At some point in time, you run out of shows to binge. You've either finished all of the shows that have been recommended to you, or you've decided they are just not your thing. Netflix suggests a show called "Travelers" to you based on your interest in "Doctor Who," "Continuum," "The Twilight Zone," "The X-Files," or something else of that nature. You skip past it because you've never heard of it, and the description isn't that interesting.
DON'T SKIP PAST IT.
Over winter break - over only one week during winter break - I ended up watching this show three times through. It is probably one of the most interesting shows I have ever seen, and hardly anyone I know has seen it. There are so many reasons that I would recommend this show to people.
First, it's about time travel. Who doesn't like a good time travel show? Except these people, "travelers," only travel in time through the minds of those who were about to die anyway. They save the person's life, but not their consciousness. Their goal is to change the past (particularly the 21st century) so that the future isn't as messy as it was when they left. Once the travelers make it to the 21st (as they call it), they are assigned missions through "messengers" who arrive in the consciousness of prepubescent children for a brief period of time until the message is delivered. The science is vague, but so interesting.
The second reason to watch it is seeing the travelers attempt to resume the life of their hosts. At times, it can be quite humorous. Traveler 0115, known by his host's name "Trevor," is a teenage boy in the 21st. It's hilarious seeing a traveler that's over a hundred years old trying to navigate a 17 year old boy's life.
The third reason is the way the writers dealt with trauma, abuse, addiction, and other hard-hitting topics. One of the main characters is a recovering drug addict who gets help from a local lawyer (who happens to be a recovering addict as well) - he also struggles with the depression that comes along with addiction. Another of the main characters has a child and is trying to protect that child from his abusive, alcoholic father. One of the female leads had a host who had congenital brain damage, and there are a lot of issues surrounding how it affects the traveler.
Finally, the bonding between characters with minimal romance. While there are some side relationships, none of the romantic relationships in the show take priority over the science and time traveling aspect of the show. The travelers know they are there to do their jobs and they bond as friends more and more throughout the show. They start out having trained together and working together as colleagues (apart from two of the characters). At the end, they all genuinely care about each other as people.
Oh, and the bond between the drug addict, Philip, and his pet turtle Poppy is probably the most important relationship in all of television.
Honestly, this show deserves more credit than it is getting. The Netflix description doesn't do it justice. I strongly recommend that you binge this show next. Do it for Poppy the turtle. She needs you.
