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Series 2: Episode 7 (Life on Mars)
Encyclopedia
The seventh episode of the second series of the British
time travel
police procedural
television
series, Life on Mars
, was first broadcast on 3 April 2007. It was produced by Kudos Film & Television
for BBC One
.
turns to alcohol
but soon finds himself in a spot of bother. When it appears as though Hunt may have killed someone, it's up to Sam
, torn between Gene and his replacement, a DCI
who actually uses Sam's modern police techniques and vocabulary, to help him out and Hunt calls Sam when he finds the body.
Later that evening, Sam drives a severely intoxicated Gene back home, but the DCI directs him to Haslam's house instead. Gene storms out the car, puts a brick through the window and pulls out his gun. Sam drags him back to the car with Haslam giving chase on foot. Further on, Gene realises he has left his gun behind and heads back, alone.
Next morning Sam receives a call from Gene saying it appears he's killed a man. It transpires that he has woken up in Haslam's house to find him shot dead, with no recollection of events after leaving the pub. Sam finds Gene's gun, which has been fired, under the bed before the rest of the police turn up and arrest him.
An Acting DCI - Frank Morgan - is brought in from Hyde and both impresses and mystifies Sam with his very modern policing methods and public relations talk. When interviewed, Gene suggests that there was something suspect about Davie Mackay's behaviour in court and Sam pays him a visit. The boxer admits to stealing cash from Haslam, which prompted the beating.
Gene's drunk lawyer manages to secure his client's release, although Morgan insists that he secretly be watched. However, when Sam pays him a visit the next day he discovers that the murder suspect has evaded the detection of Ray and Chris, parked outside, by slipping away.
Sam visits Haslam's boxing gym and talks to trainer Pete Wilkes, who claims that Mackay didn't take any cash from the place, instead taking an envelope. He also implicates Gene Hunt with the letter, saying he and Haslam go back a long way. Following a road safety lesson with some children, Annie is told by Sam that he thinks a bribe for Gene was in the envelope. They are then called to the gym where Pete Wilkes has been murdered. Two witnesses claim to have seen Hunt at the gym shortly before the death. The news hits Chris and Ray hard as they are resigned to losing their DCI; they turn on Sam because of his closeness with Morgan.
Gene is waiting for Sam in his flat and pleads his innocence, whilst conceding that he used to take backhanders from Haslam. He claims that Haslam tried to blackmail him into not giving evidence against him in the assault case, but he had an attack of conscience and did so.
The pair head to the station with Gene in a rodent inspired disguise so as to look at the details of the case more closely. They then pay the crime scene a visit in a bid to jog Gene's memory but to no avail. However, Sam notices that Haslam's body was slumped on top of a heating vent which was preset to turn on at 2am every morning. This means that the time of death would have occurred hours earlier than previously thought.
Whilst driving through town, Gene recognises a familiar television shop that jogs memories from the night of the murder. An alibi is then found when an elderly lady says she saw him drunkenly slumped in a doorway that night - until a man matching Mackay's description bundled him into the back of a van. Gene then theorises that Mackay had motive for killing Haslam because he was supposed to have thrown his last fight - but didn't - thus incurring the assault.
After evading Chris and Ray yet again (with the help of another crook who owes Gene a favour), Gene - with Sam's help - confront Mackay at the gym where the former boxer confesses all. Gene, returned to DCI duties, then lambasts his fellow officers for believing he was capable of being a murderer. However, they are all soon drinking to celebrate his proven innocence.
Sam meets Annie on her way out from the party and the pair almost share a kiss, but the departing Morgan ruins the moment. Sam has a quick word in private with him, where Morgan says he's not to blame that "Hunt's wriggled out of it this time" and that he is doing all he can to bring him back home. The ambiguity of this statement leaves Sam stunned...
. His name is a pastiche of the character DCI Frank Haskins and Garfield Morgan
, the actor who played him. It also can be seen as a reference to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
as Frank Morgan
was the name of the actor who played the wizard in that production. Further references to The Wizard of Oz appear in the next episode, as well as throughout both series, most notably Gene Hunt's naming Sam as 'Dorothy'.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
time travel
Time travel in fiction
Time travel is a common theme in science fiction and is depicted in a variety of media. It simply means either going forward in time or backward, to experience the future, or the past.-Literature:...
police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series, Life on Mars
Life on Mars (TV series)
Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
, was first broadcast on 3 April 2007. It was produced by Kudos Film & Television
Kudos (production company)
Kudos Film and Television is a British independent film and television production company. It has produced television series for the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, and its productions include Spooks , Hustle, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard and M.I. High...
for BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
.
Synopsis
A water-tight court case fails to put away a local gangster. Unable to cope with a guilty man walking free, DCI HuntGene Hunt
DCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama Life on Mars and its sequel, Ashes to Ashes. The character is portrayed by Philip Glenister in both Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, whereas in the American version he is portrayed by Harvey Keitel.The...
turns to alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
but soon finds himself in a spot of bother. When it appears as though Hunt may have killed someone, it's up to Sam
Sam Tyler
DCI/DI Sam Tyler is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars.In the original British version of Life on Mars, Tyler is played by John Simm and in the American version he is played by Jason O'Mara....
, torn between Gene and his replacement, a DCI
DCI
-Technology:* D-chiro-inositol, an isomer of inositol* Data, Context, and Interaction, an architectural pattern in computer software development* Direct Count & Intersect, an algorithm for discovering frequent sets in large databases...
who actually uses Sam's modern police techniques and vocabulary, to help him out and Hunt calls Sam when he finds the body.
Plot
Boxing manager Terry Haslam is deemed not guilty of seriously assaulting retiring boxer Davie Mackay despite Gene Hunt's testimony that he witnessed the brutal attack. The fact that Mackay claims he fell down the stairs didn't help the chances of a conviction.Later that evening, Sam drives a severely intoxicated Gene back home, but the DCI directs him to Haslam's house instead. Gene storms out the car, puts a brick through the window and pulls out his gun. Sam drags him back to the car with Haslam giving chase on foot. Further on, Gene realises he has left his gun behind and heads back, alone.
Next morning Sam receives a call from Gene saying it appears he's killed a man. It transpires that he has woken up in Haslam's house to find him shot dead, with no recollection of events after leaving the pub. Sam finds Gene's gun, which has been fired, under the bed before the rest of the police turn up and arrest him.
An Acting DCI - Frank Morgan - is brought in from Hyde and both impresses and mystifies Sam with his very modern policing methods and public relations talk. When interviewed, Gene suggests that there was something suspect about Davie Mackay's behaviour in court and Sam pays him a visit. The boxer admits to stealing cash from Haslam, which prompted the beating.
Gene's drunk lawyer manages to secure his client's release, although Morgan insists that he secretly be watched. However, when Sam pays him a visit the next day he discovers that the murder suspect has evaded the detection of Ray and Chris, parked outside, by slipping away.
Sam visits Haslam's boxing gym and talks to trainer Pete Wilkes, who claims that Mackay didn't take any cash from the place, instead taking an envelope. He also implicates Gene Hunt with the letter, saying he and Haslam go back a long way. Following a road safety lesson with some children, Annie is told by Sam that he thinks a bribe for Gene was in the envelope. They are then called to the gym where Pete Wilkes has been murdered. Two witnesses claim to have seen Hunt at the gym shortly before the death. The news hits Chris and Ray hard as they are resigned to losing their DCI; they turn on Sam because of his closeness with Morgan.
Gene is waiting for Sam in his flat and pleads his innocence, whilst conceding that he used to take backhanders from Haslam. He claims that Haslam tried to blackmail him into not giving evidence against him in the assault case, but he had an attack of conscience and did so.
The pair head to the station with Gene in a rodent inspired disguise so as to look at the details of the case more closely. They then pay the crime scene a visit in a bid to jog Gene's memory but to no avail. However, Sam notices that Haslam's body was slumped on top of a heating vent which was preset to turn on at 2am every morning. This means that the time of death would have occurred hours earlier than previously thought.
Whilst driving through town, Gene recognises a familiar television shop that jogs memories from the night of the murder. An alibi is then found when an elderly lady says she saw him drunkenly slumped in a doorway that night - until a man matching Mackay's description bundled him into the back of a van. Gene then theorises that Mackay had motive for killing Haslam because he was supposed to have thrown his last fight - but didn't - thus incurring the assault.
After evading Chris and Ray yet again (with the help of another crook who owes Gene a favour), Gene - with Sam's help - confront Mackay at the gym where the former boxer confesses all. Gene, returned to DCI duties, then lambasts his fellow officers for believing he was capable of being a murderer. However, they are all soon drinking to celebrate his proven innocence.
Sam meets Annie on her way out from the party and the pair almost share a kiss, but the departing Morgan ruins the moment. Sam has a quick word in private with him, where Morgan says he's not to blame that "Hunt's wriggled out of it this time" and that he is doing all he can to bring him back home. The ambiguity of this statement leaves Sam stunned...
Cast
- Sam TylerSam TylerDCI/DI Sam Tyler is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars.In the original British version of Life on Mars, Tyler is played by John Simm and in the American version he is played by Jason O'Mara....
— John SimmJohn SimmJohn Simm is an English stage and screen actor. In recent years he is best known for his roles as Sam Tyler in the detective drama Life on Mars and as The Master in the revival of the science fiction series Doctor Who, but he has also starred in many highly acclaimed award-winning television... - Gene HuntGene HuntDCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama Life on Mars and its sequel, Ashes to Ashes. The character is portrayed by Philip Glenister in both Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, whereas in the American version he is portrayed by Harvey Keitel.The...
— Philip GlenisterPhilip GlenisterPhilip Haywood Glenister is an English actor, known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in British television series Life On Mars and its sequel Ashes To Ashes.-Television and films:... - Chris SkeltonChris SkeltonPC/DC Christopher "Chris" Skelton is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes.- Life on Mars :...
— Marshall LancasterMarshall LancasterMarshall Lancaster is a British actor. He has appeared in many television dramas, including Coronation Street, Holby City, The Lakes and Family Affairs, but is probably best known for playing DC Chris Skelton in the BBC time-travel police dramas, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes.Lancaster is a... - Ray CarlingRay CarlingDC/DS/DI Raymond Milton "Ray" Carling is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars and its spin-off Ashes to Ashes.-Life on Mars:...
— Dean AndrewsDean AndrewsDean Andrews is a British actor.He is most famous for his role as DS Ray Carling in the BBC Television drama Life on Mars... - Annie CartwrightAnnie CartwrightWPC/DC Annie Cartwright is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars. The character is portrayed by Liz White...
— Liz WhiteLiz White (actress)Liz White is an English actress, best known for her regular role as WPC/WDC Annie Cartwright in the BBC time travel drama Life on Mars, which began in January 2006... - Nelson — Tony Marshall
- Phyllis DobbsPhyllis DobbsWPC Phyllis Dobbs is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars. The character is portrayed by Noreen Kershaw, whereas in the American version the character does not exist except for a very minor capacity....
— Noreen KershawNoreen KershawNoreen Kershaw is an English television actress and director.She trained at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre and, at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre, originated the title role of the play Shirley Valentine, later made famous by Pauline Collins... - Test Card Girl — Harriet Rogers
- Frank Morgan — Ralph BrownRalph BrownRalph William John Brown is an English actor and writer, known for playing Danny the drug dealer in Withnail and I, the security guard Aaron in Alien 3, DJ Bob Silver in The Boat That Rocked, and the pilot Ric Olié in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace...
- Davie Mackay — Kieran O'BrienKieran O'BrienKieran O'Brien is an English actor.-Biography:O'Brien, who grew up in nearby Royton, began acting at a early age and was the star of a BBC TV series Gruey by the time he was 15. He also featured in several other series at the time in one-off or recurring roles...
- Terry Haslam — Seamus O'Neill
- Pete Wilkes — Ian Hanmore
- Colin Merrick — Jason Watkins
- Barrister - Corinne Wicks
- Meter Man - Johnny Leeze
- Sue - Genevieve Walsh
Cultural references
The character of Frank Morgan is a reference to The SweeneyThe Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
. His name is a pastiche of the character DCI Frank Haskins and Garfield Morgan
Garfield Morgan
Garfield Morgan was an English actor who appeared mostly on TV and occasionally in films.Born in Birmingham, Morgan was apprenticed as a dental mechanic before going to drama school. He started his acting career with the Arena Theatre, Birmingham...
, the actor who played him. It also can be seen as a reference to the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
as Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of the title character in the film The Wizard of Oz.-Early life:...
was the name of the actor who played the wizard in that production. Further references to The Wizard of Oz appear in the next episode, as well as throughout both series, most notably Gene Hunt's naming Sam as 'Dorothy'.
Music
- "Many A Mile To Freedom" - TrafficTraffic (band)Traffic were an English rock band whose members came from the West Midlands. The group formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason...
- "Evening Blue" - Traffic
- "Virginia PlainVirginia Plain"Virginia Plain" is a song by British glam rock group Roxy Music, released as their debut single in August 1972. Written by Roxy frontman Bryan Ferry, "Virginia Plain" was recorded by his band in July 1972 at London's Command Studios...
" - Roxy MusicRoxy MusicRoxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson... - "Cindy Incidentally" - FacesFaces (band)Faces are an English rock band formed in 1969 by members of the Small Faces after Steve Marriott left that group to form Humble Pie...
- "Done Me Wrong Alright" - SweetSweet (band)Sweet was a British rock band that rose to worldwide fame in the 1970s as one of the most prominent glam rock acts, with the classic line-up of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bass player Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott, and drummer Mick Tucker.Sweet was formed in 1968 and achieved their first...
- "Crossroads" - CreamCream (band)Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
- "Rock 'N' Roll Disgrace" - Sweet
- "One Of The Boys" - Mott the HoopleMott the HoopleMott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
External links
- Episode 7 at bbc.co.ukBbc.co.ukBBC Online is the brand name and home for the BBC's UK online service. It is a large network of websites including such high profile sites as BBC News and Sport, the on-demand video and radio services co-branded BBC iPlayer, the pre-school site Cbeebies, and learning services such as Bitesize...
- Episode 7 at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Episode 7 at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...