I feared that a long layoff would do some damage to this series, which had finally hit its stride before the two month hiatus. My fears were unfounded -- ?Life on Mars? returned with a solid episode and a couple new complications. This was, by far, the lightest episode of the season. In fact, I?d say that at times, it was laugh out loud funny.

The procedural elements were okay -- not terribly complex. The main plotline involved a startup Russian mafia cell holding an immigrant?s family hostage. They force him to rob a bank. He fires his gun and an innocent bystander dies.

But that is not the focus of the episode. Gene Hunt?s rivalry with an old friend turned longtime rival takes center stage. Both head precincts and the each partake in a childish antics to take cases away from each other.

All of it gets resolved in time, with Hunt mending fences enough to help the immigrant recover his family. Both precincts team up in an all out brawl with the mafia cell which is simultaneously exciting and humorous. The brawl is accompanied by a great version of ?Whiskey in the Jar,? which had me feeling like I was back in 1973 myself.

You may have noticed that I have not yet mentioned Sam Tyler -- yes, he was important in this episode. In fact, his little chat with Lt. Hunt allows us to see a really human side of Hunt that has not even been hinted at previously. But Sam?s crowning moment is his record room fling with a beautiful social worker who, we learn at the end of the episode, is Hunt?s daughter.

No amount of summary can capture the essence of this episode. It was just a fun episode that may represent the most fun I have had watching television this season. Sam seems to be adjusting to life in 1973 just fine -- and he should. If they continue to roll out episodes like this one, I think he?s going to be stuck there for a while.

What Worked

I?m glad they lightened up the tone. The show isn?t terribly heavy to begin with, but this one was a great deal of fun.

It really is nice to see Hunt becoming more of an individual character rather than the over the top stereotype we saw in the earliest episodes.

What Didn?t Work

Sam was really out of character in this episode. So far he has been full of angst and has held his sexual desires in check to the point fellow officers wondered if he is normal. Here, his fling with happens very quickly. A gradual change would have been more believable, but that criticism is so minor it is hardly worth mentioning.

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. ?Take a Look at the Lawmen? was written by Sonny Postiglione and David Wilcox, and directed by Brad Turner.

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