11.22.63: A Simple Yet Compelling Time Travel Story

11.22.63 is an old-fashioned, simple science-fiction drama that deals with the theme of time-travelling which manages to win the viewers’ praises through its many emotional and dramatic plot-points and characters rather than focusing on its core fictional theme alone.

Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King and executive produced by the likes of J.J.Abrams, Bryan Burk, Bridget Carpenter, and King himself, 11.22.63 tells the story of an English teacher named Jake Epping(James Franco) who gets sent back in time to 1960 by his friend Al Templeton(Chris Cooper) to try and prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In accordance with the “butterfly effect”, Al believes that saving Kennedy’s life would change the world drastically in a positive manner. However, even with the knowledge and resources provided to him by Al, Jake finds his mission difficult to execute as he grows attached with his life in the past and must deal with time itself from trying to stop him.

11.22.63’s plot is not the sole factor that makes it an interesting show.   The show starts with an engaging first episode that sets the story up quickly and jumps right into the 60s. But, in the following episodes, 11.22.63 gets somewhat lost in its subplots, which slows down the show’s pace to an extent. Nonetheless, this does not make the show any less enjoyable as these subplots have dramatic and heart-filled humane moments of their own. In fact, it is these poignant stories and a small array of interesting characters, each with a story of their own, that sets 11.22.63 apart from most other contemporary sci-fi shows and movies.

Life during the early ‘60s in America has been presented quite dazzlingly in the show and the crew deserves special appreciation for this matter. 11.22.63’s main plot progresses with some interesting twists and gets increasingly thrilling with each episode. The show then concludes with an emotionally touching finale that neatly wraps up the story and leaves no stone unturned. In addition to its subplots and characters, the show also passingly talks about the consequences of war on veterans and their families as well as social issues faced by the US in the ‘60s like racism.

Among the show’s small ensemble of actors, it is undoubtedly James Franco who gave the best performance as Jake Epping. Franco brought Jake to life in such a way that the attachment his character feels with the life and the people in the 60s resonates with the viewers. James Franco’s performance is one of the major forces that makes 11.22.63 an enjoyable show. If not for his display of talent, the finale would not have inspired the emotional awe on the viewers it now has. Suffice to say, James Franco has played a significant role in making 11.22.63 a worthwhile watch. The rest of the cast including Sarah Gadon as Sadie Dunhill – Jake’s love interest, Daniel Webber as Lee Harvey Oswald – Kennedy’s assassin, and George MacKay as Bill Turcotte all did justice to their roles, but none of them deserve any special mention.

However, there were a few surprises among the supporting characters. Josh Duhamel gave a great performance as the antagonistic Frank Dunning. Although he doesn’t have much screen presence throughout the show, Duhamel has delivered a memorable performance. Similarly, T.R. Knight also gave an admirable performance as Johnny Clayton, Sadie’s ex-husband. Tonya Pinkins played Mimi Corcoran, an African-American middle aged woman who works in the same school Jake does in the past. Mimi’s story is among the most interesting and emotionally touching character arcs in 11.22.63 and Tonya Pinkins has convincingly played her part in the show.

11.22.63 makes uses of a played down soundtrack that goes along well with the tone of the show. The show’s music complements the thrilling as well as emotional moments in it neatly while capturing the aura of the 60s. Multiple directors including James Franco himself have directed the different episodes of 11.22.63 and all of them deserve to be appreciated as direction is a major factor that makes the show even better. James Strong’s talent is obvious in the show’s finale which beautifully and ardently brings Jake’s adventures to a fittingly strong end and thereby raises the overall quality of the show considerably.

11.22.63 is a sci-fi drama that has kept away from the confusing rules and plot-points that most modern time-travel stories consists of. Although it loses track of the main plot at times, this eight-part show still managed to deliver a strong and thrilling story backed by a great performance from James Franco and an emotionally moving climax.

Score – 8/10

– By Nisanth Suresh

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