“If you want to change something forever, you can’t ever go back. Going back erases what you did before.”
Al Templeton, 11.22.63, Season 1: The Rabbit Hole
Year Released: Feb 15th. 2016
This series was developed by Bridgety Carpenter and produced by a handful of known names. These individuals are J.J Abrams, James Franco (also plays the lead role), Stephen King, Bryan Burk, and Bridget herself. You would be right to assume that this 8 episode miniseries was based off of the 2011 novel of the same name by Stephen King. While I don’t know the exact contents of the book, the series was the most recent show I’ve seen from start to finish just earlier this month. If you’re interested, it’s on Hulu right now with no extra subscription needed.
If you’re drawing a blank, the title refers to the date when the US lost President Kennedy to Lee Harvey Oswald. The premise of this story is that an English teacher, Jake Epping, is given a mission from his friend, Al (Chris Cooper) to save the then president in order to stop future wars. One night, they spend it planning for any potential issues as Al has actually been in the past for 3 years, which is 2 mins in modern day no matter how long you spend in the past. The method of time travel is a portal space which always drops you in October 1960. They get into a heated argument that same night and Jake dismisses a 3 year long mission Initially resigning, he finds that his friend has passed away when visiting the next morning. He adopts Al’s mission for him and thus begins the tale of the series.
What a ride this show was and I’m refraining from talking about anything but the premise of the first episode, which was the length of an average movie time I might add. From episode to episode, I wanted to know how far the rules of time travel would bend for the show and even uninteresting questions like a difference in bacteria tolerance due to advancements in medicine. It sounds nerdy, but I’m a sucker for two things, clones and time travel. Speaking of the former, check out our review on “Living With Yourself” starring Paul Rudd.
-By Jamarri Taylor