27 thoughts on “Timeless: Surprising Levels of Quality!

  1. The belt on that nazi uniform, though. Ergh. ACROSS the pockets? Really, guys? Come on, we can do better than that.

      1. we were shooting with a nub g=crew in Canada just trying to do their best…they got much better as time went on.

  2. The thing I like most is the use of pop culture names for aliases. In the first episode, our girl identifies herself and Wyatt as Nurse Jackie and Dr Dre, from General Hospital.. The SS uniforms ngggggggh. Also, Fleming would have addressed the officer by his SS rank title, something like “Standartenfuher” or “Obergruppenfuhrer.” The German uniforms were cut high on the hip to make the legs seem longer and (theoretically) to make the men seem taller. It’s one of the commonest mistakes to cut the jackets too long.
    And — HATS!

      1. I feel it necessary for a quick response because we work so damn hard.

        OK Lucy’s trim is actually vintage trim from Western Costume archives but also the outfit is not suppose to be 100% percent period correct for the Lincoln episode as they cobbled the looks together in theory. Yes the gown should have had hooks but an inexperienced tailor shop could barely make the dress on time to shoot but they still did a pretty good job for their first time. Lucy was suppose to have gloves on but with the speed in which we are shooting the costumer did not get the to her on time.
        I could not watch the German episode because of Ian Flemmings belt. I tried to get them to re-shoot the master but it was a no go and it make me nuts.
        The producer does not like hats…it is a battle. We have about a week and a half to prep each episode and most of the principles have to be made in multiples for stunts. We set up and take down each period each episode with script changes and late casting….most of the clothes come from the U.S and we shoot in Canada. I hope you understand it is a massive undertaking. We are doing the best we can and I am proud of most of what we accomplish with my Great crew!!!!
        keep watching …I look forward to your critiques.

        1. Thanks for all the details, we love hearing directly from the designer! And it’s amazing to see this much historical accuracy on a weekly network TV show, esp. when you’re covering many different eras — we’re impressed :)

    1. I know, but at least they’re confining that to eras when it’s okay to wear your hair down (1930s/40s) — for the 19th c. stuff, they’ve actually put her hair up! Progress!!

  3. I’ve been enjoying the show! My roommate laughed at me during the Lincoln episode because I yelled “OMFG they actually put her hair up!! They never do that!!” and she (like everyone else I watch historically-themed tv/movies with) replied “Sarah, nobody cares. It’s just hair.” And then I try to swallow my rant because they have heard it all before.

  4. I started to watch this, but quickly got bored with the stupid plots. TV just can’t seem to get “time travel” shows right (although I have a soft spot for New Amsterdam and Forever). The clothing didn’t seem to be egregiously wrong, but the belt on Lucy in the Alamo episode gave me hives. Unless there is better writing for this series, I won’t be watching it any more.

  5. I enjoy Timeless for the fact that it takes the ideas of time travel and changing historical timelines seriously, but does it with a light touch. I’m a little over every show trying to be “gritty”. The costumes are closer to accurate than most network shows manage to be and at the very least aren’t terribly distracting.

    I’ve particularly enjoyed the moments of lampshading the ridiculous requirements of traveling to the past – like the necessity for a giant bunker of costumes at hand at any moment. But I keep saying that I want to play the part of the costume shop manager who has to stock the place and dress each of them on a moment’s notice before they go on a mission. She’d be fun to play: 1 scene per episode griping about how they expect her to manage a miracle on no budget and in less than an hour and its not her fault that they’re sending them into a warzone with the wrong military insignia on their uniforms.

  6. On the other hand, “Legends of Tomorrow” tackles the same issues with often egregious results. In their WWII scenario, they have one of the top Wehrmacht old school Prussian junker generals in an SS uniform and with a full beard. As if! The old boy wouldn’t spit on the Waffen SS, and wouldn’t consider going against tradition by allowing himself any more than the regulation full moustache.

  7. I couldn’t get hooked into the story. The first “twist” seemed like it was visible 50 miles out. The Civil War episode though…”historian” Lucy goes running out into the streets of DC, no escort, no gloves, no bonnet, hair falling loose. There’s no way she doesn’t get taken for a “loose woman.” And then at the end she just grabs Robert Lincoln’s hand (no gloves again), and calls him by his given name?! I could not deal with that. Could not deal at all; if Lucy is this all-knowing history oracle then she should know that none of that nonsense would not fly in 1865.

  8. And while Rufus’s commentary — particularly on being a black man going back in time — is pretty funny, he’s also very obviously there for the wry comic relief.

    Rufus is also there as the team’s technical “Mr. Fix-It”. This was especially apparent in the 1754 and 1969 episodes.

  9. “Also, they were very smart to cast a dark-haired actress because then she doesn’t look super “makeup-y” in the pre-20th century episodes.”

    Uh – what?

    1. I’m guessing it has to do with eyebrows and eyelashes. Blonde with no eyemakeup can look very washed out to modern eyes.

    2. I mean if they had cast someone with lighter-colored hair — ie light eyebrows and lashes — it would have been obvious if/when they put her in eye makeup, which you KNOW they wouldn’t have been able to resist. Since she has such dark hair, her dark brows/lashes pop no matter the era and look natural.

  10. Her current outfit–in the 1770s (the Benedict Arnold ep)–seems VERY wrong to me. AND THE HAIR. She never puts her hair up in the 18th century. And the boys have the modern hair cuts and never hats.

    1. the show creator hates hats…I have quit severalties over it but we get it better this season.

  11. Yes, Emily, you nailed it. At the very least, she should have a cap on, and the men should most definitely have HATS. Also, the braid on the actors’ shoulder boards was cheerleader crap. It was better on the extras, and I’m betting they were reenactors. Although, the red seemed more crimson than scarlet.

  12. I fan-girled the Ian Fleming episode hard-core. My dad and I go to each movie in the theater and we watch the older movies together too. It’s our thing. I’m sure I’ll see things that bug me here and there, but it’s fun to watch if I don’t want something too heavy.

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