18 posts tagged “time travel”

For Lifers who wanted to know how the Spanish version of Life on Mars ended, Antena 3 has put up the closing minutes of La chica de ayer on YouTube. I blogged about this back in June; however, this should be easier for readers.
   My Spanish is pathetic at best, but a bit of context: the tunnel is a portal of sorts where Sam travelled from 2009 to 1977. In the final episode, he saves Ana from being killed by his father (the same as episode 8 of the UK original and episode 7 of the US remake). It appears this was the purpose of his trip back to 1977, and explains the meaning of the Spanish title. With that completed, the tunnel lights up again and Samuel has the chance to return to 2009. (Hence, it seems some sort of Divine Intervention or cosmic force is behind Sam’s trip back in time, and he is not in a coma or mad.) However, rather than the dark ending of the original, and the inexplicable one of the US remake, the Spanish have opted for something more upbeat:

Is it me or does one need a surname containing five letters to qualify as a time-traveller? (I refer to humans, not timelords.)

The Time Machine (movie adaptation, 1960): Wells
Back to the Future: McFly
Life on Mars: Tyler
Ashes to Ashes: Drake
Recent companions on Doctor Who: Tyler, Jones, Noble

I realize in Somewhere in Time, the character is Collier, but Superman can do anything.

A slightly odd Ashes to Ashes on Monday night. There are clues that Alex has been found by the emergency services and that a crash crew is two minutes away, furthering her first-series theory that she could literally be living seconds of her life while days whiz by in 1982.
   Last night, Matthew Graham’s script was good for some of the Gene Hunt lines, and the freemasonry parts were suitably spooky, but there was relatively little from the stalker that we saw in Ashley Pharoah’s first episode last week. I don’t have too much to add, other than the use of a Leyland Princess for the opening car chase, to which Gene utters, ‘Death of a Princess’—again tying in with the Lady Di boat in the first episode last year, and the many Princess Diana references last week (Pont de l’Alma, England’s rose, and 1982 TV footage). And why does Alex keep hearing a helicopter?

   Alex’s body in 2008 must be somewhere connected with Diana—maybe the pier is named for her? Anyone a bit more familiar with the Greenwich–Milwall area?
   Next week, the preview indicates that Morph will appear, in the same manner as the Camberwick Green parody in Life on Mars and Zippy and George last year. Roland the Rat is also scheduled for an appearance in this second series.
   The cast of Ashes to Ashes has been told the entire plot and Marshall Lancaster (whose role has been expanded this year—and I like this direction) has been quoted as saying it is far more complicated than we expect. I think we can presume that it’s “real” and not just in her head—Alex has somehow done a Quantum Leap into someone in 1982. Unlike Life on Mars, there are scenes without her, indicating that the characters have lives outside of her mind. But is there any spiritual meaning behind Gene Hunt?

Before this gets remade by the Americans with Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe, a glimpse at John Simm and Philip Glenister in State of Play.

As Google will not pick up the comment, I wrote some time ago, ‘My name is Gene Hunt. I had an accident and woke up in 2003. Am I mad, in a coma or forward 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.’
   Well, I thought it was funny.

This was odd, on Facebook yesterday: an anonymous time traveller posting blank comments on two posted items. Journeyman, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Lost in Austen, Day Break, Doctor Who—maybe fiction and fact are crossing over in the space–time continuum? This is heavy.

Kevin Falls, the creator of 2007’s Journeyman, gave an interview to Ain’t It Cool News about some of the secrets behind the series’ premise. The condition was that the interview would not be published until it was absolutely certain that Journeyman would not return. In August, it was published. (Kevin McKidd is now on Grey’s Anatomy; Moon Bloodgood is on the new Terminator film—why does she always get stuck with time travellers?; Gretchen Egolf I recently saw on Knight Rider.) The interview is here, and Mr Falls reveals other potential stories and the season finalé’s ideas.

Let’s compare these Life on Mars casts:

UK: Marshall Lancaster, Philip Glenister, John Simm, Dean Andrews, Liz White. US rejected pilot: Lenny Clarke, Jason O’Mara, Rachelle Lefèvre, Colm Meaney. US definitive series: Jonathan Murphy, Harvey Keitel, Jason O’Mara, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol. Spain: La chica de ayer cast. I only recognize Manuela Velasco, Ernesto Alterio and Antonio Garrido (second, third and fifth actors from left). I assume the two actors in the back are Spanish Ray and Chris.

There was one good scene in US Life on Mars a couple of weeks ago when the American writing team was let loose on an original story (admittedly with some elements from a second-season UK episode). Just as Nicholas Lyndhurst went back to the 1940s in Goodnight Sweetheart and passed off Beatles’ and others’ tunes as his own, Jason O’Mara as Sam Tyler has a chance to rap some Vanilla Ice in 1973:

We know that the US version of Life on Mars will have a different reason for Sam Tyler being in 1973. We also know that episode 2 is adapted from episode 2 of the original series; episode 5 is where Sam meets his mentor (originally a second-season episode in the UK) and episode 6 in the US is adapted from episode 6 in the UK. We can probably guess that the season finalé is based on the British one given what we saw when Sam travelled back to 1973.
   But if the reason for Sam being in 1973 is different—all 13 options are revealed this Thursday Stateside—then let the clues begin!
   1. Colin Raimes lives at the Cataldo House Apartments, which have ‘Since 1973’ on the sign at the front. This is not a coincidence.
   2. Sam’s Jeep Grand Cherokee in 2008 has the licence plate ACX-7012. Anyone catch the plate on his ’71 Chevrolet Chevelle SS?