Life on Mars, ABC 10p.m

I first was introduced to this show on BBC-America…It was the same premise, with the same characters as ABC’s American version. Sam Tyler was the led detective, who after an accident finds himself back in 1973.  When I saw Life on Mars, on the ABC line-up, I couldn’t resist, since I liked the British version so much.

Sam Tyler, (Jason O’Mara) is hit by a car while desperately searching for his girlfriend Detective Maya Daniels, who goes missing after following a murder suspect. When he wakes up, it is 1973. He is thirty-five years in the past, with 2008 sensibilities. That puts him immediately in a uncomfortable place with everyone, in what should have been his precinct, or at least it will be in the future.

He can’t figure out how he got there, and isn’t certain if this is some freak of nature distortion in time, or he’s in a coma imagining everything. His main concern is to get back to 2008, where he hopes he’ll find his girlfriend, Maya alive and out of the hands of a murderer. Before he can do that, he has to learn to live in the past.

Sam struggles with all the officers in the precinct. He finds himself at odds with his Lieutenant Gene Hunt, (Harvey Keitel). Who gets most of his answers from suspects with his fist, more then with reasoning. There seems to be no presence of civil rights, which constantly has Sam on pins and needles during investigations. He’s learning some hard lessons on how police work has changed over the years, and as he can see, for the better.

There are no computers to run suspects, no fingers prints machines, only the old fashion way of manually finger printing cards. It takes months before evidence is actually processed, because there is yet to be any DNA used from crime scenes and no crime labs. Everything is done by the officers, if their so inclined.

STATS:  Sam Tyler is lost in time, looking for away home, if possible. He’s a cop on the fast track up in NYPD, when he wakes up after being hit by a car, in 1973. He feels as if he not only in a different time, but lost on another planet.

THE LOOK:  About six feet tall, curly short cropped light hair, and pale eyes. He has a way about him that is confident, but without the swagger of a man who thinks he is above the rest. A single mother raised Sam Tyler, when his father disappeared when he was four; this left him with an undeniable respect for women, both from his time and in the past. So when he sees how women are treated in 1973, he finds it insulting, and defends them. His actions don’t endear him to either his new peers or the females.  His knight in shining armor attitude, just creates more problems for the females in question, resulting in worse treatment, with the constant onslaught of sexual comments.

LEADING LADY:  In 2008, Sam’s one great love is Maya Daniels, now missing. In 1973, he meets Annie Norris, (Gretchen Mol), who is a member the Policewomen’s Bureau, which means nothing for the women who are part of it. Their still not taken seriously as officers, and are used for public relation situations. The officers Annie works with treat her like nothing more then a file clerk. Referred to as ‘No Nuts Norris,’ to her face, Sam calls on Annie often to help out with evidence, while using her degree in psychology to help solve cases. Sam is the only one in the precinct who recognizes Annie’s intelligence and abilities, while she battles her way through a man’s world. There is only a friendship at this stage of the story, as she helps Sam with the weird world of 1973.

BOTTOMLINE:  There was a lot of reasons I was attracted to this story. I was a young college student during the era. The clothing and music is fun to revisit. It takes Poppy back to when he started in Law Enforcement, in 1974. He says its pretty close to the real thing.

There is a sweet naivety about Sam Tyler’s own intelligence. He is kind, with a conscious, which during the period is rare. He is loyal to a fault, and is deeply in love with his girlfriend. She is the driving force behind his desire to return to a time where he could listen to I-Tunes, and have his cell phone handy. But he is learning, to go with the times, as he teaches the other cops about contamination of a crime scene, and treating arrestees with some respect. While his methods are out of sink with the NYPD of 1973, he is slowly earning the silent admiration of his Lieutenant. In the background of this show is the Twin Towers, filling the landscape of a time now past. It is a remainder of what once was and now is gone.

Question of the Day:  If you could go back in time, and live for a short while, what time period would you choose?

Over on Magical Musings on Wednesday, I answered a question concerning a favorite character I created. It got me thinking about what might be a good post for a Profile considering it is on the eve of Halloween. In addition, keeping with the week’s theme, I thought I would profile one of my favorite characters that appeared in a manuscript I wrote, some eight years ago.

Lilith is a female vampire, who was the daughter of a Rabbi in the Holy of Holies. She was turned during the fall of Jerusalem, so when she makes her appearance in my imagination, she was already very old, and well schooled in the ways of a vamp. In my story, she makes her debut, as she watched a young Templar knight, awakening after she has turned him on the eve of the fall of Acre. She is full of attitude, self-confidence and evil. Yet, I still liked her. She was so loved by my critique partners; they still ask when she will get her own story, because when she appeared on the page, she took over, and drove off all the other characters, even the hero, undercover.

The Look:

Tall, with translucent pale skin, deep dark cold blue eyes, that shines like sapphires even in the deep shadows of the night. Her hair is white, and pales her black soul. When she is first seen by the hero, a breeze has caught her mane, tossing its up around her head, like a feathered halo.  Her dress is rich, with brocade, and trimmed in gold. The hero notices her tiny slippered feet that kiss the cobbled stone, like a mother’s soft good night. When she smiles, it as if the world freezes in a chocking grasp.

Leading Man:

None, and never will be. Lilith loves men. Loves to love them, but doesn’t want anything that might challenge her powers or weaken her abilities. She doesn’t believe having a man at her side is beneficial. Mostly, she feels it’s a distraction and annoyance. She is like a black widow spider. Use them for what she can and then devour their souls. Even the young knight she turns she finds attractive, and wants him at her side for a time, but knows in the end, she will have to destroy him, before he destroys her.

The Bottom Line:

Lilith is a woman and a vamp that has seen it all. She walks among men and in the courts of kings, enchanting them, influencing them and in many cases if they touch her still heart, destroys them.

When my hero first realizes what she has done to him, she has to put him in his place:

Lilith held out her hand decorated in rings of gold and silver. It was a delicate hand, soft with no blisters from the labor of women’s work. No caloused scars from sewing. It was perfection, with its long white smooth fingers. He could only imagine what those hands could to do to a man’s body. Then she tilted her head, moved her hand slightly, and Ian’s feet left the ground. As if ten men lifted him and carried him across the room, he hit the wall with the full force of his body, crumbling to the ground expecting to find his breath gone, as demons kicked the life out of him. But it was only him, and the woman who called herself, Lilith.  

Lilith was over him in a instance, hands on her hips, and sighed, “For all that is holy, please tether your attitude, for I grow tried of it already.” She tilted her head and studied him. “How do I always pick the ones who just have trouble accepting what I have given them?” She shook her white head, answering her own question, ”I don’t know. I need to be more cautious with my choices. I always pick the knights who are so full of their own personal glory.” She sighed again, “But that is what attracts me, I suppose all that out-of-control conceit.” Running her long fingers through her hair, she continued, “Well, in my coven you need to rein it in knight, and stuff it away in a deep bucket, for there is no one greater than me in this woman’s world.” 

Ian’s mouth dropped open.

“Oh, for the love of - Oh, close your mouth Templar for I fear you’ll become a fly trap.”

 By far my Lilith is my favorite female vamp…

Question of the Day:   Who is your favorite female vampire, and why?

     NBC, MONDAY, 9P.M

Emmy and Golden Globe nominee, Masi Oka Stars in Monday’s night hit series, Heroes, as Hiro Nakamura. He is a Japanese nonconformist computer geek working for his industrial father’s company, when he discovers he can manipulate time and space, to teleport out of his mundane life. This gives him the foresight into a dangerous future—and what he must do to change it.

STATS:

Hiro was born to a powerful industrial father, whom he spends a life time trying to please. His geekish, funny, and loyal to a fault. After discovering his unique ability, he wants to become a true hero in every sense of the word and save the world. Glimpses into the future has shown him he will become a sword wheeling Samurai, but at what cost to himself and those he loves, especially his best-friend Ando.

THE LOOK:

Hiro has a stocky build, with deep brown almond shape eyes, framed in unkempt jet black straight hair. When you look at him there is a sincerity to his round face, and innocence in his smile. He is not handsome, but can be described as cute.

LEADING LADY:

Hiro travels back in time to find his true love, Yaeko, the daughter of a legendary sword maker in 1600’s Japan. The main issue, she was betrothed to the historical figure Takezo Kensei, who is Hiro’s hero. He must decide how much of history he can manipulate without changing the outcome and affecting the future of not only Japan but the world. After discovering Kensei also has super powers, he decides to return to the future, leaving behind his love, Yaeko.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

As the story progresses in heroes, the one staple is Hiro. He never changes. He is something of a Sir Galahad looking for the Holy Grail to save the world, with his trusty friend, Ando at his side. Ando often serves as his moral latitude in Hiro’s crazy world of time jumping and manipulation. Hiro to this point has remained the cute lovable geek, who wants only to do right with his powers. That is what I appreciated about the character. As the others have triplets, become evil, or try to become good, and move between alternate times, Hiro remains the same, the computer geek we can count on.

Even though in the last episode, he stabbed Ando, you can count on him to do something to save his friend, most likely by altering time in some fashion to change the out come.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:  Who is your favorite real life hero, or one from this show?  

Wild Card by Lora Leigh (St Martin’s Press, 2008)

STATS:  Former Navy Seal taken prisoner, disfigured, and tortured with “whore’s dust” aphrodisiac.  Believed dead for six years.  Disgusted by his dark transformation, both physically and mentally, he stays away from his wife—until he gets news that makes staying away from her impossible.  He returns to her a different man, but one who must overcome her determination to stay faithful to her dead husband.   

THE LOOK:  “Arrogance shimmered off him.  Dark blue eyes seared into her brain, glowing from a face that was sun bronzed and savagely hard.  Flat cheekbones, a nose that was just a little off center, lips that were sensual but just a tad thin.  A dark, short black beard covered his face, closely cropped and giving him a dangerous appearance.  Long black hair was pulled back from his face and secured at his nape…He was lean and tall, but she bet the muscles beneath that black leather jacket, T-shirt, jeans, and riding chaps were like steel.”

LEADING LADY: Sabella Malone lost her young husband, Nathan Malone, when she was twenty years old.  She’s a “living shrine” to his memory, running his auto garage and surrounded by his framed pictures.  When Noah returns to her, she’s nothing like the pampered, acquiescent girl he remembered—this Sabella (isn’t that an awesome name!) is feisty, independent and more than ready to get “nasty” when it comes to loving—if only he can get past her emotional walls.

BOTTOM LINE:  I recently discovered Lora Leigh and I have to tell you I LOVE her and her heroes.  She can pull off many things that I normally don’t go for.  (She writes a series on “Breeds” [genetically altered humans/lions] that is great.)  In this story, it’s the husband-staying-away-from-his-wife-for-years-for-her-own-good.  I think it works because the reader knows the separation was really about Noah’s insecurity, and because he was very young as well as a controlled-Navy-Seal who thought of his wife as extremely fragile.  The story is layered and complex because we see the changes that six years have brought to these two people.  The fact that Noah successfully resisted betraying his vows despite being repeatedly tortured with an aphrodisiac only makes him more sympathetic and heroic.  Leigh’s also one of the sexiest writers around.  She started writing erotica, and her mainstream books are very erotic, but in a monogamous, it’s all about this couple kind of way.  I have to admit, she’s such a skilled writer that I’ve often wished for less sex in the story (egads!) and more suspense time.   Still, her heroes are dark, primal, growl “mine” when they see the heroine, and take action to stake their claim.  They’re definitely a naughty pleasure.        

QUESTION OF THE DAY:  What’s been your experience with “too much of a good thing?”