Quite a momentous 100th episode of "Lost." Let's start by adding up everything that we learned in "The Variable."

** Charles Widmore is Daniel Faraday's father.

** Faraday's mother deliberately sends her son to the island in 2004 so that three years later, he will eventually go back in time to 1977 so she can shoot him in the back. Not only that but she wouldn't even let the poor boy play the piano, or have a girlfriend.

** Before he dies, Faraday drops the bomb that maybe they can change the future -- really change the future -- by detonating in 1977 the hydrogen bomb that has been cooling underground since 1954. Perhaps it's buried in the shadow of the four-toed statue.

** Sawyer still has some feelings for "Freckles."

** Desmond did get shot by Ben at the dock but he's OK. However, Penny leaving baby Charlie with a hospital nurse seems like a really bad idea.

Phew. Best line of the seg, written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and helmed by Paul Edwards, came from Jack: "I just fell out of a plane in mid-air into 1977. I'm getting kind of used to insane."

Second-best line, from Sawyer: "Welcome to the meeting, Twitchy."

This episode gave us a heaping helping of backstory on Daniel Faraday, which gave Jeremy Davies a nice chance to shine, and twitch and get that pained look on his face that he does so well. Thank goodness they answered the nagging question of why we were first introduced to him in season four with the scene of him crying in front of a TV set while watching news footage of the discovery of the faux Oceanic 815 crash.

But being schooled all season in Faraday's rules of physics, it's unsettling to hear him talk about "maybe I can change" the course of events in the future. I suppose that whenever you're dealing with science, you have to leave open the possibility that new research and discoveries will force a re-think of everything we thought we knew. Still, I feel a little bit like I studied one textbook all semester only to learn that the big exam is going to be based on another book. But who cares? This isn't college. I'm along for the ride.

Supreme Court decisions are usually thick and dense, with lots of big words and page after page devoted to citings of precedent.

But there are always a few quotable turns of phrase, a few zingers and bits of nastiness between the majority and the dissent in every decision that make them worth slogging through. Tuesday's decision in the Fox vs. FCC indecency case -- which turned on the question of whether broadcasters should be liable for the random F-bomb and other curse words that slip through on live broadcasts -- is no exception.

(For a primer, read Variety's story on the ruling, and read Brian Lowry's spot-on analysis of why the idea of the FCC policing the broadcast airwaves is wrong-headed and anachronistic. If you're really game, read the decision yourself.)

There's the cheap thrill of reading the Supremes parse the question of whether Nicole Richie and Cher were invoking "literal or nonliteral" uses of the words fuck, fucking and shit. Richie's was definitely literal in her lament on the 2003 Billboard Music Awards telecast: "Have you ever tried to get cow shit out of a Prada purse? Not so fucking simple." Cher, on the other hand blurred the lines in the 2002 edition of the same kudocast: "So fuck 'em," she said of critics who have long predicted her professional demise.

There's also the purple prose that justices just can't seem to resist, especially when writing about a media-related decision that will be widely read -- and quoted -- by the media. And then there's the nyah-nyah-nyah my-opinion-is-better-than-yours justice-on-justice verbal violence. To wit:

From Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion:

"Cher's statement was patently offensive in part because she metaphorically suggested a sexual act as a means of expressing hostility to her critics." (Scalia pictured left)

From a footnote bashing the dissenting opinion by Justice Stephen Breyer:

"That strange and novel disposition would ... be better termed the doctrine of judicial arm-twisting or appellate review by the wagged finger."

Scalia says: Beware of future generations of swearing tykes:

The timing of the WMA-Endeavor merger shakeup couldn't have been less opportune for the hard working folks in each agency's TV lit department. If you hadn't noticed, it's staffing season, that most wonderful -- and busiest -- time of year for TV lit agents.

And this year, it's been rougher than usual as the nets are hammering anything that moves on a series to cut fees and cut bodies (much like the rest of corporate America). It's been hardest on the WMA side where there's so much uncertainty, but tenpercenters there are soldiering through, trying to focus on what's best for their clients.

Unfortunately, even with today's news of the merger agreement, things are likely to remain unsettled for a few more weeks while the deal gets the necessary government approvals.

WMA's TV department had what some described as an awkward meeting this afternoon, after the announcement went out, with WMA chief Jim Wiatt, chief operating officer Irv Weintraub and the co-heads of worldwide TV, Mark Itkin and Aaron Kaplan.

The gathering was brief. The brass stated what everyone in the room already knew (the deal, the name, the reasoning that it's the best move in a changing biz landscape for WMA) but did not address the elephant in the room -- namely the fate of Itkin, who is well loved by many in the building, and Kaplan. Will they stay? Will they move on to other shops?

Just like the fate of the dozens of pilots in contention at the nets, these questions will likely be answered by mid-May.

A belated post to say thank you to the "Swingtown" folks for making Friday's closing night sesh of the Paley Festival such a blast.

Cast members Lana Parrilla, Grant Show, Molly Parker, Miriam Shor and Shanna Collins (pictured from left above) could not have been nicer or warmer, or more sincerely willing to accentuate the positive. There was no sour grapes, no second-guessing of whether the show would've done better on a network other than CBS. The thesps and creator/exec producer Mike Kelley and exec producer/helmer Alan Poul (pictured below left) took the high road and had only kind words for CBS Entertainment boss Nina Tassler, CBS Paramount Network TV prexy David Stapf and others at the Eye.

Perhaps the most revealing moment came toward the end when I gingerly asked Kelley his ideas for what might have been in season two. He didn't hesitate. Lana Parrilla's Trina, who winds up unexpectedly pregnant by the "Swingtown" finale, probably would have opted to have an abortion, which would unravel her marriage to pilot and swinger poster boy Tom, played by Grant Show.

Parrilla got one of the bigger laughs of the night in discussing how spoiled she became by the fabulous wardrobe she had at her disposal on "Swingtown." At present she's costarring in a medical drama pilot for CBS, "Miami Trauma," and she was heartbroken when she came to realize that her wardrobe choices consisted of scrubs, and more scrubs.

Another highlight was the large photo collage from Kelley's childhood (circa '76) that was set up on an stand in the lobby of the Paley Center in Bev Hills for the afterparty. The outline of "Swingtown" plain for all to see from those pics. It's no wonder the characters rang so true.

TV's leading ladies owe a debt of gratitude to Bea Arthur, who died Saturday of cancer at age 86. Her accomplishments on "Maude" and "The Golden Girls," as well as on stage and in film, are well documented. But I was always impressed by the toughness that she was willing to demonstrate to play the tough broad that became Arthur's trademark. It certainly took a strong set of ovaries to withstand the storms created on "Maude" with the character's political activism, unabashedly liberal positions and, most famously, her decision to have an abortion.

My very favorite Bea Arthur moments are those that found her sparring with Archie Bunker on "All in the Family" -- she and Carroll O'Connor had a certain spark when they went at it (Arthur played Edith's outspoken, liberal cousin Maude from upstate New York) that made for great television, and earned her the spinoff.

Even 35-plus years later, watching those scenes, you can feel how daring it was for that kind of political and social discourse to be aired on national network television, and not in hifalutin' academic speak but in the easy-to-understand argot of relatives bickering in the living room. Norman Lear and his team wrote the scripts, but it took thesps with the skills of Arthur and O'Connor to put it over.

Thanks, Bea.

Here's an upcoming show for me on BET: "Crews Control," a reality docu skein revolving around thesp Terry Crews, best known as the dad from "Everybody Hates Chris," his wife of 20 years, Rebecca, and their five kids, age 3 to 22.

Crews never fails to make me laugh. His family (pictured at last year's "Wall-E" preem) seems to be adorable and wholesome as apple pie.

The "Crews Control" announcement came as part of a startling announcement from BET today at its upfront event in Gotham. After years of deflecting criticism that it put profitahead of any consideration of its audience's needs by pushing lowest-common-denominator and low-cost programming, the cabler has decided to take a more enlightened route.

Call it the Obama effect. Or as BET chief Debra Lee told the crowd of advertisers Thursday:

"Given the historic change our country has experienced, this is the perfect time for BET Networks to re-examine where we are as a company and what we can be for our audience," said Lee. "As the number one African American media company in the world, we have a unique opportunity to make the world of our audience better and provide them with quality entertainment that speaks to where they are in their lives and where they want to go. BET's reinvigorated approach is built on supporting families, embracing and encouraging their dreams, focusing on the issues that are important to them and presenting the freshest talent and entertainment."

In addition to "Crews Control," which is slated to bow early next year, the new-model BET will feature such new shows as:

"Southland" stands out at first blush for everything that it is not. NBC's latest from John Wells Prods. is a police drama, but it's not a procedural. Nor is it forensics-driven, or built around a single character. It's a cop show about life on the beat in the sprawl of Los Angeles. The action unfolds one incident, one suspect and one fast-food stop at a time. It's "Adam-12" for the 21st century.

"It's a front row seat to the greatest show on Earth," the wisened patrol cop John Cooper tells his rookie partner Ben Sherman in "Southland's" first seg. That's the attitude that "Southland" creator/exec producer Ann Biderman brought to the project after doing months of research and ridealongs with cops and detectives all over greater L.A.

Biderman was enlisted to write the Warner Bros. TV skein by a cold call nearly two years ago from Wells and Christopher Chulack, a longtime Wells collaborator who is showrunner and director for "Southland."  Wells and Chulack knew they wanted to do a cop show set in L.A. that emphasized gritty realism and had little in the way of serialized storylines.

At the time, Biderman wasn't looking to return to series TV but she was intrigued by the offer and the chance to "spend a big chunk of time hanging out with cops," she says. Biderman. who earned an Emmy for her work on the first season of "NYPD Blue," had of late focused on features (she wrote Michael Mann's upcoming "Public Enemies") and projects for HBO (she was attached to with the now-defunct Anthony Pellicano project, among others). Her travels with the LAPD sealed her decision.

"Welcome to the circle of trust."

That line from Horace in tonight's ultra-fabulous "Lost" seg, "Some Like it Hoth," applies to all of us humble viewers at home. As "Lost" winds down its penultimate season, we are indeed getting the answers and the backstories that we've craved for so long. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse are men of their words.

Carlton has often referred to the "Lost" saga as a mosaic wherein the shiny tile pieces will be gradually be laid down, not in a methodical, finish-off-this-corner-first way but rather a let's-sprinkle-them-in-as-we-see-fit way, which has made for some astounding and confounding television for the past five seasons.

To my mind, tonight's seg completely made up for the shortcomings of the storytelling in last week's installment (mostly I felt it was too rushed). Darlton prepped us in last week's podcast that they felt the need for an episode with some lighter moments -- kind of like a "Star Trek" fourth episode -- and in that "Hoth" delivered.

Hurley and Miles (GREAT work by Jorge Garcia and Ken Leung) are the Cheech and Chong for a new generation. Instead of dope and rock 'n' roll, they riff about Star Wars and daddy issues. (I'm sure ABC's already thinking: Hmmm, how about a half-hour spinoff with a couple of time-traveling cut-ups in cute Dharma overalls?)

Kudos to writers Melinda Hsu Taylor and Greggory Nations for giving us the levity that some of us sorely needed (it's been a rough week at Variety, lemme tell ya), mixed with a generous helping of revealing OMG moments. And I've said it before and will surely say it again -- but folks, when you see the words "directed by Jack Bender" on an episode of "Lost," you know you're in for a good time.

There's something about the way the camera moves, the way the actors act, the way the frame of each scene is captured just so that makes television a joy to behold whenever Bender's behind the camera. Besides, what other show could pay homage to George Lucas and Billy Wilder in the same breath?

(No pics of this ep available from ABC but check out these snaps from "Lost's" recent 100th episode party. The Big 1-0-0 seg airs April 29.)

When Turner Classic Movies first opened for business 15 years ago, I was heartbroken. My cable provider, a wretched outfit called Cencom Cable, didn't carry the channel.

By definition, TCM was a movie lovers' celluloid dream -- a commercial-free outlet with unfettered access to the pre-1948 MGM and Warner Bros. film libraries and the RKO library. TCM was the reason that Ted Turner went into hock up to his eyeballs to buy the MGM library in the mid-1980s.

Not only would it showcase classics from the Golden Age but as my husband was quick to point out, there would be skads of '30s and '40s films that we'd never had the chance to see -- never even heard of before. The cabler launched on April 14, 1994 (hard to believe what a different era for media that was) with an epic that we've all heard of, "Gone With the Wind."

We weren't deprived for long. Our cable provider, which by this time I believe had changed, offered us a movie-channel upgrade that included TCM. When we finally flipped the switch,TCM was better than we'd ever imagined. A classy presentation, knowledgeable host in veteran Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne (he put AMC's Bob Dorian to shame -- and out to pasture) and best of all, the programmers clearly had an appreciation for the treasure trove at their disposal.

Pictured above, Turner Classic Movies' launch event in Times Square, April 14, 1994. From left, Arthur Hiller, Arlene Dahl, Jane Powell, Celeste Holm, Ted Turner, Van Johnson and Robert Osborne.

There's never a dull moment in a Ben-centric episode of "Lost." Tonight's was a doozy. In truth, it felt a little bit over-stuffed. There were some moments -- like Ben's confrontation of Penny and Desmond at the dock in L.A. -- that seemed really rushed, and thus lost some of their impact. (After a second viewing, this didn't bug me as much and the whole seg grew on me considerably.)

But in the main -- we sure did learn a lot in "Dead is Dead," written by Brian K. Vaughan and Elizabeth Sarnoff and helmed by Stephen Williams. It might've also been titled "Rules are Rules," or "The Loves of Benjamin Linus."

Ben does go on and on about doing everything for the sake of "the island," as does Widmore (it's getting to the enough-already point), but I think Ben's adventure with the resurrected Locke and in Smokey's underground cavern was all about his atoning for Alex's death -- not about breaking the rules of returning to the island once you've worn out your welcome with Jacob.

We got a lot of glimpses of the bitter battles for island supremacy over the years -- between Widmore and Richard Alpert, Ben and Widmore, Horace and Richard, Ben and Richard, and Ben and Locke. And they all love to play the Jacob card on one another. "The island chooses who it chooses," is Richard's retort when Widmore gets worked up about the decision to take in the dying 12-year-old Ben in 1977. Notice a pattern to the leadership choices here? Maybe it's time Jacob thought about bestowing the crown on a femme (Juliet?) for a change.

We even get the comic relief of seeing Ben and Locke needling each other about it -- as if they were kids in a school yard -- as Locke takes them to the Temple site to smoke out Smokey. But boy you can really see, as Ben admits, that Locke's intuition about all things Island is bugging the hell out of Ben. He nearly breaks down emotionally when he comes to realize that Locke was dead-on about what Ben's really going to face Smokey's judgment for.

Although I should know better by now, the action in this seg kept me guessing at every turn about Ben's motives and the truthfulness of his statements until the end. And I was right to do so, as proved by the big moment at the end where Alex (or the ghost of in the guise of Smokey, duh) comes to Ben and orders her guilt-ravaged dad to become a faithful follower of Locke, and to forget his plan to kill Locke for a third time.

Artwork created by cast and crew members on NBC's "Heroes" will be auctioned off April 19 at benefit for Autism Speaks to be held at the Avalon in Hollywood.

Rainn Wilson is on board to emcee "Heroes for Autism," which will include musical perfs by Wendy and Lisa and Band from TV, whose members include "Heroes'" Greg Grunberg and Adrian Pasdar, "House's" Hugh Laurie and "Desperate Housewives'" James Denton. "Heroes" thesps Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia are among those who will have artwork up for grabs at the silent auction. All proceeds will go to Autism Speaks.

The "Heroes for Autism" effort has been spurred by Greg Cohen, who works as a camera assistant on the Universal Media Studios series. A good friend of his has two youngs sons with autism, so the issue is close to his heart.

Outside of his day job, Cohen curates photography and art exhibits, many of them done as benefits. He knew that there were a number of talented artists and photogs in the "Heroes" camp, so it didn't take long for him to pull the pieces together, with help from Autism Speaks, NBC and U execs and the real-life heroes within "Heroes."

For more info, click here.

(Pictured above: A Greg Cohen pic that will among the items up for auction.)

For this time of year, there's a surprising amount of new programming out there to sample. Of the stuff that has come across my desk the past few weeks, the standout is Fox's "Glee."

It's "High School Musical" as if produced by Ryan Murphy, which in it is. The pilot that was sent out is still a work in progress -- it runs about 49 minutes -- and there's work to be done yet on the script and in the editing room.

But the musical numbers are worked in very smoothly and organically, and the cast is very cool, from Matthew Morrison as the earnest high school teacher trying to revive a once-proud Glee Club tradition to Lea Michele (late of "Spring Awakening," pictured in center with Morrison) as an ambitious perfectionist with designs on Broadway to Cory Monteith as the hunky quarterback who reluctantly gets in touch with his inner Steve Perry.

Throw in Jane Lynch as a maniacal cheerleader coach and you've got a show that I'd definitely watch again. "Glee," from 20th Century Fox TV, gets a big preview from Fox on May 19 in a post-"American Idol" slot, then is set to return for good in the fall....

...I really wanted to like NBC's "Parks and Recreation." On paper I like everything about it, from the star to the creative auspices ("The Office's" Greg Daniels and Michael Schur) to a setting that is someplace other than N.Y. or L.A. But the first installment, which bows Thursday, didn't make me laugh a whole lot. I agree with the crix, including Variety's Brian Lowry, who think it's too faithful to "The Office" mockumentary template for its own good. But I did particularly thesp Nick Offerman (pictured right) in the supporting role of Ron Swanson, boss to Amy Poehler's earnest bureaucrat Leslie Knope. He didn't get much screen time in the pilot, but they telegraphed a lot about his character, an anti-government government type, just from the poster of former college hoops coach Bobby Knight (in full finger-pointing roar) that hangs in his office. Frankly, Offerman's scenes were the ones that got the giggles out of this viewer. Rashida Jones, on the other hand, seemed miscast in her role as a nurse turned community activist. Still, I'll give "Recreation" a second visit, for sure....

...I can't say the same for CBS' "Harper's Island" (Thursday) or ABC's "The Unusuals" (Wednesday) ... 

  ...After being very intrigued by the clips shown in January at the Television Critics Assn. press tour, I finally got the screener of HBO's "Grey Gardens" telepic, which bows April 18. Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore are fantastic as Big and Little Edie -- there's no question who takes the Emmy for longform makeup this year -- but the movie overall is a little less fabulous than I'd expected in its execution. However, the fact that it exists at all is a tribute to the determinctor Michael Sucsy (pictured above with Lange and Barrymore) to bring to the screen the back-back story of how Big and Little Edie got to where they were when the Maysles brothers came calling on Grey Gardens in 1973. Telepic marks Sucsy's first long-form helming assignment, and he is most certainly one to watch. Daniel Baldwin and Ken Howard are also quite good in their supporting roles...

...And finally, an overdue mash note to HBO's "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency." In this day and age, it takes real moxie to put on a show that revels in its simplicity, its sweetness and the natural wonder of its surroundings. It's precious, as is star Jill Scott (pictured with Idris Elba) and perhaps the perfect Sunday night balm for what ails this mean ol' world right now ...

Before Bruce Nash became a prolific producer of unscripted television, he was a prolific author of books, mostly about sports.

He wrote and co-wrote numerous titles, many of them compilations of stories that epitomize the nature of various sports and the personalities that make them tick. Every one of his books ("Baseball Hall of Shame," "Amazing But True Fishing Stories," "Amazing But True Dog Tales," etc.), even the light-hearted "Sports Hall of Shame" series, required a ton of research.

Fast-forward a decade or two, and Nash still used some of that old research -- and doing plenty more -- for a series that he produced as a labor of love for Fox Sports Net. "Amazing Sports Stories" was designed to put a spotlight on obscure and forgotten figures with inspirational stories.

How bad is it out there for Los Angeles' local stations on the advertising sales front?

So bad that L.A. is sure to drop below $1 billion in total TV advertising revenue this year for the first time since it crested the billion-dollar threshold in the late 1980s. This is according to a local sales veteran who's been tracking the market since I was in elementary school.

The ad market for L.A.'s commercial broadcast stations has hovered around $1.3 billion annually for most of the past decade. The final tally for last year, when the effect of the economic downturn was somewhat offset by political ad spending, is coming in at about $1.1 billion.

If the trends of the past few months continue, 2009 could come it at $700 million-$800 million, according to this source. There's no ad category that isn't down so far this year -- even the booming B.O. has yet to lift the film category year-over-year.

That's how bad it is out there.

This oughta be worth the price of admission: Ben Affleck is making his first visit to ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on Friday since he and the host went public with their forbidden love a year ago with the memorable "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck" video.

Affleck is tubthumping his new pic "State of Play."

From the ABC press release:

"Watch as the happy couple travels down memory lane reminiscing about when they made their special music video and first fell in love. Affleck endearingly describes how everyone from 70-year old women to the local delivery men still hound him about his late-night lover. Find out what the 'secret word' they share is and what the 'Damon Clause' is in their relationship."

"If I understood why Jack does what he does, I sure as hell wouldn't be sitting here."

Whoo-hoo! After a lull last week, the Peabody Award-winning "Lost" was back in fine form with "What Happened, Happened." It might also have been titled "Role Reversal," because that's what we've got going on with some of our key characters.

But for starters, let me offer a few kind words to Kate, who has annoyed me more often than not during the run of the skein to date. And the kindness should extend to Evangeline Lilly, who was very good in last night's seg. I've been hard on her in the past for being wooden, especially in her big emotional moments, but she showed some growth as an actress in this seg.

I particularly liked Kate's flashback scenes back in L.A. (I presume) with Sawyer's ex, Cassidy (played by the talented Kim Dickens, who some of us know better as Matt's mom on "Friday Night Lights").

This episode was also fulfilling because we got a lot of recent backstory filled in in a short amount of time -- and very straightforwardly too, unusually so for "Lost." It felt like a real come-to-Jacob episode for Kate, Jack, Sawyer and Juliet.

In a nutshell, we see Kate turning into a real warrior-avenger; Jack turning into an utterly self-obsessed cretin who is so lost he's turning to island-religion to try to make sense of things; Sawyer starts out desperate to protect his new settled-down status quo but ends up doing the right thing in the end -- all things that we'd never have expected from Sawyer even last season; and we got a Great Moment with an Angry Juliet that came as the cherry on this cake.

Oh, and at the very end, Locke shows up, just in time to make Ben's life miserable in 2007. Somehow I think he's going to get some help from Caesar in this effort.

Amid all the moving and shaking, we're treated two priceless scenes of Miles trying to help Hurley understand Faraday's Law of Time Travel, with a nod to the Zemeckis Theory as laid out by Hurley. (By the way, where is Daniel? And Rose? And Bernard? And what about Vincent??!!). "This is really confusing," Hurley says.

On the backstory front, we got a key piece of the puzzle for Kate and her erstwhile charge Aaron filled in last night as we peeked in on Kate's actions in the days leading up to her decision to board Ajira Airways Flight 316.

As many of us suspected, she's not particularly interested in following Jack to the ends of the earth -- despite what she tells Juliet in the quote above -- but she's actually on a mission to find Claire, Aaron's rightful mum. Until then, the next best thing she can do is give Aaron to his biological grandmother, Carol Littleton. (No relation.)

Don't read any further if you haven't seen the "Life on Mars" finale, "Life is a Rock."

I can't say I saw the flash-forward ending coming, even though I should have. From the show's title to the Mars Rover-like devices that popped in and out of the 17 episodes to the nickname "Spaceman" bestowed on Sam Tyler -- the hints that our hero was actually floating in a tin can in space far in the future were dropped all over the place -- just as the trio of "Mars" showrunners said they were.

I can't say the finale seg, written by exec producer Scott Rosenberg and helmed by Michael Katleman, was the best of the 17, but it was entertaining and it did wrap up the story, with a dash of "Flash Gordon" for good measure. (Sorry folks, no episodic art available for the finale.)

In a nutshell, Sam Tyler was actually on an expedition in the year 2035 with a mission to Mars to locate some real life DNA -- or as Sam and his familiar crew mates put it, a "gene hunt."

"Glitches in the neurotransmitter" managed to scramble the sleeping crew's brains until they landed. Sam went off on a his wild cerebral adventure that had him thinking he was an NYPD cop circa 2008 who was mysteriously transported to 1973.

"You were there, and you were there," Sam tells crew mates Ray and Chris and "Col. Norris" as they emerge from their sleep pods, in keeping with the recurring "Wizard of Oz" theme. (It was kinda funny in the last scene to see Michael Imperioli with a contempo look.) As he did throughout the series, Jason O'Mara's ease and naturalistic perf made it work for this viewer, even with the hokey premise of the closing moments.

Putting the puzzle pieces together, the spacecraft Sam was traveling on was the Hyde 125, and he was housed in pod number 2B. Of course. The voice of the on-board computer was Windy. Another twist was finding out that Harvey Keitel's "Major Tom" character turned out to be Sam's father. (And there was a funny reference to one of the Obama daughters following her father's footsteps by 2035.)

The final shot was that of Gene Hunt's white loafer setting foot on the red planet. Very different from the conclusion of the Brit series, as it needed to be.

For my money, the best scene in the finale seg belonged to Imperioli's Ray Carling, as Ray, Sam and Chris have a existential moment over whiskey shots in the precinct, shortly before we flip the switch to 2035.

"We live on a rock, just one of many," Carling says after explaining his skepticism about faith, the search for deeper meaning in life and his mother's fealty to the Catholic church. "There ain't no answer; there's just this."

Also, a shout-out is due to thesp Tanya Fischer, who played Windy, Sam's ditsy-hippie neighbor. She was only in four episodes but she always stood out with an infectious vivaciousness. I'm sure we'll be seeing more of her.