“Life on Mars”: Sam’s Parents Blow His Mind
-
- November
- 25
And wouldn’t YOU flip out if the grown-up you met your parents 35 years ago, back when they were about your current age? That’s what happened to Our Hero, Det. Sam Tyler, on the most recent episode of “Life on Mars,” ABC’s top-flight (though ratings-challenged) sci-fi cop show.
The installment opened with a scene set in Coney Island—the real Coney Island. (Can you imagine how cheesy and phony it would have looked had the show tried to recreate the famous amusement park and beach on some Hollywood set?) Turns out that C.I. is where Sam runs into his father, Vic (“Rescue Me’s” Dean Winters), who is allegedly picking up ransom money for some alleged hoodlums to whom he owes money. Sam then decides that he is back in 1973 to prevent Vic from leaving his wife and kid.
Over the course of episode, Sam gets to know his father, who had suddenly and inexplicitly permanently split in the middle of little Sammy’s 4th birthday party—an event that badly scarred Sam for the rest of his life. Sam and Vic played basketball together and Vic told adult Sam how much little Sam meant to him. In fact, big Sam was following Vic so closely that at one point, Vic asked adult Sam if he was trying to romantically hit on him. (What a creepy mind-twister that must have been for poor Sam!)
In the end, Sam saw with his own eyes that his father was a big-time liar and criminal, and why he had left little Sammy and his mother high and dry. The face-off between Vic and Sam in the park also brought back a painful, long-suppressed childhood memory about his father-and not a good one at that. Adult Sam also saved the life of policewoman Annie Norris, who must now be alive in 2008.
Some funny moments: when Sam referred to the Amber Alert System, tried to “high five” his father (although I’m not quite sure that high-fiving was not around back then) and pretended he was on the basketball court with early-’70s Knicks greats Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Phil Jackson and Dave DeBusschere. Also Sam’s mother continued to call him Det. Luke Skywalker, and Sam slipped once and called her “Mom.”
Here are my questions of the week:
1) Although his theory was correct in the end, why did Sam believe that plowing through the numbers and letters printed on the bottom right corners of old police records would lead him to 35 Stewart Drive, where a creepy voice told him to go to the basement. Sure, Vic had mentioned that the secret to solving crossword puzzles always lay in the bottom right-corner boxes, but what in the world about that would lead Sam to the 125th’s filing cabinets.
2) Why has the adult Sam avoided meeting his 4-year-old self each time he’s had the opportunity? I can’t think of anything bad that would happen—such as his messng up his own destiny—if the two encountered each other. I have often wondered what I was like as a little kid and, unlike Sam, curiosity would have gotten the best of me. I have wondered even more what my parents were like in their 20s and 30s.
Here’s the rundown of the episode’s songs: “Everything I Own” by Bread; “Reelin’ in the Years” by Steely Dan; “Life on Mars” by David Bowie; and “Spaceman” by Harry Nilsson. Incidentally, I once read that rather than a love song from a man to a woman, Bread’s David Gates wrote “Everything I Own” in tribute to his late father. Also, the Alphabet Network invites viewers to catch 1973’s greatest hits on “Life on Mars Radio” at ABC.com.
Let us thank the ABC programming executives—even though they’re probably only about three years out of college and still call their mommies and daddies for advice—for not canceling “Life on Mars” (at least not right away). It was spared from the chopping block, unlike other newbies “Easy Money, “Valentine,” “Do Not Disturb,” “Crusoe” and “The Ex List.” “Dirty Sexy Money” was also (sob) axed. “Mars” returns Wednesday, January 28, following a first-run “Lost.
(Photos: ABC/John Clifford)
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at 3:21 pm by Jenny Higgons.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Print
| 
Email
