As the first episode of The Time Traveler’s Wife begins, Henry DeTamble (Theo James) talks about the issues involved with living with time travel. Clare (Rose Leslie) says you get the normal problems too as Henry mentions her friends. 28-year-old Henry meets with 33-year-old Gomez (Desmin Borges) at a bar. They share a drink and casually talk about Clare and Charisse. Gomez tries to use observational humor to lighten the mood before Henry asks why he looks at him like that. He says Henry is a time traveler and the first interesting thing to ever happen to him. Henry wonders if they’re actually friends. Gomez says the Henry from the future claimed they were. Henry argues they don’t have much in common besides wanting to sleep with Clare. Although Gomez denies it, Henry is willing to accept his debilitating envy.

Gomez stands up and tries to convince him to apologize because he doesn’t have any feelings for Clare. As Gomez walks off, Henry says they tried to share a drink and it didn’t work. Gomez returns to suggest there is a reason he is giving him funny looks all the time. He reminds Henry that he has seen him once before although Henry cannot remember when. After the intro, 38-year-old Henry meets with 16-year-old Clare who sketches his picture. He hopes she is not drawing him without clothes although he knows otherwise because he has seen the finished picture. Henry hears someone and suspects it could be someone he knows since he has met her family. When asked why he is smiling, he thinks there was something funny about her. He goes on to say she is very, very funny. When she is 20 and Henry is 28, they ride together as Henry asks whether she hates her parents.

He questions that because she moved a long way away from them. She tells him to relax, but Henry can’t do that in a car. If he time travels, he’ll be moving at 60. When they stop for gas, Clare tells him that his phone keeps buzzing and she is starting to think it is his other woman. Henry admits it is. It is Gomez because they had a little tiff and he needs to stop being friendly. Clare reminds him that future Henry says Gomez is going to be a best friend. She admits she mostly prefers older Henry who asks if there is anything she likes better about him. She mentions the sex. As they walk back outside, Clare makes Henry answer Gomez’s call and be nice to him. Gomez apologizes for yesterday before Henry tells him to forget about it. He asks Henry whether it is okay to tell him about the first time he saw him. Henry begins laughing at Gomez when he asks whether it’ll mess with the causality of time.

By the time Henry says he is joking, a cursing Gomez has already hung up on him. Henry tells Clare that they don’t like each other as Gomez tells Charisse (Natasha Lopez) the same thing. Once they arrive, Clare tells Henry that she comes from Meadowlark House. Henry is surprised it is so bigger. When he asks why they need so many rooms, Clare says the family’s issues. She explains that the issue of revisiting your childhood is the fact that nothing is quite where you left it. Mark (Peter Graham) approaches as Clare asks Henry not to out a-hole him. He is introduced to Philip (Michael Park) and Lucille (Jaime Ray Newman) right away. Mark asks him about the guy who has been violating his kid sister before Henry gives Philip a gift.

After sitting down, they talk about Henry’s job at the library and his long-term plans. Henry learns that Philip is a lawyer and Mark is almost a lawyer. He jokes there is a safety net in case you ever want to cut loose since you always have a lawyer. Nobody gets the joke. Henry tells them about his lawyer friend named Gomez. As Nell comes over, Clare says it is Jan Gomilinsky and Gomez is a nickname. Henry thinks Nell (Marcia DeBonis) is Gomilinsky and causes a scene. Mark finds it odd that Henry forgot his friend’s name. Next, Clare shows Henry to his room. He asks to see her room so he can remember the route and sneak over in the dark. Once they go to her room, Henry looks through the window at the meadow and place where they always meet.

He asks if they can go see the clearing. Clare says maybe after lunch causing Henry to suspect there is a problem. She explains that the clearing was their place. Henry says she met him there and he is the same Henry, but she says he will be someday. He doesn’t think she likes him being here like the place belongs to the other Henry. He picks up the checkers and says she could always be nice to him. It could become a habit and a thing they do. He claims she keeps looking disappointedly at him. She says he keeps not being him. When he throws the checkers board down, she asks him not to throw her things. She goes on to explain that this is the set she used to use with the other Henry. He says it is old while she says it is old and special to her. Henry argues there is nothing special about old.

He doesn’t think non-time travel people get it because they hang onto things from the past like the past matters anymore. Now is the only time that there ever is. The past is what didn’t kill you while the future is what will. The in-between is the only thing that matters. Henry insists that is him and her right now. Clare wonders why sex with him always makes her feel likes she is going to hell. Although Henry isn’t sure, he admits it is one of the greatest compliments he has ever received. Mark interrupts while yelling that lunch will be ready in five. Henry goes back to his room to freshen up when he is rushed by Alicia Abshire (Taylor Richardson) who knows all about him. Clare bursts in on them as Henry says he hasn’t done anything. Clare asks her sister not to mess with her boyfriend. She admits she told her sister and she likes to tease people.

Alicia also saw him in the house a few times. He looks just like the Henry in the drawing besides his hair which Alicia likes better. She argues that he needs to see the drawing, but Clare doesn’t seem eager to show it to him. While Clare and Alicia talk about him being hot, Henry ends up time traveling. He lands on top of a man who he promptly attacks. Clare hears the water overflowing so she rushes in and learns that Henry is gone. He is busy fighting with the biker (Tim Lajcik). When they knock over the motorcycles, Henry realizes he is in trouble. Clare tells her parents that Henry might be feeling a little car sick and can’t join them. She believes an hour should be long enough. Clare notices that the fireplace is fake even though she always thought it was real. Gomez arrives as Henry is beaten by the bikers. He tells them that the camera got them.

Gomez walks over to Henry to say it is 2022. He tells the bikers that the cameras have uploaded the footage to hard drives and his law firm has already submitted paperwork to access that footage. He had an inkling that something good was going down. Henry begins laughing as Gomez tells them that his legal advice is to go home. Clare asks Nell to push lunch back an hour if it isn’t putting her out. Nell wonders what putting her out would matter. Once they begin talking about Henry, Nell encourages her to make sure he is rich. Clare mentions her imaginary friend in the woods. She told Henry that Nell was the person she shared all her secrets with. Gomez tells Henry he is pretty beaten up. Henry knows and admits it is going to get worse when he time travels. He wonders why Gomez keeps calling him comrade.

Gomez says he is part Polish. Since Poland was communist, they used to call each other comrade. Gomez learns Henry is from 2008 so he questions if Henry likes him yet. He reveals they got one thing in common since they’re in love with the same woman. Henry tells him that he doesn’t hide it very well since everyone knows. He believes Charisse must know something. Gomez jokes he is afraid Henry likes him. He tells Henry he is still around in this time period. With Henry’s condition, he suspected he is not in it for the long haul. He wonders if Gomez is waiting for him to be gone so he can swoop in and get Clare.

Gomez confesses it’ll break his heart when Henry is no longer in the picture because they’re best friends. He asks Henry whether he thinks there is another reason he’d lie to those psycho bikers about some fake cameras. After Henry thanks him, he admits he does like him. Gomez tells him that things change over time and he is hot for his current wife now. What doesn’t change is that Gomez always knew it was hopeless since Clare has always been in love with Henry. As soon as Gomez saw the drawing, he knew Clare was in love. Before Henry disappears, Gomez gives him the date and time so he can make a note of it when he gets home. Alicia tells Clare that she heard Henry who must be back. She finds the note in his room and learns he is back. Henry tells her to cover for him a bit before he comes to lunch with her family. He asks her to go easy on him and she asks the same of him.

Once she walks away, Henry looks in the mirror to check his injuries. Mark asks if he should go looking for Henry. Clare is just going to be honest with them so she explains they’ve been arguing about new relationship stuff. She asks them to be nice and not interrogate them. Clare explains he said some things she didn’t like very much and she might’ve got a little too judgmental. They’re surprised when a banged-up Henry enters, sits down, and says you never argue with Clare who says she didn’t hit him. Henry quickly claims he fell in the shower. Clare says she felt bad about being judgmental because she forgot about the fall. Alicia changes the subject by asking about Henry’s parents. His dad plays the violin for the Chicago Philharmonic. His mother was a singer who died when he was young. Clare tells them that her name was Annette Lyn Robinson.

They know her and have several of her recordings here. Lucille tells Henry that Alicia plays the cello although she says she likes being a hairdresser. Mark begins asking questions about the fight and fall as Clare quickly deflects by reminding him they’re not in court. Lucille suggests Henry’s father could give Alicia lessons and get her back on track. Lucille suggests a person could do better before Mark tells Henry that he is bleeding. Mark goes through the scenario that they’ve given him until Clare curses him. Clare says she has had enough of everything. Alicia is a hairdresser and she is happy about it. Her other daughter is an art student who will marry a librarian. Her only son is a total a-hole who did the impossible by becoming a lawyer. Once Clare finishes, she storms out. Henry excuses himself and waddles away from the table.

Alicia follows Henry back to Clare’s room to unlock the door and let him in. They look through the window and see her running toward the clearing. Henry sees the drawing as he says she is looking for him. An older Clare says you only see what you want to see when you’re young. As she runs into the woods, she sees coal trucks passing on the road overhead. When you grow up, your vision clears and you see so much less. Clare sees a plant across from her. She checks the box only to find Henry’s clothes are missing. While Henry looks at the drawing, Alicia insists her family is alright and they’re just people. She believes it takes too long to realize that your mom and dad are just people. Clare took the drawing with her when she was missing Henry. Alicia admits she could’ve put some concealer on his bruises before he asks if she can help him.

Once he goes outside, Clare asks if this place even means anything to him. She apologizes since she was going to make a big ceremony out of bringing him out here for the first time, but Henry says it doesn’t matter. She turns around and is surprised to see Henry with his hair cut like the drawing. He admits her sister is pretty good. Flashbacks show Henry’s first encounter with a young Clare (Everleigh McDonell). There are more flashbacks with Clare at various ages. Clare remembers a 41-year-old Henry proposing to her in the clearing.

She tells Henry that he is going to ask her a question and the answer is yes. She admits she loved him from the start in the library although she was expecting someone else. Henry can be someone else. They kiss until the episode ends.

 

The Time Traveler’s Wife Review

The Time Traveler’s Wife has never been able to recapture the emotional punch it delivered in the second episode although it has come close a few times. The upcoming finale will give it another opportunity to try. It is starting to look like this is meant to be a story carried out over multiple seasons, but viewers won’t find out until next week. I think I would’ve appreciated this more if I knew there was going to be a definite ending considering there is no guarantee there will be another season.

There was a lot to like near the end of the episode as Henry and Clare agreed to put their differences aside, but the episode had a lot of glaring annoyances too. While you’re obviously going to have to bend reality to watch and enjoy this, a little too much can be disappointing. Gomez’s confrontation with the bikers was pretty cheesy and it is silly to believe Clare’s wealthy family would overlook Henry’s cuts and bruises.

It is understandable why this is so sexualized since it is on HBO, but it is a bit too much at times. It isn’t necessary. Although the haircut was predictable, it was still a nice touch and ended the episode on a good note. Theo James is doing his best despite the obnoxious dialogue that often falls flat. Ultimately, this was a good episode as a whole even though certain scenes were silly. The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of The Time Traveler’s Wife can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support us at this link.