TV Retrospective: "11.22.63"

James Franco

There are few events in 20th century American history as notorious as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. Many people have since dedicated their life to trying to solve an alleged conspiracy. It's the novelty concept that somehow makes 11.22.63 seem like a hacky concept upon reading the description. However, Hulu's adaptation of a Stephen King novel reflects a lot more than just the author's own beliefs. It is a series that embodies everything that the writer does best in inventing a world that is full of dark twists and an emotional core that is at first unexpected. What the series does best has little to do with JFK at all. What the show does best is explain the futility of time travel.

Jake (James Franco) is a teacher from the year 2016 who befriends Al (Chris Cooper) at a diner. Al believes that he can prevent the assassination of JFK by travelling through time via a mystical portal in his backroom. We never learn how the portal got there or why it only comes out in 1960, but it sets the bar in motion for what's to come. Jake must take precaution to stop the shooters from even getting to their location. However, there's three years before that happens - so the middle six episodes deal with his time in the decade, doing his best to stay out of trouble and solve his problem. The only issue is that the past is out to kill him, and he misses death by inches each time out. As one could guess, it gets worse the longer things happens.

If there's one thing that the first episode of 11.22.63 does best, it is establish the rules of the world. By the end, you're acquainted enough with the strict rules by which Jake will have to live. It's a compelling premise in that it chooses not to go with the obvious time travel tropes that weaken most stories. The real tragedy of the story is the time in between, in which Jake befriends Sadie (Sarah Gadon) and discovers how futile it is to live in the past. The romance is real between them, but there's the inevitable realization that something has to give eventually. If tragedy doesn't befall Jake, then it will Sadie.

While the show slowly introduces the row of famous faces involved with the assassination, they end up taking an insignificant amount of time in the plot. Most of the time it is Jake loitering, trying to find meaning in his mission. With occasional flashbacks to his time with Al, the story becomes a rich tapestry that suggests that King did his homework. Every motive is challenged and every villain is attempted to be stopped. However, it's all futile when dealing with the past, which comes in the disguise of reckless drivers and hallucinatory figures warning Jake of his actions. If there is one villain to the piece, it is time. Time is both filling Jake's life with dread as well as a certain security with Sadie. One of the has to give, and it inevitably is what makes the final hour so effective.

Everything in between the introduction and the phenomenal final episode has a certain problematic element to it. One can easily see this in the redundancy of several episodes, which are riveting visually, but lack any depth to furthering the plot. It's all great thriller devices that King does best, but even at only eight episodes, one cannot help but feel like something could've been cut. Even then, there's plenty of shocking and heartfelt moments that define the show's strengths by simply trying to exist in peace. Even as the inevitable happens, the idea that maybe Jake doesn't prevent the assassination seems like a plausible farewell, choosing to stay with Sadie forever. Of course, that doesn't end too well.

What is most impressive is that the show definitely feels the part of a 60's thriller. While not on par with Mad Men, the show manages to have a sense of era by having costumes, settings, and music that all enrich the world that Jake is visiting. Considering that Hulu likely has a smaller budget than its streaming service competitors, it is impressive that everything looks so professional. If nothing else, this is the show that helps to establish Hulu as more than just a third rate selection for content. With a solid cast, it manages to take its source material and turn it into riveting TV, released in a manner that only elevates anticipation. Waiting week to week is something that most Netflix and Amazon shows don't do. And because of that, Hulu's slow roll out managed to make the show far more interesting.

Yet the thing that works best about the show is probably King's story. People who have seen movies in the past 40 years are likely to have stumbled upon his work a dozen times at least. With this latter day story, it's less familiar work but still just as impacting as his more beloved works. It could be because after several decades of writing, King has managed to find a healthy balance between the macabre imagery that he's stereotyped as loving as well as the sentimentality that he doesn't get enough credit for in works like Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and now 11.22.63. It may even be the case that future King works need to be in a serialized form to properly give impact. If nothing else, this series proves his ability to captivate in a suspenseful way.

In the series' final episode, the story wastes no time getting to the assassination attempt. In fact, it is over before the quarter mark of the hour long episode. This is where the beauty comes in. Jake's journey into the future/present (2016, basically) shows a dire reality of his actions. It's not necessarily JFK's fault for what he sees, but it does almost feel like the ultimate punishment for what he did. Even with society's tragically altered state, the series' ultimate crux relies on his relationship with Sadie. It's impossible for it to ever be the same, and it leads to a moment so emotional and powerful that it warrants any of the weak spots of the series. King's story perfectly displays the futility of time travel in that changing the past only destroys the future, but it also creates a tragic romance when you cannot live a full life with those you love.

11.22.63 may not be an entirely successful series, but it definitely managed to set a high bar for Hulu and King adaptations to come. With Franco giving an excellent performance, the series manages to reflect the best in serialized TV while also producing some of the best hours (the first and last specifically) of 2016 so far. It may not please those expecting a happy ending for JFK assassination fiction, but it has so much more on its mind that it doesn't matter. It's a story about time travel that chooses to reflect the downside of it all. It may not be the best King adaptation, but it definitely has a lot more strength than its hokey premise will have you believe.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5