Life On Mars Pilot Recap
October 10, 2008 by brian
now loading…
the best visual content,
for the best publishers
Email image to a friend
Publish this image
Life on Mars 1.01 Pilot Recap
Air Date: Oct. 9, 2008
Our hero, Sam Tyler, is discussing meeting his girlfriend Maya’s parents. They agree to talk about it later. Because right now, they’re on the trail of serial killer suspect Colin Raimes. After the obligatory chase, Tyler brings him down and we go to the interview.
The suspect has a pretty good alibi, he was playing craps at a casino and they have security camera footage proving it. But after running a check, the department finds out the suspect has a twin brother who’s a gambler.
Tyler’s on his way to find Raimes but Maya was tracking him also. She gets kidnapped and as Sam rushes off to find her, he gets run down by a car. Here’s where the high concept happens.
Tyler wakes up in 1973, but does have a car and apparently a police job. He refuses to believe when he is until he looks up at the New York skyline and sees the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
Still in disbelief, Tyler goes to the 125th Precinct and goes on a rant about being from the 21st century. He even mentions wanting his computer and somebody goes “What? Like HAL in 2001?”
In the midst of all this, the commotion wakes up Lt. Gene Hunt, who’s in charge around here. Hunt takes Tyler into his office for a little talk and beats the crap out of him. They send Tyler to Annie Norris, who passes for a nurse around these parts. He tell her the 2008 story and she suggests he shouldn’t let anyone else in on that.
They find a murder victim killed same way and the same fiber under her fingernails that the police found in 2008. Annie takes Sam home and assures him all this is real. To prove it, she lets him feel her heartbeat. She notes that if this were a dream, she might let his hand linger on her chest for a moment. After Annie leaves, Sam watches some TV and hears the voice of the doctor saying they’re not sure if he’ll ever wake up. Frustrated, he yells at the TV for help.
At the precinct, they find a young girl who might have a lead on the killings. Sam tries his charm but Hunt would rather rough the girl up. Yeah, Tyler and Hunt are not going to get along here.
They have a meeting to discuss the case and Sam asks Annie to help with presentation, they discuss the psychological profile. Of course, Lt. Hunt isn’t buying it. Completely embarrassed, Annie asks never to do that again.
Sam tries to “walk it off,” theorizing if he walks far enough his mind won’t be able to imagine any more details of 1973 New York. He goes into a record store his mom used to take him to and figures out the material under the girl’s fingers was acoustic padding. The killer keeps his victims quiet by soundproofing the room he hides them in. finds a huge break in the case. It’s acoustic padding.
It turns out that Collin Raimes’ grandmother filed a complaint against her neighbor a month ago. Sam asks them to bring her in, saying he has a hunch. Grandma can’t remember much and this time it’s Hunt who lays the smoothness on. She remembers that the guy she complained about still lives there but now she can’t hear his loud music at all. That’s right, fans. Acoustic padding. The cops hightail over to the suspect’s house and breaking into his apartment they find the kidnapped girl, the same young girl they interviewed earlier. Tyler’s on another chase. The suspect, Willie, gets the drop on him.
Figuring that he can’t die since none of this is real, Sam tries to get Willie to shoot him. Willie’s alarmed by the whole scenario and can’t pull the trigger, giving the cops time to catch up.
Sam realizes that Collin Raimes idolized Willie and thus became a copycat killer. Finally he goes and talks to young Colin. Colin said he wants to be like Willie, because he’s not afraid of anything while Colin is afraid of everything. Sam tells him the importance of fear and that it keeps us honest.
He hears Maya’s voice on the radio telling him that she’s safe and that he should come back home. Sam wants to and thought this case might do it. But he gets a robbery call and tells them that for whatever reason, he’s still here.
Given all the behind-the-scenes changes, and the limit of a 40-odd-minute episode, the Americans did marvellously with their remake. The few changes to the plot to allow for the shortened time worked. A good summary above, too.
I liked it and it did the British version justice. My favorite line and scene was in the record shop. ” I bought my first “Hall and Oates” i mean “Led Zepellin” album here.” Just downright funny
Anything that puts the awesome Harvey Keitel on my TV weekly has to get a thumbs up. Not to mention Lisa Bonet.
The Hall and Oates line was priceless.