Timeless – “Pilot” Advance Review. Replaying History.

Season 1, Episode 1

Air Date: Monday, October 3, 2016, 10/9c on NBC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Oh, the humanity.” – Reporter covering the Hindenburg

An unlikely team.

During a brazen attack on a top-secret research facility, Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic), a notorious criminal intent on destroying America, steals a time machine with the hopes of changing the past. The world’s only hope to stop him is the odd threesome of Lucy Preston (Abigail Spencer), a history professor; Wyatt Logan (Matt Lanter), a Delta Force soldier; and Rufus Carlin (Malcolm Barrett), a scientist who helped create the time machine. Using an earlier prototype, the three must race through time to stop Flynn without affecting the past, or their future.

One of my favorite shows growing up in the ‘80s was the science fiction series Voyagers, starring Jon-Erik Hexum as Phineas Bogg and Meeno Peluce as Jeffrey Jones. Each week, Bogg and Jeffrey travelled through time to help historical figures like the Wright Brothers and Harriet Tubman. So when I learned the premise of NBC’s new drama series, I was eager to check it out.

The morality of Timeless is a fascinating one. Who wouldn’t want to go back in time to prevent the assassination of President Kennedy or foil the attacks on 9/11? What makes the series premiere of Timeless so engaging is it raises questions about the risks of changing history, including some horrific events. “Pilot” reminds me of a particular episode of Voyagers where Bogg and Jeffrey find themselves on the Titanic, prohibited from preventing the ship’s doom. Needless to say, every story doesn’t have a happy ending and the philosophy of the history we know being better than the history we don’t helps create some interesting storylines.

Don’t forget where we parked.

The special effects department does a great job of recreating the airship and disaster through CGI. Much of selling the time travel premise falls on wardrobe, and the wardrobe department also deserves kudos for how well the costumes establish the historical look of the ‘30s. Given that each week will take place during different moments in time, it will be interesting to see how the producers create the look of time travel while keeping the budget within reason.

If the complexity and mysteries of shows like Blindspot and The Blacklist confuse you, Timeless might not be the show for you. Several times during the ”Pilot,” the audience is given hints that there’s much more going on in the story. At times, I felt like I was eavesdropping on a conversation about a major plot twist that’s just out of earshot. Clearly, something ulterior is going on; the question is when will the audience be filled in? Heck, is Flynn actually the bad guy or is there another reason he steals the time machine?

Spencer, Lanter, and Barrett have some fun on screen chemistry. With Barrett being African American, it creates some fascinating, yet uneasy, situations for Rufus when they travel back to a time when race relations are not what they are today. As much as I enjoyed watching the trio, another character really grabbed my attention.

I developed a TV crush on Shantel VanSanten when she played Patty on The Flash and was heartbroken when she left the show. I felt a similar crush developing when watching Kate, a newspaper reporter covering the Hindenburg landing in the series premiere of Timeless. It took a while before I learned from a Twitter friend it was VanSanten. With the ‘30s wardrobe and hairstyle, I simply didn’t recognize her. Apparently, VanSanten is beautiful no matter what year it is.

Will they save the past and our future?

What concerns me about Timeless is how very similar the setup is to The CW’s DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Both series involve a team that bounces around in time in order to stop a ruthless killer. The problem with both shows is it means the heroes have to fail each week, which can create several repetitive storylines.

I thoroughly enjoyed the series premiere of Timeless and can’t wait to see where the writers take the series next. I am, however, cautious about the writers’ need to create so many twists. Television in the ‘80s was simpler than it is today and shows like Voyagers didn’t have to rely on plot twists. Instead, they focused on creating a new adventure each week; sometimes, I miss those simpler storylines. Timeless has all the makings to be a really fun show that brings a little bit of history into our homes for many seasons to come.

Tune in to the series premiere of Timeless Monday, October 3 at 10/9c, only on NBC.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about Timeless – “Pilot.”

For more information on Timeless, visit the official website.

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Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.