There's A Great JFK Assassination Show Everyone Needs To Watch
It's time for another entertainment flashback piece, and this week we have "11.22.63."
I've been rolling out a flashback piece every week, and the readers certainly seem to be enjoying them. On that note, I think it's safe to say that we're going to keep it rolling for the foreseeable future.
That brings us to the legendary Hulu limited series based on a novel of the same name by Stephen King.
"11.22.63" is must-watch television.
Basic facts of "11.22.63":
- Cast: James Franco, Chris Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Lucy Fry, George MacKay, Josh Duhamel and Nick Searcy
- Episode count: Eight
- Original premiere date: February 15, 2016
- Original network: Hulu
- Available to purchase on streaming sites
- Plot description: Jake Epping (James Franco), a recently divorced English teacher from Lisbon, Maine, is presented with the chance to travel back in time to 1960 by his long-time friend Al Templeton (Chris Cooper). He is persuaded into going in an attempt to prevent the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963; however, he becomes attached to the life he makes in the past, which could be the mission's undoing. He must find a way to secretly gather information about people and events leading up to the assassination while also creating and maintaining a new life to avoid suspicion.
Now that we have the basic facts out of the way, let's dive into why "11.22.63" is such a great series. Not only is the cast stacked - Sarah Gadon is a criminally underrated talent - but the story itself is one hell of a ride as viewers watch Jake Epping try to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
When first presented with the time portal, Jake is in disbelief, just like anyone would be. However, he eventually agrees to take up the task of saving Kennedy from being murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald. The premise on the surface doesn't seem too complex, but just like anything from Stephen King, there's much more than meets the eye.
The story has two points that make it great. First, Jake learns that the more you try to change the past, the more the past pushes back. The past doesn't want to be changed. It doesn't want to be changed at all. Whenever Jake takes some ground, the past always manages to find a way to push back even harder to guarantee nothing changes. It creates a fascinating dynamic, and leads perfectly into the second part about the show that is so great.
Jake falls in love with Sadie (Gadon) in the past and starts to prioritize her over the mission of saving JFK. Seeing as how Sadie and Jake never met in the original past timeline, the past isn't willing to let this relationship unfold with joy and happiness. There's plenty of pain and suffering that Jake must endure and weigh against saving the President.
Without spoiling anything, the show also forces viewers to take a hard look at whether or not changing the past guarantees a better future. There are so many variables that can't be predicted, and that's a tough pill to swallow.
I'll also say this without spoiling it, "11.22.63" has one of the best ending scenes in the history of TV. One of my buddies says it's the only TV show ending he's ever cried for. I'm not saying you should shed some tears, but it is a punch to the gut.
Gadon and Franco are excellent, it's a quick eight episodes and the plot will grab you and refuse to let go. I truly can't recommend "11.22.63" enough if you haven't already seen it. Do yourself a huge favor and fire it up where you can find it, and then let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.