Review: GHTTB: LoM 1.5 and 1.6

Another two episodes this week, with a similar set of themes.

Life on Mars, Series One, Episode Five
"This is how it starts!!" Sam Tyler


If I'm honest, I found it difficult to connect with the issues in this episode, which were surrounding the sport of Football, something particularly prevalent around the Manchester area due to its two world-famous teams. From a less biased standpoint, the episode's main problem is its longwindedness and how it tries (and fails) to spread what should be a simple plot into an hour. It has some good moments that really stand out, but ultimately it's a very forgettable experience.
     A Manchester United supporter has been murdered and it looks like the death will ignite violence between fans of United and City. In an effort to discover who would kill such a well-loved family man, Gene, Sam and Annie go undercover at the victim's local pub, before Sam strings together some clues and finds the two men responsible - United fans spoiling for a fight with the opposition.
     This episode also dove into Sam's history and in particular his father issues - his father was a travelling salesman who used to take him to the matches, but abandoned him and his mother in 1973. This really works in parallel with how Sam tries to help the son of the victim come to terms with his father's death and not be influenced by the football hooliganism surrounding him.
     1.5 has some interesting themes but at the end of the day it's too convaluted to stay memorable for long.

Life on Mars, Series One, Episode Six 
"Nobody dies today."

A much more tense scenario, our obligatory Hostage Situation episode really pulled out all the stops in terms of emotional drama, with the hostage cut-off point corresponding to Sam's loss of Life Support. It had a bit of unneccesary baggage around the edges, but 1.6 kept its main focus well and didn't stray too far, while advancing the characters of Sam and Gene.
     Sam hears in his dreams that the doctors have found no signs of Brain Activity and so are planning to shut off his Life Support at 2:00. Back in 1973, and a hostage situation has arisn at the offices of a local newspaper where the hostage taker promises that "someone dies at 2." Sam is of course intrigued, and using 2006 police procedure manages to accidentally get him and Gene captured within the offices. The Hostage Taker is Reg, The Janitor, an unappreciated ex-soldier who feels like a coward after not killing anyone in Korea. Luckily, the Armed Ops save them at 2.00, as in the real world Sam's mother notices him smiling and stops the pull.
     Much more developed and driven than previous episodes, this episode really knows what it's doing with the material. There isn't any hesitation or filler - everything counts, and there are strong bonds between what's happening in the dream and what's happening in the real world.

Thanks.

P.S. For some reason I don't seem to be enjoying these reviews as much as I should, and thus my lack of posting. Also, this week's Super Sunday has had to be cancelled after unforseen circumstances made it impossible for me to write it.