Just when ABC’s Life on Mars appeared to have settled into a predictable groove–police procedural with a little existential twist–”The Dark Side of the Mook” blasts off the launch pad with engaging plot and character turns.  This, the ninth episode of  Life on Mars, makes a decisive break from previous episodes, going full throttle into the land of magical realism and bizarre existential mystery.

If every episode were this good, I’d be the guy organizing the campaign to drive as many little Mars robots as possible into ABC headquarters when Life on Mars is canceled on schedule later this spring.

What made it so danged good?

First, continuation of a gripping story arc started in earlier episodes.  “The Dark Side of the Mook” kicks off with the resumption of cliff-hangerage that took place in the final moments of  Episode 1.7, “The Man Who Sold The World,” which aired back before the holidays in November.  At the end of that episode, Sam Tyler leaves the hospital, where he is recovering from a gunshot wound inflicted by his own father, to follow up on a cryptic clue left by his father.  Following this clue, Sam ends up at a suburban address, where a mysterious phone caller directs him to unearth a headless corpse buried nearby. The headless corpse yields yet another clue–this time the phone number of Sam’s colleague and rival, hard-boiled detective Ray Carling.

The episode unfolds via a series of investigative interviews conducted by a kind of man in black–is he FBI? CIA? Internal Affairs? The humorless investigator questions Sam, Ray, and Gene, and a story emerges of decapitated bodies, petty theft, and one of those uber-rich dudes who is completely above the law.  Entangled in this plot is Ray’s underachieving brother Eddie.

Which gets us to unexpected character development. Through the introduction of the Eddie character, the audience gets a rare glimpse into the inner life of the philistine Ray.  In previous episodes, Ray has been a monolithic or even elemental character who spews a constant stream of cynicism and ill will at most of the other characters, particularly the main character, Sam.  There have also been intimations that Ray might be a crooked cop.  But we’ve never gotten a good feel for what drives this dark and hostile character, until now.  But it turns out that Ray carries the burdens of propping up his loser brother Eddie and insulating his retired parents from the shame and worry that Eddie causes.

This detour into the reality of Ray Carling doesn’t distract, though, from the central developments of “The Dark Side of the Mook.”  The mystery of Sam’s dislocation in time is the focus of this episode, and there’s weirdness aplenty, starting with that man in black investigator character.  The Mars rover robot never appears, but a burned, disfigured killer does.  Annie indicates that she is ready to believe Sam’s bizarre story.  And then there’s that secret “Project Aries” file, labeled in English and Russian, which harkens back to the Russian scientist who appeared in episode 1.8  “Take A Look At The Lawmen.”

Television Zombies’ own Chris Piers pointed out in comments to my review of episode 1.8 “Take A Look At The Lawmen” that  “Take A Look At The Lawmen” and 1.9 “The Dark Side of the Mook” have been broadcast out of sequence, and that “Take A Look At The Lawmen” should have been shown after “The Dark Side of the Mook.”  Several elements of “Take A Look At The Lawmen,” however, seem to fit better before the events of “The Dark Side of the Mook;” in particular, the Russian scientist’s explanation of his research back in the mother country into miniature probes of the human soul and admonition that Sam “embrace his immigrant status.”  The mystery deepens.

So just what is Project Aries? Who was investigating the 125 Precinct?  Is the burned killer truthful, or a stooge?  Who is calling Sam and giving him instructions and tips? What’s with the robots?

An inspired music choice added to the enigmatic quality of “The Dark Side of the Mook.” “White Room” by Cream embodied the jazz-fusion-art-rock genius of Eric Clapton at the height of his powers, and the imagery of this song–one part glamorous sixties spy movie, one part acid trip, and about a hundred parts over-the-top epic rock pomposity–complemented the episode’s dramatic tension.

It was all so good, I forgot that Harvey Keitel needs a haircut to look like he belongs in 1973.

Here’s hoping there’s more episodes like this one, so it gets an unheard of 4.9 Harvey Keitel Fists of Fury.