The Department of Time: Tiempo de Gloria (Time of Glory) First Watch
May 2, 2018 8:25 AM - Season 1, Episode 2 - Subscribe
Julián, Amelia and Alonso are ordered to travel to Lisbon, 1588 to prevent the playwright Lope de Vega from dying before he writes his greatest works.
Note
In episode 1, the answer to the question "Can we travel to the future?" is given: "No. Time is what it is." (This phrase is used as the the title of episode 1.)
This episode offers a clarification for the audience: all of the Ministry's doors open to times in the past. None of them leads to the future. At least not beyond the year in which the episode airs, which in this case is 2015.
Note
In episode 1, the answer to the question "Can we travel to the future?" is given: "No. Time is what it is." (This phrase is used as the the title of episode 1.)
This episode offers a clarification for the audience: all of the Ministry's doors open to times in the past. None of them leads to the future. At least not beyond the year in which the episode airs, which in this case is 2015.
I meant to mention one of the lines, but it's gone from my head already -- in the first episode there was a "We're Spaniards, we'll improvise" line, and in this episode there was another similar 'what kind of Spaniards would we be if we did/didn't [something]' which struck me as memorable. In any case, the combo of humor and drama in this show is really well done. To have the "we'll Skype him"/"you can Skype the past?"/"what is Skype?!" exchange on the one hand, and then the scenes between & about Alonso and his son? Nice.
The trope of "time traveler with a tragically dead wife" has been done many times, but I'm liking this variation on it, Julian's skirting along the outskirts of his past self to steal these moments with Maite.
posted by oh yeah! at 7:47 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
The trope of "time traveler with a tragically dead wife" has been done many times, but I'm liking this variation on it, Julian's skirting along the outskirts of his past self to steal these moments with Maite.
posted by oh yeah! at 7:47 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
No xmas bonus.
So, interestingly enough, in 2012 there were protests by the police in the streets of Madrid over the cancellation of Christmas bonuses. The cancellations took place in the middle of Spain's economic recession, at a point where unemployment had skyrocketed. 1 in 4 Spaniards were out of work.
Now why can't they efficiently fund the ministry with investments?
An excellent question!
posted by zarq at 8:32 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
So, interestingly enough, in 2012 there were protests by the police in the streets of Madrid over the cancellation of Christmas bonuses. The cancellations took place in the middle of Spain's economic recession, at a point where unemployment had skyrocketed. 1 in 4 Spaniards were out of work.
Now why can't they efficiently fund the ministry with investments?
An excellent question!
posted by zarq at 8:32 PM on May 2, 2018 [2 favorites]
I would never have watched this without coming across it here on Fanfare, because I'm a bit tired of beautifully produced, sophisticated adult fantasy series: all the roles, problems, dilemmas, twists and paradoxes have that kind of netflix sheen all over them. But not this series! Maybe because, as it's Spanish, the cultural touchstones are different and thus don't seem clichéd even if they are?
I really like the way the characters are developing. Amelia unfazed by obstacles ("A woman will tell a man what to do?!") just substituting a different strategy if what she tries first doesn't work; Amelia star struck by the poetry but absolutely clear-eyed about the man; Amelia deciding to go for the seduction by this beautiful liar anyway. Julian turning into just the best calm friend and back up man anyone could wish for. Alonso. Oh my. I mean time travel is a long-standing genre with known twists, but I feel here the depth of loss the characters find themselves with has been really earned by the narrative, which has taken time and care to establish a bit of historical context and a bit of contemporary equivalence.
I could have wished the 'next on Ministry of Time...' hadn't gone into quite so much detail, because now I'm dreaming up plot arcs and would rather not. Seems as if it's all going to get a bit ominous and twisty. And I can't get Monty Python out of my head now, because after all, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Anyhow I shan't watch the preview again, and also, thanks zarq.
posted by glasseyes at 2:38 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
I really like the way the characters are developing. Amelia unfazed by obstacles ("A woman will tell a man what to do?!") just substituting a different strategy if what she tries first doesn't work; Amelia star struck by the poetry but absolutely clear-eyed about the man; Amelia deciding to go for the seduction by this beautiful liar anyway. Julian turning into just the best calm friend and back up man anyone could wish for. Alonso. Oh my. I mean time travel is a long-standing genre with known twists, but I feel here the depth of loss the characters find themselves with has been really earned by the narrative, which has taken time and care to establish a bit of historical context and a bit of contemporary equivalence.
I could have wished the 'next on Ministry of Time...' hadn't gone into quite so much detail, because now I'm dreaming up plot arcs and would rather not. Seems as if it's all going to get a bit ominous and twisty. And I can't get Monty Python out of my head now, because after all, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Anyhow I shan't watch the preview again, and also, thanks zarq.
posted by glasseyes at 2:38 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Can you imagine a usaian network series where a key element is pouring through long lists of names, and showing all the detail?
Buffy. In the library. With fangs.
posted by glasseyes at 2:39 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Buffy. In the library. With fangs.
posted by glasseyes at 2:39 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
I forgot to say, opening the door into the studio during the painting of La Meninas was so gorgeous.
posted by glasseyes at 2:45 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by glasseyes at 2:45 PM on May 6, 2018 [3 favorites]
Anyhow I shan't watch the preview again, and also, thanks zarq.
Minor spoiler: you'll only have to deal with them for the rest of season one, because on Netflix the previews vanish in season 2.
I also skipped them while watching the first season. They gave WAY too much away for each episode.
Alonso. Oh my. I mean time travel is a long-standing genre with known twists, but I feel here the depth of loss the characters find themselves with has been really earned by the narrative, which has taken time and care to establish a bit of historical context and a bit of contemporary equivalence.
This is hands-down my favorite thing about the show. The characters have such depth to them, and the actors are so good at conveying their emotions without being too over the top. This show could easily be a scenery-chewing telenovela, yet instead it's subtle and takes the time it needs to tell each story.
posted by zarq at 10:29 AM on May 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
Minor spoiler: you'll only have to deal with them for the rest of season one, because on Netflix the previews vanish in season 2.
I also skipped them while watching the first season. They gave WAY too much away for each episode.
Alonso. Oh my. I mean time travel is a long-standing genre with known twists, but I feel here the depth of loss the characters find themselves with has been really earned by the narrative, which has taken time and care to establish a bit of historical context and a bit of contemporary equivalence.
This is hands-down my favorite thing about the show. The characters have such depth to them, and the actors are so good at conveying their emotions without being too over the top. This show could easily be a scenery-chewing telenovela, yet instead it's subtle and takes the time it needs to tell each story.
posted by zarq at 10:29 AM on May 9, 2018 [2 favorites]
About six months before seeing this episode, I happened to watch this episode of Nerdwriter about Las Meninas. Not being Spanish or an Art Person, it gave me some awesome context about Velázquez and the painting.
posted by LEGO Damashii at 1:01 PM on June 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by LEGO Damashii at 1:01 PM on June 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
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No xmas bonus. Now why can't they efficiently fund the ministry with investments? Hope that has a fun handwavy explanation at some point.
posted by sammyo at 4:26 PM on May 2, 2018 [3 favorites]