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“Life on Mars” lived up to its name this week. After setting up an apparent tragedy at the end of last week’s episode, the tragedy simply didn’t materialize. Instead, it was pretty much business as usual in the 125, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Still, it was a bit of a dramatic cheat. I have prepared myself for the death of at least one character, but alas, by the end of the episode both Chris and Ray are fine. Ray, in fact, was simply grazed by a bullet, despite going down in an unconscious heap the previous week.

Which makes me suspect that, had the series continued, one of the characters probably would have died character, and the pursuit of crime boss Jimmy might have actually played out a bit longer. Instead, “Life on Mars” got its walking papers, and the writers had to tie up the storyline.

Really, the show is ending, and there really isn’t any compelling reason to kill off a cast member. I’ve never been a fan of the overly hyped death just to pull in some viewers. Still, it really seems like a death was intended, and the resolution of the McManus storyline ended quite abruptly.

That is the reality we are stuck with. We can speculate on what could have been, but instead, we are left with a decent, albeit uneventful, penultimate episode. Chris and Ray live to see another week - but only one more week. After that, there will be no “Life on Mars”.

What Worked

Even though it was rushed, I was glad to see a resolution to the McManus conflict. I do think that storyline had potential, even if I didn’t particularly care for the execution. Much of that has to do with the cancellation of the series. Ending stories prematurely tends to produce less than desirable resolutions to conflicts writers spent time building.

I really liked the scene with Annie and Sam, separated by the bars of the jail cell. Sam has been fighting an invisible barrier between him and Annie all season—it was cool to see that barrier physically represented.

I’ve always liked the song “Windy” by the Association, and when they had a character with the same name, I knew the song would show up eventually. Thanks for not disappointing me.

What Didn’t Work

The murder mysteries on the show really were quite lame, and this one was quite simplistic. As a procedural, I don’t think “Life on Mars” ever consistently hit its stride.

The first time I ever heard Windy call Sam 2B, I immediately thought “To be or not to be” and that thought crossed my mind once again. I just figured the writers were trying to make a point about Sam questioning his existence. But when Annie pointed this out to Sam, I just found it odd. The revelation wasn’t executed well, and Sam didn’t really know what to do with it. I thought the point worked better when it was a subtle word play. I actually felt good because I picked up on it. Either the point is made or it isn’t. Explaining it cheapens the effect.

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
“Life on Mars” stars Jason O’Mara, Harvey Keitel, and Michael Imperioli. “Everybody Knows It’s Windy” was written by Phil M. Rosenberg and directed by Alex Zakrewski.