Is anyone else watching this new cop/crime drama on ABC? It's on right after Grey's Anatomy. At first I was adamant that I was NOT going to get sucked into another show. I'm watching too many already but when I saw that Jason O'Mara was starring in it. I gave in.

Is anyone else in love with Jason O'Mara? I first saw him when I was watching the BBC series Monarch of the Glen, thought he was super hot. Then he popped up in ABC's Men in Trees, which by the way I'm super bummed they canceled, as Marion's super hot publisher guy, Stuart. Clearly I heart Jason O'Mara, so I knew I'd be sold on Life on Mars. Speaking of the BBC, I just Googled "Life on Mars" and apparently, like so many other series, Life on Mars was a BBC series first. Hm, interesting tid-bit.

Ok, back to the show. So what, you might be wondering, is Life on Mars about? Well, the extremely handsome Jason O'Mara plays NYC police detective Sam Tyler. In this first episode we're introduced to the case Sam is working on with his partner and girlfriend, Maya Daniels, played by Lisa Bonet. They are hunting down a murderer, Colin Raimes, who, due to a somewhat questionable alibi, is released from police custody. Maya, fearing he will kill again, follows Raimes without Sam and turns up missing.

Sam, as you might image, is frantic trying to find her and, in the process, manages to get hit by a car. When he wakes up he's no longer in 2008 but has been mysteriously transported to 1973. Where he is still a detective for the same precinct. Sam, understandably, has some doubts about the reality of his situation but things soon become clear that his trip through time is somehow related to the crime he and Maya were investigating in 2008.

Life on Mars has a great cast in addition to O'Mara and Bonet including Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, and Gretchen Mol.

I was wondering about the name of the show before I saw it, wondering if it was in reference to the time travel or what. When Sam gets hit by the car in 2008 he's listening to David Bowie's hit single "Life on Mars" and when he wakes up in 1973 his ipod has been replaced with an 8 track and it too is playing David Bowie's "Life on Mars".

Aside from Jason O'Mara my other favorite part of the show....??! THE MUSIC. It's got an awesome soundtrack. :)

So, did others watch this? What did you think? If you missed the first episode you can watch it here!

Have my fellow Gossip Girl lovers seen this article from New York Magazine? If you're a fan of the show you have to check it out!

It's a lengthy (7 pages), but intelligently written article capturing exactly why we love, or love to hate, Gossip Girl! If you don't want to read the entire article I've picked a few of my favorites quotes:

"...there should be no shame in a love of Gossip Girl. After all, it is (and we have come to this conclusion honestly) the most awesomely awesome show ever."

"But the best, and most addictive, aspect of Gossip Girl is that the delectable tangle of jealousy, loyalty, confusion, and general teen angst coils and recoils at such a frenetic pace."

"Gossip Girl gets the world of privileged New York City kids pretty right. The characters may be caricatures, but they recall real types enough to make you cringe: The mothers who want to shape and clothe (and then humiliate) their daughters. The gay father, the hipster Brooklyn father, the dad with the coke problem. And the kids who fall in love, have sex, smoke pot, and try to fight out their places in the social hierarchy. It’s accurate enough to have real-life parents in a tizzy and private-school principals lecturing students about why they shouldn’t watch."

"The show mocks our superficial fantasies while satisfying them, allowing us to partake in the over-the-top pleasures of the irresponsible superrich without anxiety or guilt or moralizing. It’s class warfare as blood sport. And, as Blair Waldorf might say, that’s entertainment."

So as soon as I finished Season 1, I immediately dived into Season 2 which picks up right where Season 1 left off (imagine that!). Here's a recap for you on who the Winchester men are:

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as John Winchester, father to Dean and Sam.
Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, big brother to Sammy.
Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester.

Now onto Season 2!


SPOILERS




So we open with the Winchester men all banged up from the car wreck. Sam and John are battered and bruised but for the most part alright. Dean, on the other hand, is in a bad way. Very bad, life-threateningly bad, fear the Reaper bad.

In fact in this episode his spirit, wandering around while he lies comatose in the hospital, is trying to outrun a Reaper. And, as we've seen in previous Supernatural episodes, if a Reaper's after your ass, that's it, GAME OVER; there's no out running a Reaper. So, how does Dean escape his supposed fate? Well, Daddy Dearest, steps in and makes a deal with a demon. The yellow-eyed demon that killed his wife; the demon they've been hunting for all through Season 1. So John trades his soul for Dean's life.

Ok, so let me take a quick break here to bitch for a second. Why oh why does every everyone hate Jeffrey Dean Morgan so much??! They kill him off in EVERY show!! Let's reminisce: on Grey's Denny dies, on Weeds he's already dead but appears in flashbacks and now, on Supernatural, they wack him too. GRRRRRRRARGHGGGGGGGGR! I'm so ANGRY. We didn't get enough of him as it is on Supernatural then they went and killed him. DAMNIT.

Alright, back to the plot. So John sacrifices himself so that Dean can live. Understandably, Sam and Dean are crushed by their Dad's death. It's also, important to note they don't know that he made a deal with a demon, they suspect as much but they don't know for sure.

The majority of the episodes in Season 2 deal with Sam and Dean coming to terms with their fathers death, as well as learning more about the Psychic abilities that Sam has developed. Sam has visions of peoples death's that usually come true. While on the road hunting Sam and Dean come across several other people like Sam. People the same age, whose psychic abilities all started around the same time. It is around this time that Dean reveals to Sam the last thing John told Dean before he died. John told Dean he was either going to have to save Sam or kill him.

Yeeeeeeeeeeeah. Ouch.

Throughout the course of the season it is revealed that the yellow-eyed demon has plans for these "special children"; it is speculated that he is building an apocalyptic army and these psychics are to be his soldiers.

Damn Sam! (Pun intended).

So, while Dean and Sam are off on a routine hunt, Sam up and disappears only to find himself in an abandoned, haunted town with several other Psychics such as himself. Turns out Yellow-Eyes has brought the Psychics here as part of a Supernatural Gladiators contest with last man sanding landing a role as the leader of the demon's army.

While Sam is duking it out with his fellow Psychics to stay alive, Dean (and their Dad's friend Bobby) are franticly searching for Sam having no idea where he's disappeared to. Before the Supernatural Gladiators contest got too intense one of the Psychics was able to send some images to Dean to help him pinpoint their location. Dean turns to some other hunters at the local Roadhouse but finds it has burnt to the ground, killing several of his friends and others missing.

Bobby and Dean make it to the abandoned ghost town just in time to see Jake, one of the other Psychics, stab Sam in the back and he dies in Dean's arms. YEP, DIES. DEAD. GONE. KAPUT.

Well, you know Dean's having none of that. So, Dean pulls a John Winchester and summons a demon to trade his soul for Sam's life.

Now, this whole scenario goes back to one of the previous episodes, Crossroad Blues, in which several people made deals with a demon, who granted whatever the asked for. But they only had 10 years to live before the demon came back to claim their soul.

Because Dean is a Winchester there is no way this demon was going to let him hang around for 10 years fighting supernatural forces so they haggle back and forth about how long before the demon returns for Dean's soul. The poor bastard only gets ONE YEAR. And the demon tells him if he tries to get around or back out of the deal in anyway the deal is off and Sam will drop dead.

Damn. That sucks. But he's got Sammy back and that's all that matters to him. Obviously he doesn't tell Sam what he's done.

Now, Bobby was with Dean when Sam died. So, imagine his surprise when a healthy Sam walks up the next day. Bobby knows that Dean has made some kind of deal and is unable to hide his surprise at seeing Sam, which makes Sam suspicious.

The season culminates in a gigantic cluster fuck when James (remember the dick that stabbed Sam in the back), at Yellow-Eyes bidding goes to open the gateway to hell. Sam, Dean, Bobby, and their friend Ellen all go to stop him. James is shocked to see Sam alive insisting that he killed Sam. James manages to open the gates to hell letting loose 100's of demons before being killed.

Damned if I don't love this next part:
Yellow-Eyes also shows up to the scene and tells Dean that perhaps when Sam returned from the dead that he's not "100% pure Sam" and proceeds to try to kill Dean. However, John Winchester who has crawled out of hell (remember he traded his soul to the demon for Dean's life) saves Dean and allows Dean to shoot Yellow-Eyes with the Colt that will kill any supernatural entity. At this point, John's soul departs, to where I don't know but I'm sure that's not the last we'll see of him.

After the gates of Hell are shut, Sam demands some answers from Dean. Knowing somethings not right. Dean then reveals to Sam the deal he made with the demon, leaving out the part about Sam dropping dead if Dean tries to get out of the deal. Sam insists he will find a way to save Dean.

I was wondering how long they would stretch out the vengeance on Yellow-Eyes plot line and what would keep Dean and Sam hunting once they'd finally killed the bastard. Guess, now we know they've got their hands full with the hundreds of demons that escaped from hell.

If that is about as clear as mud, here's a video for ya!



I'm still LOVING this series. I love the music. Love how Dean and Sam's relationship evolves and how they struggle with their Dad's death. How Dean struggles with the sacrifice John made for him and how he turned around and made the same sacrifice for Sam. Good stuff.

END SPOILERS


I've started downloading episodes from Season 3 on iTunes so I should be all caught up in no time.

Anyone else started on this series yet? If not, get on it ASAP.

Some link love:
Supernatural TV great site for all things Supernatural.
Why is No One Watching Supernatural?
Official CW Site