'11.22.63' Recap: 'The Kill Floor'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Over the years, we have all been witness to some incredible stories when it comes to the everyman rising up to the occasion and saving the day or the world. But the vast majority of those stories have left out a key element in character development in order to keep the story rolling...specifically, exactly what does it take to truly be a hero?

Think about that for a moment, simply because of the fact we rarely think about it beyond the story as well. A hero is someone who puts their life on the line, willingly to save others without thinking twice about it. That requires a certain level of sacrifice and dedication that few will ever understand, and it also means that these men and women will have to make tough decisions, one that can change lives forever. So perhaps it makes sense then that it isn't often explored in fiction, because we want our heroes to be our heroes and nothing more...but when it comes to 11.22.63, the series decided it was high time to do that deep dive into how a hero is born in the second episode, 'The Kill Floor'.

Now this was...a damn impressive episode through and through. Not only did it challenge and develop Jake in ways we never quite expected, but it went to some dark places, as only a Stephen King story can. This episode saw Jake make a strong effort to try and do some good in the past, by preventing the death of the Dunning family, hopefully altering the future and giving Harry a better life in 2016 and while that idea sounds simple enough...the execution of it turned out to be anything but. Because Harry's father Frank, turned out to be worse than Harry ever described him to be, and Jake made the mistake of trying to get to know the man before that fateful Halloween night and quickly came to regret it; since Frank turned out to be filled to the brim with malice and pride and the deep rooted fury present in his soul came out with ease on a regular basis. This was never more evident than during the disturbing scene in the slaughterhouse, where Frank made a violent point of brutally killing a cow to prove his physical prowess to Jake, and to remind the time traveler that no one would get the best of Frank Dunning. 

Yet while any moment with Frank came off as dangerous and terrifying, he was nicely counterbalanced by Jake and his tough and powerful journey to go beyond average man and become a hero to save the Dunning family. It was absolutely fascinating to see Jake slowly make the decision to end Frank's life if necessary and it spoke to how sheltered a life Jake has enjoyed in Maine. He's never been faced with tough or ugly decisions and now that he is in this unfamiliar territory, with some bold 'missions' ahead of him, he's having to adapt in ways he never has before and it led to one stunning finale, where Jake indeed sucked up any concerns or fears and confronted Frank in the midst of the drunken and violent tirade he learned about in 2016. It was a true 'edge of your seat' sequence of events where Jake emerged victorious, and transformed. Despite knowing he did the right thing, he still didn't quite feel good about it,  and in the process, had to reveal that he's from the future.

On the plus side it means he may have a companion on his journey, someone who believes what he says now since he did indeed 'predict' Frank going wild on his family, we'll find that out for sure as the story progresses, but when it comes to this one...just...wow. One needs to truly appreciate the fact that this story and this episode in particular, is presenting the past without rose colored glasses and shattering the Americana/Normal Rockwell image we often think of when it comes to the sixties and that's just brilliant. It demonstrates that the world remains one tough place. But what matters most, Jake turned out to be a hero after all. He made one incredibly tough decision by taking the life of another human being, and in doing so...who knows what possibilities have opened up for Harry Dunning now. But Jake still has one last big decision pending...now that he knows he can truly influence and change the future...will he reassign himself to his mission to save President Kennedy? Guess we will find out in the next episode, until then.

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