IMHO: "Life on Mars" (1.03): "Cruising" back to 1973 for a gay history lesson

Last night the ABC remake of the hit Brit cop show Life on Mars dove headfirst into the homophobia rampant in this country in 1973, and the problems that gay people had in finding justice and equal protection. It's the first time I've caught the "2008 cop wakes up in 1973 and tries to navigate his way through bell-bottoms and spread collars to find his way home" drama, but I'll be tuning in again.

To find out why I gave this ep the ol' up-arrow, click on through the jump!

Okay, before we get to the gay stuff, can I just pause for a moment to look at lead actor Jason O'Mara? *swoooooooooooon*

K, glad that's out of the way.

In last night's ep, the temporally misplaced Detective Sam Tyler (O'Mara) and his new bunch of 1973 cop friends investigate the beating murder of a Vietnam war vet that took place under a bridge near a park. Eventually the investigation leads to the murdered man's wife and son, his former squad leader, and a tax accountant with whom he had a drink shortly before he was killed. 

Initially the cops think that it's the hippies protesting the war and giving returning vets a hard time (a sad reality for the day) who are behind the attack, but when Sam's underappreciated female colleague Annie (Gretchen Mol) awkwardly mentions that she thinks that the tax accountant might be "a homosexual", Sam starts to think that this might have been a gay-bashing.

Eventually things do end up being related to the victim's sexuality, although it's not exactly a gay-bashing as he suspects. But along the way Sam and his much less progressive colleagues learn a bit about the city's gay community along the way.

First and foremost, Sam is horrified when his colleagues (mostly boorish Det. Ray, played wonderfully by a handlebar moustache propping up Michael Imperioli) want to throw the case when they learn that the victim is gay. And although Lieutenant Hunt (Harvey Keitel) at first balks at the idea that a war hero and patriot could be a homosexual, he quickly comes around and browbeats his cops into finding the man's killer.

The best scene (of a solid hour of refreshingly goofy cop drama) was when, after visiting a gay bar to learn more about the victim and being told by the bartender that the drunk Knicks fans from across the park like to "beat up queers" for fun, the cops make one of their own go undercover as a cruising gay guy and catch a few gay-bashers (Ray asks, "what's that, throwing a party for a queer?"). Lt. Hunt proceeds to beat the crap out of the attackers as the cops lecture them on how pathetic it is to hurt someone because of their sexuality ... and even though the guys aren't ultimately the killers, they certainly learn their lesson.

The ep also played wonderfully with how far we've come in terms of understanding sexuality and how much more comfortable a topic it is in 2008 than it was in 1973. When Sam comments to Annie that "women always have better gaydar" she laughs at the word, thinking it's the cleverest thing she's ever heard. And Sam's unwavering support of the gay victim and the gay community throughout the ep sends a clear message that understanding and sensitivity are the contemporary standard, and that prejudice is as out-of-date as polyester plaids.

Plus, the NYC locations, fun mystery (why was Sam thrown back in time in the first place, and what will happen if he tracks down his young self?), great cast (Mol in particular is lovely) and snappy script are way above-average for a cop show. I seriously wasn't even going to give this one a shot, but I think it's an above-average show with lots of promise.

Of course, that's just IMHO.

Now it's your turn! Anyone else a fan? Or not? If you missed the ep and want to watch, it's available free online over at ABC's website.