I’ve seem them both, and, aside from the very end of last night’s episode, they’re actually pretty comparable. Some of the plotlines from the earlier episodes were taken nearly scene by scene from the UK version, but given a NYC spin. And then others were completely original but wouldn’t have been out of place in the UK version.
I’d recommend checking out an episode or two – so long as it’s not the finale. 
Yeah, iut’s the real ending and not an April Fool’s joke.
It’s not the same show, but the writer’s have always said that they wouldn’t tie themselves to the UK version. Guess they proved it last night.
It was a surprise ending, I thought, but it’s internally consistent with respect to explaining Sam’s life. Annie did allude to it early in this evening’s episode. Sam’s mom, Rose, asked how she, Annie, could work for those guys. She replied something like, “Well, in the future, I see it as they will work for me.” And all through the show, Sam kept seeing something like a Mars Rover in different sizes. So I guess they could have had this ending planned all along.
There was also a brief scene a few episodes back where Sam saw Annie on the cover of Life(or Time?) magazine next to a picture of the same rocket that, in last nights episode, was a toy, a lock-pick, and presumably the actually space craft from the ending. I’ve also missed a lot of the series so it might have shown up other times as well.
I don’t think the end is what people think it is. I think that Sam is a cop in 2008, and he’s still in a coma, but once he came to terms with all the pain and trauma that had clearly been tearing apart his psyche, the dream changed. If you will indulge me…and there are open spoilers for the UK and US finale in this post
I heard that the writers were not going to end the US series the way the UK version ended, and I took that at face value. So when Sam woke up on a space ship–in an Alien-esque pod–surrounded by Annie, Ray, Chris, and “Major Tom”, I took that at face value. And I was pissed, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on why.
You could say that I was unhappy it was all a dream, except the UK version was all a dream, too. And at least American!Sam (who I absolutely and positive adore) didn’t end up in a motherfucking coma, right? I mean, the end of this series was, without exception, happy. Sam had worked out his father issues, he was about to land on Mars and explore a new planet, he was going to be an All-American Hero, and he came to terms with the fact that he was in love with his Annie. Not too bad for a mental simulation. Even the explanation for why he ended up dreaming about 1973 instead of 2008 was pretty acceptable.
But…I couldn’t buy it. For one thing, Harvey Keitel was all of a sudden Sam’s father, “Major Tom.” Just like the Bowie song, eh? (And as Sam surmised, it always comes back to Bowie, but that’s true in life, too, I’ve found). For another thing, Sam was so obviously a product of his time. The first name he thinks of when he needs to give a fake name is “Luke Skywalker.” Sam would have been 8 when Star Wars was released, and that would have had a major impact on his life. Sam had 2008 sensibilities, a 2008 understanding of the world, and his mind immediately went to reference that a man his age (40 in 2008) would have been most comfortable with.
Now, on the one hand, I understand that ABC canceled the show and the writers had to scramble, no doubt, to provide a nice, pat explanation at the end of the series. I don’t blame that at all for making it all too easy–it was all a computer created dream IN THE FUTURE!
But my sister and I discussed it in some depth tonight, and I’ve decided that the writers did not do that. For the entire run of the season, the writers proved themselves to be thoughtful, considerate, intelligent people who didn’t piss me off. Their mysteries made perfect sense, their characterization was amazing and consistent, and it always felt like they really understood who Sam was, what he was going through, and what he was supposed to learn.
As soon as Sam came to terms with his life in 1973, and the fact that he didn’t want to “go home,” the dream changed. Suddenly, he was taken out of a place of constant conflict, stress, and anxiety, and put in a family unit on Mars of all places. Because now he wasn’t going to be in conflict with himself (as represented by the people surrounding him) and so he could actually have some fun. Instead of solving crimes and mysteries, he’s exploring and finding actual, honest-to-god adventures in untouched land. Instead of dealing with the results of corruption and money, he’s going to go to a world where everything new and waiting for him, and he’s going to be with his lady-love, his father, and his two brother-figures.
I think it’s interesting that Gene’s final words in 1973 is “I’m going to miss you most, Scarecrow.” An obvious reference to The Wizard of Oz. The character who has to learn he was smart all along. But why “miss you”? It was almost as if Gene was leaving. And as soon as the possibility of Gene leaving entered the picture, everything changed. And he woke up in a place where Gene–his new father figure, the father he always wished he could have–could never leave him.
Sam isn’t an astronaut. Sam’s a cop in 2008. And when the voice on the phone–his doctor–told him he could wake up if he did one more thing (ie, if he chose to leave his subconscious mind), he declared that he was happy not just where he was at, but he was happy with the people surrounding him. When he did that, he entered a new dream. One where his doctor is no longer a threat (in the form of an FBI agent) but a guy that is literally worlds away, incapable of harming him. As soon as he declared he was happy with his friends, he left one “rock” for another “rock” and chose to bring the people that, for him, made his life worth living.
Is it a sad ending? Is it a happy ending? Is it an ending at all? I feel it’s a happy ending, because Sam is happy, and is finally at peace with himself. The issues and pain that tore apart his psyche before are healed, and he’s looking forward to a new future. I think that Sam “simulation” will just keep changing in response to his needs. Maybe after he’s explored Mars, he’ll wake up in 1873 (the man clearly had a thing for spagetti westerns after all), and learn what it’s like to tame the land and create a new civilization, since he already tried taming civilization in 1983, and living in a place untouched by man in 2033. And when he does, Annie will probably be the woman who runs the local brothel, Gene Hunt will be the Sheriff, and Ray and Chris will be his deputies.
pepperlandgirl, I like your ending - or your interpretation of the ending - a lot better. I’m going to adopt it and pretend that’s how they ended the show.
I watched the original all the way through on BBCA with my kids (don’t worry, they’re teens) and we started watching the U.S. version and became big fans.
I knew it was going to be canceled and I was anxious to see how it would be resolved. Well, I just watched it on DVR and I was surprised. And a little let down, but not entirely. I liked a lot about the resolution. It was an interesting way to end the story so that it matched the title.
The two versions, BBC and U.S., were good in their own way. Outstanding character actors on both shows. But, ultimately, the BBC version was better IMHO. I’m sorry the U.S. version didn’t have more time to develop because Harvey, Vincent and Gretchen were so good.
Nonetheless, my kids haven’t seen it, yet. I’ll be interested to hear their interpretation. I’m guessing they will not like it.
After being burned by ABC when they canceled Daybreak, I vowed never to watch another new series again. And looks like I was right seeing what happened to Pushing Daisies. However, I got drawn into Mars simply because I was too lazy to change the channel after Lost. I enjoyed the finale and thought it fit well with the whole series. Looking back, there were plenty of clues dropped here and there. I really enjoyed his confrontation with his father and the fact that his mother recognized him. And Harvey Kietel being his father was genius. Contrived a bit, but genius.
It sort of reminded me of Quantum Leap in a way because as soon as all the issues were resolved, he “leaped”. Too bad they canceled it because that could have been an interesting concept to pursue–working out personal issues via computer simulation while in a coma.
It does make the file room incident a bit skeevy, though.
Ha! You’re right, that’s what was missing from the finale–they neglected to reveal that “Gene Hunt’s” daughter was Sam’s sister in real life. :eek:
FWIW, after a couple of days of reflection I have to say I think it was surprisingly tidy way to end things. And yes, I know there’s a natural resistance to the “it was just a dream” thing (what we probably ought to just start calling “Dallasgate” around here), BUT… a) you have a series here that has as its basic premise and even its intro “maybe it’s all just a dream?” and b) they threw in a neat, if contrived, little twist… “well it’s a dream but it’s not the dream he and the audience thinks it is.”
What would I have changed? Honestly not much. It might have been good for a chuckle if they had let Jason O’Mara use his real accent after he woke up (if indeed he did).
pepperland I see you have put a lot of thought into your theory, and it’s very pretty. I like it, but I don’t agree with you because of one glaring (to me, anyway) reason.
I really do think it took place in the future as shown in the last couple of minutes. Because if he really was from 2008 thrown back into 1973, he wouldn’t have known that Barack Obama was elected president. Hilary Clinton was the front runner for the Democratic nomination when Sam reached 1973.
But I like your style.
Which echoes his Luke Skywalker alias nicely. 
But wasn’t there an episode where a guy in the precinct claimed to be from 2009, and told Sam about Obama? But then the guy got shot?
Well… We don’t have to accept that Sam knows Obama won, just that he believes (or “dream-believes”) Obama won.
He may have just guessed (or wishfully thought?) luckily.
-FrL-
Hmmm…almost like Sam would prefer to be Normal Again? 
Nah, I don’t buy it. Where did all the creepy mini Mars rovers come from, then?
You raise a good point about Luke Skywalker, but my son wasn’t born until 1993, and that’d be an impulsive alias for him nonetheless. I think you underestimate the appeal Star Wars has on young boys of any decade - especially in a world of DVD’s and streaming video.
I think the ending was exactly what it appeared, and I liked it that way.
Did you see how happy he was when the guy from 2009 told him Obama won (Implying he was a supporter, which I find easy to believe)? He could have either just wishfully thought it, or somebody in the hospital room could have told him ("Wake up, Sam! Obama is president now!), and that scrap of information got incorporated into his subconscious. Actually, that also explains why Obama’s daughter is president in the future. Sam has no idea who would be the contender 30 years in the future, and so his brain holds on to the name Obama and just makes it make sense.
There are too many holes for me otherwise. Why was he fucking Gene Hunt’s daughter? Is that a sister, or a dream representation of himself? Who is Rose Tyler? Is she his real mother? If so, who is Vic Tyler? Just some asshole he invented to torture himself? Or somebody from his past who did something to genuinely harm him? Why did Gene call him “Scarecrow” instead of “Dorothy”? Dorothy was the one who had the dream that ended with “And you were there, and you were there!” Why would he choose to be a cop in 2008 of all times? 2008 sucked, and being from the future, he would know that. And why a cop at all? When Ray asks him, Sam doesn’t answer him, he just turns it around to what Ray was doing. Who is Maya? Did he just tell the computer to create a hot chick for him to be engage to? Why would he stipulate his engagement? He never mentioned having a girlfriend when he woke up (though he did mention Annie’s boyfriend). And on and on and on. They just don’t add up if you accept the ending at face value, but everything fits together nicely if Sam merely changed the channel on his dream.
lol that was awkward but I liked the explanation for “gene hunt”
The series has always had a strong space theme - the Mars Rovers, the title/song, Sam’s toy rocket, the magazine cover, the refrigerator box space ship, his nickname “spaceman”, etc. So I thought the ending was fantastic in that respect, especially with the expectations from the original series.
Kind of fit “UFO” too lol. I think they did a good job with what they picked - it had to be different from the other series, and I liked that it was more concrete. The only other good choice would have been to have had him actually time travel do to the “Aries project” that was hinted at. But this ending makes a little more sense of some of the weird semi supernatural aspects of the show.
It wasn’t cancelled per se. It was always planned as more of a mini series. For what it’s worth, all the episodes including a resolution, were finished - they just screwed us over by not airing them all. But you can find them online if you know where to look.
Sorry but I like the ending as presented rather than your version, I think it is the ideal mix of the usefulness of a dream, without it actually being a dream, and a more real world explanation. The Obama and Skywalker things were clearly explained - they specifically said for the purposes of the sleep stasis ‘entertainment’ that he was given new memories, the memories of the 2008 cop. He was during the simulation convinced he was that character. It’s also fairly clear that the simulation incorporated aspects from both his real life and his simulated character’s life - it brought the real life crew in as characters in the past setting. It picked up on his daddy issues and his fondness for the real life Annie. And of course all of the Mars mission stuff filtered though. The glitch was caused by an impact with the ship, and even manifested as an ‘impact’ in his simulation - he gets hit by a car.
Gene called him scarecrow because that’s the pop culture phrase. When people say goodbye in real life and use the phrase jokingly they always use the scarecrow version because it’s quotable and they are thinking about replicating some metaphor.
Sam picked a cop in 2008 because it’s interesting. I mean that’s the whole premise of the series - that people find retro cop dramas interesting. I’m sorry you think 2008 sucks - maybe it will seem charming and retro when you get to 2032. And think about how really sucky medieval times were and how many people go through the effort to recreate them.
Well, in that case he was obviously in the Dr. Whoniverse, so maybe he did really time travel.
-Joe
It’s funny to hear an argument be “C’mon, he mentions Luke Skywalker, surely it must have been 2008 as his point of reference.”
Couldn’t you hear someone saying in 1977 “c’mon, Star Wars is a big fad this year, is someone 31 years from now really going to automatically think of Luke Skywalker? 31 years from now?”
There’s Wizard of Oz references in the final scenes too, after all.
I knew where to look, and I really loved it. It was…gratifying to see a main character in a series who wasn’t an idiot because the plot demanded it. It was also nice that it had the sense to ask the questions that the viewers think of, like (episode title), “What if he just walks away?”
-Joe