11.22.63 TV Review

11.22.63 (2016)

Mini-series - 8 episodes (2016)

Watch 11.22.63 on Hulu
Created by: Bridget Carpenter
Starring:James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, Chris Cooper, Daniel Webber
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
A high school teacher travels back in time to prevent John F. Kennedy's assassination.

Verdict
Jake is on a mission to save JFK. The series doesn't try to explain time travel, it just exists in this weird way. That's a smart move, so many properties stumble in trying to explain it. Centering this around an actual event provides real stakes as we watch Jake's new life in the '60s unfold. There are a lot of forces trying to stop him, not least of all time itself. The story is very good and the conclusion doesn't disappoint.
Watch it.

Review
I really wanted to see this Hulu mini-series when it released in 2016, but I didn't have Hulu. I'll watch anything time travel. Also, this is based on a Stephen King novel.

Al watches Jake enter the magic closet.

James Franco plays a divorced English teacher Jake. Al, owner of Jake's favorite diner, introduces Jake to time travel. The closet in the diner transports any who enter back to 1960. You can return by entering the same space or rip in space time. Al doesn't explain he just pushes Jake into the closet. there's no way but to just show somebody what happens. We don't know why the diner's closet is a time portal. It just is. It's a smart move to avoid all explanations as to why.

Jake arrives in the 1960s.

I wondered how Jake knew to get back to the present. In the book it is explained in more detail, but if you watch Jake does step up into the closet that doesn't yet exist in 1960.

Al tried to stop Kennedy's assassination but failed. He gives his research to Jake to carry on the mission. I wondered how would Jake succeed where Al failed. Al even tells Jake that time fights back, trying to prevent any changes. Al has a lot of research, I'm guessing he went back more than a few times.

The rules for time travel are simple but constraining. If you return to the present and go back again, that will reset any changes. Each time you go back, you reset the timeline. I expected Jake to go back and forth a few times as he figures out how to navigate the world, but it doesn't happen as often as I expected.

The first episode covers a lot of ground. Jake loves the '60s. He's got a proverbial money tree with sports scores, the prices are low, and he's smarter than everyone else. There are a few fun pop culture references where Jake uses ideas to get out of situations or lie about his past.
The catch is he's got three years until the assassination. Jake has to blend in and start a life. That's where things get complicated.

I never understood why Al figured Jake could succeed. They both know the past fights back to stop them at all costs. We don't know what Al did in the past, but we can assume Jake is living a similar path. I wondered how Jake never ran into Al, but Jake going back would have reset Al's trip. The time travel logic is simple, but really ties up any loose ends.

Sarah Gadon plays Sadie.

The pacing slows down as Jake gets a job as a teacher and becomes infatuated with Sadie. His mission is always at odds with actually creating a life. Will Jake succeed? Will the past stop him? What will happen if he defies the odds to succeed?

It's a fun concept that's done really well. Production values are great. This looks like the '60s in every capacity.The series resolves well. I had many theories about what could or should happen, and I like how this ends. There's a nice link to the very beginning too.