Get a History Lesson from ‘Timeless’
The heroic trio visits key moments in history and meets important historical figures. They witness the launch of the Hindenburg, the moments when NASA loses contact with the astronauts, the gangster heyday of Vegas, some of the biggest brutalities of the 18th century and so much more. During their time travel trips, they got to meet Benedict Arnold, Bonnie & Clyde and chasing bad with Ernest Hemingway or The Lone Ranger.
But ‘Timeless’ isn’t just fun, it is also culturally relevant. In fact, just like Visnjic, after every episode, you’ll probably be Googling people like Sophie Hayden, JFK mistress Judith Campbell, and Josephine Baker. Thanks to Hidden Figures everyone knows about Katherine Johnson now, but I’m pretty sure not everyone has heard of Bass Reeves, who may have inspired the legend of the Lone Ranger, and is well worth knowing about.
As you know, every time travel show has its own set of rules. In ‘Timeless’, the basic rule is to never go back to a time in which they already exist. It is perfectly clear that the writers also understand the butterfly effect. For example, as a consequence of their visit to New Jersey in 1937, fewer people die in the Hindenburg, Lucy doesn’t have a sister anymore, her mother doesn’t have cancer, and she’s engaged. Every person killed, every dead person allowed to live, every action that was taken has possible repercussions, and Flynn (the multilingual villain) doesn’t seem to care.
The writing is also noteworthy. When it comes to writing a great show, there are two important parts: the first one is the show’s storyline, and the second one is the dialogue. The writers on ‘Timeless’ are nailing both aspects. After viewing the episodes more than once, you will s every important detail of the show’s long tail story that has been worked out in detail and put in place from the very first episode. Throughout the series, you’ll also have a chance to see the characters evolve in front of you, which gives a natural touch.
The dialogue is surprisingly amazing. It is free of clichés and it is quite clever and witty. For example, just when you think you know the end of someone’s line, something completely different comes out and leaves you in awe. The speeches are heartwarming, believable and convincing. Best of all, there’s a lot of humor in the show. From the wisecracks and asides to the awesome names they come up with when someone asks who they are. So far they’ve introduced themselves to be Denzel Washington, Kanye, Wesley Snipes (printed on Rufus’ ID!), Nurse Jackie who works at General Hospital, Dr. Quinn (Medicine Woman) and Agent Mulder, just to name a few.
