who is not a thug, but appears to be one on
every second Tuesday. Everything Sam knows about policing is turned on
its head as he has to learn to trust instincts and feelings in place of
DNA profiling and quick, hard evidence.
At this moment, we’re halfway through the second and final series of the
show - a wonderfully tight and contained offering that already has cult
status and is only ever going to have 16 episodes. Let joy be unconfined.
The fantastic thing about Life on Mars is that it’s not just
another That 70s Show, there to serve as nostalgic parody. There
are a few obvious throwbacks to 70s cop shows and it is stylistically
inspired by 70s films such as Get Carter and Serpico. It
feels and looks gritty and realistic. You really believe that you are
with Sam. Life on Mars faithfully replicates 1973 - or, at least,
a 1973 in Sam’s head.
The other fantastic thing about Life on Mars is that it is highly
homoerotic. No, really. There is no denying that there is
intentional homoeroticism both in the show and in marketing
surrounding the show.
When asked “Can you give us any hints at what might happen to Sam and
the Gene Genie in series two of Life on Mars?” Ashley Pharoah,
co-creator and writer said ”If I knew I would! We're only just
starting the writing period now. Suffice to say there will be lots of
homo-erotic bonding in grim Manchester pubs.” Link
Here.
The marketing campaign for series two included this Radio Times cover -
which is highly sexually suggestive even to the Life on Mars
uninitiated.
In his 2006 interview with SFX, John Simm, the actor who plays Sam,
found himself having this exchange with the interviewer:
John, speaking about Sam and Gene: They're a really good
partnership. There are times when they're that far apart and times when
they can't really be without each other. Not in that kind of way.
Interviewer: Would be interesting though...
John: Oh yeah, especially on Gene's part. Sam could get away with
it. He calls him gay boy anyway.
The commentary for episode two of the first series had producer Claire
Parker making this comment during the final scene (where Sam goes to
play poker with Gene and the boys):
Claire: There’s just a kind of warmth between him and Gene. Or
maybe a bit more than just warmth.
These are examples of additional material, but how about the canon? As
the series progresses, we see the relationship between Sam and Gene
build to be one of contrasts, conflicts and compromises. We also get
quite a lot of innuendo and sexual symbolism.
There are numerous scenes where Sam and Gene have their hands on each
other - fighting, grappling, pushing. In these moments of high conflict,
they often encroach on each other’s personal space, getting face to face
with only an inch or two between them. These sequences suggest the bond
between the characters as much as they suggest the distance.
Just to give you some specific examples;
In episode two of the first series, Sam stares pointedly at Gene’s
crotch (or swimwear, but I choose crotch), prompting Gene to remark
“There's no badge down there, Sammy-boy. Mind you, does tickle open a
few doors, eh?”
In episode three of the first series, Sam refers to “gay-boy science” -
either echoing something Gene has said to him before, or saying what he
thinks Gene would say.
In episode four of the first series, we have this exchange:
Gene: Right, large whisky for the short-haired man who saved my
bacon.
Chris [to Sam]: You're making bacon?* Well done, boss.
*Making bacon is slang for having sex.
In episode eight of the first series, Sam refers to Gene as having “an
unhealthy obsession with male bonding”.
I could go on and on. I encourage you to do so in the comments.
Whilst I have no doubts that at least some of the examples we would come
up with could be unintentional, I also have no doubts that several of
them would have been very, very deliberate. Canonically, any and all
homoerotic moments will always be subtext. But it’s very loud subtext.
Cheerfully obvious subtext.
But why is this show so obviously homoerotic? Is it a nod to 70s cop
shows such as The Professionals and Starsky and Hutch? I
would say that yes, in some ways it is. The creators - Matthew Graham,
Ashley Pharoah and Tony Jordan, came up with the initial concept of
Life on Mars by asking themselves what cop shows they love.
The Sweeney was their first answer, and whilst I want you to
think about John Thaw/Dennis Waterman for a moment, there’s no denying
that The Sweeney belongs to that oeuvre of high-octane action
shows where male-on-male action is rife. These programs are now fondly
thought of in terms of their depictions of close male friendships laden
with subtext which suggests more than ‘friendship’.
I would argue that the homoeroticism isn’t just a nod, but a necessity
of the genre. Whilst undeniably having more facets than its
predecessors, Life on Mars fits into a canon of programs - it
doesn’t just emulate The Professionals, Starsky and Hutch
and The Sweeney, it belongs alongside them.
It depicts men with guns (phallic symbols) and cars (phallic symbols)
and chases (prey/predator or mating ritual) and sweat (bodily fluids)
and --- ahh. Yes. It really is inherently sexual, isn’t it? All of that
machismo and testosterone is vented through these objects which
unconsciously and consciously suggest sex to the audience.
The police force is a male-dominated world, in a charged atmosphere
where trust and loyalty are paramount - where tight bonds are formed.
And even if you do counteract that with a female presence, it’s still
very difficult to successfully distract from the overarching
homosocial/sexual climate. Might as well embrace it.
We’re moving away from a time where, as obvious as subtext is to
viewers, it’s not acknowledged - instead we get confirmation. Yes! This
show has guns! Yes! Guns are well known to be symbolic of penises! No!
We don’t care! In fact, it amuses us greatly. Instead of denial, we give
you more, much, much more!
When it comes down to it, a large amount of the homoeroticism in the
show comes down to the characters and the way they're performed. Gene
Hunt is "an overweight, over the hill, nicotine-stained, borderline
alcoholic homophobe with a superiority complex and an unhealthy
obsession with male bonding" and Sam Tyler is at least partially a
new age sensitive man with a healthy obsession with male
bonding. Sam is Gene's confidante, with Gene telling him things
he would never tell another man. And Gene gives Sam perspective, makes
him question himself when he needs to, helps him relax from being too
prim and too proper. They're the classic Buddy Cop duo, with the type of
persevering strong friendship we've come to know and love - if not in
our own lives, in fiction.
A/N: Thanks to my beta reader, Nick, who spent the entire time saying
"they're just friends!"