“11/22/63": The King of King’s T.V. Adaptations
With a plethora of novels and stories Stephen King has published over the years, it is no surprise that those behind creating programs for television has dipped into the King pool. Since 1979, there have been 25 television shows/miniseries that are produced from a King story. (Of course, Hollywood likes King’s ideas as well, producing 25+ movies).
In this new television era where “channels” are racing to provide original content for audiences, Hulu turned to the King book 11/22/63 in hopes that a King miniseries could help grow its original programming viewership. In the book, Jake Epping, a high-school teacher, goes back in time to try and stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. During his stay in the 1960s, personal feelings and the past become roadblocks as he tries to figure out who is behind the assassination and, ultimately, stop them.
Having read the book in high school — and being a full fledged history buff — I was automatically interested in this series. After reading the book, I was lukewarm on the story. It focused way too much on Epping’s personal life. I just wanted to read about the assassination. Therefore, I appreciate Hulu and series developer Bridget Carpenter’s approach to the miniseries: the book is simply source material. The series 11/22/63 was not going to be a letter by letter re-telling of the story.
The series premiered on February 15, and it has aired four episodes thus far. Unlike Netflix, where episodes for the entire season are dropped all at once, Hulu is releasing 11/22/63’s episode week by week. For me, I enjoy the week by week release strategy. It allows me time to digest episodes properly. But, that is another conversation for another time.
James Franco stars as the main man, Jake Epping. Franco is really good as Epping. At first, Epping is confused and turned off by the weirdness of time travel. The moods and feelings Epping goes through concerning time travel and this “mission” to stop the assassination seem genuine. But, with his life in a rut (he is going through a divorce) and with his friend Al (who is pushing him to do this) dying, Epping decides to go back in time. (Which, by the way, is done through walking through a closet at a local diner.) Franco’s performance as a skeptic turned believer in time travel, plus as a kindhearted guy, works beautifully in the series.
With a main character we can root for and want to watch, everything else about the series starts to kick into place.
So far, the series has been Epping trying to figure out if Lee Harvey Oswald (history’s scapegoat as Kennedy’s murderer, but the conspiracies are out there) acted alone. Borrowing this plot-line from the book, this story structure is brilliant. It gives us something compelling to watch, and it something I would have never thought of if I was in Epping’s shoes. Today, we just assume Oswald shot Kennedy. So, why not kill Oswald at the first chance Epping got? Well, since we do not really know if Oswald acted alone, the three years Epping has to wait is the perfect time to find out.
While Epping is tracking Oswald, he becomes a sub at school in Jodie, Texas. There, he becomes friends with the locals and falls in love with the school librarian Sadie Dunhill— played by Sarah Gadon, who is equally as great in the role. While the acting and the storytelling is hitting its marks for an enjoyable TV miniseries, the “falling in love” storyline runs deeper than typical TV relationships.
Epping realizes that the past fights back; it does not want to be changed. His papers are burned; he gets caught snooping around. The power of the past is quite strong — physically and mentally. We all fantasize about the past and “the good ole days”. For Epping, this mentality is just as true. Epping’s life in modern times is nothing special. As his time in the past continues on, Epping is immediately attracted to the past and its nostalgic ways. Sure, Ms. Dunhill is a very beautiful woman, but Epping’s attraction to her — and this life — is more than appearances. It is this new way of life he really loves.
Through four episodes, we have not yet, totally, been exposed to the uglier side of the 1960s. At the school, Epping befriends Miss Mimi (played by Tonya Pinkins) an African-American secretary at the school. There is a scene in which Miss Mini is not allowed to get gas at a gas station, because of the color of her skin. Epping comes and stands up for her, disgusted by the racism, and makes sure she gets gas. This is another huge point in favor of Epping. The scene suggests a bond between the two which will come mightily handy later in the series.
Having a diverse storyline into the series would be hugely beneficial. It would show Epping to be progressive in this situation, which he clearly shows. But, if Epping is changing history, why not start the wheel rolling on Civil Rights in a state where those rights are and would become highly contested. That would make marvelous T.V.
The production quality is very high. The music, setting, costumes are all spot on. The shots of 1960s America are beautiful. The writing is smart and hilarious. Epping usually gets himself out of trouble but quoting pop culture of future decades. My favorite? Explaining to Miss Mimi that he is part of the witness protection program after witnessing his “friend, Fredo, and his brother Michael had him killed on a fishing trip in Lake Tahoe.”
Where as other King series’ are campy and trying to be exactly like its book/short story, 11/22/63 is a really good mix of new ideas based off the original ones. It is a fun, entertaining miniseries that anyone may enjoy: whether it is for the history aspect, the crime aspect of the story or you are a major fan of Franco.
I hope the payoff is just as good as this buildup.
