Article originally published as 11.22.63 Review on Seat42F.
Hulu takes a stab at high concept drama with 11.22.63,
which premiered today. Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen
King, the story finds Jake Epping (James Franco, The Interview) tasked
with traveling back in time through a closet to stop the assassination
of JFK. Can he do it, and should he even attempt it? Those are the
questions at the heart of this show.
Having
seen many adaptations of King’s work, I’ve come to expect a certain
tone and manner in which the shows or movies play out. There are usually
washed out colors, slow stares, and a general feeling of creepiness.
That is present in 11.22.63.
There are also usually many scenes that would obviously be better in
the book, moments in which we really need to see inside of a character’s
head and can’t. Most novel adaptations compensate for this by adding
scenes showing us something that telegraphs or illustrates a character’s
thoughts. For some reason, those who tackle King’s work often don’t,
just letting scenes play out awkwardly to stay closer to the source
material. This is also present in 11.22.63.
The
concept is a cool one. Besides killing Hitler, what other historical
event is more often dreamed of being changed that the killing of
Kennedy? If someone has a chance to give this a shot, why not try?
Well,
that brings us to the thought exercise of if history should be changed.
Early in the pilot, Jake says out loud that things play out for a
reason. This is something many people believe, but another character, Al
Templeton (Chris Cooper, American Beauty), wonders if that is true. Do
people just repeat that phrase because it makes them feel better, less
helpless at being unable to change the past? Or is there a wisdom to it?
There’s
also the contrast between big events and small ones. Maybe saving JFK
would be wrong because of the global scale of it, but maybe protecting a
boy’s family might be OK. This is something the series seems to be
heading towards, but isn’t to yet.
A
horror movie franchise called Final Destination has explored this
concept, making Death an unseen character that seeks revenge on those
who seek to thwart His will. 11.22.63 echoes that idea, with Time
fighting any important changes Al or Jake seek to make (though fails to
satisfactorily define important). This actually makes the audience root
for change to happen, even those who might think things happen the way
they are supposed to, by casting the other side as malevolent, but is
that the smartest approach?
I can’t
help but think that 11.22.63 would be better served by pondering the
moral implications of messing with history and the unknown consequences
of the butterfly effect, rather than making it a good (us) vs. evil (the
way things are) tale. I have not read the book version of this, and
King might find a way to better cast the scenario in his written work.
But as I watch 11.22.63, I feel like the show touches on something
really complex and interesting, then shies away from it to tell a much
simple tale. Not to mention, the origin and purpose of the time
traveling closet remain a mystery unlikely to be solved.
My
frustration grows when I see the cast, who may not be A-list, but
includes a number of performers I enjoy. Cooper and Franco do pretty
well, and glimpses of Jonny Coyne (Nightcrawler) and Josh Duhamel
(Transformers) promise more to come. Some of the main players, like
Cherry Jones (24) and T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy) don’t even show up in
the pilot, but I am curious about what role they will play.
I like 11.22.63, but I don’t love it. I’m intrigued enough to check out another episode, but not ready to set a season pass yet.
11.22.63 will premiere new episodes weekly, Mondays on Hulu.
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