S01.E01: The Rabbit Hole

[formerlyfreedom]

Jake Epping is burned out and lost. His ex-wife has moved on, his students are always distracted, and his novel went nowhere. Then one of his dearest friends, Al Templeton, shows him the rabbit hole, a secret time portal that leads back to 1960. Al asks Jake to head back to the past and create a better world by stopping the Kennedy assassination. Jake heads down the rabbit hole to begin his mission but finds that changing the past is far more dangerous than he ever would have dreamed.

 

 

[zxy556575]

I enjoyed it a lot! It's an interesting premise plus I'm some kind of sucker for time travel stories, even the bad ones. I'm also inclined to trust Abrams as a producer. The fact that it's a limited series probably means I'm in for all eight.

 

I have an unfounded beef against Franco the person but didn't mind him in this role. I do wonder how someone goes back through the portal since the diner isn't there in 1960.

 

Preventing Kennedy's assassination in Dallas wouldn't necessarily mean preventing it forever, especially if it was a conspiracy, so I'm curious to see how that particular butterfly ripples, at least in Stephen King's mind. I was in high school in the 60s so it's fun for me to check my memories against the set design and atmosphere.

[Demented Daisy]

My husband and I really enjoyed it.  I read the book when it was first published, but not since, so I'm almost going into it cold.  I'm tempted to read the book again, but I'm going to do my best to hold off until the show is over.

 

Looking forward to the next episode.

[Primetimer]

Is Hulu's eight-part miniseries based on Stephen King's time-travel thriller a faithfully-adapted nail-biter...or a complete assassination?

Read the story

[HolmesUltimateQu]

I really enjoyed the first episode. I read the book twice (what can I say, I really liked it) and was curious how they were going to make minor points and was pleased with the way it unfolded. There were a few minor changes that I was slightly annoyed with but nothing that really matters to the whole of the story.

So far I think James Franco is doing a good job. But I never doubted him.

My only complaint is that I was prepared to binge watch all the episodes today and hulu doesn't roll that way.

[zxy556575]

Oh, dear. Sounds like the book readers may be a bit disappointed, if the recap is anything to go by. Adaptations are often something less than, though.

 

Which reminds me, I still think of Chris Cooper as the obsessed-but-still-sexy love interest in Adaptation, however he looks every bit the cancer-stricken senior citizen here. Not sure how much makeup played a part; he is 64 now.

 

I love the idea of the past pushing back because it doesn't want to be changed. If a person is the type to bargain with Fate to "show me a sign," then car crashes, fires, and falling chandeliers are pretty unsubtle ways of answering.

 

The tone is suitably creepy, as befits anything associated with King. I'm kind of dreading what's going to happen with Harry's family. I'd definitely binge if more episodes were available now.

[HolmesUltimateQu]

Oh, dear. Sounds like the book readers may be a bit disappointed, if the recap is anything to go by. Adaptations are often something less than, though.

Which reminds me, I still think of Chris Cooper as the obsessed-but-still-sexy love interest in Adaptation, however he looks every bit the cancer-stricken senior citizen here. Not sure how much makeup played a part; he is 64 now.

I love the idea of the past pushing back because it doesn't want to be changed. If a person is the type to bargain with Fate to "show me a sign," then car crashes, fires, and falling chandeliers are pretty unsubtle ways of answering.

The tone is suitably creepy, as befits anything associated with King. I'm kind of dreading what's going to happen with Harry's family. I'd definitely binge if more episodes were available now.

I just read the recap and I was disappointed about a few of changes. It was a good point that we were told things instead of shown them. Since I already like Jake and understand his motivations, it's easy for me but I'll be curious to watch with my husband who hasn't read the book.

[reggiejax]

Though I devour everything I can about the JFK assassination, Stephen King's novel was very much an exception. I have simply never enjoyed his writing. Which is funny because I have, more often than not, enjoyed film and TV adaptations of those very same novels. So all in all, this is a must watch, In fact, I watched it very early this morning. Could not sleep. Not in anticipation of the show, necessarily, I just couldn't sleep. I wasn't even sure it would be available that early this morning. But it was.

 

I enjoyed it immensely. My only complaint being that I was under the impression that all the episodes would be available today. Instead they will be doling them out once a week. Seeing as how they have roped me in right off the bat, I can live with that. I guess. 

 

As a JFK assassination buff, I am always on the lookout for what any show or movie gets right, and definitely what they get wrong. I know they are in 1960, and 3 years ahead of the assassination, but they still got something wrong. We see Jake arrive in Dallas and he scopes out Dealey Plaza and the Book Depository. What was wrong was that the building was called The Texas School Book Depository. That was not the case in 1960. The company from which the building would take its name, did not move into the building until 1962. So of course that name would not even be on a sign attached to the building, let alone inscribed into the edifice as we saw. In 1960, the building was known as The Sexton Building, after a company that occupied the building from 1940 until the early 60's. Little known fact, in 1963, the building was still generally referred to in Dallas as The Sexton Building, right up until the assassination. Upon the assassination, the building became known, in Dallas and to the world, by it's then rightful name, The Texas Schoolbook Depository. Today it is officially called the Dallas Country Administration Building. 

 

I am going to try and keep that particular type of nitpicking to a minimum. I am aware it can be annoying. But I know it will come out at times, so please bear with me. 

 

James Franco is very hit or miss with me. This time out it is a hit. I think he brings the right tone of incredulity to the role. Too often, time travelers in stories like these are such history nerds (like myself) that we lose the sense of wonder at being out of ones time and place. I like that he had to be instructed by Chris Cooper's character on a lot of what he would encounter, no just in terms of time and place, but the simple fact that he would still feel alone and isolated, no matter how well he adjusted. 

 

I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series. 

Edited February 15, 2016 by reggiejax

[bilgistic]

I liked it. The second half either meandered a bit or my attention did. I didn't mind Franco in this, and he normally bugs the shit out of me.

[sjankis630]

I liked this pretty much. Of course I have been looking for a show to watch for a couple of months now.
I started the book way back when it came out but for whatever reason stopped reading it about the spot that Jake throws away his cellular phone.
I had not remembered

Al dying before Jake originally going back to save the family of the janitor

but I may have mis-remembered that part.
I will stick to it in order to see how the next few episodes come out.

[HolmesUltimateQu]

Though I devour everything I can about the JFK assassination, Stephen King's novel was very much an exception. I have simply never enjoyed his writing. Which is funny because I have, more often than not, enjoyed film and TV adaptations of those very same novels. So all in all, this is a must watch, In fact, I watched it very early this morning. Could not sleep. Not in anticipation of the show, necessarily, I just couldn't sleep. I wasn't even sure it would be available that early this morning. But it was.

I enjoyed it immensely. My only complaint being that I was under the impression that all the episodes would be available today. Instead they will be doling them out once a week. Seeing as how they have roped me in right off the bat, I can live with that. I guess.

As a JFK assassination buff, I am always on the lookout for what any show or movie gets right, and definitely what they get wrong. I know they are in 1960, and 3 years ahead of the assassination, but they still got something wrong. We see Jake arrive in Dallas and he scopes out Dealey Plaza and the Book Depository. What was wrong was that the building was called The Texas School Book Depository. That was not the case in 1960. The company from which the building would take its name, did not move into the building until 1962. So of course that name would not even be on a sign attached to the building, let alone inscribed into the edifice as we saw. In 1960, the building was known as The Sexton Building, after a company that occupied the building from 1940 until the early 60's. Little known fact, in 1963, the building was still generally referred to in Dallas as The Sexton Building, right up until the assassination. Upon the assassination, the building became known, in Dallas and to the world, by it's then rightful name, The Texas Schoolbook Depository. Today it is officially called the Dallas Country Administration Building.

I am going to try and keep that particular type of nitpicking to a minimum. I am aware it can be annoying. But I know it will come out at times, so please bear with me.

James Franco is very hit or miss with me. This time out it is a hit. I think he brings the right tone of incredulity to the role. Too often, time travelers in stories like these are such history nerds (like myself) that we lose the sense of wonder at being out of ones time and place. I like that he had to be instructed by Chris Cooper's character on a lot of what he would encounter, no just in terms of time and place, but the simple fact that he would still feel alone and isolated, no matter how well he adjusted.

I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series.

Interesting facts! They really needed you there to fact check. Lol

[numbnut]

Fun premise. I love sci-fi and had the book on my reading list forever but never got around to it, so it won't ruin the series for me. I enjoyed the first two hours. I just wish the the characters weren't so one dimensional and the music so heavy handed. I would have liked more info on the leads before the rabbit hole reveal, like show us that Jack's a quitter (and hint at why) instead of just telling us he's a quitter. Jack and Al also live in a vacuum -- no family or friends apart from each other -- which is too convenient for the story. Mad Men level characterizations would have been awesome, but they seem to be aiming for Back to the Future. Still, I'm glad it was made into a miniseries instead of being truncated into a movie.

Edited February 16, 2016 by numbnut

[shapeshifter]

I enjoyed it a lot! It's an interesting premise plus I'm some kind of sucker for time travel stories, even the bad ones. I'm also inclined to trust Abrams as a producer. The fact that it's a limited series probably means I'm in for all eight.

 

I have an unfounded beef against Franco the person but didn't mind him in this role. I do wonder how someone goes back through the portal since the diner isn't there in 1960.

I'm in too, lordonia, if my health issues allow--and watching Hulu isn't very taxxing, heh. I think of Franco first as an energetic (frenetic maybe?), good-looking, hard-working genius, but my daughter who knows things says he's kind of dick. Regardless, he and the other actors brought a much more professional level of performance to their rolls than anything Under the Dumb/Dome. Plus:

Is Hulu's eight-part miniseries based on Stephen King's time-travel thriller a faithfully-adapted nail-biter...or a complete assassination? http://previously.tv/11-22-63/should-you-mark-your-calendar-for-11-22-63/

Nobody can argue that this isn't beautifully shot. Visually, it's everything you want from a series about time travel set in 1960, down to the super-saturated shots of kids playing stickball; women in wool suits and pillbox hats; and big, shiny cars with radios blasting Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs. A five-minute interlude at a not-yet-famous Dealey Plaza is so painstakingly rendered it feels like Zapruder's b-roll.

Yes the cars. *sigh*

But I wonder if in his next reset he'll take Al's advice and get something less flashy.

A little more music please. I was 10 when Kennedy was shot--very much a tween before that was a word. I had a transitor radio the size of the 20,000 mah portable power unit I just got for my iPad Mini. I used to listen to that transitor radio under the covers at night with a head phone not unlike the ones today, IIRC, while "oldies" from the 50s played.

[bilgistic]

I didn't understand why he chucked his cell phone in the river. Maybe he was scared of someone finding it, but doesn't he need that when he goes back to the present day? Or are professors in TV land rich and can afford to just toss phones out willy-nilly?

[stonehaven]

I got sucked in...I love time travel....I love historical stuff...and am intrigued by sci-fi..never read the book but it will be interesting to see where this goes...I am surprised I like James Franco...

I am hoping that there is more Chris Cooper..as he is the one that got me really excited to see this..I need MORE Chris Cooper in my life...

Edited to add..where can I get song info for each episode?

Edited February 16, 2016 by stonehaven

[zxy556575]

I didn't understand why he chucked his cell phone in the river. Maybe he was scared of someone finding it, but doesn't he need that when he goes back to the present day? Or are professors in TV land rich and can afford to just toss phones out willy-nilly?

 

I wondered the same thing. I guess it was for security since at the time he was planning to stay the entire three years? I also missed what tipped off the secret service at the Kennedy VIP meet-and-greet after they initially let him in.

[ennui]

Oh, dear. Sounds like the book readers may be a bit disappointed, if the recap is anything to go by. Adaptations are often something less than, though.

 

I really like Stephen King, and I don't think there's ever been a faithful adaption of his books. I think of the movies as separate works, and enjoy them as such.

[shapeshifter]

My first reaction to seeing the father/alledged murderer of his family except the boy who grew up to be a janitor in a creative writing class, was that he seemed like a loving father and supportive husband whereas the little boy was playing with a gun and his sister played dead. Maybe the story was only real in the survivor's mind. Maybe the little boy murdered his family.

[cpierce]

Though I devour everything I can about the JFK assassination, Stephen King's novel was very much an exception. I have simply never enjoyed his writing. Which is funny because I have, more often than not, enjoyed film and TV adaptations of those very same novels. So all in all, this is a must watch, In fact, I watched it very early this morning. Could not sleep. Not in anticipation of the show, necessarily, I just couldn't sleep. I wasn't even sure it would be available that early this morning. But it was.

 

I enjoyed it immensely. My only complaint being that I was under the impression that all the episodes would be available today. Instead they will be doling them out once a week. Seeing as how they have roped me in right off the bat, I can live with that. I guess. 

 

As a JFK assassination buff, I am always on the lookout for what any show or movie gets right, and definitely what they get wrong. I know they are in 1960, and 3 years ahead of the assassination, but they still got something wrong. We see Jake arrive in Dallas and he scopes out Dealey Plaza and the Book Depository. What was wrong was that the building was called The Texas School Book Depository. That was not the case in 1960. The company from which the building would take its name, did not move into the building until 1962. So of course that name would not even be on a sign attached to the building, let alone inscribed into the edifice as we saw. In 1960, the building was known as The Sexton Building, after a company that occupied the building from 1940 until the early 60's. Little known fact, in 1963, the building was still generally referred to in Dallas as The Sexton Building, right up until the assassination. Upon the assassination, the building became known, in Dallas and to the world, by it's then rightful name, The Texas Schoolbook Depository. Today it is officially called the Dallas Country Administration Building. 

 

I am going to try and keep that particular type of nitpicking to a minimum. I am aware it can be annoying. But I know it will come out at times, so please bear with me. 

 

James Franco is very hit or miss with me. This time out it is a hit. I think he brings the right tone of incredulity to the role. Too often, time travelers in stories like these are such history nerds (like myself) that we lose the sense of wonder at being out of ones time and place. I like that he had to be instructed by Chris Cooper's character on a lot of what he would encounter, no just in terms of time and place, but the simple fact that he would still feel alone and isolated, no matter how well he adjusted. 

 

I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series. 

I am very much along the same lines as you. I am from Dallas so we got to see them filming. My complaints are about how they didn't do the signage right (you can still see the yellow "walk/don't walk" boxes on the poles, which weren't there in 1960...) And yes, the County Admin offices are there, as is the Sixth Floor Museum. I visited my county commissioner a couple months ago and had to direct some tourists to the museum entrance. We in Dallas have been striving so hard for 50 years to shed our image as "The City of Hate" and we have been trying to attain "world class" status since then. It's sad, really, and a few years ago when they did the Big 50th, it was a silly invite-only scheme and they closed down Dealey Plaza to do it. Very much Dallas. Very insecure. Then a few weeks later they were filming for the new movie 'LBJ' and they brought in signage to replicate what was there in 1963. My grandfather was a Dallas cop and my mother witnessed the assassination, so I, too, am obsessed with this, as are most Dallas natives.

 

But back to this episode- I have never read the book and I like most things Stephen King. I love the whole idea of history does not like intrusions. I do not entertain the fantasy that the Vietnam war would have been avoided if JFK hadn't been killed, but it is certainly fun to speculate on these ideas. I am mostly "meh" about James Franco, but I think he was fine in this. I look forward to more, and I hope that previously will write more recaps on it. 

[zxy556575]

Was the waitress in the 1960 diner the same woman who was sitting with Jake at the adult education graduation ceremony?

 

The cheerful and optimistic waitress who had big plans for her life did indeed turn into the burnt out teacher. Dreams deferred.

 

I agree that Franco wears a suit well -- also the hat, which a lot of modern men can't pull off. It doesn't look odd or out of place on him.

 

At some point I feel like I'm strongly going to blame Al for brushing off Jake's questions/concerns about the yellow card man.

 

I suppose Jake's going to come into contact again with the purse-losing woman at Dealey Plaza? That scene was setting something up, and he was obviously attracted to her.

[Miles]

When Franco asked the old man why he didn't just kill Oswald and he said, that he needed to be sure that Oswald was actually guilty, I was like "why?!". You kill Oswald, if he was guilty and you go back to 2016, JFK will never have been assasinated. Congratulations, you succeeded. If JFK was still assasinated, you go back to 1960 and everything resets. No harm, no foul. But now you are one step closer to finding the real killer without wasting years.

But really the reset-thing makes this whole endeavour pointless. Sooner or later, maybe in 10 years, maybe in 300, somebody will stumble through that time portal again, reset history and you will have wasted your life. Plus, think of the poor schmuck who does the stumbeling. His whole world will be completely changed (since from his perspective JFK always lived) and he can't do anything about it.

In conclusion: The premise is stupid.

Looking past the premise, it was okay. I guess we'll see how it plays out in the next few episodes. But I doubt that Franco alone will be able to hold my interest. He better aquire a sidekick fast.

As an aside, if I had made enemies of local gangsters on my first day, I would have reset that shit, hard, and then maybe memorised some lottery numbers, for next time.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Miles

[Arynm]

I thought for sure he would reset and make a smaller bet, so they wouldn't be after him. He could lose a few, win a few and he could protect himself. I did like that history tries to reset, in spectacular fashion, with all kinds of collateral damage around him. He should go back and reset for those people he killed getting his bearings. It would have saved them and he would still have the info he got. I like the show, I really hope I can stay unspoiled, I would like to see how it plays out and if he can save JFK or not. It seems like it would be too much history changing and the damage would be too great, but I am along for the ride.

[Oranaiche]

My first reaction to seeing the father/alledged murderer of his family except the boy who grew up to be a janitor in a creative writing class, was that he seemed like a loving father and supportive husband whereas the little boy was playing with a gun and his sister played dead. Maybe the story was only real in the survivor's mind. Maybe the little boy murdered his family.

All I'll say is that most kids play games like that, and lots of murderers seem like good people on the surface. It's worth mentioning though that the father and mother are separated, or divorced (can't remember). It doesn't automatically mean he was an unsupportive partner, but it plants the seed of doubt.

[reggiejax]

When Franco asked the old man why he didn't just kill Oswald and he said, that he needed to be sure that Oswald was actually guilty, I was like "why?!". You kill Oswald, if he was guilty and you go back to 2016, JFK will never have been assasinated. Congratulations, you succeeded. If JFK was still assasinated, you go back to 1960 and everything resets. No harm, no foul. But now you are one step closer to finding the real killer without wasting years.

 

I have heard this complaint about Al's plan from others who have watched, and I think what people invariably miss is that years in fact are wasted. The years wasted are Al's. Regardless of any "reset", or the fact that only two minutes pass in the present, no matter how long one spends in the portal, the person going into the portal does not experience a freezing of time. If they spend 2 or 3 years in the portal, 2 or 3 years will pass for them. They get older and life moves forwards. Al's cancer is proof of that. 

 

And Al is in his 60's. Until the cancer, he is fairly fit, but he is still in his 60's. While it is possible that he could do multiple trips, resetting each time and once again spending years at a time on each trip, it is simply not an attractive prospect for a man his age. 

 

Not to mention that, in the particular instance mentioned in the show, it is a very poor allocation of his time, regardless of how much of it he is willing to spend in the past.

 

If Al kills Oswald in June of 1962, when Oswald returns from Russia, it takes less time for him to hang out in the past until 11/22/63 to see if he changed history, than for him to kill Oswald, go back, find out he was wrong, and start all over. Staying in the past is 17 months. Going back and having to start over costs him 20 months just to get back to point where he erred. And he now absolutely has to stick around until 11/22/63. So he could choose to risk a second trip of 37 months, or just have his initial trip take that long. 

 

Jake's suggestion only works if they are certain that Oswald, and Oswald alone, killed JFK. 

[bilgistic]

Did I read too much into it, or is the time jumping what caused Al's cancer? Jake says to him at one point that he (Al) was "fine five minutes ago". Don't spoil if it's the case; I'm only speculating.

[Oranaiche]

Did I read too much into it, or is the time jumping what caused Al's cancer? Jake says to him at one point that he (Al) was "fine five minutes ago". Don't spoil if it's the case; I'm only speculating.

The cancer was caused by smoking, not time travel. The trip Al took into the past while Jake was meeting with Christie lasted two years for Al (not a spoiler, Al actually said this on the show). He came back after being diagnosed because he knew he wasn't well enough to reach the end game.

[bilgistic]

OK; thanks! I missed that!

[hatchetgirl]

I kind of think his cancer is due to the travel. We see that things go spectacularly wrong when time is changed, so what if Al changed something really big and his reward was cancer?

I also think Al didn't tell jake everything and it's going to be bad.

Finally, the yellow ticket hobo is not to be ignored, methinks.

Edited February 17, 2016 by hatchetgirl

[shapeshifter]

Did I read too much into it, or is the time jumping what caused Al's cancer? Jake says to him at one point that he (Al) was "fine five minutes ago". Don't spoil if it's the case; I'm only speculating.

Assuming the cancer reached an inoperable stage during the years Al was back in the 60s when treatment was limited, that means James Franco's character will have aged 2 years each time he pops back through the portal into the present, right? And how many times did Al reset? Maybe his cancer developed over 6 or 8 years in the 1960s (3 or 4 resets).

[Miles]

I have heard this complaint about Al's plan from others who have watched, and I think what people invariably miss is that years in fact are wasted. The years wasted are Al's. Regardless of any "reset", or the fact that only two minutes pass in the present, no matter how long one spends in the portal, the person going into the portal does not experience a freezing of time. If they spend 2 or 3 years in the portal, 2 or 3 years will pass for them. They get older and life moves forwards. Al's cancer is proof of that.

Which was exactly my point.

If Al kills Oswald in June of 1962, when Oswald returns from Russia, it takes less time for him to hang out in the past until 11/22/63 to see if he changed history, than for him to kill Oswald, go back, find out he was wrong, and start all over. Staying in the past is 17 months. Going back and having to start over costs him 20 months just to get back to point where he erred. And he now absolutely has to stick around until 11/22/63. So he could choose to risk a second trip of 37 months, or just have his initial trip take that long. 

Jake's suggestion only works if they are certain that Oswald, and Oswald alone, killed JFK.

But how many go arounds do you need to be sure it was Oswald? It could be endless and every time time itself is fighting you and putting you in danger, all the while you are getting older and older. Sure, if you can figure it out in one trip, your math makes sense, but if you can't it's better to just kill Oswald and see. I'd say the odds of him being a lone gunman are about 90% and I'd take those odds.

I guess Al could stick around and see if killing Oswald saved JFK, but if I committed a murder, I'd book it. There are better uses of my time, I can think of, than being on death row in the 1960s.

[zxy556575]

As an aside, if I had made enemies of local gangsters on my first day, I would have reset that shit, hard, and then maybe memorised some lottery numbers, for next time.

 

No state lotteries in 1960!  :)

 

Danged Jake had also put 2K miles between himself and the portal at that point. From a viewer's perspective, the reset option could be seen as an easy out, and it could ultimately be more interesting to see how Jake deals with/overcomes his own blunders as well as the pushback from The Past.

 

Jake seems to be approaching his task very pragmatically, but I'd like to know what he really thinks about the whole endeavor. He teaches creative writing and literature, so must have at least some introspection and intellectual curiosity. Why a warp that sends everyone back to one specific second of time? Al concluded that it must be connected to JFK, but is it? Is there a different task the portal intends for different travelers? I'm glad Jake decided to investigate Harry's past and the narrative isn't completely driven by the assassination.

[Miles]

No state lotteries in 1960!  :)

Interesting. I'm german and our national lottery started in 1955. I just assumed there was something like that in the USA as well.

 

Danged Jake had also put 2K miles between himself and the portal at that point. From a viewer's perspective, the reset option could be seen as an easy out, and it could ultimately be more interesting to see how Jake deals with/overcomes his own blunders as well as the pushback from The Past.

At that point he was actually still in the town where the portal is. Remember he bought the car and asked the dealer where he could gamble around there.

It might be more interesting if he doesn't reset, but it's not logical and while it might be tempting to go for the more interesting thing, you can't sarifice logial consistency as a writer. Otherwise sooner or later everything will go to crap.

[zxy556575]

If Al kills Oswald in June of 1962, when Oswald returns from Russia, it takes less time for him to hang out in the past until 11/22/63 to see if he changed history, than for him to kill Oswald, go back, find out he was wrong, and start all over

 

I always get caught in the quagmire with time travel, but if going back resets everything, how can Jake try something and then return to see if it made a difference? The carving is no longer on the tree; nothing will ever have changed.

[vavera4ka]

I always get caught in the quagmire with time travel, but if going back resets everything, how can Jake try something and then return to see if it made a difference? The carving is no longer on the tree; nothing will ever have changed.

It resets when he comes back to 1960.

If he kills Oswald "now" and goes back to 2015 or whatever the year is in the show, Oswald would have been killed in 1960 before Kennedy assassination as we know it. So he can read up on what happened since that and draw conclusions. If the results are not to his satisfaction he goes back to 1960 and THEN it all resets. After that he can either proceed to change the history again, or jump back to our days and let it play out the way it had.

[Artsda]

I enjoyed the episode, it hooked me in. I never read the book, so I'm not spoiled in what the differences are.

 

I didn't get the throwing the iPhone over the bridge. Especially considering the cost of it and the fact that only 2 mins will have passed when he goes back. When he goes back that phone would still be brand new, now he'll have to go get a new one. lol

[Oranaiche]

I enjoyed the episode, it hooked me in. I never read the book, so I'm not spoiled in what the differences are.

I didn't get the throwing the iPhone over the bridge. Especially considering the cost of it and the fact that only 2 mins will have passed when he goes back. When he goes back that phone would still be brand new, now he'll have to go get a new one. lol

He threw it out to avoid any issues that might be raised if someone found it, but also to fully commit to his mission. In the book he held onto it for a while but finally threw it away as his last tie to the future. Sure, it will only be two minutes later when he goes back, but from where he's standing he has years ahead of him and has to put the future out of his mind.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Oranaiche

[shapeshifter]

He threw it out to avoid any issues that might be raised if someone found it, but also to fully commit to his mission. In the book he held onto it for a while but finally threw it away as his last tie to the future. Sure, it will only be two minutes later when he goes back, but from where he's standing he has years ahead of him and has to put the future out of his mind.

I was hoping for a few resets.

[Oranaiche]

I was hoping for a few resets.

I don't really want to say anything else to avoid spoilers, but I highly recommend the book. You won't be disappointed.

[eurekagirl mOo]

The books great. I read it twice and will read it again a few more times before I die. HAHA.....Like "The Stand" it can be re-read again and again. 

 

And back to the show----I was so excited to see they made this into a series. And please let it only be 8 episodes...They ruined Under The Dome by taking it past one season. 

 

I want to binge watch!!!! Dam you Hulu...The only good thing about one a week is I can keep up with the message board each week. Harder to do when you binge....but still....I read Stephen King wanted it to ALL come out at once but Hulu said No..

 

I'd like to see a few re sets but maybe since they only have 8 episodes there just isn't time. I can live with that.

 

I was 2 in 1960 so it was a ball seeing the cars and clothes. I remember all that! Especially the huge red and white car with the even bigger tail fins we had when I was a kid...Good Times...

[33kaitykaity]

Seething at and not forgiving the fact that this was polluted by the casting of James fricking Franco, he of the psychotic artist serial killer/art therapist who still resides in Port Charles.  Blech.  

[shapeshifter]

Seething at and not forgiving the fact that this was polluted by the casting of James fricking Franco, he of the psychotic artist serial killer/art therapist who still resides in Port Charles. Blech.

You mean his bad rep based on stuff like this: "Anyone Else Think James Franco Should Sue the Hell Out of Gawker?"? Or...? One of my daughters says he's kind of a dick, but it seems like it's mostly ill-conceived social media hype that he allows to continue. No? If it is just that, yeah, the dude's got poor taste in PR, IMO. Kind of like Charlie Sheen's winning tiger milk schtick minus the hookers. Edited February 21, 2016 by shapeshifter

[33kaitykaity]

You mean his bad rep based on stuff like this: "Anyone Else Think James Franco Should Sue the Hell Out of Gawker?"? Or...? One of my daughters says he's kind of a dick, but it seems like it's mostly ill-conceived social media hype that he allows to continue. No? If it is just that, yeah, the dude's got poor taste in PR, IMO. Kind of like Charlie Sheen's winning tiger milk schtick minus the hookers.

No, the character of Franco he played with relish and glee on General Hospital who was a psychotic artist/serial killer who the head writer with the Franco boner made into a centerpiece of the show and now the character now played by an almost as skeevy Roger Howarth will not go away.  

[Guest]

I didn't love this so far.  For a two hour investment and a Stephen King, time travel story (love both) I expected to be thoroughly sucked in by now.  But I'm no history buff on the JFK thing.  I wasn't born yet, though I'm 50, so even the early 60s aren't as fun for me as say the Mad Men era.  I was glad it switched to Harry's story at the end or I might've given up.  I felt like once the teen died, Jake should've said "screw this" about fixing the assassination (which he did, though I assume only temporarily), so I lost what little investment I had in that story.    

 

Harry's dad seemed like a jerk to me.  He seemed like the typical deadbeat, absentee dad who swoops in and buys the kids off with ice cream right before dinner, all while giving the mom who does all the work the stinkeye for kicking his no-good ass out.  

[jjmcgr]

>>>No state lotteries in 1960! :)<<<

the first state lottery, the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, didn't start until 1964 and was the only state lottery for a long time. But there was the Irish Sweepstakes which started in 1930 and was a big deal in the USA (although technically illegal). Lucy Ricardo even bet on it. Bilko may have had an episode where they were listening to the radio to get Irish Sweepstakes racing results. The ultimate result was based on a horse race with the horses each representing a randomly selected number on your ticket.

I'm not a Stephen King fan. He said this book would hopefully get people to read him who normally would not. I certainly was one of those. Except for Shawsank (which I don't particularly like because of the prison corruption angle and that one of the star convicts was a black guy in a state that had about two black guys in it at the time) and Carrie (which I thought was kind of stupid).

I also don't really like Franco since Freaks and Geeks days. I thought this was ok. a lot of shows today have overly complicated extended plots that are hard to follow. There is some of this here but much less than in the book. (Complicated plots are better in books because you read at your own pace and can flip back to previous pages). The flaws in the plot elaborated here by others I think were accounted for as the rules of time travel in the book. They will probably eventually be elaborated on in the mini series. I do think the first episode was long. And it looks like the Kentucky plotline is going to be made bigger than in the book, consuming at least one or more whole episodes at least. And it looks like he gets a sidekick there.

[shapeshifter]

And it looks like the Kentucky plotline is going to be made bigger than in the book, consuming at least one or more whole episodes at least. And it looks like he gets a sidekick there.

I haven't read the book (if I do, it will be after the finale), but I would guess that if there is no "sidekick" in the book, the one here serves to give a sounding board to Jake's inner thoughts that the book could give the reader without another character to hear them.

[Danny Franks]

I really enjoyed this. It took a bit of time to get started, and the reveal of the time wardrobe was a bit corny, but everything else was very well done. I'm not a fan of Stephen King's writing style, so it's unlikely I'll ever read the book.

 

I've always liked late 50s/early 60s era America as a setting. There's something very quaint and innocent about it, which is of course entirely the point here, and the production values were fantastic,. The idea of Kennedy's assassination being a sort of loss of innocence for the post-war generation, a delineation point for when things began to go wrong, and the idealism of his era was replaced with the cynicism, anger and counterculture of the Vietnam War and Reaganomics. And, of course, it's still one of the big mysteries of the 20th century. Did Oswald act alone? Was there a conspiracy? That alone gets people interested.

 

There was a real power to seeing Dealey Plaza and the Book Depository, knowing what happened/is going to happen there.

 

I thought James Franco was solid, and managed to flit between wonder and a wry sense of knowing quite well. Like others, I was surprised that there was no 'jump back to reset' device used, to erase early mistakes he made. But I'm glad there wasn't. It could risk descending into farce, and giving all his actions a sense of permanence heightened the stakes. But I do think that it would be better if we could see why he wants to save Kennedy. I'm not sure the 'there would be no Vietnam War' argument holds up to the closest scrutiny, considering it was Kennedy who first sent troops in. But even if so, why does that matter to Jake? 

 

We got the sense that he's been shiftless and lacking in motivation, that he's underachieved and let things slip away. Including his marriage. Is this going to be something he can do and be proud of?

[lucindabelle]

On 2/26/2016 at 8:07 PM, shapeshifter said:

I haven't read the book (if I do, it will be after the finale), but I would guess that if there is no "sidekick" in the book, the one here serves to give a sounding board to Jake's inner thoughts that the book could give the reader without another character to hear them.

Non book reader and I love the sidekick and am annoyed that now I know for a fact he's an invention of the show, it's a spoiler. I'm glad the

Spoiler

saving the kids worked

because I was getting heartily sick of his good intentions going sideways. Stephen King does that a lot-- see revival-- and it's just too dark for me. I have no interest in watching a show where the big moral is you can't change your fate, hey Aeschylus and Sophocles did that years ago. If there's no hope or fun to be found, I'm out, which is why I love the teen.

[ganesh]

I had read an excerpt from the books years ago in EW. I never read the book because I never really got into King. Though I have enjoyed some of the movies and tv shows. It's weird because I can't get through a page of Dickens, but if there's a miniseries, I'm riveted. I saw the ad on hulu and wanted to check it out. I also like time travel theories. 

 

I like that there's constraints: the reset, having to actually live through 3 years. A long enough time, but not too long. I'd also be gambling like crazy. 

 

I disagree with saving Kennedy would avoid Vietnam, and I also kind of disagree with the "butterfly effect" because Al was talking about direct causality. So, I'm assuming every goes off the rails. 

 

I mean, there's no reason to think RFK wouldn't be killed since he intended to go after the mafia so hard anyway. 

 

TV-wise I think it was a good idea to get into it so quickly. I think a half hour is enough to get a hold on everything. The joke about the hamburgers from 1960 was funny. I liked Franco's 1960s "transformation."

 

I know people loved JFK, but I don't really buy into conspiracies. There's too many moving parts. I hope the show has a more interesting take.

 

I really like this whole course correction though: no fire in the restaurant, fire in the house instead. 

 

In conclusion: The premise is stupid.

 

Every show has a buy in. I f you can't buy in, then it's not your show. One has to accept that there is the existence of time traveling closets to start with. 

 

I can't buy into the Leftovers because I think TPTB are patently stupid and unimaginative given what they propose. 

 

Because the time portal starts in 1960, if you're going to invest three years of your life to investigate, and then are wrong, you have to start over again and put in another 3 years. One could put in a decade of their lives investigating JFK. I'm not that personally invested. So, I'd rather be sure on the first try.

 

I also like how food tasted better.

Edited March 7, 2016 by ganesh

[Anela]

I read the book a few years ago - time really flies - and loved it. I finally looked this up online (and will do my best to get hulu soon - hopefully), and loved the first episode, too.

I don't know why so many people dislike James Franco, but I liked him here. It was so odd to see him with the haircut and missing facial hair - I didn't recognize him at first. 

I do recall something in the trailer, that wasn't in the book, and it irritated me when I first saw it (the trailer). Hoping I'll enjoy the rest of it, and I also wish that hulu put the whole series on at once. 

[Jordan27]

On ‎2‎/‎16‎/‎2016 at 6:14 PM, Miles said:

When Franco asked the old man why he didn't just kill Oswald and he said, that he needed to be sure that Oswald was actually guilty, I was like "why?!". You kill Oswald, if he was guilty and you go back to 2016, JFK will never have been assasinated. Congratulations, you succeeded. If JFK was still assasinated, you go back to 1960 and everything resets. No harm, no foul. But now you are one step closer to finding the real killer without wasting years.

But really the reset-thing makes this whole endeavour pointless. Sooner or later, maybe in 10 years, maybe in 300, somebody will stumble through that time portal again, reset history and you will have wasted your life. Plus, think of the poor schmuck who does the stumbeling. His whole world will be completely changed (since from his perspective JFK always lived) and he can't do anything about it.

In conclusion: The premise is stupid.

 

Your statement is silly.  If Kennedy is not shot, why would someone stumble through the rabbit hole and kill Kennedy?  Could something else in history be changed?  Maybe, maybe not.  No way to know if someone didn't already stumble through and change something.

Edited July 26, 2016 by Jordan27