“When you can feel, then you’re alive.  When you don’t feel, you’re not.”—Nelson, Railways Arms barman, Life on Mars

While some, even beloved, shows overstay their welcome and others are gone too soon, Life on Mars ended at just the right time.  Because it was a high concept, high risk show with its odd combination of crime procedural and science fiction, producers had to be careful not to let it become a caricature of itself.  By creating only two eight episode seasons, they allowed Life on Mars and Sam Tyler to complete their journeys, tie up all loose ends, and leave fans satisfied with one of the best finales to ever appear on television.
 

Detective Inspector Sam Tyler spent most of Series One (review) angry and confused at being trapped in the 1970s with Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt and his crew, desperate to find his way back to the present.  Series Two opens with Sam a full-fledged member of Hunt’s team and seemingly more accepting of his fate, so he is less frantic and the show has a more ensemble feel, especially when Sam promotes Annie to DI.  A brilliant move by the writers, by the way, because pulling Annie into the main stories gives them a new depth, especially when those main plots parallel an event occurring around present-day comatose Sam.   Sam’s relationships with all the characters, especially Gene, are subtly altered.  There is more respect, less contempt, and a new sense of camaraderie.  While Gene and Sam still battle over technique, procedure, and ethics, there is a new trust there, best shown when Sam is the one Gene calls when he wakes up from a blackout thinking he killed someone. 
 

Sam’s worlds increasingly merge as the season goes on.  He gets phone calls only he hears, and the voice on the other end of the line ends up being DCI Frank Morgan (AKA the Wizard of Oz), whom we meet in the penultimate episode when he comes to investigate Gene.  After that investigation, Frank tells Sam his job is almost done and that when he finishes, he can go home.  Sam also sees and hears flashes of people visiting him and doctors treating him, and is able to find closure with his present-day girlfriend Mya, leaving him free to pursue Annie.  The writers weave the two worlds together well and manage to keep Sam’s credibility with the team intact.  They also manage to keep you guessing as to what is real and what truly is happening to Sam.
 

The finale is epic: gripping, heartbreaking, and deeply satisfying.  Brilliantly written and acted, it ties up loose ends, stays true to the characters, and deepens the mystery before giving an answer that leaves enough up to personal interpretation to make everyone happy.  This is no cop-out, nonsensical finale like the infuriating American version. 
 

The acting, as in the first series, is outstanding.  John Simm adds nuance and subtlety to his performance of Sam and he anchors the show perfectly while Philip Glenister pulls out all the stops as the volatile and larger-than-life Gene.  Simm and Glenister complement each other perfectly and their rhythm is flawless.  The stellar Liz White comes into her own this season, giving a heartfelt performance as the sweet and tough Annie.  The whole ensemble clicks with an enviable chemistry, giving realism to both the camaraderie and the tension that permeates many scenes.
 

The picture and audio are both very good, though there is one exterior scene in the first episode that looks awful.  It’s short but very noticeable.  For extras, there are several featurettes, including the overly long “The Return of Life on Mars” and “The End of Life on Mars,” where the producers drone on and on.  The behind-the-scenes looks at creating certain sequences in episodes 4, 5, and 7 were better, but the tour of the set dragged.  The extras on the first series set were much better.
 

Life on Mars is a rare series that worked on every level.  The writing, acting, and production values were consistently excellent, each case was engrossing, and the unique central conceit never wore thin because the show ended at just the right point.  I hope more producers will heed this lesson and end their shows while the concept is still interesting.