What We're Watching: Time Loops, January 2021
Happy New Year everyone!
Have you ever fantasized about what would happen if you could repeat a moment in your life? Do you maybe feel like everyday has been the same since March 2020? Or do you find yourself wanting to explore more niche areas of sci-fi?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you’re in luck! This month’s theme for What We’re Watching is time loops!
Now, time loops on screen don’t always follow the same rules or structure, but they typically have a couple things in common:
One or more characters realize that they are stuck repeating a specific period of time (like a day or specific event)
The loop resets when
A looped character dies or falls asleep and/or
A specific time of day is reached
Time loops are often included to teach a main character a lesson or to bring them on an emotional journey
...from there, the show or movie can have their own rules that align with the specific story in their universe and create the magic of their take! Here are a few of our recommendations to get sucked into time loops! And remember, What We’re Watching is here to introduce new audiences to some of the TLL team and community’s favorite TV shows and movies without the toxic film-bro energy (barf) that shames you if you haven’t seen everything. None of that negativity here!
The Twilight Zone s2 ep26 “Shadow Play” (1961 created by Rod Serling, directed by John Brahm)
This season 2 episode of the classic anthology series The Twilight Zone is a little on the darker side, but is a great example of the time loop in early sci-fi. The main character, Adam Grant, is stuck in a recurring nightmare that he has no control over. He’s convicted of murder and executed in the same night, even though he didn’t commit the crime. “Shadow Play” is a grim look at how time loops can be unforgiving even when they’re constructs of our own mind. Beyond this episode, the original Twilight Zone is a compelling series that continues to resonate with fans decades after its initial run because even though the series contains otherworldly elements, the stories told are deeply human. It asks the viewer to look inward and wonder what would happen if they too were transported to a place where the unknown and unexpected lurk around every corner. With five seasons of the original black and white series, there are plenty of opportunities to get lost in The Twilight Zone. - Brynna A, Editorial Lead
Russian Doll (2019 created by Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Leslye Headland)
CW: Suicide
Season 1 of Russian Doll takes time loops in television to the next level with not one, but eight, gloriously looped episodes. After dying on her 36th birthday Nadia, played by Natasha Lyonne, is forced to repeat the night over and over (and over…). Russian Doll’s usage of time loops gives the series an interesting way to balance comedy with heavier material, and it’s almost impossible for me to recommend just one episode. Unsure if the time loop is penance for her past or simply the universe messing with her, Nadia spends season 1 trying to find the cause of the loop while also struggling with past trauma. Ultimately, she has to decide what really matters to her in life, and what she needs to let go of in order to move forward. Russian Doll has become one of my comfort shows because I also use humor to deal with trauma and hide my true feelings so I relate to the tone of the show as well as Nadia herself in an incredibly personal way. But ultimately what keeps me coming back is that Russian Doll is a story about how unexpected connections with people can change our lives, and I think that’s beautiful. - Brynna A, Editorial Lead
Palm Springs (2020 dir. Max Barbakow)
CW: Suicide
Are you looking to experience the complexity of time loops while also contemplating the meaning of your own existence? Then you’re in luck my friends, because Palm Springs checks those boxes and so much more. Nyles, played by Andy Samberg, has been stuck at the same wedding for an unknown amount of time, and has grown numb to his fate in the loop - that is until Sarah, played by Cristin Milioti, gets pulled into the loop with him. For a while, they are both able to escape the monotony of the loop and find ways to escape their reality whether through a choreographed dance break at the local bar or taking mushrooms in the desert. But as days turn to weeks turn to ??? and they start to let their guard down with each other, they both realize that it’s not that easy to escape who they were before the loop. Their struggle to move forward while also repeating the same day over and over feels so familiar in a time where it’s easy to feel stuck. When Palm Springs was released on Hulu in July, I was in a particularly dark place and, like Nyles, growing increasingly numb to my surroundings and feeling deeply alone with it. For me, watching Palm Springs feels almost cathartic and I honestly haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it for the first time. It’s definitely a movie that sticks with you and compels you to look within. - Brynna A, Editorial Lead
The Magicians S5 E6 “Oops!... I Did It Again” (2015 Created by Sera Gamble & John McNamara)
With such a creative and innovative TV show as Sera Gamble’s The Magicians, it’s a marvel that it takes five whole seasons for the main characters to get stuck in a time loop. The show’s final season features the episode “Oops!... I Did It Again” which is fun, character-driven, and full of high stakes. This episode traps the show’s two most dramatic characters, Margo (Summer Bishil) and Elliot (Hale Appleman), in a 12 hour loop together as they and their friends are trying to figure out how to s4ave the entire world from mass destruction. They use the loop to their advantage, trying and failing to save the world multiple times. When Margot falls out of the loop, Elliot must figure out all on his own how to save everyone in existence… no pressure. Premise aside, this episode really digs deep into facing your inner demons, traumatic pasts, and learning to lean on your loved ones for support when times are tough. The Magicians may look like fantasy series, but they often dive into mental health topics and navigate them beautifully, which is one of the main appeals of the show for its fanbase. “Oops!... I Did It Again” is just one of the show’s episodes that really exemplifies The Magicians’s signature blend of navigating real-life issues with a touch of magic. - Brielle W, Social Media Editor
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004 Directed by Michel Gondry, Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, Cinematography by Ellen Kuras)
The first time I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I was around 17 years old. I knew it was one of those films everyone referenced as a ‘must watch’, so I sat down one afternoon with my family netflix account and dove into the beautifully tragic world created by cinematographer Ellen Kuras. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind follows the relationship of Clementine Kruczynski and Joel Barish played by Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey. We see their relationship develop, we fall in love when they do, we cry when they do, we hurt when they break up. But then just when you think the cut can't get any deeper, it's revealed that Clementine and Joel are stuck in a time loop - they’ve been in a relationship before but Clementine had those memories erased by a firm called Lacuna , Inc. to fully get over the pain of the breakup. Joel then retaliates by attempting to erase her but then decides not to. Instead, the couple seeks refuge by traveling in a pseudo time loop of their memories- observing their loving and steamy moments as well as their gradual distancing and eventual breakup. Their tapes are proof that they have hurt each other before, but after witnessing these memory tapes will they try it again? The lighting is beautiful, the locations match the emotional tone of each scene (Meet me in Montauk </3), and the color palette of each phase of their relationship is so well intentioned. I felt connected to this film’s mise-en-scene and once I realized it was a female cinematographer, that connection made even more sense. No one is free from judgement in this god-like omnipresent view of their lives and it forces the viewer to do a mental self reckoning of their own actions. No one is perfect, and this film so beautifully shot and written in a way that analyzes human relationships and human flaws very closely. I’m very drawn to films that focus on relationships but I feel that the nonlinear retelling of the love story via a time loop really makes this film stand out to me. - Kim H, TLL Founder
About What We’re Watching
What We’re Watching is our guide on tv and films from our team at the Light Leaks. Finding new things to watch shouldn’t feel intimidating- too many of us have been bombarded by bro-y film culture telling us what’s good. This column is our way of introducing you to new (and maybe some familiar) favs to watch. Happy viewing!