h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

At that point he wasn't dead dead... they were 'losing him'.

I wondered about the scene where the surgeon was telling him he'd recovered successfully from brain surgery. No bald patches or shaved areas?

Thoroughly enjoyed both series - the best thing the Beeb's produced in years (apart from Dr Who, of course)

Yeah I wonder if the whole "modern day" bit was the dream.

But if so how come he knew about the future? And how come he is allowed to retain his undercover identity?

I think it is great that it is ambigeous meaning we can carry on speculating for a while!

Yeah, I've been wondering why they so readily forgave him, even though did get "a medical bird" who, while not enigmatic is "from Barnsley".

I mean, didn't Gene seem to be a bit too ready to forgive him?

I'm going to be a right steaming hypocrite here:

It was a lightweight, though remarkably good, TV programme. It wasn't meant for the likes of us and most who saw it won't be picking holes in the ending/motivation etc.

On the other hand: it did seem a tad rushed at the end. I'm sure the 73 peeps would have been a touch more narked at yonder two faced Sam than they appeared to be, and either kicking five bells out of him or ordering the straightjacket. Or both.

But, it was still a brilliant programme.

Yep, it certainly was. Absolutely no argument there. And anything that gets Rick Wakeman's piano playing on primetime telly has to be a good thing!

How long was he back in the present? Surely recovering from coma, visitng Mum, getting back to work, would all have taken weeks at least.

So how come when he goes back to 1973 it's at exactly the millisecond that he'd escaped?

Because it's Sam's personal Heaven and that's when he wanted to be back?

I can see the possibility of a boom in fan fiction where people write similar stories of modern day medical students who are awake for fifty two hours falling to sleep and waking up in the imtes of barber surgeons and trying to heal people with unsanitary conditions and a lack of money to pay nursing staff. "Am I dreaming this, am I back in time, am I hallucinating after drinking too much red bull?"

Oh hang on...that is todays NHS isnt it.

OK then Judges who after one too many snifters at lunchnod off and bang their heads on their own gavells being transported back to a time fifty years ago who find them selves presiding in cases where they actually understand references to contemporary events and their attitudes are woefully out of step with the prevailing social attitudes.

The possibilities are endless.

Hmmm...

I think I may have to write a tale in which a 21st Century IT 'specialist' is electrocuted trying to repair a printer and goes back to a time when knowledge of IT required more than an evening class certificate and the entire range of '...For Dummies' books.

My interpretation of the final episode of Series 2.

Sam really was from the 21st century, there's no way he could of known about Red Rum winning the grand national in series one (Just one quick example)

The undercover identity story line is the part of him that wants to stay in 1973.

When Sam "Wakes" from his coma he hasn't actually woken up. He's come to the point where he needs to choose wether he wants to wake up of if he would rather slip away and remain in 1973.

The act of throwing himself of the roof is him making his decision to stay in '73 (Much like him trying to throw himself of the roof in episode 1 series 1 to get home).

He never woke up from his coma and the last radio message "He's slipping away" etc takes place during the operation and he chooses to turn that chanel off.

Not quite sure what the little girl at the end was up to mind you

Please feel free to correct me if you think I'm wrong as I'd enjoy the debate

I've noticed that some people really wanted there to be a a real mystery to the show. They really thought it was sci-fi show and there was going to be some "logical twist" to explain why he was really in 1973.

The questions in the title were introspective reflective question from the character of of himself.
It was always apparent that Sam was in a coma, from seeing him hit by the car, the deliberate error with the timing of the building of that motorway flyover to the stylistic choice of never showing any of the event to the audience that Sam can't see himself.

People failed get that it was a fun show, and entertainment and that really the writers wanted a device to get a modern cop back into the 70's cop show format.

In this thread it has been said that Sam is in his own personal "Heaven".
I think the opposite. He's in own personal hell. And he likes it there.
He could leave his hell at any time all he had to do is let go of the it and the people there.
He eventually does this but real life doesn't meet his needs, 1973 is easier and simpler, he has clear purpose there as the counterpoint Gene and to *get Carter*.

The girl at the end was two things, she is dark and demonic and she's given Sam the keys to his prison, she told him how to get out of hell and Sam has come back, he's rejected his life and his mother and 2006/07 come back hell. She switches off the TV because she has Sam, the show is over. The audience has been with Sam in his fantasy and she switches off our TV sets to remind us that's all been only our dream too. It's a writer's gag!
And the audience is left to chose for themselves if Sam and his friends live on happily ever after in hell or if Sam has just died. If you want a happy ending you make it for yourself, if you want a intelligent ending, you let go of Sam and his world and they die with that flick of the switch.

Umm... was saying about people over-analysing the show and thus spoiling the fun followed by a couple of paragraphs which over-analysed the show deliberately ironic?

BY causing me to re-read my post I notice that the first line about people thinking it was a show about time travel fails to commicate an explicit reference to time travel.

Still I don't see where I have over-analysed the *show*. I simple identified some simple cues in the writing.

*Looks ish*

Sorry... just being daft...

Just be careful not get in flagranti with those sheep you're looking at. "Baa" means "No".

In flagranti? I'll have you know I was in the barn the whole time!