The second and final series continues with Sam Tyler (John Simm) trapped in 1973 after being hit by a car in 2006 and answers the question he asks in the opening credits, "Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?" Although there is some minor misdirection along the way, the creators tip their hand throughout, but the resolution of the series is ultimately unsatisfying.
During the second series, Life on Mars remains a very good police procedural and there are interesting ideas worked out from the premise. In "Episode 1," Tyler tries to put away casino owner Tony Crane because he will one day be a murderer. Things get especially complicated when Tyler sees visions of what he thinks is Crane trying to kill him while he is in a coma in 2006.
Tyler meets other people from his modern-day life: his mentor, Glen Fletcher, as he deals with becoming the first black detective on the force; his Aunt Heather during an investigation of a serial killer; and the mother of his girlfriend Maya, who is considering having an abortion, while Tyler has visions that Maya is giving up on him in the hospital. These are all nice character moments as we see the relationships from different perspectives of time.
DCI Frank Morgan (Ralph Brown) arrives in "Episode 7" to conduct an investigation when DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) is accused of killing a man and has no memory of what happened due to his drinking. Morgan seems aware of Tyler's predicament and in "Episode 8" convinces him that taking Hunt down will return him home. Tyler receives messages through devices about a tumor that needs to be removed in 2006, paralleling his situation with the police force in 1973. He is almost certain he has to destroy his current life to return to his former/future, but these people are so real to him, he doesn’t know if he can. Also, Morgan, who Tyler hears has the same name as his doctor, presents a fourth, plausible scenario, making Tyler doubt his understanding of what is happening.
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