11.22.63: The Truth
March 14, 2016 7:41 PM - Season 1, Episode 5 - Subscribe

Everything begins to fall apart as Jake struggles to live two lives: teacher and time traveler. When Sadie's life is threatened, Jake has to make a terrible choice, leaving Bill to his own devices. Lee Harvey Oswald takes steps that will lead him into a date with destiny.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich (9 comments total)
 
I liked this episode much better than the previous. I'm still having problems with plot holes and whatnot, but I'll forgive quite a bit when the narrative and characterization is otherwise strong -- which I thought it was in this episode.

But I was totally looking forward to his revelation and was only slightly satisfied with the bit at the end. Next week, I guess. Although I worry that it will be frustrating -- it seems as if he's told Bill almost nothing, including lots of stuff that would (presumably) help Bill understand many things better than he does.

The book had a lot more of Jake making anachronistic quips, which Sadie was fine with because she thought he was just quirky and funny. The show's sort of shown us this a little bit, but having her learn that all the things he says make sense and are references, which he explains to her, was pretty satisfying in the book (to the degree to which I can recall this, which isn't that much). I want to see that kind of stuff. Maybe it's not as interesting to other people, but I think about this kind of thing all the time and it's part of why I enjoy time-travel stories as much as I do. I want to be a time-traveler just so I can go the past and totally blow someone's mind. With my smartphone. Why, Jake, did you throw away your smartphone? Put those earbuds on Sadie and put on some tunes!
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:29 PM on March 14, 2016 [2 favorites]


I'm not sure what it is, maybe Bill, but the series in general isn't quite working for me. The episodes, individually, are good enough, but for some reason I look forward to the next episode in the abstract, but then end up just..not watching until I've watched all the other stuff on my list.

I thought it was both interesting and totally 60s small town Texas how the deputy was just "welp, story sounds good, I'm done thinking about this murder now." And how Deke showed up and was all "come to the hospital and talk to him if you have to" and walked off with Jake while the deputy protested. Come to think of it, the deputy may have put more thought into it than he would have in reality.
posted by wierdo at 4:32 AM on March 15, 2016 [1 favorite]


totally 60s small town Texas

One thing that's definitely not small town Texas is the actual look of the town itself. (I understand it was mostly shot in Ontario.) Trees don't look like that in North Texas!

But then, I also thought the book was mostly a swing-and-a-miss when it came to the Texas stuff. King's depiction of Jodie read more like a small 1950s Midwestern town than a dusty little place on the outskirts of Waco.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:11 PM on March 15, 2016


I feel like I need to re-watch the end. It seemed to go:
Jake: "You don't trust me to tell you the truth? I will only tell you the truth now. I am a time traveler from the future."
Sadie: "Yay! That checks out! Trust restored!"

Maybe he explained it better...
Maybe her anesthesia will wear off and she'll think WTF.
posted by artychoke at 7:22 AM on March 16, 2016


"One thing that's definitely not small town Texas is the actual look of the town itself. (I understand it was mostly shot in Ontario.) Trees don't look like that in North Texas!"

Probably not outside Waco. It's as leafy in East Texas as Ontario, though. But they're different kinds of vegetation. I don't really recognize different kinds of trees, so I'll take your word for it that they're the wrong trees.

Anyway, I've wondered about that, too. I have a hard time judging this stuff because I grew up in the truly barren high plains of Eastern New Mexico. When I moved to Dallas in 1983, it seemed like a humid jungle to me. I lived in Austin for eight years, too, and that seemed very green to me. Now I'm in Kansas City, and this seems not actually quite as green as I would have expected. But people who've never been to Texas seem to think that from the stereotype or whatever, all of Texas is like West Texas and a desert. So I don't even know what people's expectations are. Jodie doesn't seem quite right to me, but it's not just because it seems more leafy than it ought to. The houses and lots aren't right.

Incidentally, later episodes of the show have proven that the show is placing the Oswald's apartment actually in Dallas, contrary to both the book and reality. Which is a bit annoying, because it seems unnecessary to me. It's not clear at all where the show thinks Jodie is, but it sure seems like it must be less than a half-hour's drive outside Dallas.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 8:43 AM on March 16, 2016


I am super duper uber tired of the cliche where the knight in shining armor guy saves the helpless woman, then she adds the probably redundant extra shot/blow/whatever at the last second. It's a craptacular way of having a generic white knight scene but trying to obscure the stink with a token female empowerment moment.

It's trying to have it both ways. I'd rather just see her save the day on her own, thanks. Or not. It's insulting that they want to go with the stereotype, but add the little half-hearted nod to try and make it more palatable.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:05 AM on April 19, 2016


Also, Donnie from Orphan Black is the head surgeon?
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:12 AM on April 19, 2016 [2 favorites]


He was familiar, but I couldn't pin down what I knew him from.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 1:05 PM on April 19, 2016


These last two episodes are where the show has really been bogging down for me for some reason.
posted by MoonOrb at 12:27 PM on December 18, 2016


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