Timeless (NBC) [** Spoilers **]

Mr E

Started last night and was a really fun pilot.

With Eric Kripke and Shawn Ryan behind it, it has a great pedigree.

Sci-fi nerds are going to go NUTS about the time travel rules and paradoxes, but people who don't care should enjoy this.

This show has a lot of potential.

CastorTroy

Sure Back to the Future is the only thing that got time travel right without paradoxes, for the most part.

Want to check this out. May get to it tonight.

Agent Coulson

That was a fun harmless enjoyable pilot a good mix of Time Tunnel and Time Cop and half a dozen other shows and movies.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

I found the first 5 minutes or so to be a bit of a struggle, but once they got going and "the premise" kicked in, I was all on board. Rufus is brilliant, and undoubtedly going to be the standout character of the show.

ixoy

CastorTroy wrote: »

Sure Back to the Future is the only thing that got time travel right without paradoxes, for the most part.

On Tv, both 'Continuum' and '12 Monkeys' have done excellent jobs with time travel and paradoxes.
In film, 'Primer' does it best despite its complexity.

TerrorFirmer

Also Starring LeVar Burton wrote: »

I found the first 5 minutes or so to be a bit of a struggle, but once they got going and "the premise" kicked in, I was all on board. Rufus is brilliant, and undoubtedly going to be the standout character of the show.

I feel the same, the first few minutes were so camp and cheesy that I was instantly turned off, but it doesn't beat around the bush and I think, literally, within about 10 minutes the whole story is laid out and they're traveling back in time!

It's not as cheesy as the first 15 minutes would have you believe once it finds it's groove, but there is just something so incredibly...90's about the whole thing. As said above, it's like a mash-up of Quantum Leap, with TimeCop and countless other influences.

It's a lot of fun though and the different historical era's are so far pretty well done with some great costumes and set pieces. The whole time travel paradox is done really well too - so there's several interesting threads through the show.

Overall, big fan already, it's a lot of fun, has something for most viewers and the main characters are fairly likable.

One of those shows as well, that unlike most others, despite having an overarching story, each episode is self contained enough that even in the event of cancellation there's still enough reason to watch it.

squonk

Good show. It kind of reminds me of Warehouse 13 in that it's got that sense of lighthearted fun going for it. Pfeels like a SyFy show but isn't. As a hardened Sci Fi fan I'm a bit miffed with how casually they deal with the timeline no and are pretty nonplussed with changes to historical events they cause. They aren't playing it too seriously though so I can live with it. I hope the show sticks around. It's got potential and the arc looks interesting.

DubTony

As far as I can see, there's a big hole in the whole plot-line.

Hindenburg is destroyed a day late and your woman's sister fails to exist while her mother is no longer dying.
Then she's engaged without knowing who the guy is

. Those are fair enough given the change in the timeline.

But nobody in "time travel control" is looking at them saying "Who are you people? What's a time machine? etc. etc.", and everything they talked about/planned before leaving is remembered when they get back, despite the fact that the people in "time travel control" aren't aware of the changes in the time-line. This really shows through in the second episode.

If one of the effects of a change is that

somebody is wiped out of existence

, surely there'd be loads of smaller anomalies that would have affected the people running the programme. A decently thought out time travel story would at least have the people in "time travel control" protected in some way from changes. (Temporal bubble around the building or some such nonsense)

Anyone who read Jack Finney's "Time and Again" will be familiar with the premise of the time traveller having to explain everything to the people he returned to, because, while they knew they were in the time travel "business", as changes happened, in some cases they became unaware of who had been sent back and what they'd had to do.

Timeless seems lazy to me. A complicated idea with way too simple storyline/writing.

edit: I just read squonk's post, and I suppose he's right. It's definitely not serious sci-fi.

DMcL1971

I agree DubTony. The time travel plot holes in relation to how things pan out back in the present are just ridiculous. If they go back and change anything and then return to the present then the travelers are the only people who are aware that there has been a change. To everyone in the present the world is as it has always been and they would not want any changes. There is a reason that previous time travel shows like Quantum Leap or The Time Tunnel left the travelers back in the past and just bounced them around.

I have decided to just put all that aside and enjoy it for the fun aspects of the scenes in the past. I have to bite my tongue whenever they return to the present. The show would be unwatchable if you took that part seriously.

I find the most fun is seeing how the female character and the black character have to deal with the ways their roles have changed throughout history. There was a great line in the pilot from the black actor that, literally no time in history was good for him. Things for a female character where also worse in the past but obviously not as bad. Whereas you can drop the white male character anywhere and things will be good for him. There is a chance to make some interesting points about sexism, racism and white privilege if hey are willing to do it. Though I suspect the show will try and keep it light.

Agent Coulson

Loved the Bond themed episode this week.

DMcL1971

It was interesting seeing Sean Maguire turn up as Ian Fleming, I remember him from Grange Hill. I liked the idea of a new Bond film in the revised timeline, I thought that was clever.

TerrorFirmer

That last episode in the castle was good fun, but even compared to earlier episodes it had a really cheap feel, or was that just me? A real budget 90's TV show feel, still liked it and maybe it was a deliberate effort....

Agent Coulson

This weeks Remember the Alamo episode was another fun enjoyable episode.


It's just a pity that Flynn's main time travel storyline arc hasn't been that interesting really as there is no hint of what his end goal is.



Although I'd now be guessing his name was on that piece of paper at the end which should make thing a bit more interesting.

FunLover18

What day is this on? I thought it was Thursdays but I haven't seen the Alamo one yet

Mr E

The Alamo one was last night. Good episode too. This is a decent little show.

FunLover18

Mr E wrote:

The Alamo one was last night. Good episode too. This is a decent little show.

Has it always been on Mondays? Where did I get Thursday from

Mr E

No idea. Always Monday as far as I can see.

http://epguides.com/timeless/

SPDUB

FunLover18 wrote: »

Has it always been on Mondays? Where did I get Thursday from

Maybe you were pairing it with TBBT which has moved to Thursday.

I thought it was funny the way they addressed people's complaints about her knowing too much of the history of various events by her not knowing the exact contents of the letter so had to compose her own version

FunLover18

It's been given a full season order.

SPDUB

FunLover18 wrote: »

It's been given a full season order.

That's a full season of 16 episodes

Other NBC series are getting less than 22 episodes and NBC are still calling it a full season .

Agent Coulson

Just 3 more episodes NBC still not sure about it by the looks of it.

pixelburp

It can't be a cheap show to make, given there's a new time period per episode, with its own particular sets, costumes extras etc. So unless it's the talk of the town or a ratings spectacular it's a hard one to see lasting in its current format. Maybe they'll strand the crew in a particular time for a bit to spread the budget.

I'm enjoying it, but it's a bit too 'OK' and lacking that certain something. Seems to fall very much between goofy and straightfaced.

FunLover18

Pure speculation but just in case;

Flynn's her dad, right?

TerrorFirmer

Thought the Alamo episode was pretty good, enjoyed it. In relation to the spoiler above, I sort of assumed the same thing.

Agent Coulson

Loving this show it's getting more intriguing each week the Watergate scandal another very good episode opening up the bigger picture.

ohnonotgmail

FunLover18 wrote: »

Pure speculation but just in case;

Flynn's her dad, right?

well going by episode 6

flynn cant be her dad.

Agent Coulson

I hope this won't have an affect on what is a fun show.


NBC & Sony Want ‘Timeless’ Ripoff Lawsuit Made History

“Time travel is a well-established genre in all forms of media,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television and NBCUniversal said in a motion today to dismiss the Timeless copyright infringement and breach of implied contract lawsuit slapped on them back in September. “Moreover, in many examples of the genre, the generic story line involves characters whose time travel alters the course of history, often preventing bad things from happening,” the filing in federal court adds of why Onza Entertainment claims the NBC series was “ripped off” from Spanish drama El Ministerio del Tiempo (The Department of Time) should be considered a non-starter (read it here).

http://deadline.com/2016/11/timeless-lawsuit-motion-to-dismiss-shawn-ryan-eric-kripke-sony-nbcu-1201859508/



Most shows these days are rip offs anyway in one way or another and this is one is a big rip off of a show I loved as a kid The Time Tunnel.

JP Liz V1

It starts on E4 on Wednesday the 14th of December at 9pm

DMcL1971

In this weeks episode, one of the main guest characters is the mathematician Katherine Johnson (currently alive and well at age 98). In the shows altered timeline they mention that there is a film made about her. In the real world there is a film called Hidden Figures, coming out in January, starring Taraji P Henson, that is about her.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4846340/?ref_=cs_ov_tt

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hLETpnWS8vQ

Agent Coulson

Bonnie and Clyde this week this is fast becoming my favorite show on tv.

Mr E

Yeah, great episode.

I've heard that next week's midseason finale is a pivotal episode - I'm really looking forward to it.

Agent Coulson

They are doing a great job with the story of the week and the leaking of the overall story arc.

_Kaiser_

I've started watching this in the last few days (up to episode 7) and it really has come together nicely. Any word on renewal or is it too soon?

Mr E

Great mid-season finale, but I wanted to see the impact on the present - I feel a bit cheated.

Agent Coulson

I'm ok with not seeing the future yet that was the right midseason cliffhanger to end it on I think.

GottaGetGatt

So Flynn landed his mother ship practically in the written house guys back garden.Right!!

_Kaiser_

Very good episode... although it's very hard for me to see Armin Shimmerman as anyone else but Quark

Clareman

I'm really enjoying this show, great mid season finale, but it really did bug me how his time machine just turned up at a place he didn't know about, hopefully they explain that.

Mr E

What do you mean? Flynn's time machine? I'd say it was cloaked.

Clareman

Mr E wrote: »

What do you mean? Flynn's time machine? I'd say it was cloaked.

But how was it next to a house that they had to travel miles to, so far that their horses needed water

JP Liz V1

Jim Beaver and Misha Collins to guest star

Agent Coulson

Edison, J.P. Morgan, Sophia Hayden, HH Holmes & Houdini an enjoyable episode but it felt a bit over crowded with historical figures this week.

Clareman

Agreed with too many historical figures but I get the feeling they are bringing a lot of "good" historical figures into Rittenhouse to muddy the lines of whether they are good or bad

Bargain Blake

Drop in the numbers in the US. Does not bode well for renewal.

silverharp

I watched up to the Nazi episode, box stopped recording it but not ars3d looking for it online, its a bit meh and too much milking the black thing.

_Kaiser_

silverharp wrote: »

I watched up to the Nazi episode, box stopped recording it but not ars3d looking for it online, its a bit meh and too much milking the black thing.

Not in the later episodes. I like it.. it's nothing outstanding but it's a fun 45 minutes every week.

Be a pity now if it's cancelled - especially if there's no resolution.

Clareman

I find it an easy watch and I like the fact that there's an overarching storyline which is linked to a "crisis of the week" but I can't see it remaining, I'd imagine it's very expensive to make and the ratings just aren't there for it.

Agent Coulson

Now that was a really good episode with Jesse James and The Lone Ranger and the arc story got more interesting as well.

Bargain Blake

TV Grim Reaper put its at likely cancelled!

Clareman

I can't see it being renewed but at least they are putting in some story arcs now, why it took so long to bring up the first pilot I don't know

Mr E

Episode 13 was terrific... things are really accelerating now (right before they hit a brick wall in the episode 16 finale).