We’re introduced to James Cole (played by Aaron Stanford of X-Men and Nikita), a time traveller rummaging through an abandoned medical centre in the year 2043. The gruesome discovery of a wrist watch on a skeleton prompts a quick change to the year 2013 and serves as the introduction for Dr Cassandra Railly (played by Amanda Schull of Suits and Pretty Little Liars). It is quickly evident that as with all programmes featuring a time travel element, the episodes will all be split across several time periods; effective if done correctly but quite often falls flat.
The meeting between the lead characters is a dramatic one with Cole lurking in Railly’s car, weapon in hand. Cole quickly attempts to explain his dilemma; he is a sick time traveller from the year 2043, a world in which a deadly virus has wiped out 7 billion people; a figure which he explains equates to just over 93% of the population. There is an odd moment where a ‘timeline is severed’ and a scratch on the watch of 2013 results in a firm change in direction for the show’s cinematography, with cliche camera- shaking to boot.
Overall, this has all the potential of a good and gripping drama. The cast consists of some talented actors who have the ability to deliver on the hype we’ve already seen around the work. Hopefully this promising piece of television will not follow the footsteps of past newbie science fiction dramas (Alcatraz anyone?) and won’t over-hype the element of time travel. If it sticks to its solid plot and keeps the shaky effects to a minimum, it could quickly become a must-watch piece of television.
Devon Allen