...NEW 'LIFE ON MARS' TONIGHT. 9pm BBC 1...

[paulvonscott]

I suspect we'll have a normal episode next tuesday but with increasing references to Sam in the hospital.

Ending on a cliffhanger.

Then we'll have a frantic episode in the last one where he has to sort out the past and wake up.

[The Adventurer]

Any theories about what exactly is going on with Sam?

I personally think he's in a coma in 2006 and back in time running around 1976 AT THE SAME TIME.

[paulvonscott]

I hope it'll be something like that, I don't want the Wizard of Oz ending though.

[LARF]

Is it the last episode tonight?

[paulvonscott]

No, 2 episodes left!

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I second the two places at once theory.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Or maybe this is Dr Who's Dead Man/ Malone... and Sam is revealed as the Master.

[Wils]

Fantastic stuff yet again and can't *wait* to see how things end next week. Gene Hunt in a Tufty costume was a definite laugh out loud moment.

"*My* idea of a dream involves Diana Dors and a bottle of chip oil."

[paulvonscott]

Yeah, I'll be sad to see it go.  Enjoyed tonight's episode a lot.  

[Bart Oliver]

Expected more from Ralph Brown' s character with regards to Hyde/the present other than mentioning "PR", a couple of other modern lingoisms (have I just made that word up?) and a vailed reference to, IIRC "having Sam back soon" in the lift at the end.

All in all still an excellent reason to down tools for an hour.

[Richmond Clements]

Can't believe there's only one more episode. Ever.

Brilliant stuff.

[Lobo Baggins]

Expected more from Ralph Brown' s character with regards to Hyde/the present other than mentioning "PR", a couple of other modern lingoisms (have I just made that word up?) and a vailed reference to, IIRC "having Sam back soon" in the lift at the end.

Some ponderings I've been pondering...

The Ralph Brown character was named Frank Morgan, the name of the actor who played the Wizard of Oz in 'The Wizard of Oz'.  In the first series, Gene Hunt jokingly rings up the Wizard of Oz as he's the only one who could sort out Sam's transfer back to Hyde.

The line in this week's episode '78 years old and still drives like a maniac' rang some bells for some reason.  Gene Hunt would be about 78 in 2006...

[Noisybast]

The other week, Sam accused Gene of "driving lie a crack addict and treating women like bean bags"...

[Matt Timson]

I can't remember how to do the spoiler tags so...

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The whole thing does seem to be geared around Gene Hunt- with references aplenty to his terrible driving and his drinking habits.  What if Sam is both in the future and the past and his 'mission' is to make sure that Hunt isn't around to run him down in 2006, thus saving himself?

If this is the case, will Sam let things play out the same way and stay in 1973, rather than do the dirty on Hunt- or will he go for the riskier compromise of trying to save Hunt from himself, in the hope that he (Hunt) won't be a drunk driver in 2006?  Personally, I hope Sam stays in 1973 and gets it on with Cartwright.

I've really enjoyed this show (apart from the sometimes overplayed "oh no!  Something's happening to me in the future" angle) and I'm glad that the BBC is bringing it to a close, rather than risk it turning into a 'Heartbeat' parody (15 years on and it's still 1973).

I'm sure the resolution won't be to everyone's taste- but for once, I'm genuinely ntrigued as to what that resolution might be.

Good spot on the Wizard of Oz references, by the way.

[ARRISARRIS]

...talking of those grey bars that stop spoilers unless you run your mouse over them, how do you do it again???...