Life on Mars

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS!

"Life on Mars" is a British series with some pretty odd twists. The main character, Sam Tyler, is a police officer from the year 2006 who mysteriously finds himself in the year 1973 after a traffic accident. It's never made clear whether Tyler is a time traveller or just dreaming the whole thing. However, his physical body still remains in 2006. Are we to believe Wikipedia, Sam Tyler is actually named after Rose Tyler from "Doctor Who", a series featuring time travellers.

Tyler is a very progressive, politically correct and law-abiding police officer. Back in 1973, he is shocked to find a police force infested by racism, sexism, homophobia and corruption. Forensics are almost unknown, and most "investigations" are carried out by simply beating up the usual round of suspects.

But no, the series isn't "PC" in and of itself. Rather, it's built around the tension between the soft cop Tyler and his rogue colleague Gene Hunt (who doesn't understand that Tyler is from the future - he thinks Tyler is simply transferred from another district). The constant conflicts between the two are quite fun to watch! Eventually, of course, they are forced to co-operate.

The plot of most episodes revolves around the usual murder mysteries, but Tyler also meets people from his past which forces him to reflect more deeply on his own past and present. Some of the crimes investigated in 1973 turn out to have connections to events in 2006. Occasionally, our hero is tormented by a supernatural character known simply as the Test Card Girl, who makes him believe that he is going insane (as well he might, meeting a character like this one!).

Only two seasons were produced, but there is a later series, "Ashes to ashes" in which Gene Hunt meets another police officer from the future. It seems the concept was too good to drop...

So what happened to Sam Tyler, then? Were his experiences in 1973 just a dream, or did he actually journey back in time? The series never really explains it. In the last episode of season two, Tyler apparently dies in 2006, but his alter ego is happily stuck in 1973. Or is it? The end of the last episode could also be interpreted as a near-death experience. Usually, I don't like series with inconclusive endings. I mean, I'm old enough to remember "Twin Peaks"! However, "Life on Mars" is so well done, that the inconclusive ending feels like a logical part of the show.