Any fans of these? Either the BBC originals or the ABC remake of Life?

The British versions, yes. (Ashes to Ashes considerably less so.)

I'm told to stick with the US version as it gets better, but 5-6 episodes in, it's giving me very little incentive to stay in.

Must say I'm surprised there's been no discussion of these before now.

I missed most of the BBC "Life", but the ending was certainly interesting.

In "Ashes", Drake is, to me, even more of a fish out of water. And the whole sexual subtext between her and Hunt just doesn't work for me.

Drake's dress at work doesn't cut it for me. Yes, the "off the shoulder with the bra-strap showing" was fashionable in the disco era, but it wasn't considered professional. Of course, I'm going by US standards. Maybe it was professional dress for women in Britain.

And what the heck is with the harlequin?

These shows are not spot-on portrayals of the times but, rather, spot-on portrayals of tv shows of the times. Cops didn't go around beating confessions out of suspects, but they did on tv, which, afterall, is more of what Sam's brain had to go on to construct the world. Hence, I can live with Drake's fashion because such things probably were (or at least could have been) worn on police dramas of the 80s.

I'm sure some cops did go around fisticuffing their suspects, but some older police officers have complained that some viewers have really bought into the whole that's-how-it-was portrayal, which I think is a legitimate concern.

Mars works for me because Sam was more confused about what has happening, because I have zero nostalgia for the 80s whereas I do for the 70s, because I just can't get past how Drake's brain can construct characters from Sam's, and because Ashes just can't possibly be as original as Mars and ultimately just isn't compelling.

Today is long sentence day BTW.

And what the heck is with the harlequin?

He's supposed to be the guy from the music video for David Bowie's "Ashes To Ashes". Alex might have thought of the video because the guy who shot her sang part of the song during the standoff. But that's just a theory.

Ah. That explains it. Some of us don't watch music videos.

Well, that was a totally unsatisfying ending for the ABC version of "Mars".

And a nit on that horrible ending:

The crew can't speak with "President Obama" because she and her sister went to Illinois to be with their father. It's clearly meant to be one of the current President's daughters.

The nit? It's 2035. That means that "President Obama" was elected in 2032.

Malia, Obama's oldest daughter, was born July 4, 1998. This means that at the time of her election and inauguration, she'd have been 34 years old at best. Sasha was born in 2001, making her 31 at the time of the 2032 election/2033 inauguration.

The Constitution specifies that the President must be at least 35 years old. Therefore, the "President Obama" bit, while cute (or at least attempting to be so), is clearly impossible.

Unless the Constitution is amended in the next 27 years.

23 years, Josh. It's 2009, the election in question is in 2032.

It could have been an alternate timeline, or she could have been a niece, or an adopted daughter, or a cousin, or she could have been a cabinet member who succeeded to the Presidency...

Yeah, I can't do math. Or, apparently, remember we're no longer in 2008.

The last episode the US LOM just aired over here. Lame. Particularly given the UK final episode was so great.