Life on Mars - discussion guide

 
 Series 1:Amazon.co.uk
Series 2: Amazon.co.uk

Summary

Life On Mars is high-concept television. Modern-day detective Sam Tyler (John Simm) is knocked down by a car, and wakes up to discover that he is somehow now living in 1973. Has he really gone back in time? Is he comatose in a hospital bed in 2006, with his subconscious playing tricks on him? Or is he, to borrow another David Bowie song title, just a lad insane? Over the course of eight episodes, Sam tries to resolve his existential dilemma while also applying twenty-first century policing to the less structured world of a previous era. Regardless of whether his problem is a temporal or a subconscious one, Sam sets about trying to find out why he is trapped in 1973, and what he has to do to get back to his normal life.

The show never reveals whether we are watching Sam's reality, or merely the subconscious creation of his own mind. John Simm as Sam features in every single scene, leaving open the interpretation that his world is in fact a construct of his own mind.

Background

When production company Kudos asked Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah to spend a weekend in Blackpool coming up with ideas for a new returning drama series, the writers quickly came to two conclusions. First of all, that they were all sick and tired of police shows; and secondly that they thought the BBC would quite like another police show. The rest of their discussion was spent trying to square the circle by coming up with the kind of police show that they might actually watch themselves. The Sweeney (ITV, 1975-78) soon emerged as a common favourite, and they decided to try to recreate something of that show's appeal.

The concept of a modern policeman transported to the very different world of the 1970s was quickly established, although the initial plans were for a very different feel. Graham comments, 'originally the show was entitled Ford Granada but it always featured Sam falling back from the present day. The early versions were much lighter in tone with no Test Card Girl and no talking tellies. Over the years it got a lot more twisted and complex with numerous alternatives springing up for why and how Sam has found himself in 1973.' (www.bbc.co.uk/drama/lifeonmars/ )

As well as TV cop shows, the show's creators have acknowledged the influence of films such as Get Carter or All The President's Men on the visual style of Life On Mars. Thematically, the genre of Western movies is also significant, with Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) - Sam's new boss in 1973 - explicitly linked (by himself and several other characters) with the figure of a Sheriff in a lawless, frontier town: a good man who has to do bad things to preserve law and order for the townspeople. The show takes its title from the song 'Life On Mars' from David Bowie's 1971 LP Hunky Dory. Sam is listening to this song on his car stereo immediately before his accident, and the use of popular music from the 1970s plays an important role in creating the atmosphere of the show.

The relationship between Sam and Gene anchors the show. Each episode, to a greater or lesser extent, features a culture clash between the two. Sam's methodical, evidence-based case building contrasts with his superior's less scientific reliance on his instincts (ably supported by intimidation, violence and, when necessary, stitching up a suspect).

As well as demonstrating the far-reaching changes in both popular culture and the culture of law enforcement over the last thirty years, the show also reflects on wide-ranging social issues. Individual episodes touch on subjects such as police corruption, industrial decline and football violence. But this isn't to say that Life On Mars is simply a lesson in history and sociology. Each episode plays to traditional dramatic strengths of well-drawn characters in a good story told in a compelling manner. There is much humour drawn from the vast gulf between Sam's worldview and those of his new colleagues. The character of Gene is a particularly rich source of comedy, with Philip Glenister taking what could have been a two dimensional amalgam of clichés and creating a complex, fully rounded character with surprising depth.

Each episode also throws up parallels with Sam's 2006 life, adding to the central question of whether he really has been transported back to 1973, or whether his subconscious has constructed everything that he is experiencing. Sam's family appear in more than one episode, and his superior officer's full name (Gene Hunt) is suitably laden with double meaning to provide, perhaps, a clue as to the nature of Sam's purpose in 1973.

In November 2006, Life On Mars won the title of Best Drama Show at the International Emmy Awards, and David E. Kelley (the creator of Ally McBeal) is producing an American version of the show for the ABC network. In October 2006, the BBC announced that a second series of Life On Mars, due to be broadcast in early 2007, will be the final series and will finally resolve the issue of what is happening to Sam.

Questions for Discussion

1. Is the action of Life On Mars real, or is it all in Sam's head? What evidence is there to support each side of the argument?

2. Which is your favourite character in Life On Mars? Why?

3. Do you have a favourite episode? What makes that episode stand out from the rest of the series?

4. Are you old enough to remember the 1970s? If so, did the portrayal of the period in the show ring true? Was there anything about life in the 1970s that you had forgotten about? What does this suggest about progress and the way we adapt to cultural and technological changes over time?

5. 'The series both draws on and challenges the idea of nostalgia. I think people today often think "Oh, things were much better in the past", and I think the series asks the question, "were things much better in the past?"' (Claire Parker).

Were things much better in the past? What elements of the 1970s world that Sam discovers are better than his 2006 life? What elements are worse?

6. If you could travel back in time, what year would you choose to live in and why?

7. What do you think Sam learns from working with Gene? What does Gene learn from working with Sam? What unlikely sources have you learned things from? What did you learn?

8. How do Sam's various 1973 colleagues react to his very different approach to policing? Why are Annie and Chris more open to Sam's methods than Ray? Who have been the most influential people in your life? How do you determine whether somebody is a good or bad role model for you?

9. 'You can't change this world, Sam; you can only learn how to survive in it.' (Gene Hunt, episode 7)

Sam finds himself living in a world with very different values to his own. Have you ever found yourself in an environment where your values are markedly different to those of the people around you? How did you respond to that situation? How do you decide when to compromise and when to make a stand? How does the example of biblical figures such as Daniel help you to decide on these issues (see Daniel 1:8-15; 6:1-28)?

10. 'I've never fitted anyone up who didn't deserve it' (Gene Hunt, episode 2)

'The public don't give a damn what we do, so long as we get results' (Gene Hunt, episode 7)

How would you describe Gene's attitude towards justice? How does it differ from Sam's? How would you define justice?

11. What significance is there in Gene's affection for Western movies? How is the concept of the Western lawman explored in the series? Is Gene's perception of his role a good or bad thing?

12. 'Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whatever's happened, it's like I've landed on a different planet. Now maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home' (Sam Tyler, title sequence of every episode)

'Maybe you're here for a reason, to make a difference' (Annie Cartwright, episode 1)

Does the world of Life On Mars (whether real or a figment of Sam's subconscious) suggest that life has a sense of order and purpose, or that it is meaningless coincidence? Do you think that there is an overarching purpose to life, or is life just meaningless apart from whatever purpose we choose to create for ourselves?

13. Does Sam's dilemma have any wider significance for those of us who don't believe we have been victims of involuntary time-travel? How can we be sure that what we think of as 'real life' is real? Have you ever doubted something that you were previously sure of? How do you decide which certainties to build your life on?

14. 'You've always got to follow the truth, even if it brings the whole damn thing crashing down around you' (Nelson, episode 7)

Do you agree with Nelson? What does it mean to 'always follow the truth'? What consequences have you faced in your life for sticking to the truth in difficult circumstances? What are the implications of Jesus Christ's claim that the truth will set us free, and that he himself is the ultimate truth (John 8:32; 14:6)?

15. Gene talks about having taken bribes, describing the knowledge that he has done so as feeling 'like there's an animal eating away at my insides' (episode 4). Have you ever done something that has left you feeling that bad? What can someone do to deal with such feelings of guilt? You may find it helpful to consider John 7:36-50 in your discussions of this question.

16. 'You're not lost, Pal, you're where you are and you have to make the best of it. It's all you can do' (Nelson, episode 1)

What does it mean for us to 'make the best of it' in whatever situations we find ourselves in? Is this all we can do? What light do Bible passages such as Philippians 4:12-13 bring to this question?

17. 'It's a beautiful, wonderful life, Joannie. Too beautiful to waste dancing in a rusty cage for a man like that' (Sam Tyler, episode 4). Is life beautiful and wonderful? How can you make sure that you aren't wasting life?

18. Why are Sam's various interactions with members of his family so significant for him? What does this suggest about the nature of family? Why do you think that Sam is so concerned to advise the boy whose father is killed in episode 5?

19. 'Do you see now, nothing's going to make you wake up, because you're already awake'

'I'm never going to believe that' (Annie and Sam, episode 8)

How did you respond to the conclusion of the series? What did you feel about Sam's encounters with his father? How did you feel about the way that events in the final episode related to Sam's childhood experiences and memories? Did Sam do the right thing? Given that Sam has not 'woken up', does the end of the series change anything for Sam? How do you think the second (and final) series will resolve Sam's dilemma?

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