I guess that you could say that this show hit at just the right time.
With the coming of the 2016 television season, there has been announcement after announcement of new time travel shows across most of the major networks. The first among this apparent revival in science fiction is NBC’s Timeless. Situated in just the right place between utter insanity and taking itself too seriously, this show has something for everyone…
…but it’s mostly about the fanboying. Lots and lots of fanboying.
The Cast Fits Together Quite Nicely.
If you don’t like this cast by the third episode, you must have been clocked in the head.
Abigail Spencer and Matt Lanter are very good in their roles as Lucy Preston and Wyatt Logan, respectively. They have had a bit of comedy and drama to play with so far, but it seems like they are positioned as the beating heart of the show. I’m glad to see that this actor and this actress have been more than willing to step up to the challenge, especially since they’ve got characters with issues that are uncovered as time goes on.
With that said, it’s been blatantly obvious that the writers intend to put them together from day one. I’m not complaining. I’m just saying. You can smell the tension from a mile away.
Malcolm Barrett rounds out our merry band of heroes as Rufus Carlin. I have to say that he has been a pleasant surprise throughout this series. Initially, I was worried that he would be little more than a mouthpiece for the writers to say that racism is bad, but Rufus has developed quite nicely into a fully fleshed out character. Among other things, I like the fact that Rufus and Wyatt have become buddies that fanboy over James Bond and anything else that might cross their path.
Right now, I’m going to have to reserve judgement on Goran Višnjić because the writers have not revealed enough of his character just yet. He has done a good job so far, but he falls more along the lines of a shadowy figure. The writers are trying to make it seem like he may or may not be a bad guy, but come on. He’s trying to deal with a semi-secret organization by siding with the Soviets, killing Lincoln, and doing all sorts of other villainy things?
Yeah, no. He’s a bad guy.
Last, but certainly not least, Sakina Jaffrey and Paterson Joseph round out the cast as Agent Denise Christopher and Connor Mason. While they both do a good job with the material they’ve been given, I have a sneaking suspicion that they have something to do with the overarching conspiratorial aspects of the show. Therefore, it is kind of hard to figure out what their role is in this show just yet outside of acting as the administrator and the money guy.
The Premise Has Real Potential.
Need an episode to sell you on this show? You should watch the one with Sean McGuire as Ian Fleming.
When a wanted criminal by the name of Garcia Flynn (Goran Višnjić) steals a time machine, the U.S. government and Mason Industries hastily assembles a team to stop him from changing the course of history. And since this is television, they choose the usual archetypes of a history professor, a soldier, and the only guy that can pilot the prototype dropship through time.
You may think that this is silly, and you’d be right. However, there’s enough character to the proceedings that it works quite nicely. In many ways, it kind of reminds me of the heyday of Stargate SG-1.
Remember how I mentioned up above that I was worried about Rufus? As more episodes aired, I realized that the writers managed to pull off something interesting by focusing on a different ethical issue every week. At first, we had the issue of racism and being on the wrong side of history, but Timeless has also delved into the deification of historical figures, the ethics of the past, and what people might do if they could change everything.
While the team ultimately decides that they have to be the guardians of history, the fact that their adventures change history in subtle ways is a ton of fun. Most notably, they met Ian Fleming and got themselves put into a James Bond story. That has got to be every guy’s dream.
The Flaws Are Minor.
I wouldn’t want to visit the Alamo, but it makes for timeless television.
Yes, I said that this show was goofy and fun, but it does have a few things to nitpick. The most notable issue is that they are taking too long to reveal what Rittenhouse is doing in the background of this series. I got the feeling that they are something along the lines of the Templars from Assassin’s Creed, but it would help to know more about them. After all, you can only have Flynn repeat himself so many times to Lucy before it becomes kind of repetitive.
Speaking of Flynn, why does he always seem to have a conspiracy going and inside connections throughout history? I can understand the usage of that plot device in certain cases, but it would inject a lot more variety into the series if they were both engaged in a race against time once in a while. In addition, it would be nice to see how he becomes involved with the various historical bad guys to add to his character. Does he lie? Does he show himself off as a time traveler? What kind of persona does he take on?
I know that these are small issues, but I want to know, damn it!
Conclusion.
Don’t get in my way again. I’ll change history. I mean it this time.
Timeless is a lot of fun to watch. While it isn’t perfect, it has got enough heart, intrigue, and goofy, silly fun to carry on for as long as the viewers will have it. Come for the wibbly-wobbley timey wimey stuff. Stay for the action, adventure, mythology, and conversations about time travel that might make your brain hurt.
As for those of you that don’t particularly like science fiction, go watch it! You could do a hell of a lot worse on a Monday night.
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