Life on Mars is class - Ashes to Ashes discussion/spoilers too

[MagicBoy]

I missed the last half series of Life on Mars. Only started watching it originally because my work was used as the outside of the police station!

Ashes to Ashes pricked my interest up last week, so dusted off the old unwatched recordings of LoM and watched the final 4 back to back then Ashes to Ashes last night.

Ashes seems less serious than LoM, and it doesn't help that it's gone all Laaandon. They seem to have ratcheted up the funny (see above), and Keeley Hawes in a non-existent skirt is always a good thing! I'll give it a couple of eps to settle down.

There's a few cracks in the plot regarding the setup between the the two. It's a much better job than the Sarah Connor chronicles lash up however.

 

[MagicBoy]

/Geek car spotting mode on

Oh and I just twigged they screwed up the car again!

The 1981 Quattro's had quad headlights, were all left hand drive and only a couple of hundred got into the UK if memory serves. The TV car is an 1983/1984 car with the facelift front grill and combined lights.

/Geek car spotting mode off

 

[Hades]

Absolutely loved LoM and Sam Tyler/John Simm was fantastic. AtA is good too but not (yet) in the same way. But, being 38, the 80's was my era and a great time to live. So I'm looking forward to the next episode.

 

[Tax Evader]

/Geek car spotting mode on

Oh and I just twigged they screwed up the car again!

The 1981 Quattro's had quad headlights, were all left hand drive and only a couple of hundred got into the UK if memory serves. The TV car is an 1983/1984 car with the facelift front grill and combined lights.

/Geek car spotting mode off

A few weeks ago I read a magazine interview with Philip Glenister where he said the geeks would spot that one!

 

[MagicBoy]

I can't imagine it would be easy to find a proper 1981 car, probably all went rallying or into private collections.

 

[simisker]

5 REM *** With apologies to programmers everywhere, unless you actually start pointing out the many logic and syntax flaws, in which case GTFO ***
10 IF (decade>1969 AND decade<1980) THEN GOTO 50 ELSE IF (decade>1979 AND decade<1990) GOTO 70;
20 PRINT "SIMISKER IS COOL AND DIXONS SMELLS OF WEE";
30 GOTO 10;
40 END;
50 LET gender$="Male", setting$="North", car$="Ford Cortina", unexplainedspookynemesis$="Test Card Girl", genehunt$="true", referenceblatancy=64, cheese=96, budget=64, budgetappearance=96, swearing$="false";
60 RUN "nostalgiccopshowformula.exe";
70 LET gender$="Female", setting$="Saaaarf", car$="Audi Quattro", unexplainedspookynemesis$="Bowie Clown", genehunt$="true", referenceblatancy=127, cheese=127, budget=96, budgetappearance=32, swearing$="false";
80 RUN "nostalgiccopshowformula.exe";
90 episode=episode+1;
100 GOTO 10

And that, it would appear, is how they did it.

I mean, really: that 'docklands shootout'.... I was half expecting to hear the actors going "Pyow! Pyow", "Drrrrrrr-uh! Drrrrrr-uh!" and so on. You'd have thought the budget would have been a little higher, given it's the sequel to a highly successful series.

I really like LoM, and I 'grew up' in the eighties - maybe it was the fact that there's less distance between the period and now, but was very poor; must pick up next episode.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

I mean, really: that 'docklands shootout'.... I was half expecting to hear the actors going "Pyow! Pyow", "Drrrrrrr-uh! Drrrrrr-uh!" and so on.

If I remember correctly they did exactly the same in LOM.
There were several shootouts where nobody got hurt.
Perhaps I'm a bit thick or easily pleased but apart from the main character its exactly the same except for the crap music.

 

[Mad old tory]

Shootouts where nobody gets hurt are common in loads of programs, don't think it's particularly fair to level that criticism purely at Ashes to Ashes.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

Shootouts where nobody gets hurt are common in loads of programs, don't think it's particularly fair to level that criticism purely at Ashes to Ashes.

Especially when LOM did it as well.

 

[simisker]

I think you've both misinterpreted my comment. The implication wasn't that everyone somehow comes out the other end of a gunfight unscathed, it was that there was much less suspension of disbelief.

Because the 80s is closer chronologically, there are fewer chances to hang your disbelief on the hooks of period bell-bottoms and hairy wigs, so instead of a gripping shootout that at least made a game stab at transporting you 'back in time', we were shown something that was more obviously grown adults playing at 'cops and robbers' down the local rec. An homage to Eighties cop shows like Miami Vice it was not.

Anyway, don't get hung up on that; the point I was trying to make was one in agreement with dmpoole and Rotty: it's exactly the same formula as LOM, only with less suspension-of-disbelief hooks. Some novelty would have been nice.

I wonder if they're going to play heavily on the "will they/won't they" relationship between Alex and Gene. Oh that's right, of course they are.

 

[Adnams Drinker]

I wondered if I was viewing it through rose-tinted glasses on Thursday, so I watched it again on the iPlayer this morning.

I've got to say I enjoyed it just as much - it's lighter in tone to LoM but no less enjoyable for that. The 80s setting makes it all the more so - I was coming up to my 12th birthday in 1981 and it was the decade when I first took an interest in music and the wider world around me.

There are going to be so many “OMG, I remember that ...” moments in this series, the only trouble being that it will serve to remind me what an old fart I am now ...

 

[Old Wino]

..

 

[Vonhelmet]

This series = epic fail

While you're at it, tell me next week's lottery numbers.

 

[SexyGreyFox]

She's too posh, too old

MILF and in real life she's also bisexual.
Works on every level for me

 

[MagicBoy]

She's too posh, too old i.e. not right for the part

30 is too old. Ha hahahahaha

Was John Simm to old for Life on Mars?

 

[Badger2003]

Great series - looking forward to next episode

 

[Hades]

God I miss all that 80's stuff so much now. Sorry I'm an old fart I know.

 

[helpimcrap]

i loved LOM, but i'm a bit disappointed with ATA so far.

 

[Toekiller]

Stonking.

"some people have balls to pull the trigger. You are one of those that don't"

"Bang"

 

[PsiFox]

Shootouts where nobody gets hurt are common in loads of programs, don't think it's particularly fair to level that criticism purely at Ashes to Ashes.

I thought it was perhaps a homage to The A Team where they would bundle out of a vehicle guns blazing and kill no no-one.

(Before any one points it out I know the A Team did not start until 1983)