Thursday, April 02, 2009

Oh, good Lord, what was THAT?


I have not been watching ABC's Life on Mars, but because I knew last night was the final episode and that the concept of the series was kind of cool (modern-day policeman somehow winds up in 1973 and wants to get home--is he crazy? in a coma? something else?) I watched the last 15 minutes to see how they'd conclude it.

The series was meant to be open-ended, but when ABC canceled it for low ratings, the producers were given enough time to wrap things up, in a different way than the British version on which it was based.

Holy crap! It's like they put a copy of every Philip K. Dick novel in a Cuisinart and pushed the "Pulverize" button. I can't decide if it was stupid-brilliant or the biggest-ever F.U. to a network and its viewers in the history of television (or, at least, since the last episode of St. Elsewhere). Maybe both. Why didn't they just have the entire cast wake up in bed with Suzanne Pleshette?

9 comments:

Qaro said...

Oh, is that what happened? Crap. I told my kids every show I like gets cancelled. I should just learn to like shows I don't like. For my own good. Did you see the last episode of "Chicago Hope"? That was most bizarre.

TwoBusy said...

1. I actually liked the finale to St. Elsewhere. Yeah, I'm that guy.

2. I saw the Life on Mars finale, and think your interpretation of it as a big F.U. is pretty much on the money... although it does explain the title. In a really, really stupid way.

If I was Harvey Keitel, I'd be pissed right now.

Mark H said...

Worse than "Fire Walk with Me"?

fermicat said...

PDM and I were cracking up at that ending.

Jim Donahue said...

Mark: I've blacked "Fire Walk" so completely from my memory that I can't answer that.

TB: Um... care to explain why you liked "St. Elsewhere" finale?

Dave said...

Ending whatever Newhart's show was called that time around, with him in bed was the best ever ending to a TV show. "I had this crazy dream."

MsYvone said...

I actually watched an episode or two, but missed the finale. WHAT HAPPENED!

Jim Donahue said...

Sam wakes up in a spaceship in 2035 heading to Mars. That's his reality--our present day and 1973 were dreams.

All of the other people on the ship are people from the 1973 dream. The captain of the ship is the police captain from 1973 AND he's Sam's father. And his name (ugh) Major Tom. They're going to Mars for a "gene hunt" (yes, character name Gene Hunt).

As the episode ends, they leave the space ship, and the camera pans down someone's leg (Keitel, I think), and he's wearing a 1973 white loafer. So, that's a dream too?

Ugh, who cares.

Oh, and SPOILERS.

Jim Donahue said...

Qaro: How'd "Chicago Hope" end? I only saw a couple episodes, and not the finale.