One day, you, a detective, are shot by someone and become unconscious. When you open your eyes, you notice that you have gone 30 years back in time. Not even knowing whether this is real or not, would you be able to unravel a series of mysterious cases? To discover the answer, explore the interesting plot of Life on Mars with the Sungkyun Times (SKT).
Setting Foot on Mars
-Introducing the Beloved TV Show: Life on Mars
Life on Mars is a Korean time slip crime investigation show that aired on OCN from June to August 2018. It is a remake of a famous British TV show broadcast on BBC in 2006. The show was directed by Lee Jeong-hyo, and actors such as Jung Kyung-ho, Park Sungwoong, and Go Ah-sung starred to deliver outstanding performances. In the show, a detective living in 2018 gets into an accident that makes him travel back in time to 1988 and encounters various events during the investigation. Life on Mars is acclaimed as a well-made remake show by maintaining the strengths of the original series through exciting plot lines and clever directing, even while successfully incorporating Korean sentiments into the show. Gaining its highest viewer ranking of 5.7%, Life on Mars remains one of the most successful OCN TV shows and continues to have a large fanbase today.
-Synopsis
Han Tae-joo, a forensics scientist in a crime investigation team with a rational personality, gets shot in the head and collapses while chasing Kim Min-sung, a main suspect in a serial murder case in 2018. When he wakes up, he quickly notices that he has gone back to 1988 and has been designated as the chief of the Inseong Seobu Police Station. While investigating a new serial murder case, Taejoo discovers that the main suspect is his deceased father. However, he detects the modus operandi to be similar to that of the suspect Kim Min-sung in the 2018 case. From then, Tae-joo starts to question the truth of the case as well as the sudden encounter between the past and the present…
Reasons to Watch Life on Mars
-Realistic Time Travel
The key point to note on Life on Mars is the contrast between the life in 1988 and 2018. The drama attracts viewers by utilizing a variety of props that feature over 30 years of cultural contrast. For instance, sophisticated black and white interiors are replaced by old-fashioned yellowish interiors, and a Hyundai Santa Fe is replaced with a Pony. Contradictions also appear in terms of crime investigation techniques. It distinguishes the characters’ conflicts when performing an abusive investigation in 1988 and a forensic investigation in 2018. Additionally, the show introduces actual cases from 1988 and helps viewers fully immerse themselves and further address real-life social issues. For instance, the drama earned hype for portraying the “Yujeonmujoe Mujeonyujoe” Case in 1988, when four fugitives, including Ji Kang-hun, took hostages and exposed inequality in the Korean law system. In the film, a fugitive named Lee Kang-hun performs his representative phrase, “Yujeonmujoe Mujeonyujoe,” meaning that the rich are innocent, and the poor are guilty. Such reference to actual cases maximizes the strength of a time-slip crime genre by throwing a currently valid question at the viewers.
-Eye-catching Mise-en-Scène
Life on Mars is also known for its outstanding cinematography. A technique named a “tracking shot” was used to illustrate the scene where Tae-joo’s subconscious mind moves toward reality, receiving praise from both critics and viewers. A tracking shot is where the camera moves back and forth or to the side using a camera cart, allowing the background to look like it is moving further away from the subject. The technique is effectively utilized in the scene where Tae-joo sees his father getting shot by the real suspect. Furthermore, the drama employs color to depict aesthetic discrepancies. The production team added a pale blue pigment on the screen when portraying 2018, creating a sense of incompatibility and unreality. Meanwhile, they placed a vivid, yellowish tone when depicting scenes in 1988 when Tae-joo used to believe it was a dream. Such colors create confusion not only for Tae-joo but also for the viewers as to which one is real. Hence, the contrasting colors were used to distinguish, as well as collide, the two worlds.
Quotes for Readers: Reality or the Subconscious Mind?
“Have you ever been to a world over the rainbow like Dorothy?”
Tae-joo hears the words on the radio after returning to 2018. Like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, Tae-joo left the pale, desolate world he lived in to travel to the joyful golden world with his friends. However, even after returning to his hometown, Tae-joo, who has been soaked in yellow sunlight, cannot decide what his real hometown is.
“The real world is where you can laugh.”
The psychiatrist in the “real world” tells Tae-joo that where he can laugh is where the real world is. The quote leaves us with a question. If the deprived life is fake and the life stained with illusion is real, which will we choose?
“I don’t care who you are anymore because I will only believe what I can see.”
A voice from the “real world” whispers to Tae-joo that his friends in danger are only a hallucination and he should wake up from the dream. But now, whether it is a dream or a reality does not matter to Tae-joo. Tae-joo, who has been confused all along, eventually makes up his mind to fall into the arms of those who gave him laughter and happiness.