Television Review: Travelers (Seasons 1-2, 2016 - 2017)
Few years ago, numerous commentaries marked the centenary of the end of the First World War, with many authors expressing disagreement with certain decisions made at the time, which they believe are responsible for all the ills that have plagued and continue to plague particular regions of the world. Some of these “armchair generals” argue that not only was it necessary but also possible to do things differently—that is, to alter history if given the opportunity. This concept remains immensely popular within the science fiction genre, despite the various complications posed by time paradoxes. The fact that altering history through time travel has become a central plot device for several television series this decade—from Continuum and 12 Monkeys to Netflix’s Travelers—bears this out.
The action is set in the present day within an unnamed American metropolis (which, in keeping with tradition, is portrayed by the highly recognisable Canadian city of Vancouver, familiar to fans of numerous series). From an indeterminate yet evidently apocalyptic future, a team of time travellers is dispatched to prevent an unnamed cataclysm that has nearly eradicated humanity. Future technology does not allow direct time travel but only the transfer of consciousness into the bodies of living people in the past; for ethical and other reasons, those selected are deliberately individuals destined to die. Thus, Traveller 3468 takes over the body of FBI agent Grant MacLaren (Eric McCormack) moments before he was due to die during a routine investigation; Traveller 3569 assumes the body of Marcy Warton (Mackenzie Porter), a cleaner with learning disabilities, moments before she was to be beaten to death by street thugs; Traveller 3465 inhabits the body of Afro-American housekeeper Carly Shannon (Nesta Cooper) moments before she was to be killed by her abusive partner; Traveller 0115 takes over the body of high school student Trevor Holden (Jared Abrahamson) moments before his death in an MMA match, while Traveller 3326 assumes the body of heroin addict Philip Pearson (Reilly Dorman) just prior to a fatal overdose. All survive and assume the identities of their previous “hosts”, while simultaneously fulfilling roles as leader, nurse, tactician, engineer, and historian. Their mission is to alter history through various manipulations and tactics, following extremely complex and inscrutable instructions sent from the future by the Director, an artificial intelligence that devised the so-called Grand Plan. However, their challenges extend beyond the difficult adaptation to the vastly different 21st-century world; they also begin to form bonds with the friends, families, and colleagues of their former “hosts”, while clashing with other time travellers whose motives or visions for the future differ significantly from their own.
Netflix released first two seasons of the series with 12 episodes each, providing a relatively solid narrative structure while allowing some flexibility for individual episodes to explore secondary subplots or characters. The writers correctly decided that the future from which the travellers originate is best left undefined, merely offering subtle hints about its grim nature. Travelers is at its strongest when it adheres to these principles, allowing the audience to draw their own conclusions; however, the moment specific details emerge in the travellers' visions—or when the disasters they must prevent are explicitly named—the series appears significantly weaker. Similarly, certain subplots come across as somewhat uninspired attempts to preach, from a typically liberal-left perspective, on contemporary issues such as populism, immigration, or sexual abuse. What saves the day is that the missions the travellers undertake are not only complex but also perilous, often requiring combat skills and the use of firearms, which will satisfy fans of action sequences. This is particularly evident in 17 Minutes, a second-season episode that offers a clever variation on the Groundhog Day theme.
However, the series' main strength lies in its exceptionally diverse and talented cast, who portray not only vastly different characters but also multiple iterations of the same persona. Country singer Mackenzie Porter arguably delivers the most impressive performance, as her character undergoes several transformations—from a cleaner with learning disabilities to a highly skilled medical professional. Eric McCormack, who is also one of the series' producers, delivers a more subdued performance as the character who must consistently do the right thing, whether as an FBI agent or as the leader of the time travellers. Jared Abrahamson is far more compelling as a grizzled and cynical old man forced to inhabit a teenager's body, while Reilly Dorman is equally strong as the time traveller who inherits his host's heroin addiction. On the other hand, Patrick Gilmore can be irritating at times as David Mailer, the social worker and Marcy’s protector, who embodies an almost parodic version of the 'ideal' man in today’s politically correct, social justice warrior era, with his relationship with Marcy frequently descending into cheap melodrama. Nevertheless, all things considered, Travelers—at least in its first two seasons—offers a journey well worth embarking upon.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
(Note: The text in the original Croatian version was posted here.)
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