Round Two: Undone

Undone: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Hospital” (B+)

I’m so glad that I decided to watch the pilot of this show even though I don’t usually check out animated fare. I was already intrigued enough by Alma’s outlook on the life and the relationship she had with both her sister Becca and her boyfriend Sam, and then the end of the episode which featured the car crash made it only more interesting. I love time travel more than almost anything else, and even though it’s presented in a purposely non-narrative format here, I’m absolutely hooked. I liked how Jacob kept pulling Alma in and demanding that she agree to help him before repeatedly sending her back to experience the same events over and over when her mom and sister proved to be less than sympathetic to her condition when she woke up from her coma. In addition to her seeing herself pushing the elevator button and then showing up as the other her the next time, she managed to learn how she could better interpret the intent of those around her and accept what she’d knew they’d say instead of fighting it. It was mesmerizing to watch Jacob invite her to experience her life in a normal way, showing her the birth of her child, the death of her mother, and her eventual death, before rewinding it all with the alternative option of doing it without a narrative approach. The notion of him going back so that he wouldn’t die and leave her alone on Halloween is pretty incredible, and I’ll be glued to the screen as I check in with the rest of this show each week.