11.22.63: A Gripping and Emotional Journey Through Time
WARNING: SPOILER ALERT! For those who haven’t read the book or seen the tv series, I suggest you not read this unless you’re not concerned about spoilers
Imagine you have to travel back to the past, what would you do to change the future?
Recently, I have watched a tv series called 11.22.63. It was originally a novel written by Stephen King in 2011. King is well known for his horror and thriller books, including the famous films IT and 1408. Five years after the publication of the novel, the story was adapted into an eight-episode TV series.
The story was about a protagonist named Jake Epping, who was a school teacher, and his friend Al, who was the owner of the Diner restaurant. One day, when Jake went to find Al in the Diner, he discovered something unusual: every time he went through the room, the same man appeared in front of him and said the same line, “You shouldn’t be here.” he warned him.
Later, Jake learnt from Al that it was a time portal that could only travel back to 1958, and everything reset when he went back and forth. This secret was only kept between Jake and Al.
In a later episode, Al asked Jake to save JFK, the President of the United States, in the past from being assassinated. Before travelling back in time, Al discussed a plan with Jake about what he would do once he travelled through the time portal. Not long, Al died from an illness and Jake had to carry out the mission by himself.
While in 1958, Jake was being followed by a man but this was not the same man who warned him about being there. While working as a teacher, Jake Epping went by the name Jake Amberson. At a faculty meeting at school, he met Bill Turcotte for the first time and became friends while striking up a conversation.
As the story progressed, the bond between Jake and Bill became much stronger. They became important allies in Jake’s mission to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. As Al had told Jake about Lee Harvey Oswald, who would be the assassin of President John F. Kennedy, Jake teamed up with Bill to gather more information about Lee.
In the meantime, Jake met Sadie, a school librarian, in the town of Jodie. After spending time with each other, Jake and Sadie’s feelings for each other deepened. One day, however, Sadie’s abusive ex-husband, Johnny, appeared in her classroom and started talking to her. After a few minutes, as Johnny made his way out of the classroom, he saw Jake peeking from across the room. They stared at each other for a few seconds, and then Johnny left. As Jake tried to talk to Sadie, she ignored him and walked past him.
Afterward, Sadie told Jake about how terribly her ex-husband had treated her. He had been physically and emotionally abusive during their marriage, and Sadie had been so afraid to leave him for a long time. Despite this, the relationship between Jake and Sadie became closer than before, which would prove that there were more challenges as they faced the uncertainties and dangers of the mission to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Knowing that Jake and Sadie were together, Johnny plotted to murder Sadie and threatened Jake. He was furious that Sadie had left him and was determined to make her pay. Back in Sadie’s own home in Jodie, she was attacked by Johnny, leaving her face covered in blood. As Jake arrived on the scene and tried to intervene, Johnny forced him to drink bleach in an attempt to kill him. In the act of self-defense, Sadie managed to take Johnny’s gun and killed him before he harmed her once again.
Towards the end of the series, Bill Turcotte was captured and tortured by Lee Harvey Oswald and his associates. After being badly tortured by them, Bill was taken to a hospital when Jake and Sadie tried to get him out. During the escape, however, Bill fell out of a window and died. This deeply affected Jake to further continue his mission. As Bill was Jake’s closest friend, Jake felt responsible for his fate.
With the help of Sadie and other partners, Jake was able to piece the clues together and uncover the truth behind the conspiracy to kill the President. He discovered that Lee was the assassin who had planned the attack, and he was determined to prevent it from happening. On the day of the assassination, Jake managed to stop Lee from attacking Kennedy and was praised by the President and the First Lady for his heroic actions. Sadly, Sadie died while saving the President, leaving Jake alone.
When Jake travelled back to the present, he found that the Diner, the portal through which he travelled back in time, was damaged. The disappearance of the restaurant suggests that Jake’s actions in the past altered the timeline and had significant consequences on the present.
In addition, he noticed that the restaurant would reappear in the present when he alternated between the present and the past. This indicates that his actions in the past had once again altered the timeline and caused the Diner to exist in the present. The appearance and disappearance of the Diner suggests that changing the past can have a significant impact on the present and future. This is the key feature of the story and serves to illustrate the consequences of time travel.
While travelling back in time in the last episode of the series, Jake was surprised to see Sadie alive. Simultaneously, he realised that his actions in the past had altered the timeline and prevented her death. This realization led Jake to question the moral cost of changing the past and the potential consequences of his actions.
To conclude, Jake came to understand the profound impact and consequences of time travel, especially after meeting Sadie. Seeing her alive made him question the moral implications of altering history for personal gain.
For instance, if Jake used his knowledge of future events to alter the past in a way that benefits himself or his loved ones without considering the impact on the timeline or other people, he would be acting out of personal gain. Ultimately, Jake was forced to confront the complex and unforeseeable nature of time, and the challenging decisions that come with the power to change the course of history.
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