Contains only mild spoilers!
2021/05/05
I just finished watching Timeless for a second time! Believe me, the second it is even better than the first and I am almost certain that when I have watched it a third time, it will be better than my second watch. Timeless, which ran on NBC from 2016 through 2018, is a show which will forever be special. I mean this story-wise, because this is one of the best TV shows in the last decade, that is for sure. But as most of you are aware Timeless has been brought back from the dead not one but two times!
After its first season Timeless was cancelled by NBC. Although it only had positive reviews by critics and audience alike, apparently, according to the Nielsen ratings, Timeless did not attract enough viewers for granting it a second season! However, 4 days after its initial cancellation, Timeless got renewed for a second season! After an exciting season two of 10 episodes Timeless got cancelled again on June 22, 2018! But again Timeless came back! On July 31st, 2018, NBC ordered a TV movie to give the show the closure it deserved! NBC did what most networks would not have done, thank you NBC!
The finale was called “The Miracle of Christmas” and more than likely this was not only referring to the series finale in question but also that Timeless was able to cheat death twice! I am not someone who thinks shows should go on regardless! Of course 10 seasons of Stargate SG-1 or 7 seasons of Deep Space Nine, I would not want to miss one season, but generally I feel that a TV show just should end at 5 seasons. In 5 seasons the stories remain fresh, as a creator you have enough time to tell your story. Timeless was such a good show, such quality, it deserved 5 seasons, perhaps even 6! But we only have 2 and I am very grateful to NBC they gave the show closure with the series finale TV movie.
Every episode is a mini movie, high production values, great stories, and we get to meet lots of important characters throughout history. Like often, also here the characters are the ones who keep you drawing in. Perfectly cast, every cast member belongs there and are important for the story. For me Matt Lanter (Wyatt Logan) and Malcolm Barrett (Rufus Carlin) were actors I hadn’t seen before Timeless, but they convinced me from the first minute. Of course I already knew Abigail Spencer (Lucy Preston), saw her first in Angela’s Eyes back in 2006. She made a big impression on me from that moment on. Also in that show she could speak with her face, with her expression! Of course as an actor you need to be able to do that but she excels in it! She draws you into whatever you are watching, just amazing!
Goran Visnjic (Garcia Flynn), a seasoned actor, saw him in so many things by now, a very capable actor, he plays the villain type very easily but he also can play a hero type or whatever kind of type. You can see that in Timeless because there he plays it all! I also really like Paterson Joseph’s character Connor Mason! He too really evolves throughout the two short seasons, one of my favorite characters. Same counts for Jiya’s character (Claudia Doumit), who begins as a sweet innocent girl who is in love with Rufus but grows into a confident, experienced woman at the end of the series finale. Even Sakina Jaffrey’s character Denise Christopher is a character that evolves over the course of two short seasons! That’s another thing what I love about this show, it lets it characters evolve, not stay the same characters from the pilot, they actually live and grow older and these experiences make them a evolve as characters, which is not a given for every character on any TV show.
But it doesn’t stop there, it had some amazing recurring characters, portrayed by some great experienced actors, to name a few: Annie Wersching (Emma Whitmore), Susanna Thompson (Carol Preston), John Getz (Benjamin Cahill), Michael Rady (Nicholas Keynes), Jim Beaver (Jake Neville), Matt Frewer (Anthony Bruhl) and Tonya Glanz as Jessica. This of course means more quality, because these people bring with them a lot of experience.
As I said, the episodes are like mini movies, there is not one stinker in the whole series, not one! There is only one episode I graded lower than an 8 on IMDb, this was “The Last Ride of Bonnie & Clyde”. But in hindsight, it might be slightly lower for me because I remember being very tired while watching it. The very best season 1 episodes for me are: “The Alamo”, good scenes between Wyatt and Jim Bowie and also between Wyatt and Lucy, really one of my favorites. Episode 10 “The Capture of Benedict Arnold”, really fantastic story, we meet David Rittenhouse, played by DS9’s Armin Shimerman. Also the season 1 finale “The Red Scare” where Lucy meets her grandfather, where there is a spy on the lifeboat. Mind you, I name 3, but I could as well pick most of the first season.
It is in fact possible because I think season two is even better than its first season! It’s all 8s and 9s but there is one I thought was a 10! That was “Chinatown”! The last regular episode of the second season! What first was the season finale, then for 6 weeks a series finale and thankfully became a season finale again! This episode has it all, suspense, drama, emotion, action, SCI-FI! I just don’t want to give too much away but Jyia finds herself in 1885 where she lived for 3 years! And like with season one, I can pick almost every season 2 episode as one of my favorite episodes.
Timeless on Blu-ray:
Nowadays less and less TV shows are being released on Blu-ray. In part due to covid I believe but also because it is less profitable to do so. Thankfully Timeless has been released on Blu-ray, although only in Australia. Of course you can watch Timeless on streaming services but if you want to see in the best possible quality, you need to watch it on Blu-ray! The show looks stunning on Blu-ray disc, downside, no subtitles whatsoever, but even when English is not my native language, I had not any trouble hearing their voices and understanding what they were saying. Here you can see an extensive review on YouTube of the Blu-ray release. If he doesn't convince you, I don't know what would!
Final Word:
Timeless is one of my favorite shows of the last decade, even if you aren’t a SCI-FI fan, this is required TV. I say it a lot of times, because it is true, so much garbage out there, 19 or 20 seasons NCIS! Law & Order in their 60th season? It is just beyond me that shows like Timeless, like SGU get cancelled so soon while there are shows which run way too long. Cannot imagine people still watching NCIS for the 19th season. Well I had to get this of my chest, just check out Timeless, if you do not like it, there IS something wrong with you! 😊
Screencaps taken from: Kiss Them Goodbye's Gallery
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