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The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for "The Man Who Sold The World," the seventh episode of ABC?s "Life On Mars".

In the fourth episode of the season, Sam Tyler met up with his mother in 1973. This week, it was time to see the father?s side of the story. The interaction between Sam and his father was far more intriguing that it was with his mother, which helped deliver the strongest episode of the season.

I suspect that at least some of this has to do with the quality of acting. Dean Winters was quite good in his short stint on "Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles", but this role as a shifty con man suits his tough persona much better. Jason O?Mara toed the line nicely between adoration and skepticism. They even looked enough alike to be believable as family members.

As for plot, once again, the story was a bit predictable. Sam?s father gets nabbed picking up a money drop in kidnapping case. He convinces Sam, and everyone for that matter, that he is being manipulated by the Pignato brothers, an up and coming organized crime unit.

Of course there are no brothers pulling the strings -- Vic Tyler is just a really bad guy who, we later finds out, actually killed Annie in the original 1973. In the season?s biggest step forward to date, we realize that Sam has blocked memories from his childhood and see a very real change of the future.

Now the paradoxes begin. Obviously, someone had to send Annie to spy on Sam?s birthday party in the original 1973. Here, it is clear that if Sam had not sent her, she would not have been there. Does that mean that Sam was always there in 1973? And if he was, how was he able to affect the change this time, but not the first time?

It?s those types of puzzles that time travel fans love. And in a fitting bit of imagery, character, and plot, Sam starts solving the puzzle from hints and clues provided from his father and Annie.

"Life On Mars" works best when the procedural elements are secondary to Sam?s evolution as a character. The story advanced quite a bit this week, just in time for a two month hiatus. I hope that long layoff doesn?t affect the ratings. ?Life On Mars? has finally hit its stride.

What Worked

This episode featured the best soundtrack of the season, at least since the pilot episode.

A little bit of Harvey Keitel?s Lt. Gene Hunt goes a long way. That is not a criticism -- it?s the nature of the character. This week, his presence was just perfectly balanced.

This is the second consecutive episode that Annie wasn?t referred to as ?No-nuts?. Is this tangible proof that writers can learn from mistakes? That nickname has to go the of the character Chuck from the 70?s series ?Happy Days? -- just just pretend it never existed and hope the audience forgets all about it.

What Didn?t Work

For the second week in a row, I have no real major complaints. The ending was quite a bit ambiguous, but it was obviously designed as a minor cliffhanger. Sam was a bit foolish at the end, when he trusted that his father wouldn?t shoot him, but part of that is a blind faith in family. Still, it was monumentally ignorant.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

"Life On Mars? airs at 10:00 p.m. on Thursdays on ABC. It stars Jason O?Mara, Harvey Keitel, and Michael Imperioli. ?The Man Who Sold the World? was written by Meredith Averill and Phil M. Rosenberg, and directed by Darnell

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