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The detectives of the 125th – led by Sam Tyler and Lt. Gene Hunt – investigate a crime spree that casts a spotlight of suspicion on the department and their fellow officers.

Unlike the Life on Mars pilot, the first minutes of episode two were terrific – and funny.

Sam, Lt. Gene Hunt, Ray and Chris – undercover and wearing various forms of hilarious public swimming pool attire – chase Speedo-clad armed robbery/murder suspect Kim Trent (Pablo Schreiber) through a NYC park. Just after Sam tackles Trent near the park’s fishing pond, Lt. Gene (Keitel) hip-checks the suspect (who can’t swim) into the water – and interrogates him while he fights to keep afloat and eventually goes under.

Sam (Jason O’Mara) jumps in to save the perp, and his ride through 1973 continues.

Back at the 125th, the interrogations of Trent commence. Sam throws several black and white photos of male and female murder victims in front of Trent, trying to connect him to the deaths.

Trent’s response to the female victim: “Looks like she was cute, until she put on the dead chick mask.”

Witty. Most of the punch lines come from Gene and Ray (Michael Imperioli). The dialogue is one of the strong suits of this show, along with the Lost-style mystery of why Sam is in 1973, and the explosive ’70s soundtrack.

When Sam complains about Gene’s tactics, he tells him, “that’s tampering with evidence where I come from.”

Gene’s sing-song reply: “Where guns are made of gingerbread and criminals confess for lollipops.”

It’s at this point that we’re introduced to June (Heather Matarazzo), a meek woman who assists around the precinct and – in-between asking constant questions about the case – even cleans up the vomit in Trent’s cell.

Sam lets Trent loose with plans for the team to follow him and track his involvement with any future robberies.

Trent doesn’t disappoint. Gene and Sam track him to a check-cashing shop, where Trent emerges with a gun and begins shooting at the two cops. Gene and Sam duck into the backseat of a car, and Gene fires back, killing Trent.

As Gene and Sam climb out of the backseat of the car, they’re surprised to see an unconscious Jean slumped over in the front seat. Still alive, she fell victim to one of Trent’s bullets. The cops assume she heard about the robbery, grabbed a scanner and high-tailed it to the scene.

When Jean is taken to the hospital, Gene erupts at Sam and blames him for Jean because Sam set Trent free.

At this point, I’m rolling my eyes and yelling at the TV: “She’s in on it, guys!” But, the cops on the TV don’t listen…

Anyway, Gene and Sam eventually succumb to fisticuffs (high five for a big word), making for some more highlights. At one point, they throw punches at the foot of Jean’s hospital bed.

Armed with eyewitness testimony that uniformed cops were helping Trent with his crime spree, Sam bypasses Gene and goes to the district attorney. An investigation is launched, and Ray and others are briefly considered suspects. 

It all works itself out. Jean admits to being a mole in the department, collecting information and supplying uniforms to Trent’s gang. Her motive? She was lonely and Trent showed her attention.

Honestly, I was disheartened by the weak, see-through storyline. And I’m unimpressed with O’Mara’s overacting as Sam. He needs to tone it down a bit and keep pace with veterans Keitel and Imperioli.

Other highlights of episode 1.02 are the introduction of Sam’s naked, hippie neighbor Windy (Tanya Fischer) and the supernatural happenings – a mystical broken mirror and a little toy robot – that give Sam glimpses into his past, er…future.

I hope future storylines pack on a little more substance. Right now, I can look past weak stories and revel in the things mentioned above: strong characters, good underlying mystery and the masterful soundtrack.

Keep watching.

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