10.17.2016

Television: Timeless, "Pilot"

This show was every bit as cute as I hoped it would be, which makes me super happy.

In a nutshell: history professor Lucy Preston (Abigail Spencer) is tapped to accompany a scientist and a soldier on time travel missions as they attempt to foil the plans of and apprehend Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic). Flynn stole one of the time machines, and in the first episode he goes to mess with the Hindenburg disaster.

Time travel is hot right now. Never mind Doctor Who, which has sauntered vaguely downward in recent years—there's tons of other options now. Bookstores are rife with time travel and portals, both for adults and teens. My worry, then, was that Timeless was just jumping on the bandwagon. And maybe it is, but they've succeeded in making Lucy an engaging protagonist, and I'm eager to see how the supporting cast develops as well.

Of course, time travel is always open to a lot of people poking holes in this or that theory. If Timeless took itself more seriously, I think it would invite that kind of scrutiny. But because it's fairly light in tone, it's easy to just enjoy for what it is. There are shows that prompt debate, argument even, but (at least based on the pilot) this isn't one of them. And after so many shows that cause fan theories, etc., I'm kind of glad this one is what it is. Television has become too exhausting in trying to keep up with all those discussions. It's nice to have a show that's just a show.

[Now I've done it. The mythology will begin to build and this one will be just as bad as the rest. Sigh. When did TV become an interactive sport?]

In short, I'm looking forward to more of this.

No comments: