11.22.63 - Limited Series Review
This review of 11.22.63 is spoiler-free!
Time travel is a funny thing. A concept that's been used throughout history on TV and film, often time misused by the own rules established within the context of the show. This fakes is a very fickle area for many shows and why it's hard to add without confusing your audience. 11.22.63 is focused entirely around this concept, with main character Jake Eppy (James Franco) going back in time to stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing JFK. The idea comes from his old friend Al Templeton (Chris Cooper), who believes that doing this will create a better world for all. While I don't entirely understand the means in which time travel is used here, and it does raise questions there's one thing that cannot be denied and that is that 11.22.63 is a good show for this concept, led by a star lead in Franco.
Often times premium networks or streaming services will look to lesser known actors to lead their series, which sometimes makes the show a bit of a harder sell if it is not a known property. Luckily for 11.22.63, James Franco is a stud in this role. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that Jake Eppy is the most interesting character in the show and has the most depth. While there are some tropes of time travel and generic storytelling used throughout the 8 episode run, James manages to manuever around this well and make the viewer forget about all of that. The trials and tribulations that Jake goes through allows Franco to show more depth than he usually does in his films, as most of late have been in the comedy area (take his latest in The Disaster Artist). While he is good in those style of films, it is refreshing to see him come back to something serious and dramatic.
For supporting characters, Al Templeton is a rather minor figure outside of the early going. There are often cutbacks to him teaching Jake about how to time-travel, but these are out of place as they aren't shown to have spent much time together in the shows run. Outside of him, the two other major supporting characters are Billy (George Mackay) and Sadie (Sarah Gadon). Billy and Sadie are both major parts of Jake's life in the past and are part of what makes it hard for him to keep doing his mention instead of just forgetting the time he came from and integrating into the now. Sadie specifically is an anchor for him to this previous time and seeing their relationship burgeon throughout the series was great, but heartbreaking all the same as any viewer knows where it is going. Sarah Gadon plays her well, and while I wish she had a bit more depth to her overall character I was surprised with just how much I care about Sadie as a character. Billy on the other hand was a bit of an oddity for me. Being that Jake meets him in the past as well, he doesn't have knowledge of what is to come and he's a bit more exposition tool than a full on character in my opinion. He does fit well as a partner for James though, and when his arc came to a close it had very big impact.
The story and locations of this series though are a bit questionable. While the idea of time wanting to happen and pushing back against Jake is unique, it has been done before and was another area of generic concepts for the show. The large arc of the show though was great, seeing parts of the life of Oswald that aren't commonly known (even though I'm certain they are mostly made up by the author of the book, Stephen King) was great. Right from the beginning though the story is clear as day where it is going which was a bit disappointing but the ride made the ending more bearable. Often times Jake would be switching locations quickly and almost without mention, seemingly traveling in hours over distances that would take much longer. Again though I say, Franco manages to put all of these half-baked areas together into something much better.
11.22.63 isn't the best series I've ever seen, but it definitely is not the worst. With some very intriguing and interesting characters in Jake and Sadie, they make the show more enjoyable. While I wish less time was focused on developing the side characters and their stories, I do feel it was done well enough to at least make them convincing. James Franco's presence alone elevates this show farther than it could have gone with anyone else in the role. This show is a great means for many people to see an actor who is known for his comedy show off a new side of himself. 11.22.63 is for anyone who enjoys time-travel, history, or great characters.
