Travelers is a science fiction television series, which launched on Netflix in late 2016. The show follows a team of operatives that have been sent back in time from the future to the present day. Each team member, who is referred to as a traveller, arrives in the present day by taking over the consciousness of people in the present, at their recorded time of death. The concept behind this means of time travel is that these travellers only occupy the bodies of people who were destined to die anyway. The operatives use social media to learn about their host bodies and assume their lives, under cover, while they secretly carry out a series of missions, under the orders of ‘the director’. The director exists in the future they have come from, and transmits messages through children, the Internet and other electronic devices. Throughout the first season, the team has a number of missions they must complete, as instructed by the director. As time progresses, we discover there are many teams that are all on their own separate missions, and it is soon revealed the main reason why these operatives have been sent back in time. Please note, that from this point onwards, there are spoilers. The main mission is to deflect an asteroid that is due to collide with the earth eighteen months from the present day, which essentially wipes out the majority of the human race. However, the team soon discovers that while the deflection of the asteroid has resulted in saving the world from devastation, this has created a new timeline, which has altered the future in a dramatic way. This opens up the floodgates for new problems, which they must solve. Moreover, as the characters develop, there is a fairly even split between the missions and the following of the operatives ‘host’ lives, which is a nice balance over the course of the season. While the concept of this show is unique and engaging for the viewer, unfortunately, there are many loop holes that are left unanswered. For example, the operatives are sent back through a transmission of subconscious, but when they meet as a team, one member, who is the ‘medic’, somehow has access to communication devices which are implanted behind their ears, and somehow defy the laws of mobile phones, where members can talk to each other through these devices wherever they are, at any time. It is never explained how these devices were built or if they came from the future, and if so, how did they get there. Despite this, for some reason the operatives don’t appear to possess any other futurist technology, outside of their ability to communicate through underground channels in the Internet, referred to as the ‘deep web’. The characters aren’t given any supplies or money to carry out these tasks, and must seemingly rely on their ‘historian’ team member, Philip Pearson, who has a photographic memory of events of this time, and therefore knows the winning horses to what seems to be, an endless amount of horse races. This explains how they fund their missions, but it is never explained why they aren’t provided funds from the future. Another hole is that pieces of futuristic technology appear, on occasion, when the team seems to be in dire situations, but there is never an explanation as to where this technology came from. Some of the technology used from the future includes nanites, which grow organs that save the life of the team leader, Grant MacLaren, after he survives a plane crash, using yet another piece of technology from the future. There is no reconciliation as to how this technology can be transmitted from the future. We are left with the knowledge that the only means of time travel is through the transfer of subconscious from body to body, which by the way, is another concept that is never fully explained. Overall, Travelers was a great binge watch, and if you are happy to not question plot points, it is an enjoyable experience.
3 Comments
SMmr
5/3/2018 01:37:02 pm
I REALLY LIKE this show - the concept is so totally incomprehensible that it is fascinating- BUT- now in season 2 I find myself totally distracted by the practicality of production/filming, i.e., baby Jeffrey Jr. continued crying & distress - that is not acting folks - that is a REAL LIVE upset baby - that is child ABUSE- what are the producers thinking!?!? There were a few upset baby scenes in season one that I go through but now it is TOO MUCH! I CANNOT WATCH ANY MORE OF IT
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BM
5/8/2018 03:09:18 am
Thanks for the feedback! I turned off the show after the first season - I watched the first episode of the new season and just decided I would leave it at that!
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BM
5/8/2018 03:11:03 am
And please follow The Clifton Review on Facebook!
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