Save JFK, Save the World: A Review of 11.22.63

A Look at Alternative History Through the Eyes of a History Teacher

Episode 1, or “The Rabbit Hole”, of the HULU original series 11.22. 63 starts out rather emotionally, as we first see a man reading a story about his experience with his father murdering his whole family in front of his adult education class. With James Franco leading the class, he gives the man an A-plus on his story. It's a curious start to the series because from the beginning, I didn’t have any idea what the story is about. I didn’t do any research. I just heard it was a good series, so naturally, I tuned into the show. I found what 11.22.63 meant soon enough when Franco’s character, Jake Epping, enters an old-school diner and is convinced to walk into a mysterious closet by the manager/owner.

This is not something out of The Chronicles of Narnia, where people walk through a mystical Wardrobe and end up in a magical world filled with a crazy witch, a lion, and a goat person. However, it is filled with reoccurring events and a creepy dude continuously saying, “you should not be here.” As I sip on my first coffee of my lifetime, I sit and I ponder what I want to write and what I feel towards this story. Maybe I should have mentioned first that this series is produced by the king of sci-fi himself, Stephen King. As a proponent of 1960s alternative history, and quite honestly, a fan of James Franco, this series speaks to me as a true history buff.

To explore the world of time travel, I always rely on Doc Brown and Marty McFly to show me the way, but there’s a new kid on the block and he happens to be Chris Cooper. Cooper kills it. He portrays a cancer-ridden diner owner who holds the magical key to making the future better. It’s simple. Walk into the closet, save JFK from being assassinated, and the future will ultimately be saved.

Franco contemplates doing something better with his life and helping his dying friend could be his ticket. I mean, I’m all for it. JFK was a rock star. The whole Kennedy family were everything that rock stars represent, past and present. The Kennedy family earned all their money from illegal bootlegging and then rose to prominence in politics. Yeah, sign me up for that family.

To individually look at the whole family across the board is something out of fantasy, or even something a 16-year-old high schooler would conjure. Let’s look at the tale of the tape: cars, money, women... yeah, being a teacher of that age group, that’s exactly what each one of them would want.

Sorry for the small rant, but I felt that it was a little necessary to go into detail regarding the Kennedys. Now for those people that have been living under a rock for 50-plus years, Kennedy was shot. Now back to the show, Franco goes back in time, dons a new set of clothing, buys a flashy, yellow car, and tries to blend in with the fashion and nuances of 1960s life.

I do have some questions, however. Obviously, using hindsight to garner these questions, I wonder what was so special about Kennedy? I know he was an energetic young face of the United States during a fledgling time of insecurity and mass hysteria, but there’s a tipping point when one person cannot control everything. The Cold War, the rise of the counterculture, communism, and the civil rights issues altered the lives of all Americans. Kennedy never really lived up to the promises in his first three years, but obviously, he was only given a short sample size due to his assassination, so who knows what could have been.

You can often see hints at history’s past within the first episode. You have the music, the television, the sports, and Nixon on the television. A very well-researched show with the correct actors and leadership leaves me wanting more of this series. I plan on watching all of the show simply because it’s interesting and takes me back to my college thesis on 1960s counterculture. I keep telling myself to keep writing, but I can never find the right time. With watching 11.22.63, as well as The Man in the High Castle, I continue to question and wonder what if things were different.

So far, I’m feeling this show and my attention has been grabbed, so I salute Bridget Carpenter, Stephen King, and James Franco for this show. You have come into my life when I was ultimately bored on a lonely Saturday night.