Plot: The Time Traveler’s Wife follows the intricate and magical love story between Clare (Rose Leslie) and Henry (Theo James), and a marriage with a problem…time travel.
Review: While the 2009 film version of The Time Traveler’s Wife did fairly well at the box office, critics were less than kind. This likely led many to wonder why the romantic novel by Audrey Niffenegger would be remade as a limited series. With two attractive actors in the lead roles, Theo James and Rose Leslie, the new adaptation of The Time Traveler’s Wife is not only far superior to the version starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, but it is in fact the perfect example of why some books work better when they are told using the long-form storytelling afforded by the small screen. With a lot more heart and an expanded opportunity to drive home the complexities of the various eras and narrative threads, The Time Traveler’s Wife is now an entertaining and intricate look at how people can change each other even when they have met before and after as different people.
Where the 2009 film condensed the love story of Henry and Clare into less than two hours, the HBO series retains all of the elements of the story that were cut for the sake of brevity. Having seen the movie, I can understand how fans felt seeing the story reduced to something akin to treacly and melodramatic films like The Notebook. Sacrificing drama and the magical elements of the time travel part of the story, the 2009 movie showcased solid acting from Bana and McAdams but little else worth remembering. The 2022 series shies away from the idealistic and unrealistic fantasy of the story and instead presents the tale of two characters who exhibit real emotions, conflict, and struggles through the challenges of Henry’s condition. The series also benefits from showcasing both Henry and Clare in equal measure rather than the film’s more one-sided approach.
The Time Traveler’s Wife opens each episode with video-taped confessionals from both Henry DeTamble (Theo James), a Chicago librarian, and Clare Abshire (Rose Leslie). Discussing their unique romance, Henry and Clare explain how they came to meet. Despite not being the first time Clare met Henry, it is the first time he met her. The shuffled deck of cards that is their history serves as the catalyst for learning about the two characters through time. Clare, an artist, has been in love with Henry since her childhood while Henry has been thrust at random through time and learned to deal with the fallout of landing wherever he ends up naked and without any money. While at times played for laughs, both characters change over the decades of their lives which means that each is a different person each time they interact. Much like playing multiple characters, both Theo James and Rose Leslie do a really amazing job of playing off of one another from very distinct outlooks as their characters grow and mature at different intervals.
Unlike the film version, this series injects a lot more into developing Henry and Clare at different points in time, especially Henry. In his twenties, he is a callous and superficial person who grows into Clare’s ideal man. Clare, enamored with her dream man since childhood, must contend with his condition while also her own wants and desires for marriage and family. There is also a considerable focus on Henry’s childhood trauma which is far more graphic and disturbing here than it was in the film. There is also a lot more maturity to this story thanks to being on HBO which allows the series to delve into more sexual themes and use a liberal amount of profanity compared to the toned-down PG-13 movie. Theo James has his ass exposed multiple times each hour due to the rules of this story’s time travel which should make many fans very happy. But, the freedom to use nudity and profanity is never done in a way that feels inorganic to the story but helps the story feel grounded and realistic despite the supernatural plot device at its core.
Despite supporting roles from Desmin Borges, Kate Siegel, and Josh Stamberg, The Time Traveler’s Wife is a showcase for James and Leslie who appear in virtually every scene of the story. Written by Steven Moffat, best known as showrunner of popular BBC series Doctor Who and Sherlock, knows a little something about time travel stories. But, Moffat never imbues The Time Traveler’s Wife with the whimsy or genre conceits of his tenure on Doctor Who. Under the direction of veteran director David Nutter, the six-episode series showcases a beautiful score by Blake Neely and encapsulates a stirring story that is structured in a loosely linear manner that still manages to tie together the back and forth unpredictability of time travel without losing the viewer’s focus or attention.
Based on how generic and forgettable the original film was, I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this new take on The Time Traveler’s Wife. A solid story that doesn’t treat the viewer like they need to be spoonfed explanations to both the time travel as well as the romantic intricacies of the story, The Time Traveler’s Wife is a mature story that examines how hard relationships can be, especially when the two people involved are at different points in their lives. At times haunting and sad, funny and hopeful, as well as dramatic and thrilling, The Time Traveler’s Wife echoes a romantic story in a way that we rarely get to see on the big screen or small these days. Whether you are into romantic stories or not, this is an overall well-acted and executed series that makes great use of its six-episode run and redeems the novel that was beloved by so many fans.
The Time Traveler’s Wife premieres on May 15th on HBO.