Better Late Than Never: Sara's Best of 2008...

I’m a little late to the “Best of 2008” game, but I decided to go ahead and join in on the fun. I picked my Top 5 TV shows/moments this year, and while admittedly, I did not get to watch as much television as would have liked to, I think it’s a pretty good list. So, for what it is worth, here they are:

1) Lost
I have always been a big supporter of Lost, never missing an episode. I watched this entire season via iTunes, which was sometimes frustrating as I waited for each new episode to become available. This was the season that Lost showed its true sci-fi feathers (and I for one couldn’t be more happy), picked up the story telling pace, gave us a few answers and more mystery, got Penny and Desmond back together, and generally got its groove back. All those that left came crawling back, and those of us that stayed go to be smug about staying. He he. I can’t wait for the new season, and I suspect it will be one of the things that will get me through the dreary London winter.

2) Summer Heights High
My most recent post tells you why I love it, and it ranks as my best find of 2008. It also is my first non-American or English show to fall in love with, and is indicative of what I get see while in England. Hopefully this will lead to some exciting new posts.

3) The calling of California, Washington, and Hawaii for Barack Obama on the BBC, and the subsequent election coverage…
On a cold November morning, at 4 am GMT, thousands of miles away from my country, and in the quiet of my living room, I watched history being made. The BBC had a countdown, the calling of the win, and then just showed the jubilation, sans commentary for a few minutes. It was the best way to cover it since the election itself had all the pieces to a good drama, with suspense, a history making aspect, and most of all great dialogue. I was glued to the television that night through Obama’s speech, and after some sleep, all the next day. I can say it is a television moment (and a life moment) I will never forget.

4) Battlestar Galactica
While not its best year, it still delivers better than most. With great acting, generally great storytelling, and the weight of a penultimate season, it, like Lost, has me biting my nails to see what’s next. This leads me to ask of you, once again, please rent the DVDs from previous seasons, realize what a great show this is, and give it the send off it deserves.

5) Comparing the two Life on Mars
I tried not to do it, but do it I did. As a major fan of the BBC’s Life on Mars, I just couldn’t help comparing the American version to the original. Once I realized I was going to compare, I embraced it, and went all out. It was fun to be in the know on many storylines, to wonder about the differences in the two shows and why they were made, argue with myself on the merits of John Simm v. Jason O’Mara, or more importantly Philip Glenister v. Harvey Keitel, and to wonder just how different the ending will be.

A television related highlight for me, that didn’t occur on TV, was being a featured blogger on TV Guide.com. Unfortunately, TV Guide.com has ended that community, but it was fun while it lasted! It was for my post, originally published here, about how hard it is to watch tv legally. I was going to link to it, but it seems to have disappeared. In fact I see there are a lot of changes at that website, and I'm not sure I like it. But, that's another whole post!

I should also give Ashes to Ashes, Lost in Austen, The Bill, Fringe, and SNL’s election coverage aHonorable Mentions, for entertaining me greatly this past year.

I also cannot let the new year pass without some Two Girls in Love, with TV resolutions. The first being: BLOG MORE OFTEN. The rest are a little more nuanced, and start with watching Mad Men, catching up with 30 Rock, discovering new British shows, and oh did I mention, BLOG MORE OFTEN.

I am also really going to work to increase the readership of the blog, so if you read please comment and send your friends on over here. I promise there will be posts on a more regular basis.

I will see you all soon. Happy New Year!

Is the "Life on Mars?"

I hope you will forgive me for the bad pun that is the title, and if it hasn't made you roll your eyes too much, I hope you will continue reading.  I do also realize the title is in reference to the David Bowie song not the red planet that is our neighbor in this universe, but not being one to pass up obvious puns, I just couldn't help myself.  

What follows is a fairly lengthy post that covers generally the first two episodes of the U.S. Life on Mars. It isn't too spoilery, but if you don't want to know anything about the second episode please proceed with caution.

We are now two episodes into the new Life on Mars staring Jason O'Mara, Harvey Keitel, and Grethen Mol.  Oh, and that Soprano's Guy. This has been the new show I have been most excited to watch, and in the interest of full disclosure this is partially because I loved the UK Life on Mars.  And, despite my best efforts to NOT compare the two, I realize that was sort of impossible. (Just like if the UK decided to do a TV show called Lost about survivors of a plane crash, there is no way I couldn't compare it to you know,  Lost).  So, I decided to stop fighting this desire to not compare.  Hopefully, I have at least compared on merit and not because it isn't the UK Life on Mars. 

In answer to my title, yes I think there is Life on Mars.  If you are not familiar with the story line the gist is that a modern-day New York City cop, Sam Tyler,  is somehow transported back to the early 1970s after a car accident.  The first episode was nearly a carbon copy of the original, but it was done well.  The one part near the end,  that was not a carbon copy is a very interesting change; I am withholding judgment on this change until later in the season to decide if this change is indicative of a larger one in the overall premise of the show.  For now I will file it under the "Things that make you go hmmm" category, and I  promise to revisit it at a later date.  

Life on Mars is well shot, well-acted, and at least so far, well-written. I have not had any moments where I thought something happened too conveniently or was used as a plot device. In short, it as all seemed very organic.    I liked it and I want to see more.  

At the basic level this show is about relationships; the crime of the week is a way of examining the relationships Sam has with people both present and past (or present and future depending on how you want to look at it).  The most interesting and important of these, in my opinion,  is the one that develops between Sam and Gene Hunt, the Lieutenant in charge of the 125 Division. They are certainly a ying and a yang; Sam is meant to be more nuanced and a thinker, Gene is more simply brute force.  That the technology (or lack thereof) of the 1970s dictates a different way of policing than it does in late 2000s has a lot to do with these basic differences. Sam and Gene are at first very antagonistic toward each other, but as shown in the second episode, are growing to respect each other.  Gene's character is very revealing of Sam's inner-character in the UK edition, we'll see how it is in this one.

The other relationship I was most drawn to in the UK series is that of Annie the 1970s woman who wants to be in the force at a time when women were not doing this.   As a feminist, I always loved Annie's character, and was often frustrated at the obstacles she had to face.  Sam, being from a world where women are very involved (if not yet completely equal) in the force, more naturally believes in Annie's abilities. They grow quite close and I will be interested in to see where this relationship goes in the new one.    

There are two major differences I have found between the editions, outside of the fact that the original is only a little over 20 episodes total.  (I've already talked about what this means for UK shows versus American ones, so I won't bore you again.) The first is the character of Gene Hunt. Phillip Glenister has done a wonderful job of portraying this man first in Life on Mars and now in the current series Ashes to Ashes.  Gene Hunt is the only character I've really ever seen this actor in, so for me he is Gene Hunt.  This makes it difficult for me to form an opinion of Harvey Keitel's portrayal of Hunt.  First off, being more familiar with Keitel's resume and the type of characters he plays, I find it hard for me to warm to him.  After the first episode it was sort of difficult for me to see how Sam and Gene were going to build the relationship they had in the UK edition. The lines were the same in the two editions, but the feeling was different. However, I was much more pleased with how he was written and played in the second episode, and I am slowly getting into the new Gene Hunt. In the interest of not writing off anyone who is not Phillip Glenister, I am trying to keep that mind open. 

The other major issue is not so much a fault of the show as it is an overall problem I have with Hollywood, which is the need for everyone to be so good-looking. I love John Simm, the original Sam Tyler, and certainly he is attractive. However, he is no Jason O'Mara, he of the piecing blue eyes and strong jaw. Similarly, one of the areas that I most loved about UK Annie (Liz White) is that she was a very attainable beauty.  Good looking, but not Hollywood.  But, the U.S. had to go and make her blond,  and skinnier, and more glamourous.  Now, I don't have a problem with Gretchen Mol, I think she has done an admirable job. In fact, she is in her later 30s, which I find to be refreshing over all the 20-something young things out there.  But, every single cast member is more conventionally attractive in this cast, (than the other one) and I am sort of over Hollywood's narrow idea of beauty, especially in women. I think deep-down I always knew that the actress playing the UK Annie would never have been cast in that role in the US, and I suppose I was just disappointed to have that theory proven.  

There are other small differences, including a new character that did not exist in the first, but these don't detract from the show at all.  I love seeing 1970s New York. There was another pilot done for this show, with a mostly different cast that was set in Los Angeles.  I have to say that the choice to change the location to New York makes so much sense to me.  I think all of us can be in agreement that 1970s NYC is more interesting than 1970s L.A.   

To end a really long post, Life on Mars has stayed on my list of American shows I will make an effort to watch in the U.K.   Considering how much effort this sometimes means this is tantamount to "two thumbs up."  I'll be back mid-season to discuss it some more.  In the meantime, please (please please) tell me your thoughts in the comments section.