[ SECRET POST #2200 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2200 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


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02.


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03.


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04.


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05.
[Vanessa Ferlito]


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06.
[Iron Man]


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07.
[The Tudors]


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08.
[Kuroko no Basuke]


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09.
[The Iron Giant]


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10.
[Ace Attorney]


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11.


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12.
[American Horror Story Asylum]


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Notes:

Going to pull a few secrets from the first page of next week's post to fill tomorrow's.

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 009 secrets from Secret Submission Post #314.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ], [ 1 - posted twice ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: Life On Mars - is it good, US vs UK, etc?

[ginainthekingsroad]

Ugh, the US version. Jason O'Mara is usually serviceable as Sam if often standing around mouth agape. Most of the supporting cast are hit and miss: Michael Imperioli is strong as Ray, Harvey Kietel acts well as always but is seriously miscast as Gene (Colm Meany had the role in the first unaired US pilot and was a better fit), and Gretchen Mol is AWFUL as Annie. She and O'Mara have zero chemistry and her acting is wooden more often than not.

The series had one episode, "Let All the Children Boogie", that I really liked- Cheyenne Jackson was hysterical as a glam rocker, and the story is original to the US version and not another an awkward setting update of stories from the UK version. I bring that up because it convinced me to keep watching the US show. It was evenly an ensemble story (most of the others are very Sam-heavy) and showed that the writers COULD do some unique things with the American setting and characters, putting their own spin on the premise from the UK series. Unfortunately, none of the other episodes lived up to it and it ended on a completely ridiculous note. I just kept staring in disbelief and laughing. The ending is completely different from the original's, which is fine-- but the resolution they DID give it is unintentionally hilarious!

Another thing that could have improved the US version is the city- Manchester is as much a character in the UK version as the cast. Yeah NYC was meaner and dirtier in the '70s, but it was still one of the largest cities in the nation; they needed a smaller, more industrial city to parallel Manchester- Pittsburgh, Buffalo, maybe.

I almost wrote that you shouldn't waste your time with the US one, but it has moments. The police mysteries are generally ok (AIS, many of them are based on plots from the UK version); it's in the treatment of SAM'S mystery that it falls flat. That and some of the casting. I would recommend you watch the original first, and then see if you're interested in the remake.

The original does have some flaws (Chris's stupidity for one; at least thatt gets improved some in Ashes to Ashes), but it sets the tone just right. The balance of drama and comedy is just perfect. John Simm's performance is wonderfully layered- so many things are going on in his head all at once and it comes out in an astonishing performance. And yes, as galerian-ash said, you want to go into its ending as unspoiled as possible. Ashes to Ashes has spoilers to the ending of LoM in its first episode so definitely don't watch that first like someone I know did.